Read Online Exploding: A Mafia Romance (The O'Keefe Family Collection #1) by Tuesday Embers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tuesday Embers
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laughter.
“I took Kill to every function when I worked at the art gallery while I was in college. To say that I’ve got barely any experience with men is an understatement. Trust me, you don’t want a piece of the crazy.” The oppressing burden of defeat and loneliness weighed down on her shoulders. “I’ve made my peace with it. I told myself after the Jeremy fiasco that I wouldn’t drag any other guy down with me. I’m in the pit. No sense in you throwing your life away. Jeremy moved to another state to escape us, you know. You seem pretty established here.”
James began to understand how deep the situation could get if he threw his hat into the mix. “Okay. I get it.” He took a step back, trying to wrap his mind around the strangeness of Fallyn’s life. “Am I allowed to drink coffee at your store?”
“I… no,” she ruled, trying to firmly resist his cologne, his lure, his smile that, despite her horrific story, he still found a way to wear a hint of as he looked down at her heart-shaped face. “Absolutely no coffee.”
“But I drink coffee every morning. Sometimes I even take over a table at a coffee shop and spend an hour or two making phone calls. Yours is the nearest one to the office.”
“No coffee. Not if you value your kneecaps. My brothers have a sixth sense about that kind of thing.”
“How about this? Let me see your cell.” He took the phone she handed him and punched his number in under the name “Larissa”. “See? Now we can talk at least, and they won’t have to know. Then we can get to the bottom of why I can’t shake you.”
Fallyn’s cheeks heated. “Can’t shake me, huh? Even after hearing all that?”
“Are you kidding me? Now you’re the forbidden fruit. If there’s anything you need to know about lawyers, it’s that when we’re told no, all we hear are the many arguments we can use to get a yes.” He took a step to close the distance between them, his finger under her chin to tilt her face up so he could get a better look at her. “I’ll call you tonight.”
Fallyn leaned up on her toes to steal a light embrace, inhaling the cologne that was strongest in the crook of his neck. “I’ll answer.”
9
Phone Calls with Larissa
F allyn wasted no time hiring a second and third baker, seeing her business problems with new clarity after her encounter with James. She picked the women who could start the very next night. Just the brief venture from the shop left her with more kitchen work than she had anticipated. She made batters, iced cakes and chipped away at the many custom orders that were piling up.
When Rina and Loretta came in ready to be trained the following evening, Fallyn was overjoyed at the prospect of getting to go home and actually take a shower. She dreamt about putting on clean pajamas. She longed to return James’ message with more than a quick text between rushed meals.
Loretta had just left a bakery two towns over because of the low pay, and Rina was fresh out of culinary school. They were fantastic hires, and found their rhythm not too long after studying the recipes Fallyn had honed through years of trial and error. Loretta was a husky woman in her forties who had a loud voice, used mostly to wrangle her two children, whom she couldn’t stop showing the staff pictures of. Rina was a cautious but chipper twentysomething who didn’t mind taking orders from Fallyn and Loretta. Fallyn quickly saw after a handful of days that Loretta cast herself in the mama bear alpha role, so she began considering the woman for a managerial position. That way Fallyn could have a bit of time away from the never-ending work weeks she seemed chained to. As the days passed, she began to breathe easier.
“How’re the numbers, sweetie?” Kristy inquired as the workday wound to a close, leaning over Fallyn’s chair at her desk to read over her shoulder. Kristy was Declan’s casual girlfriend of three months, whom her brother had insisted she hire to
“I took Kill to every function when I worked at the art gallery while I was in college. To say that I’ve got barely any experience with men is an understatement. Trust me, you don’t want a piece of the crazy.” The oppressing burden of defeat and loneliness weighed down on her shoulders. “I’ve made my peace with it. I told myself after the Jeremy fiasco that I wouldn’t drag any other guy down with me. I’m in the pit. No sense in you throwing your life away. Jeremy moved to another state to escape us, you know. You seem pretty established here.”
James began to understand how deep the situation could get if he threw his hat into the mix. “Okay. I get it.” He took a step back, trying to wrap his mind around the strangeness of Fallyn’s life. “Am I allowed to drink coffee at your store?”
“I… no,” she ruled, trying to firmly resist his cologne, his lure, his smile that, despite her horrific story, he still found a way to wear a hint of as he looked down at her heart-shaped face. “Absolutely no coffee.”
“But I drink coffee every morning. Sometimes I even take over a table at a coffee shop and spend an hour or two making phone calls. Yours is the nearest one to the office.”
“No coffee. Not if you value your kneecaps. My brothers have a sixth sense about that kind of thing.”
“How about this? Let me see your cell.” He took the phone she handed him and punched his number in under the name “Larissa”. “See? Now we can talk at least, and they won’t have to know. Then we can get to the bottom of why I can’t shake you.”
Fallyn’s cheeks heated. “Can’t shake me, huh? Even after hearing all that?”
“Are you kidding me? Now you’re the forbidden fruit. If there’s anything you need to know about lawyers, it’s that when we’re told no, all we hear are the many arguments we can use to get a yes.” He took a step to close the distance between them, his finger under her chin to tilt her face up so he could get a better look at her. “I’ll call you tonight.”
Fallyn leaned up on her toes to steal a light embrace, inhaling the cologne that was strongest in the crook of his neck. “I’ll answer.”
9
Phone Calls with Larissa
F allyn wasted no time hiring a second and third baker, seeing her business problems with new clarity after her encounter with James. She picked the women who could start the very next night. Just the brief venture from the shop left her with more kitchen work than she had anticipated. She made batters, iced cakes and chipped away at the many custom orders that were piling up.
When Rina and Loretta came in ready to be trained the following evening, Fallyn was overjoyed at the prospect of getting to go home and actually take a shower. She dreamt about putting on clean pajamas. She longed to return James’ message with more than a quick text between rushed meals.
Loretta had just left a bakery two towns over because of the low pay, and Rina was fresh out of culinary school. They were fantastic hires, and found their rhythm not too long after studying the recipes Fallyn had honed through years of trial and error. Loretta was a husky woman in her forties who had a loud voice, used mostly to wrangle her two children, whom she couldn’t stop showing the staff pictures of. Rina was a cautious but chipper twentysomething who didn’t mind taking orders from Fallyn and Loretta. Fallyn quickly saw after a handful of days that Loretta cast herself in the mama bear alpha role, so she began considering the woman for a managerial position. That way Fallyn could have a bit of time away from the never-ending work weeks she seemed chained to. As the days passed, she began to breathe easier.
“How’re the numbers, sweetie?” Kristy inquired as the workday wound to a close, leaning over Fallyn’s chair at her desk to read over her shoulder. Kristy was Declan’s casual girlfriend of three months, whom her brother had insisted she hire to
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