Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Falling for him wasn’t in the cards. I only needed Easton to keep my Mama off my back and to have a peaceful Christmas without her asking me twenty-one questions. You know, when will you settle down, when will you have children, the list goes on and on. Those type of things.
There’s only one problem. I want more.
Our night ends with us in my bed, waking up the next morning in a tangle of sheets and things go from good to bad. Maybe hiring a date wasn’t the right choice afterall especially when said date had no idea he was hired in the first place.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
"It's not how much you have that makes people look up to you, it's who you are.”
-Elvis Presley
Blurb
I needed a date, fast. My options were limited, so I hired Easton Bosa.
Falling for him wasn’t in the cards. I only needed Easton to keep my Mamá off my back and to have a peaceful Christmas without her asking me twenty-one questions. You know, when will you settle down, when will you have children, the list goes on and on.
There’s only one problem. I want more.
Our night ends with us in my bed. Waking up the next morning in a tangle of sheets, things go from good to bad. Maybe hiring a date wasn’t the right choice after all. Especially when said date had no idea he was hired in the first place.
Prologue
Noelle
“You better run, sis. Mom is gunning for you now that everyone has left. In fact, don’t worry about helping clean up. Run for your life,” my brother Antonio says. I’m in the kitchen, scrubbing dishes after my niece’s birthday party, his daughter, when I’m given the forewarning of our mother and her badgering.
I should have known.
She’s been on her best behavior, probably due to the fact Antonio’s wife, Gabriella, does not put up with her pestering me nonstop. I love my sister-in-law. She’s a saint to deal with my brother while also running interference with my mother. It’s not that I don’t love her. I do. She means well, I know that, but it’s still hard to understand why she thinks it’s not okay to be single in my twenties. The one thing I can’t handle is the incessant questioning. I’m no longer a teenager. I’m a grown woman, truly. At the age of twenty-seven, I have a great job, my car is paid off, I own my home, and I have minimal credit card debt.
“Seriously? Again?” I ask. My hands are covered in soapy water, trying to get the platters washed since they’re too big to go in the dishwasher.
“Run away, Noelle, or hide in Isa’s room.” Antonio is talking about the little girl we celebrated today. She turned three and is now down for the night. There is no way I’m going to hide in my niece’s room like a coward, especially after it took Gabriella so long to get Isabella to fall asleep, Isa coming down from a sugar rush made it nearly impossible.
“I’ll head home. Give Gabriella and Papá my love.” I finish cleaning the dish, rinse it off, and place it on a towel to dry. All that’s left is to pull the drain. It kills me to leave a task unfinished. Too bad tonight is going to be the exception.
“You could always hire a boyfriend,” Gabriella suggests, dashing into the kitchen like the flames of hell are on her heels.
“Shush, Gabriella, Noelle will do no such thing.” Antonio would rather I stay a single spinster for the rest of my days than be with a man. Overprotective older brother much? But at the rate I’m going, it could happen sooner than later.
“What? How?” I ask, looking at Gabriella before closing my eyes for a second to gain my composure. I’m not going to have enough time to run out the back door, get to my car, and escape her. The truth of the matter is, I love our mom. We’re close, though not as close as Antonio and her. That’s because I’m more of a Papá’s girl, have been since the day I was born.
“She brought up Alejandro.” There’s a collective groan from my brother and me. We dated in high school. Mom thought we would be high school sweethearts. It didn’t happen. He broke up with me to go away to college. It broke my young naïve, tender heart at the age of seventeen. I thought it was love, but clearly it wasn’t since rumors got back to me during the first month he was there that he was fucking anyone who was willing. We had broken up, I went my way, Alejandro went his, and things were fine, or so I thought, until now. Mom swore we’d get married and have kids. She’s delusional. I’d never get back with someone who could forget me so easily.
“Noelle, there you are. Come with me, come with me.” Mom must have some kind of radar, I swear. Gabriella gives me an apologetic look. Antonio’s eyes move to the ceiling, unable to meet mine. Yeah, he knows I’m not leaving anytime soon. Maybe I’ll have that third glass of wine, after all.
“Mamá.” There’s no use. I’d try to get away, but she’d call Papá, they’d start bickering, I’d feel like an asshole, and still, she’d try to ask me the never-ending question of ‘When are you going to meet a nice man and settle down? We’re not getting any younger, mija.’ ’ I can tell she’s going to try and schmooze me in some way or another.