for God’s sake. Wearing New Year’s tiaras and shaking noisemakers. Two of them even had puffy tails that stuck out like white cotton balls. Most reasonably attractive twenty-four-year-old women wouldn’t be caught dead in such a getup, but no matter how many times Alexa declared her a fashion don’t, Noelle had no intention of giving the holiday shirts up. She had too many happy memories of her and her Nana searching for the most ridiculous ones. Buying them now, even years after Nana had passed on, grounded her in a way she desperately needed.
Oh, screw it. She liked the freaking things. It wasn’t like she stitched cotton balls on her underwear, for Pete’s sake. Hadn’t she bought something sinfully sexy for tonight? For Jake?
Dammit.
“Here, why don’t you come sit in my truck?” Her good Samaritan gestured toward her bare forearms. “I don’t want you to get a chill. Did you forget to wear a coat today?”
She blinked up at him, more dazed than she cared to admit. It was just a car. Just a dress. Just pictures she couldn’t possibly replace. Pictures she’d almost lost once before, and had been lucky enough to salvage. She probably couldn’t luck out twice.
At least she hadn’t gotten hurt. That was the important thing, right?
Except…she’d really been looking forward to getting Jake naked. Finally. Holding him close. And maybe pouring some fine bubbly all over his ripped abs and his—
“My coat is in my car,” she blurted, relieved her numb lips still worked. At least thinking about Jake nude had warmed the rest of her right up. Maybe if she took the scenario further in her mind, her knees would stop wobbling. “I went shopping and didn’t want to carry it with me because I knew I’d be trying on clothes.” Fine idea that had been.
The older gentleman smiled broadly. “I’m Steven Palladone. You might know my family business, Palladone Funeral Homes. We’re one of the founding families of Sanderson. My grandfather was actually—“
“Look, Steven, I appreciate you stopping to help and calling the police. But my head’s kind of messed up right now and I can’t really follow any conversations.” She gave him what she hoped was an apologetic smile. His take-charge attitude reminded her way too much of her father. The salt-and-pepper hair the wind dragged across his wide forehead did, too. “You understand.”
“I do.” He nodded somberly. “That awful man didn’t strike you?”
“No, he didn’t. He just stole my dress,” she muttered.
Among other things, but it was the perfect dress. Small, shimmery, and gold, it hugged her curves perfectly. She’d even bought a strapless bra that nudged the girls from merely perky to capable of making a guy’s eyes bug out of his head. There had only been one left in her size, reason enough to charge it to the card she’d nearly maxed out over the holidays. Clearly the universe wanted her to hook up with Jake. Or so she’d believed, since the dress had obviously been waiting for her.
Just like the carjacker.
So she wasn’t great at predicting the wants of the cosmos. No matter. Nothing would deter her now. Not feast or famine, not cotton tails or snow squalls.
Steven frowned. “Your dress? But what about your car?”
“That, too.” She sighed as he shrugged out of his long camel coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her suddenly shaking shoulders. Either the winter chill had finally settled in her bones or she was having a delayed stress reaction. “Thank you, but you really don’t have to stay.”
“It’s fine,” Steven soothed. “The cops will be here shortly.”
Tires squealed and a sleek silver coupe—or “shiny cock-substitute” as Alexa loved to call them—swung up to the curb. A second later the door opened and out stepped Noelle’s destiny.
“Nellie?” Jake Conroy pushed his sunglasses on top of his head. “Are you okay?”
…
Jake forced himself not to tap his fingers on the top of his
Oh, screw it. She liked the freaking things. It wasn’t like she stitched cotton balls on her underwear, for Pete’s sake. Hadn’t she bought something sinfully sexy for tonight? For Jake?
Dammit.
“Here, why don’t you come sit in my truck?” Her good Samaritan gestured toward her bare forearms. “I don’t want you to get a chill. Did you forget to wear a coat today?”
She blinked up at him, more dazed than she cared to admit. It was just a car. Just a dress. Just pictures she couldn’t possibly replace. Pictures she’d almost lost once before, and had been lucky enough to salvage. She probably couldn’t luck out twice.
At least she hadn’t gotten hurt. That was the important thing, right?
Except…she’d really been looking forward to getting Jake naked. Finally. Holding him close. And maybe pouring some fine bubbly all over his ripped abs and his—
“My coat is in my car,” she blurted, relieved her numb lips still worked. At least thinking about Jake nude had warmed the rest of her right up. Maybe if she took the scenario further in her mind, her knees would stop wobbling. “I went shopping and didn’t want to carry it with me because I knew I’d be trying on clothes.” Fine idea that had been.
The older gentleman smiled broadly. “I’m Steven Palladone. You might know my family business, Palladone Funeral Homes. We’re one of the founding families of Sanderson. My grandfather was actually—“
“Look, Steven, I appreciate you stopping to help and calling the police. But my head’s kind of messed up right now and I can’t really follow any conversations.” She gave him what she hoped was an apologetic smile. His take-charge attitude reminded her way too much of her father. The salt-and-pepper hair the wind dragged across his wide forehead did, too. “You understand.”
“I do.” He nodded somberly. “That awful man didn’t strike you?”
“No, he didn’t. He just stole my dress,” she muttered.
Among other things, but it was the perfect dress. Small, shimmery, and gold, it hugged her curves perfectly. She’d even bought a strapless bra that nudged the girls from merely perky to capable of making a guy’s eyes bug out of his head. There had only been one left in her size, reason enough to charge it to the card she’d nearly maxed out over the holidays. Clearly the universe wanted her to hook up with Jake. Or so she’d believed, since the dress had obviously been waiting for her.
Just like the carjacker.
So she wasn’t great at predicting the wants of the cosmos. No matter. Nothing would deter her now. Not feast or famine, not cotton tails or snow squalls.
Steven frowned. “Your dress? But what about your car?”
“That, too.” She sighed as he shrugged out of his long camel coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her suddenly shaking shoulders. Either the winter chill had finally settled in her bones or she was having a delayed stress reaction. “Thank you, but you really don’t have to stay.”
“It’s fine,” Steven soothed. “The cops will be here shortly.”
Tires squealed and a sleek silver coupe—or “shiny cock-substitute” as Alexa loved to call them—swung up to the curb. A second later the door opened and out stepped Noelle’s destiny.
“Nellie?” Jake Conroy pushed his sunglasses on top of his head. “Are you okay?”
…
Jake forced himself not to tap his fingers on the top of his
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