Sheila Roberts - What She Wants

From what Adam had said the night before, Jonathan suspected he’d had it coming. Still, he couldn’t help feeling sorry for his poker pal. Locked out of your own house. That had to be humiliating.

He heard the toilet flush and suddenly realized that potential humiliation was lying out in plain sight on the toilet tank. Oh, no.

Maybe Adam hadn’t seen it....

“What the hell?”

Adam had seen.

Jonathan rushed down the hall and arrived at the bathroom to find Adam holding The Undercover Tycoon and staring at it in horror. He looked at Jonathan as if he’d just discovered Jonathan was an ax murderer.

“Give me that.” Jonathan strode over and grabbed the book to snatch it away.

Adam wasn’t ready to let go. “What the hell is this?”

“Never mind.” Jonathan yanked again.

Adam yanked back and Jonathan pulled harder.

“Give me the damned book,” Jonathan growled.

Adam let go at the same time Jonathan gave up the struggle. The book did a swan dive, putting the tycoon in the toilet.

They both stood for a moment, watching the paperback floating in the toilet bowl. Who knew what was going through Adam’s mind, but Jonathan had only one thought. “My sister’s gonna be pissed.”

“That’s your sister’s book?”

“Yes,” Jonathan said grumpily, fishing it out. “Well, it was.” Maybe he could dry it off, set it out in the sun. Once it was dry she’d never know the difference.

“What are you doing reading your sister’s romance novel?”

This wasn’t exactly something he wanted to share. He wished he’d remembered the dumb thing and ditched it while Adam was snoring. “Never mind,” he said, and took the soggy tycoon out to the front porch.

Adam was right behind him. “That’s a chick book.”

“I know,” Jonathan said as he laid it out on the porch railing. Chica, who’d come over to see what was going on, sniffed it. “Oh, no, you don’t,” he said, picking it up again. Maybe if he put it in the dryer.

“So, why are you reading a chick book?”

Jonathan hadn’t wanted to tell anyone, but looking at Adam regarding him with disgust was enough to make him reconsider. What the heck. “I’m doing research.”

“Research? What, are you going to write one of those?”

This was awkward. “No. I just...” Don’t want to be a loser. He couldn’t bring himself to say that, so instead he clamped his lips shut and went back inside, Adam and Chica following him.

“What? I mean, dude, that’s weird.”

“No, it’s not. I figure I can learn something from these books.” If he could keep them from getting destroyed.

Adam gave a disdainful snort. “Like what, how to get the prince to take you to the ball?”

“No. How to figure out what’s important to a woman.” Jonathan set the tycoon on top of the fridge where Chica couldn’t reach him. Then he took his Vanessa Valentine novel out from its hiding place under his magazine. “They’re written by women, and the women who read them like what the heroes do. I’m thinkin’ reading some of these is a good way to get a handle on what makes a woman tick and what she wants in a man.”

Adam took it from him. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Adam turned it over and read the back cover. “Sounds dumb.”

Jonathan could feel his cheeks heating. Yeah, what did he know? He was just the dork who’d given Adam a place to sleep after his wife kicked him out.

“So who’s the woman you want?”

“Never mind.” He went to the kitchen and pulled a box of cereal from the cupboard, keeping his back to Adam, willing the flush of embarrassment from his face.

“No, seriously. Who is she?”

“No one you know.” Adam was a relative newcomer to Icicle Falls. He hadn’t known Lissa.

“So she doesn’t live around here?”

“Not anymore.”

“She used to?”

Jonathan got busy pouring milk on his cereal. “Yeah. We went to school together.”

Understanding dawned and Adam nodded sagely. “Your high school sweetheart. That’s right. You and Kyle have a reunion this summer. I remember you guys talking about it the other night. So, is your old girlfriend coming back for the reunion?”

“We never went out. We were just friends.” Jonathan shrugged like it was no big deal.

“And you want to see if you can start something with her.”

“Yeah,” Jonathan admitted.

Now Adam was looking skeptical. “And reading these books is going to help you?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re nuts.”

Guys like Adam thought they knew it all. He’d probably never had trouble sweeping women off their feet. But it looked like sweeping and keeping were two different things. Old Adam wasn’t doing so well himself right now. He was in no position to scoff.

“You got a better idea?” Jonathan demanded. “How much do you know about women?”

Adam threw up his hands. “Nothing, nada, zip. Nobody does. Women are another species.”

“I’d say they’re a species worth studying,” Jonathan said. “Unless you like sleeping on my couch more than you like sleeping in your bed.”

Adam scowled and rubbed his chin, then dropped the book on the coffee table. “I’ve got to get ready for work.” He pulled some clothes out of his carry-on and disappeared back into the bathroom.

Denial. The guy was in denial. He was probably hoping to run over to his house later, toss out an “I’m sorry” and watch his wife throw the door wide open. For that to happen Jonathan suspected she’d need to be either brain-dead or under a spell.

“May as well dig out the blow-up bed,” he said to Chica. “He’s gonna be here for a while.”

Adam got cleaned up and was out the door in twenty minutes, and Jonathan once again had the house to himself. He and Chica ate breakfast and went for a walk. Then it was time to watch Good Morning, Oregon.

Today Lissa and her cohost, Scott Lawrence, were interviewing, of all people, Vanessa Valentine, who had a new book out. Vanessa, a brunette who looked to be somewhere in her forties, was the picture of success in a black suit and fancy pearl necklace.

But it was Lissa who held Jonathan’s attention. Today she wore a red skirt that showed a modest but alluring amount of leg, and a creamy white blouse that looked as silky and touchable as her hair. As always, she was flashing the sweet smile that must have made viewers feel as if they were her best friend.

And, as always, she was gracious and welcoming. “Vanessa, it’s a real treat to have you with us today.”

“Thank you,” Vanessa said.

“And you have a new book out.”

“Yes, I do. A Fire in Winter just hit the stands last week.”

“So, what can readers expect from this latest Vanessa Valentine novel?” Lissa asked.

“First of all, they can expect a good story. I always try to deliver that to my readers because they deserve it. They pay hard-earned money to be entertained and I want to make sure they get their money’s worth.”

Now Scott broke in. “And your legion of loyal fans keeps growing. But it’s mostly a legion of women, right?”

“My readers are predominantly women, but men read my books, too,” Vanessa replied.

“See?” Jonathan said to Chica, who was parked next to him. “I’m not the only guy reading this stuff.”

Scott’s expression was frankly disbelieving. “So, tell us, Vanessa. Why should men read romance novels?”

Vanessa looked at her host as if he were a fine specimen of stupidity. Then she smiled and said, “I can think of several reasons. For one, romance novels deal with the things that are most important in life—love, relationship, family, working to conquer obstacles. That’s worth reading about. Secondly, a man can learn about maintaining a relationship from reading romance fiction. He can also learn how women think. And I hear a lot of you complaining that you have trouble figuring us out,” she added with a teasing grin.