Her Irresistible Troublemaker (A Town Named Eden Book 3) Read online

  Her Irresistible Troublemaker

  Sonia Parin

  Copyright @ 2015 Sonia Parin

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Also by Sonia Parin

  Her Charming Heartbreaker

  Her Perfect Mismatch

  Chapter One

  It’s not a lie if you believe it.

  Holding on to the thought, Lexie put on her best smiling voice, “I had a great holiday, and now I’m over the moon happy to be back home.” She pressed her cell phone to her ear and stooped down to give Ulysses, the building itinerant tabby, a hello scratch behind the ear. If she could convince Ava…

  “Pull the other one,” Ava said, “You’ve spent a month visiting your parents and that always puts you on edge…”

  “Um—”

  “Also,” Ava continued, “I had lunch near your place yesterday. I know you’re not happy to be back home because I’ve seen what you have to live with now. To be honest with you, I’m hurt you didn’t confide in me. You always use me as a sounding board—”

  “Meet the new, uncomplicated Lexie Gardner.” She would stick to her sparkly new outlook, no matter what. “From now on, I’m only sharing the good stuff.” Lexie straightened, swung her bag over her shoulder and trudged the rest of the way up to her apartment. What good was trying to turn a new leaf when everyone expected her to stick to her old script?

  “You’re going to lie?”

  “I’m going to omit the less savory details. It’s all about de-cluttering my life and ignoring all the unnecessary emotional triggers that usually send me on a one way trip to the bottom of an ice-cream tub.”

  “That sounds like a grand statement. But emotional triggers usually crop up because of unresolved issues, and keeping those to yourself is going to do you more harm than good.”

  Lexie let herself into her apartment and dropped her keys and handbag on the hallway table. Ava wanted details, Ava would get details. “Okay, fine. You asked for it.” She huffed out a breath, kicked off her heels and stepped out of her skirt. She’d give Ava a brief rundown, set up a lunch date so they could have a proper debriefing catch-up, and then she’d sink into the hot bath she’d been craving all day. “I lost the fight. It’s over. Jack ‘Killjoy’ Riley won. The place was nothing but a steel frame when I left, and in less than a month it metamorphosed into an ugly monstrosity without a soul or a heart.”

  “Feel better now?”

  “How can I when it’s too late to do anything about it?” Her beautiful view. Gone. Forever. The South Yarra landmark Art Deco apartment she lived in marred by the sight of the ultra modern—

  Ava laughed. “Nonsense. You still have retaliation to fall back on.”

  Lexie managed a smile. A dozen years of living in Australia hadn’t shaken off her friend’s Alabama drawl, and it tended to spike with charm whenever she got a bright idea. “I’m not sure a ruined view merits any more attention from me, but the idea of some sort of comeuppance appeals. Tell me more.”

  “Lulu McGee—”

  “Oh, no. No. No,” Lexie said, her eyes adjusting to the dark as she glanced toward the window and tried to make out the details of the building that had cropped up like a mushroom overnight. “Best to leave Lulu out of it.”

  “I bet she was itching to get in on the fight.”

  “She sure was.” And the moment Lexie had felt her personal woes creeping into her happy-go-lucky comic strip heroine she’d packed her bags and had gone off to visit her parents—not the most ideal getaway considering how much she still disappointed them, her decision to leave Eden and move to Melbourne instead of settling down with some nice country boy adding to their monumental disillusionment. “Anyway, I don’t see what Lulu could have done.” She strode toward the window, her fingers working the buttons of her blouse loose.

  Ava gave her a lost cause sigh. “Back when you were in the thick of it opposing his building permit you could have used her to turn Jack Riley into a toad, at least on paper. Now… Well, Lulu has a way with men. She’d make friends with the property developer. And since she’s your creation… well, just act like Lulu.”

  She’d fall flat on her face. “You call that retaliation?”

  “I call it using your lemons to make lemonade. There’s a reason why you crossed paths with Jack Riley.”

  Lexie snorted. “My numerous written objections clashed with his permit application. That’s as far as it ever went. Now I’m stuck living next door to Darth Vader’s pied-à-terre.” Lexie pressed her nose to the window and narrowed her gaze. “Hey, isn’t there some sort of regulation about working after hours in a construction site?”

  “I think so. Why?”

  “I just saw a light flickering on in the top floor.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Followed by a shadow.”

  “That sounds creepy. Don’t do anything crazy,” Ava cautioned.

  “What happened to encouraging me to make friends with strangers?”

  “I was being hypothetical. Now you’re talking about seeing lights in the middle of the night. I know you, so I suggest you exercise some caution,” Ava warned. “Last night I watched Rear Window again. The part where Lisa Fremont goes over to the neighbor’s apartment to investigate always freaks me out.”

  “Are you suggesting Jack ‘Killjoy’ Riley has met with foul play?” Lexie asked with more than a hint of glee in her tone.

