Bed, Breakfast, and Beyond by Bonnie Gardner

Author:Bonnie Gardner [Gardner, Bonnie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Astraea Press, LLC
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The jangling alarm nudged Corrie out of peaceful sleep full of pleasant dreams about Ham Jordan. Or was it Ben who had made such sweet love to her in her dreams? Whoever it was, Corrie had wakened feeling as fresh and alert as any non-morning person could be. After her bad morning yesterday, anything would have been an improvement. She tossed her covers aside and eased out of bed. There was no sense in pushing it by leaping around so soon.

She fumbled her way to the shower and stepped into the stinging spray, allowing the water to warm as it ran over her. She didn't like being pelted by ice water, but it did do the trick in closing her pores and opening her eyes. By the time she had scrubbed herself clean, she was awake and reasonably alert.

That in itself was enough to please her. It assured her that what had happened the previous day wouldn't be the norm. She chalked up her foul mood of the morning before as first-day jitters. She'd gotten over the hump. She'd made it.

Feeling almost cheerful, she dressed and let her hair dry naturally. Then she made her way to the kitchen for the coffee Vanessa was sure to have ready. She might be in better shape than she had been yesterday, but she still needed her jolt of caffeine to jump-start her brain.

She followed her nose into the kitchen, savoring the rich aroma of fresh coffee, thick and laced with chicory. Vanessa might like those syrupy, fruit-flavored blends, but at least, she had the good sense to brew up the high test variety for the real coffee drinkers. She pushed open the door. "That coffee smells like just what I need, 'Nessa. Pour me a c—"

Corrie looked up and stopped short.

Vanessa was not alone in the kitchen. J. R. Jessup leaned casually against her butcher block, sipping a cup of coffee as if he belonged there.

And she'd thought that Vanessa had made the coffee for her. She managed a welcoming smile, though. "Good morning, J. R. What brings you here so early on a Sunday?"

"I thought I'd check on that part for the generator. Sure would hate for you to lose your power come the next storm."

Corrie felt the corners of her mouth twitch, and she tried unsuccessfully to hide the resulting smile. "J. R., J. R., J. R. If that part hadn't arrived yesterday afternoon, what makes you think it would be here now?" Corrie knew exactly why J. R. was there, and she wanted to be sure J. R. knew she knew it too.

"All right," he admitted, putting his coffee down and raising his hands in mock surrender. "You caught me. I just wanted some time with Miss Vanessa here."

"As if I didn't know that." She chuckled. "So, have you made your introductions?"

Vanessa handed her a steaming cup of black coffee. "We're just fine, girlfriend. In fact, J. R.'s taking me into Mobile for supper tonight," she answered, making no effort to conceal her delight.

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