Read Seduced in September (Spring River Valley Book 9) for Free Online Page A

when she called me back. Bright idea I had, getting her to call me back, but her phone died so she had to use her aunt’s line.”
    “Wasn’t Mrs. Moriarty the woman who bought your sorry ass at the Charity Auction?”
    Quinn dropped his head into his hands. “Oh, man. That’s why the name was so familiar.” Back in April he and Tanner and a bunch of the single guys from the Ambulance Corps and the Fire Department had loaned themselves out to the Spring River Valley Women’s Auxiliary Club for their Charity Bachelor Auction. It was for a good cause; the event had raised thousands for new medical equipment for Lakeside Hospital’s Children’s Wing, and the sacrifice had been minor for the bachelors involved. They’d escorted their dates to dinner at one of the finer restaurants in town. Tanner had cost Bailey Cole $750, and she’d sneakily given up her date to Evie. Quinn had fetched $1000, even though he’d walked the charity runway with his broken wrist in a sling. Madelyn Moriarty, President of the Women’s Club, had told him she bid so high because she admired his dedication, attending the event even though he’d been so recently injured on a rescue call.
    After their “date,” he hadn’t given Mrs. M, as she’d asked him to call her, much thought. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
    “Well, that’s a clue, then. You could talk to her and find out what her niece’s name is.”
    Quinn almost laughed at Tanner’s absurd suggestion. “Oh, yeah. That’s a conversation I want to have. Hi, Mrs. M, I slept with your niece this weekend, but I can’t remember her name because I was really drunk. Could you refresh my memory?”
    Laughing, Tanner rose and began clearing their plates. “That’s a conversation I’d pay to listen to. I have a better idea, though. I can ask Evie to find out. She interviewed Mrs. Moriarty before the auction. She can ask her, and it won’t seem weird.”
    “How won’t it seem weird if she asks Mrs. M out of the blue what her niece’s name is?”
    Tanner grinned and shook his head. “She’s a reporter. She can find out anything about anybody, and it doesn’t seem weird. Trust me.”
    “Yeah, it sounds like a plan, but once I have her name, what do I do? She thinks I’m an idiot now.”
    “Just now?” Tanner guffawed. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Don’t worry. You’ll figure out some way to make it up to her. After all, this is you we’re talking about.”
     
    * * * *
     
    “How could he not remember my name?” Lily punctuated her question by dropping a heaping scoop of chocolate chip mint ice cream into the empty bowl in front of Claudia. The next giant scoop went into Lily’s own bowl, along with a little extra for good measure.
    Claudia manned the spray can of whipped cream, which she applied liberally to both sundaes. “Because he’s obviously brain dead. Like most men. Where are the cherries?”
    “In the fridge.” Lily drizzled chocolate syrup over the mounds of whipped cream while Claudia rummaged in the refrigerator for maraschino cherries. Their bad day/bad date ice cream ritual didn’t occur very often, but tonight seemed like the perfect time for the ceremonial drowning of sorrows with frozen dairy products. Not only was Lily still fuming from her conversation with Quinn, Claudia was on the warpath after yet another spectacular argument with Owen DeWitt, the guitar player from the band Claudia sang with on the weekends. On top of that, a wicked storm was brewing that threatened to completely derail the pleasant early autumn weather for the rest of the week.
    “All right, let’s look at this from an analytical standpoint. I know I had quite a bit to drink, and he admitted he did too, but really? He had to trick me into calling him back so he could see the Caller ID. How low is that?” Lily offered up her sundae to Claudia who dropped a couple of brilliant red cherries into the clouds of whipped cream.
    Together they settled in at the