Harlequin Romance March 2021 Box Set Cara Colter (the mitten read aloud TXT) 📖

to wipe the floor with her—figuratively speaking—and get a sense of control back. He glanced at his mom and Lissy.

‘It’s too early to start preparing dinner yet,’ his mom said. ‘I’m happy to sit here in the park in this lovely sun.’

‘Don’t do it,’ Lissy said to Callie. ‘He’s really good.’

‘So am I, baby doll,’ Callie said, affecting a gangster stance and pretending to straighten her non-existent collar.

Lissy giggled and slipped an arm through Callie’s, apparently BFFs.

Callie played white. He was black.

And she whooped his butt.

And to his shock he found that he didn’t mind at all.

‘Where did you learn to play like that?’

‘My mum is obsessed with the game. It’s a rare occasion that I can beat her.’

Owen’s stomach burned. Had Frances taught him to play because the game had reminded her of her daughter?

Callie swung to Lissy, the glossy auburn highlights in her hair gleaming in the sun. ‘Did you hear I had all of my things stolen?’

Lissy’s mouth dropped open. ‘All of your clothes too?’ She whimpered at Callie’s nod. ‘I’d have bawled my eyes out.’

Had Callie wanted to cry? He squirmed as he recalled what he’d thought about her…how mistaken he’d been. He should’ve been more sympathetic, kinder…gentler.

‘Your brother was great—he had some essentials delivered and took care of everything. I was so grateful.’

She sent him a smile that made him feel like a million dollars.

‘But I still need to buy some clothes. Are there any stores around here you can recommend? I’ve no idea, and—’

‘I could go shopping with you!’ Lissy’s face lit up. ‘Tomorrow? It’d be fun.’ She grinned at her brother. ‘Owen would let me crash for the night. I mean you’ve been nagging me to stay for, like, for ever, right?’

She was volunteering to stay the whole night? He did his best not to sound too eager. ‘Sure.’

‘Is it okay, Mom?’

‘Sure, honey—but only if it’s okay with Callie. She might have plans.’

‘No plans.’ Callie nudged Lissy’s shoulder. ‘I’d love it.’

He wanted to hug her for the grin she sent his little sister.

‘And maybe we could all watch a movie after dinner,’ Lissy added.

‘Sounds like fun,’ Callie agreed.

Both of them turned to him and he raised his hands in surrender. ‘Any chance I get to choose the movie?’

‘None at all,’ Lissy said, with a cheerfulness that warmed him all the way through.

‘Fine…’ he pretended to grumble. But the plan sounded absolutely perfect.

CHAPTER FIVE

SEEING OWEN WITH his family was like viewing him through an entirely new lens. He’d lost that almost unconscious edge he had whenever he was around her. He’d relaxed. Properly. And a relaxed Owen was doubly potent.

It sent warning bells clanging through Callie’s mind. All she wanted to focus on was finding a new direction in life—starting with the TV job. And then she’d make a decision about her inheritance. And she planned to do all of that footloose and fancy-free, thank you very much. She wasn’t letting any man into her life until she was damn certain everything she’d worked so hard for couldn’t be pulled out from under her. She wasn’t putting her livelihood at the mercy of some guy’s whims. She’d learned that lesson the hard way.

And she had an extra reason to worry now too. If word got out that she’d inherited so much money, how could she be certain that any man would want her for herself? How could she be certain he wasn’t interested in her money instead?

Even Owen. After all, how much did she really know about him?

She glanced across at him in his soft worn jeans that looked as comfortable as air and his loose long-sleeved tee. A girl could admire a good-looking guy without it meaning anything, though, right?

‘Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?’ she asked.

‘Just keep sitting there, looking suitably impressed with my kitchen skills. It’s doing wonders for my ego.’

He said it with the same teasing half-grin he used on Lissy and it made her feel as if she belonged, that she wasn’t an unwelcome intruder.

Dangerous. The word whispered through her. Still, the man prepared a salad with an elegance that was very easy on the eye…

‘You know your way around a kitchen better than I do.’

‘I like to cook. It gives me time to think. Figuring out how to make an app work can take a lot of thinking time.’

Margaret ambled over from the sofa, where she’d been flicking through a newspaper, to perch on a stool beside Callie. Lissy and Barney were out in the courtyard. Callie could hear Lissy talking on her phone.

‘It’s something you do very well,’ Margaret said. ‘Your apps are inspired.’

‘Obviously the company he works for thinks so,’ said Callie. ‘I saw his office. It’s amazing.’

Margaret sent her son a swift glance, but he was busy slicing onions. ‘He’s too modest,’ she said drily.

Callie did her best not to get mesmerised by the sight of those large hands, with their short, slightly squared nails, effortlessly slicing and chopping.

‘Coming up with ways to make a lecture or a tutorial engaging and fun can be a bit like that,’ she said. ‘But doing my thinking time in the kitchen would be a disaster. The food would either be half raw or burned to a crisp.’

His grin hooked up one side of his mouth and her heart started pitter-pattering away as if it had donned tap shoes and was learning a brand-new dance routine. He scattered sliced red pepper over the lettuce and red onion already in the salad bowl before adding cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber. She blinked when he pulled extra virgin olive oil and a bottle of gourmet vinegar from the pantry.

He made his own dressing?

The fork he whisked with faltered for a moment as he sent her a sidelong glance, and she suddenly realised she was staring. She had to get over this awareness. It was crazy!

She swung to Margaret. ‘What’s the thing you remember most about Frances?’

A sigh Callie didn’t understand eased out of the older woman. ‘I have