One kiss, p.1
One Kiss, page 1
A Riverbend Lighter One
A small-town, best-friend’s-sister, age-gap, grumpy, sunshine, ‘lighter’ ONE stand-alone contemporary romance
ALEATHA ROMIG
New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE INFORMATION
ONE KISS
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Copyright @ 2023 Romig Works, LLC
2023 Edition
ISBN: 978-1-956414-55-4
Editing: Lisa Aurello
Proofreading: Stacy Zitano Inman
Cover Art: RBA Designs/ Romantic Book Affairs
Formatting: Romig Works LLC
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage and retrieval system, without the written permission from the copyright owner.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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2023 Edition License
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This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the appropriate retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's hard work.
Blurb
One Kiss
A small-town, best-friend's-sister, age-gap, grumpy, sunshine, contemporary stand-alone
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Confirmed bachelor—that’s what I’ve become.
Life is safe and predictable. After all, Riverbend doesn’t exactly have a roaring social life or an influx of women looking to be the wife of a farmer.
Hold on.
I’m not looking for a wife—or even a girlfriend.
When my best friend tells me that his little sister, Devan, is moving back to Riverbend to teach science, I envision the little girl with pigtails, freckles, and an annoying urge to be wherever her older brother was. Of course, that was twelve years ago when she was ten years old.
Newsflash. Devan is no longer a child.
Imagine my shock when I learn that she is the woman who disappeared after one passionate kiss—one I couldn’t get out of my head.
Once I realize Devan is my mystery woman, I can’t walk away.
The problem is that she’s my best friend’s little sister, ten years younger than I am, and definitely off-limits.
What will it mean for my friendship if I pursue my feelings?
Can one kiss change everything?
Have you been Aleatha’d?
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ONE KISS is a stand-alone, age-gap, best-friend’s-sister, small-town, forbidden contemporary romance set in Riverbend, Indiana, and one of Aleatha’s Lighter Ones. Sit back and enjoy the hijinks as Justin’s safe and predictable world is turned upside down.
Chapter One
Devan
Letting out a long breath, I plop down on the couch in our apartment and sigh. Marilyn, my best friend and roommate shakes her head.
“Hmm,” I say.
Marilyn starts to laugh. “You know, you could just talk without all the drama and sound effects.”
“What fun would that be?”
Marilyn and I have been friends since before kindergarten. Neither one of us resembles the little girls we were. Well, there are subtle similarities. Her dark chocolate hair and bright blue eyes. My blond hair and light brown eyes. However, the differences are evident. While her DD cup is much larger than my B cup, we’ve both grown up. And through it all, we are there for one another.
Our first period.
Our first kiss.
Our first date.
Our first heartbreak.
Graduation.
College.
Everything.
Marilyn sets her phone on the side table and plucks the earbuds from her ears. “Okay, Drama Devan, spill.”
“I got a call from Mr. Sams.”
“He called you? What is wrong with people from Riverbend? Don’t they know that no one calls anymore? It’s all text messages or email.”
Marilyn knows my hometown because it’s her hometown too. We both left after high school graduation, dusting the dirt from our shoes—or something like that—and vowing to move on to bigger and better places.
It’s not that Riverbend is bad.
It’s just Riverbend.
The same town where my grandparents lived, and my parents and brother live. It’s a town that is the same as it was when I was in grade school, middle school, and high school. Now, the middle-school principal called me about an opening for a seventh-grade teacher. Seeing as I’m about to graduate with my education degree, a job is something I need.
“I know. Right?” I nibble on my lower lip. “Mr. Sams is Cory Sams.” I say his name that way because when we were in grade school, he was in high school. And we both thought he was dreamy.
Marilyn nods. “Did I give you my undivided attention so you could take me through the Riverbend phone book?”
“Oh God. Do you think they still have a phone book?”
My friend laughs. “I’m not sure about the phone book. Yes, I know who Mr. Sams is. He’s your brother’s friend. I remember when all those guys would hang out at your house.”
I think back to that time. Nearly ten years younger than my brother, Ricky, I was always the pesky little sister.
“Do you think,” Marilyn asks, “that Mr. Sams knows you’re Ricky’s little sister?” The way she says little is drawn out, emphasizing the age gap.
“Seeing as my last name is Dunn, the same as my brother’s, I would say yes. Besides he started the conversation with small talk. All professional yet friendly.” I shrugged. “He knows.”
“You had an interview for Indianapolis schools, too. Didn’t you say it went well?”
Grabbing a throw pillow, I hug it in front of me. “Maybe I should be like you and go straight to grad school.” I could do that. If I wanted to take on more debt. My parents are as helpful as they can be, but I know that money is tight. I won’t be the reason they struggle.
