Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker

Author:Jayne Denker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

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The Summer Solstice Fest’s craft fair on the town green was one of the more popular events of the season, and they had a lot to do to set up Delia’s tent—so much so that Gillian’s friends almost didn’t have time to grill her about her feud with Noah. Almost.

“So, wait. I have some questions,” Leah said as they unloaded totes full of Delia’s jewelry from the back of Jenna’s minivan. “About your thing with Noah.”

Gillian puffed up, affronted. “I do not have a th—”

“You just spent ten minutes risking your neck on a ladder to hang a garden gnome from his pergola as some sort of inside joke with him. This is not normal behavior.”

“Joke? I most certainly do not joke with Noah West.”

“Love-hate is a thing, you know,” Delia said. “I think Leah’s onto something here.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but there is no love-hate anything,” Gillian said. “That man is obnoxious, rude, insensitive, a massive grouch, and he created that monstrosity of a so-called garden. The only emotion he inspires in me is straight-up hate.”

“Mm, I don’t know…” Leah mused, one finger on her chin. “Sounds like an awful lot of protesting for someone not worthy of being on your radar.”

Jenna added, “And somehow none of Gillian’s dates, of which she’s had plenty, turn into second dates. Why is that, Gillian? Hm?”

Gillian valiantly ignored her friends, plonked a tote on a handcart, and started rolling the cart toward the booth. Delia ran ahead of her and blocked her path.

“Yeah, why is that, Gilly? You’d think at least one or two of the men you’ve met would be worth seeing more than once. Are you holding all these guys to some impossible standard of hotness—your neighbor?”

“Jewelry, ladies. All this has to be put on display.”

Gillian steered the handcart around her friend and pushed it into the white tent Delia had been assigned. The others trailed after her, lugging more boxes. For a first-timer, Delia had actually gotten a good spot on the town green, right in the middle of the action, on a main walkway and with a lovely view of the river. There were worse spots to spend a summer day.

Gillian pulled the cover off a tote and scooped up a handful of beaded necklaces. “Now … where?”

“I know you’re capable of multitasking,” Jenna said to Gillian as she passed Leah a compartmented box. “Unpack, and at the same time tell us why you’re rejecting all the men you’re meeting, and whether it has anything to do with the hot guy next door.”

Gillian had to get them off the Noah train. Good thing she had a decent distraction ready.

“Fine. Fine. I wasn’t going to tell you this, but—”

Her three friends leaned in with bated breath. Delia whispered, “I knew it. You already jumped your neighbor.”

Gillian pulled a face. “No! Actually, I … met someone at the pharmaceutical conference.”

“Really?” Jenna exclaimed, overjoyed.

“When do we get to meet him?” Delia demanded.

“Hey, now, we can’t scare him off yet.

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