My Beautiful Neighbor (The Greene Family Book 1) by Piper Rayne (android based ebook reader txt) 📗

yours, it’s going to be yours. So just pay her and you can pay us back.”

“With interest?” I ask.

“Sure,” she says.

I know they might not pressure me to pay them back, but I’m going to pay every dime—eventually.

“Mom,” I say. She doesn’t say anything. I’m sure she’s still processing. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re my daughter. Your happiness is my happiness.”

I smile, knowing how fortunate I am to have her. Then guilt weighs on me because why do I feel the need to get to know the woman who gave me up?

“Now do what Knights do. Take that city by storm and show them they don’t scare you.”

I laugh. “I will.”

We hang up, and I lean back in the chair. Too far back apparently, because it tilts all the way and I fall to the floor. Even though I’m staring at the ceiling, I finally feel as though all the pieces are coming together.

A paper gets shoved into the slot of the door, so I stand, walk over, and pick it up. Another dose of dread replaces my excitement.

Town meeting Thursday night.

On the agenda:

Parking meters by the bay.

Fourth of July fireworks.

Denise Harrison’s building.

Seven p.m.

Great. I can only assume the Greene brothers are responsible for this one. I’ll be sure to thank them.

Thursday night comes faster than I hoped. Mostly because there’s nothing I can do at the town meeting to stop Presley’s plans. Jed’s on my ass about voting no, but she’s got Clara in her back pocket so everyone will agree that a bookstore, which I heard she ultimately did decide to go with, is a great addition to the Sunrise Bay downtown area.

I walk into the town building on the other side of the square and the room is already packed, thanks to Nikki announcing to everyone what’s happening tonight. Usually it’s only the business owners within the square who care what kind of business comes in. Mostly they’re worried someone is going to sell sex toys or that wacky weed as George refers to it.

Most of the council members are sitting along the panel already, but there’s no sign of Presley, so I linger outside. I can’t even answer why. The woman hates me. She’s started cleaning out the shop and I tried to help her with a table she was struggling to get out the door. Her response was to tell me to stay on my side of the sidewalk.

Just as I second-guess my decision and am about to go in and find my seat, I spot Presley walking up the sidewalk with Clara next to her. Man, they sure have become chummy.

“Cade.” Clara walks by me.

“Clara.”

She smirks because I’m sure Clara is very aware of my feelings for Presley. It isn’t every day I show interest in a woman.

“Mr. Greene.” Presley never looks at me.

I clasp her elbow lightly to stop her from going inside. “Mr. Greene is my father.”

“Sorry to offend you. I really need to get in there.” She finally looks at me.

“There’s something I want you to know before you go in there.”

An expression of boredom lands on her face and she sighs. I’m half tempted to say fuck it and keep what I was going to say to myself rather than be honest.

Instead, I say, “The board only cares about tourism season. Make sure you use that to make your case and you’re in.”

“Oh gee, thanks. I’m so happy I ran into you, otherwise I would’ve bombed this presentation.”

Her sarcasm does nothing but make my dick harden. And just for that, I’m not going to tell her that I get a vote.

“Then by all means, knock their socks off.” I hold my arm out and she walks away without so much as a thanks.

Presley heads inside, and with us blessed with an unusually mild spring night, I realize I’m going to be tortured by a view of her legs for the next several months. Her ass in jeans was spectacular, but her legs in a skirt… damn. I might as well fall on my knees and beg her to forgive me now.

After she leaves, my dad walks up the steps and clasps me on the shoulder. “Cade.”

“Hey, Dad.”

“It’s funny. I heard something about you and a certain soon-to-be bookstore owner.” He laughs. “Nikki sure can spread the gossip.”

“Maybe she should use her voice on the radio for something more productive than igniting rumors.”

He laughs. After he married Marla, my dad truly did take on her kids as his own. Although they have a father, he rarely comes up to Sunrise Bay. After the affair, all their relationships with him became strained. “They aren’t rumors if it’s the truth. I like the idea of you falling for someone.”

“I haven’t fallen. She just piques my interest.”

We take the hallway along the side of the large room to the door on the side.

“Still, after seeing you dodge relationships for the past decade or so, it’s a nice change.”

“Don’t go counting grandkids,” I say. “This isn’t anything serious. We haven’t even been on a date.”

He stops before we head through the door. “Son, I know that with losing your mom, it’s hard to be vulnerable and let someone in, but one day you’re going to have to.”

My dad is the kind of man you can talk to about anything. Before my mom died, he was always there for us in regard to playing and joking around. But after Mom died, he really became our confidante. I guess he didn’t have much of a choice though.

“Who says?”

He blows out a breath and puts his hand on my shoulder as though he’s ready to give me a long talk. Instead, the gavel on the desk announces the meeting is about to start. Instead of talking to me, Dad reaches for the door and opens it.

He rounds the back of the panel, finding his seat next to George Lehman, the head of the Downtown Business District Committee. My dad doesn’t have a storefront but he’s on