Aubree Lane Tahoe Blues (epub)

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.Cara realized her apartment maintenance man couldn’t possibly be an ordinary laborer.The instantaneous quiver she felt at the sight of Tanner in his Armani suit told Cara she was a total snob.She enjoyed the view which TJ had been presenting the last few weeks but she hadn’t given the complex caretaker the time of day.She hadn’t even introduced herself.Now that she knew there was more to TJ, the tool-man, Tanner James Reed, Cara was fairly certain she wouldn’t be ignoring him any longer.Cara had sublet the apartment from a friend of a friend when it became clear she was in Leah’s way.With the gala approaching, Leah had been working in high gear to meet all her deadlines, and their two very different schedules weren’t meshing.Leah’s sewing machine hummed all night long, causing Cara to function on little to no sleep.Getting up in time to instruct her eight a.m.class had been beyond difficult.Seeing the dark shadows developing under Cara’s eyes, a fellow professor introduced her to Beth Rainey, a friend who was leaving the country for an extended stay in Europe.The two women hit it off, an arrangement was made, and Cara moved into her new apartment a few days later.The tingling fanning out across Cara’s abdomen diminished sharply when Tanner turned to reveal a stunning blonde on his arm.The young woman looked up at the irresistible Tanner Reed with doe-eyed admiration.Her ruby red lips were parted and thoroughly enthralled as she hung eagerly onto his every word.Cara studied them intently and felt a scowl form on her face.Tanner’s head turned in her direction and he caught her gaze.The depth of his piercing blue eyes burned through her.His usually stubbled face was clean-shaven, and he looked like a professional athlete at an awards ceremony.Tanner nodded and shot her a quick smile before he turned back to the woman on his arm.Leah’s shoulders slumped into a dejected sulk.“Well, that settles it,” she muttered.“Besides the fact that he just smiled at you, he has a date who is a lot younger and prettier than me.” Nothing could ever keep Leah down for long, and a moment later her frown turned upside down.“I love her dress.I’m going to go see if I can figure out who designed it.” Leah nudged Cara’s shoulder and headed off into the growing crowd.Feeling a little unsettled, Cara stepped back and checked the time.There were only a few minutes remaining in the cocktail hour.Soon guests would be seated, and the big event would begin.She motioned to a waiter and picked up a glass of the smooth sparkling wine Leah was so fond of, and headed off to find this evening’s Master of Ceremony.This year she had been lucky enough to snag the local news anchor, Cameron Caldwell.His celebrity had brought a bigger than average buzz to the night’s event, and his strong personality and stage presence would keep the event flowing and the auction productive.Cara drew in a deep breath and released the tension building in her neck.This was it.Her last hoorah.Soon she would join the ranks as an Alexander Clan cast-off.She looked at the beautiful dress she wore and wondered if Duncan would even notice.So much for his little peek-a-boo, blue beaded nightmare.The cocktail dress Leah designed fit her every curve, and it was absolutely perfect.She grinned expectantly, knowing after this evening there would be no more Tahoe Blues for her.She was young and almost free.Cara couldn’t wait to begin her new life.“What’s that smile for?” Cameron asked as he approached.A coy smile curved at the corner of her lips.Her eyes sparkled as she mischievously tilted her chin into her shoulder.“Contrary to popular belief,” she said sweeping her arm out across the extravagant ballroom, “I am not completely devastated to be leaving all this behind.”She locked arms with him and guided him towards the bar.“We’ve worked hard.We have some beautiful pieces of art to auction off, and I just happen to be feeling a bit on the joyful side.”Cameron stepped back and held her out at arm’s length.He took her in from head to toe and smiled appreciatively.“You are a truly beautiful woman.”Cara enjoyed Cameron’s company.They had become acquainted during the planning of the gala.It was nice to have a new friend who didn’t care if she was part of the Alexander family and who liked her just for her little ol,’ Cara Green, self.“Any questions about the schedule of events,” she asked, “or anything we need to lock down?”Cameron ordered a bottle of water from the bartender and shook his head.“Nope, it’s all lined up and ready to go.I see nothing but smooth sailing ahead.” He raised his drink in salute.“To a successful evening.May we rake in a lot of dough.”Tapping the edge of her glass to his plastic bottle, Cara echoed his sentiment, “Here, here.” She took a sip and turned towards the hustle and bustle at the entrance.The excitement, which suddenly filled the air, could only mean one thing.The Alexander family had just entered the Grand Hall.After a curt nod in the direction of the charity’s founders, Cara turned reluctantly back to Cameron and pouted.“Looks like I have to go make nice one last time.”Cameron chuckled at the sad look on her face.He grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a quick hug.“You got this, Cara.Just try not to trip on that lower lip on your way.”Inga’s smile was immediate when she greeted Cara.“There you are, dear.You look absolutely fabulous.”They hugged and Cara replied, “Thank you.This is one of Leah’s designs.She made it especially for the gala.” Feeling the icy chill of her father-in-law’s disapproval rake over her, Cara turned away from Weston Alexander and greeted her brother-in-law with an affectionate, “Hi Mark.” Then she nodded a bit more coolly at his wife.“Drew [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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