  “Just promise me you’ll stay put. If anything happens to you, your fans will have my head. You only gave us enough to cover your absence and the last strip left off on a cliffhanger. Will Lulu McGee get her man?”

  “Doesn’t she always?” Lexie held her breath and waited for the usual reprimand about living vicariously, but to her surprise, it didn’t come. “It’ll be on your desk by Monday.” She gave a firm nod and then groaned. “I think my creative juices are rebelling. I just pictured Lulu tying up the intruder and having her wicked way with him and I’m not sure I want her heading down that road.”

  “Sounds like Lulu’s about to have a new adventure. Call me and we’ll do lunch or something.”

  After disconnecting the call, Lexie nibbled the tip of her thumb and stared at the building opposite.

  It was probably security doing the rounds, she reasoned.

  “But what if someone has broken in?”

  As the loudest objector to the building project she’d be suspect number one, that’s what. So she should do something to put herself in the clear because doing nothing would make her an accessory, not to mention a bad neighbor.

  Recognizing Lulu’s reasoning, she cringed.

  “I know I’m going to regret this.” Switching her desk light on, she rifled through her desk drawer and fished out the letter she’d received a month before. “Sincere apologies,” she mocked and scanned the letter for a contact number. Jack Riley must have wanted to rub her nose in it when all her objections had been thrown out and he’d won approval for the additional penthouse he’d added at the last minute.

  “Don’t let his cockiness dissuade you from doing what you know is right.” Before she could change her mind or come to her senses, Lexie dialed his number.

  * * *

  “You’ve caught me at the tail end of a long da
y so make it quick and make it interesting.” Jack pushed out the sort of breath that carried a day’s worth of weariness. He’d spent the last two hours telling himself to get a move on and call it a day, but at this rate he’d never get home…

  “Is this Jack Riley?”

  “Sure is. What can I do for you?”

  “Your place is being ransacked. I saw a shadow. It looks like someone’s broken into your building. The one blocking my beautiful view.”

  Jack put the paintbrush he’d been washing into a tub of clean water and wiped his hand against his jeans. He’d hardly made a dent into the work he’d scheduled for the night but he had the whole weekend to make up for it.

  “Who is this?”

  “A… a concerned neighbor.”

  “And you think someone’s broken in?”

  “Yes, as in forced their way in by stealth with the intention of looting the place, or maybe even trashing it.”

  Looting and trashing? As far as distractions went, he almost welcomed this one since all work and no play had pushed him to the edge of crankiness.

  “Hello. Are you still there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here.” It had to be a crank call, probably organized by Mason. Lately, his brother had made a point of hassling him for wasting his hard won freedom by working even longer hours than he ever had instead of living it up and dating a different woman every other day. But why would he get someone to call him and say there’d been a break-in? He lived in a high security building and anyone wanting to access the residential floors either needed to be cleared to come up or have their own swipe card.

  Although…

  Had the caller mentioned something about her view being blocked? Damn it. That sounded familiar.

  “What makes you think someone’s broken in?” he asked and heard a huff of frustration followed by a sigh.

  “There’s a light on and it’s well after ten. Way too late for anyone to still be working there.”

  She had to be talking about this place. “Did you say you’re a concerned neighbor?” He heard another huff, except this time it sounded as if she’d blown a raspberry.

  “I’d rather you didn’t label me.”

  Switching off the light in the room he’d been painting, he strode along the hallway toward the other end of the building.

  “The light’s gone out now.” Her voice lowered to a whisper.

  When he reached the end of the hallway, he felt around for the light switch but before he flicked it on, he looked up and caught sight of a woman standing by the window in the building opposite. The golden glow of a table lamp revealed a slim silhouette with soft curves...

  His concerned neighbor?

  Moral dilemma bells rang inside his head.

  “I just saw a light,” she whispered. “Very faint. It might have been a cell. I think they’re calling an accomplice.”

  Nothing wrong with her imagination, he thought brushing his hand across his brow. “If you have lights on, I suggest you switch them off.” Better still, he could identify himself as the intruder.

  “Oh, crap…”

  A second later the light in her place went out. Jack turned and leaned his back against the window.

  “He’s looking at me.”

  No, he wasn’t.

  “I can just make out his frame. Tall and broad shouldered…”

  She didn’t sound scared. In fact, he was sure he heard amusement in her voice. Nevertheless, he should put her at ease. Tell her she had nothing to worry about.

  Wave to her.

  Jack pressed his fingers against his bleary eyes and made a mental note to set the alarm clock because the moment his head hit the pillow he might not wake up for at least a week.

  “I suggest you…” What? By Monday everyone would be back on board and the place would be swarming with tradesmen. “Maybe you should keep away from the windows for the time being.”

  “It’s bad enough I’ve lost my view, now I lose my privacy and freedom to—” Her voice hitched with frustration, accentuated by what sounded like the stomping of her foot. “In all the time I’ve lived here, I’ve never had to worry about anyone looking in.”