Marilyn smiles. “And we could stay roommates. You could pay half the rent.” Her blue eyes open wide. “If you take the job in Riverbend, you can live at home.” She shakes her head at my eye roll. “I know. Think about the money you’d save.”
“That’s why I haven’t told Mom about the interview. I was thinking maybe you’d go with me, and we could stay at your parents’ or get a room somewhere. It’s springtime. There might be something happening.”
“First, it’s Little 500 weekend. There are no rooms to be had anywhere near Bloomington.”
“Oh. I didn’t think of that.” My smile grows. “That means there are probably parties in Bloomington. That campus is a lot wilder than Ball State.”
Marilyn rolls her eyes. “Of course, there are parties. Since when are you the partying type?”
“Since I’m hoping to fly under the radar in Riverbend. I don’t want anyone to know that I’m considering the position.”
“You think you could get into town and no one will know? Devan, this is Riverbend you’re talking about. I’d be surprised if Janet isn’t already picking out paint for your bedroom in anticipation of your return.”
Laying my head against the cushions, I stare up at the ceiling. “That’s Mom.” Another nibble of my lip and I move my gaze to my best friend. “Am I failing if I go back?”
“No,” she answers quickly. “You have nailed your classes. And your student teaching earned you multiple job offers.”
I spent last semester student teaching in Muncie, north of Indianapolis, in an accelerated private academy. I took the assignment because Marilyn and I both live in Muncie, attending Ball State University. Despite the funny name, it’s one of the best education colleges around.
“I’ve thought about it,” I say. “You’re moving to Bloomington for grad school and” —I think about our core group of friends— “everyone is moving somewhere. I guess I don’t want to be left here without my friends.”
“Indianapolis?”
“Ricky would tell me I’m being a baby, but the thing is, Indy is big. Bigger than Muncie and a lot bigger than Riverbend. The school system is huge, and from what I’ve read, underfunded. It seems like a lot of stress for my first job, worrying about where to live, lesson plans, and supplies.”
“When is your interview with Mr. Sams?”
My lips curl as I dip my chin, bat my eyelashes, and send my friend my most pleading expression. “Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? You know I have an eight a.m. facilitator group.
“You’re a senior. Who does that themselves?”
“Someone who’s trying to ace advanced calculus.” She grins. “And the TA in the Friday morning discussion is worth waking up for.”
“And I thought it was all about you being an overachiever,” I say.
“Says Miss Straight As.”
My smile fades.
“Hey, that’s not a bad thing,” Marilyn says. “It’s amazing. You should be proud.”
“It’s that drive that makes me think accepting a job back in Riverbend is tak
“Don’t overthink it. I’ll go to Riverbend with you tomorrow after discussion. What time is the interview?”
“It’s not until four, after school is out.”
“We’ll have plenty of time. I’ll call Mom and tell her it’s a covert operation, one requiring the utmost secrecy.”
Marilyn’s dramatization makes me laugh. “I love it. And I’ll text Jill.” She’s a classmate from Riverbend who is a senior at IU. “She’ll know if there’s anything happening to get us out of Riverbend on a Friday night.”
“You don’t have to take the job.”
Lifting the pillow to my chest, I smile. “I’m afraid I’ll want it.”
“Devan, your eyes are sparkling. Why are you fighting this?”
“Because I never wanted to end up in Riverbend…an RTS.” It’s a local term for people who leave and return—return to sender. “I mean what will I become, the quintessential old spinster schoolteacher for the rest of my life?”
“You’re twenty-two years old. I think it’s a little early to be worried about that.”
“There’s no one in Riverbend. They’re all married, moved away, gay, or worse, like Ricky.”
Marilyn shrugs. “Your brother is a dick, but I guess he’s all rugged sexy.”
“Eww. He’s not. He’s a hard worker. My dad farmed. Ricky farms. The last thing I want to be is a farmer’s wife.”
“All that hard work builds muscles.” Her eyebrows dance.
More laughs bubble from my throat. “It also causes some serious stink.” I wave my hand in front of my nose. “Serious.”
Chapter Two
Justin
“Do you ever feel like we’re the odd men out?” my friend Ricky Dunn asks.
“Out of what?”
Shaking his head, Ricky leans back, causing his chair to teeter on two legs. There’s a piece of grass between his teeth, dangling like an unlit cigarette. The view before us is of the Dunn farm. It’s about the same acreage as the Sheers farm—mine. Officially, it still belongs to my parents, but the time is coming sooner rather than later when Dad will be done. His health hasn’t been perfect and honestly, it’s damn hard work keeping a farm going, staying in the black. I’m not talking profitable. I’m talking about keeping our heads above water.
