Fantasy for Hire by Erika Wilde

Author:Erika Wilde
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Erika Wilde
Published: 2020-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

The cell phone in Teddy’s lap buzzed, and she tossed aside the woman’s magazine she’d been thumbing through and clicked the connect button before the sound completed its cycle.

“Hello?” she answered.

“You are a very bad girl, Teddy Spencer.”

Teddy immediately recognized her sister-in-law’s low, throaty voice. Relief mingled with the awful anxiety that had been her constant companion all day long, easing the knot in her chest by a few degrees. Normally, Sundays were her day to relax and catch up on personal errands and chores. Today, she’d been too intent on talking to Susan to move more than an arm’s stretch away from her phone. She hadn’t even taken a shower yet because she’d feared missing the call. The only thing she’d allowed for her vigil was a quick change into leggings and an oversize sweatshirt, a scrubbed face, brushed teeth and a ponytail.

Not wanting to appear too anxious, she strove for a casual air. “It’s the bad girls that have all the fun.”

Susan laughed. “You certainly seem to be having your share,” she said, her tone sly. “When were you going to tell the family about Austin? Or were you going to keep this guy all to yourself?”

The latter, but Susan’s phone call last night had nixed that plan. Not quite ready to answer that question until she had a chance to feel Susan out, she said, “It’s after five. Where have you been? I’ve been trying to get hold of you all day.”

“No kidding.” Susan snickered. “Thirteen messages on my cell phone is a bit excessive, don’t you think?”

“No.” Teddy straightened indignantly. “Not when I needed to speak with you about eight hours ago.”

“Brent, the kids and I were out of the house early this morning,” Susan said breezily. “We went to brunch with your brother Russ and his family. I would have invited you to come along, but thought you’d have better things to do this morning.”

The insinuation in Susan’s tone caused Teddy’s face to warm and a horrifying thought to invade her mind…the very real possibility that Susan had shared that assumption with her brother Brent. “Susan—”

“Then Brent and Russ took the kids to see that new animated Christmas feature playing at the movies, and Natalie and I went shopping with your mother for Christmas presents for the kids. Santa went broke this year, and what I didn’t get on the kids’ Christmas list, Grandma insisted on buying.”

Teddy shot up off the sofa, her heart slamming against her ribs. Oh, this didn’t sound good at all! “You went shopping with my mother?” The question came out as a croak.

“She was on her best behavior,” Susan assured her. “I swear, there’s something about the holidays that brings out the very best in her. And when I told her about your new guy, she actually beamed.”

Teddy squeezed her eyes shut, imagining her mother’s pretty face, alight with happiness at the thought that her only daughter was finally coming to her senses and settling down. “No,” she moaned.

“Yeah, she actually beamed,” Susan reiterated, misinterpreting Teddy’s denial.

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