  Frowning, Jack turned and counted the floors on the opposite building. Going by the light she’d switched off, his conscientious neighbor lived on the fifth floor. He scratched around his memory and tried to remember if the woman who’d caused all those delays lived on the fifth floor. Alexandra something or other.

  “Anyway. I think we should call the police.”

  “No. That won’t be necessary.” He had no trouble imagining a police officer questioning him.

  Your neighbor called to alert you about a possible break-in and you were in the building and didn’t identity yourself?

  “You’re not worried they’ll steal stuff?” she asked.

  “It’s probably one of the guys putting in extra time.” Okay. He’d just missed his second chance to own up and identify himself but if he did, he’d have to explain why he’d been gawking at her all this time and being tired enough to fall asleep standing up sure wouldn’t cut it.

  “You should at least check,” she suggested. “It’s not good for the neighborhood.”

  Time to wind this down, he thought. “I’ll get onto it straight away. And... It was very considerate of you to call. Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me. Thank Lulu McGee.”

  “Well, tell Lulu to stay away from the windows, at least until the balcony wall goes up.”

  “That’s my whole point, Jack Riley. Until now I’ve been free to do as I please in my own home.”

  He brushed his hand across his face. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience… Um, I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Probably because I didn’t give it to you.”

  “Would you like to give it to me now?”

  “If you must know, it’s Lexie Gardner.”

  His jaw muscles twitched. His tired brain switched gears.

  “Does the name ring a bell? Because if it doesn’t, then let me remind you—”

  “No need. I remember.” He heard his voice harden. “Alexandra Gardner, the woman who caused all the unnecessary delays.” His stomach clenched at the reminder of what it had all cost him. Tradesmen being put on hold. Jittery investors pulling out. Bills piling up.

  “They were necessary to me. I work from home and until you came along, I had a perfect view. Do you have any idea how uninspiring it’ll be to look at a block of ugly concrete day in, day out?”

  Jack dug deep for some sympathy but came up empty. With thirty-five people on the payroll, one ruined view was the least of his concerns. “Look on the bright side, it’ll increase your productivity. Or you could always move. In fact, you could move into an apartment here. That way, you’ll be spared the eyesore.” He frowned. Had she hung up?

  She’d hung up.

  He hoped it wasn’t a sign of worse things to come. With all the delays he’d had to deal with, he didn’t need any more trouble from Alexandra Gardner. The thought triggered a spasm in his neck muscles, prompting him to call it quits, head home, get some sleep and get an early start tomorrow. But as he turned to leave, his cell rang again.

  Instinct told him to let the call go straight to voice mail, but curiosity got the better of him. He answered on the third ring and announced himself. “Jack Riley.”

  “It’s you. Don’t try to deny it, I saw your cell light up.”

  “Lexie!” he said as if greeting a dear old friend.

  “Did you enjoy watching me parading around in my underwear?”

  Too late to offer explanations. Besides, he’d only make matters worse.

  Maybe he’d find something appropriate to say after he’d had a good night’s rest, but he had the feeling no amount of explaining or apologizing would be enough for Alexandra Gardner.

  “As much as I’ve enjoyed chatting with you, I’ve had a long day. Thank you for your Good Samaritan phone call.”

  Jack ended the call, switche
d his cell off, and gave himself a minute to clear his head before too many thoughts settled in for the night. But as he strode away, he threw his gaze over his shoulder and tried to remember the last time a woman had held his interest for longer than a few seconds.

  Chapter Two

  “I think I’m in trouble,” Jack told his brother the next morning as he strode into the building site and climbed the stairs, his rested eyes scanning the work in-progress.

  “Next time you call, remind me not to ask how things are going,” his brother said laughing. “Okay. Measure it.”

  “From zero to ten? An irate female.” And to make matters worse, Alexandra… Lexie Gardner had taken up residence in his mind and he couldn’t shake her off. He’d gone to sleep thinking about her husky voice and had woken up thinking about…

  “An irate female?” Mason asked, “I thought Juliette had weaned you off those types.”

  Mention of his ex-fiancée had Jack clenching his jaw. It had been six months since they’d parted ways, and she still had that effect on him. “She did, but I can’t avoid this one. She lives twenty feet away.”

  “Sounds like she’s taken out a restraining order.”

  “No need. I’m staying well away from her, but that’s my common sense talking.”

  Another bark of laughter. “That’s what you think,” Mason said. “You’re talking about her and that means you’re thinking about her. Give into it, buddy, you’re no longer in charge. Let nature take its course. Take the path of least resistance. You remember how to do that?”

  “Suddenly I can’t remember why I called you. It sure wasn’t to get an earful of platitudes.”

  “Ha! You knew exactly what I’d say meaning you’re thinking with the most powerful, capricious tool around. It’s taken over and there’s no point trying to reason with it, least of all by labeling the source of your problem as trouble. That only sweetens the chase.”

  “I’m not chasing anyone,” Jack muttered.