I’m the first in our area to investigate selling corn to a company in Illinois. My brother-in-law has taken the idea further and is working to get more of our seed corn to be made into ethanol. He’s a fancy-assed lawyer who finally got his head out of his ass. It’s a long story, but right now, he’s living the dream in Riverbend.
That’s it—Ricky’s question.
I turn to my friend. “You’re talking about wives and kids.”
Ricky nods. “Judy and Cory’s new boy is here. That gives them two. Mick and Chloe’s kid is what…two years old?”
I shrug. “The kid is walking. What age does that happen?” Okay, I’m not exactly clueless. I was around a lot when my niece Molly was little. Now that she’s living in town with her parents, I get to be a regular uncle—not someone she sees every day, and honestly, it kind of sucks. I miss that little girl.
Ricky brings his chair forward, the front legs slamming against the porch floor. He lowers his voice. “Fuck, I thought this would be what I’d do forever.”
There is something in his tone. “And what the fuck are you planning to do?”
“Dad is talking about selling the farm.”
“No,” I say resolutely. “To who?”
“That developer, you know the new subdivision south of town?”
My skin tightens as I stand to my feet. My mud-caked boots leave a trail on the porch floor. “No,” I repeat. “Fuck no. Five hundred acres of your land border ours. I’m not having stupid McMansions next to my fields. Those whiners say they want country living until they’re stuck behind a tractor doing twenty in a fifty-five. Or during harvesting, when dust flies through their open windows.” I have an idea. “Sell it to me.”
“You don’t have that kind of capital.”
“I’m a thirty-two-year-old who lives with his parents.” I gesture toward the driveway. “I’ve been driving the same truck for over seven years.” Hell yeah. It’s a damn good truck. I shrug. “Tell Jack to talk to me. I’ll even bring Dax in on it if I have to.”
Ricky shakes his head. “I don’t want him to sell to anyone, but I get it.”
“Have you told him?”
“Oh, we’ve had a few good discussions about it.”
“Your mom?” I ask, wondering what my mom would say if Dad ever thought about selling our land.
“She thinks Devan will stay gone after college.”
“Yeah,” I answer, “but she’s what, a sophomore?”
Ricky chuckles. “She’s a senior, asshole.”
“Oh, forgive me for not keeping up-to-date on your little sister.”
“I know that Kandace and Dax are expecting.”
Kandace is my sister. Of course, he knows. She’s here.
“They live in Riverbend. Hell, the news got out right after he knocked her up again. Devan left and I still imagine her with pigtails, freckles, and the annoying need to be wherever we were.”
That makes Ricky laugh. “Well, if Devan stays in Muncie or moves to Indy, Mom is talking about going somewhere warm. She says she’s sick of Indiana winters.”
Turning I look my friend up and down. “What about you? This is what you do.”
“Maybe I should consider doing something else. Look at Mick, Cory, and Dax. They have real jobs and get to play farmer on weekends. It might be nice not to look at a field soaked in spring rain and calculate the loss of wheat.”
I suck in a breath. I know exactly what he’s talking about. We were both doing it today. That’s why both of our pairs of boots are caked in mud. The wheat should be ready to harvest in a few weeks. The rain over the last few days is messing with the fields. Shit, there are now lakes where there used to be crop. If the fields don’t dry up soon, we won’t be running tractors out there. “Talk to Jack. I’m serious. Give me a chance to buy. Dad and I can probably do it, but if we bring Kandace and Dax in on it, it’s a sure thing.”
“You don’t know what that developer is offering.”
“I don’t care,” I say with determination. “We’re neighbors. And I hate to play the card, but you’re my best friend.”
“Only because everyone else is married and too busy for you.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “There might be something to that.”
Inhaling, Ricky stands. “The Gordons are having their annual hog roast Friday night. Are you going?”
“Kandace said she and Dax are going to be there. I’m not sure I’m up for a town gathering to hear about more kids on the way.”
“Then go for the great food and you know, there’s always a few kegs.”
I nod and look at my watch. “I need to head home. See you tomorrow at breakfast?”
“Damn right. One of the few times the guys can break away from their ball and chain.”
That makes me smile. I never thought of my sister as a ball and chain, but in that scenario she is. I take the porch steps down to the path, heading toward where my truck is parked. Turning, I take in the Dunn house. It’s a lot like the one where I live. It’s old and big and home. I spent many nights there when we were younger. It isn’t new or filled with the latest technology. I can’t fathom thinking about this house or mine being torn down to make small cookie-cutter houses. “Ricky,” I call out, “tell Jack I’m serious.”
“Shouldn’t you talk to Randy and Dax first?”
“We might not all be on the same page all the time, but when it comes to Riverbend, we are. I don’t want to see the farmland disappear.”
“Some call that progress.”
