The Bad Boy's Redemption--A Clean Romance by Syndi Powell

Author:Syndi Powell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-01-15T19:02:15+00:00

* * *

SHELBY FOUND GREAT-AUNT SARAH in the games room of the seniors’ complex playing cards with three other residents. “Well, if it isn’t our future mayor.” Aunt Sarah pointed to an empty chair nearby. “Pull up a seat and join us.”

“I don’t want to interrupt you.”

The woman across from Aunt Sarah shook her head and laid down her cards. “Doesn’t matter. I’m out. She’s bleeding me dry.”

Shelby surveyed the table, noticing the coins in the middle of the table. “Are you playing poker?”

Aunt Sarah leaned in and whispered loudly, “I’ve been on a winning streak this afternoon. I just got a royal flush.”

The other players groaned and laid down their cards. Aunt Sarah cackled and pulled the money toward her. When she was done, she glanced at Shelby. “Uh-oh. What happened? You’ve got that look.”

Shelby suddenly clammed up and watched her great-aunt organize the coins by type into small stacks. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Is it about you kissing a certain mayoral candidate?”

One of the ladies leaned in closer. “Is Josh a good kisser?”

“Gladys, please. The girl’s upset.” Aunt Sarah turned to her. “But is he? He’s got that full bottom lip that I like on a man. And from what I hear, he’s had plenty of practice.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“So why are you here, then? Besides interrupting my winning streak?”

Shelby glanced at the trio of ladies, who watched her at first but then started to make excuses and leave the table when they realized that they weren’t going to get any juicy details out of her. Shelby picked up the cards they’d left behind and shuffled them to keep her hands busy. “Want to play gin?”

“Now I really know you’re upset.” Aunt Sarah placed a hand over hers. “A card game isn’t going to change anything.”

How many times had Shelby run to her nana or great-aunt Sarah for advice? In some ways, she was closer to them than she’d been to her own mother, who loved to tell her what she ought to do in a perfect world. Her great-aunt and grandmother had instead talked more of reality.

Shelby put the cards in their box and handed it to Aunt Sarah. “I just left Josh.”

“So that’s the reason for the melancholy face.”

“I guess.”

“You guess or you know?”

“The kiss meant more to me than a photo op on the front page of the local paper.”

“And what did it mean to Josh?”

“We decided that we couldn’t let it happen again. That the election was more important right now.”

“More important than love?”

Shelby pointed to herself. “Did I say love? No, it’s more of an infatuation leftover from high school.”

“Is that all it is?” Aunt Sarah sounded skeptical. “Then, why are you so sad over it ending?”

Shelby looked up at her. “Because I’ve discovered that I like the man that he is now more than the boy I once knew.” She buried her head into her hands. “Why did it have to happen now of all times? When we’re running against each other?”

“In my experience, love doesn’t often choose a convenient time to appear.

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