Just For Her

Just For Her Cynthia Dane, Hildred Billings Contents Copyright Keep Up With Hildred 1. Chapter 1 2. Chapter 2 3. Chapter 3 4. Chapter 4 5. Chapter 5 6. Chapter 6 7. Chapter 7 8. Chapter 8 9. Chapter 9 10. Chapter 10 11. Chapter 11 12. Chapter 12 13. Chapter 13 14. Chapter 14 15. Chapter 15 16. Chapter 16 17. Chapter 17 18. Chapter 18 19. Chapter 19 20. Chapter 20 21. Chapter 21 22. Chapter 22 23. Chapter 23 24. Chapter 24 25. Chapter 25 26. Chapter 26 November Free Exclusive Story! Join Us on Facebook Also Available Copyright JUST FOR HER Copyright: Cynthia Dane & Hildred BillingsPublished: 30th June, 2023Publisher: Barachou Press This is a work of fiction. Any and all similarities to any characters, settings, or situations are purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format. Keep Up With Hildred Keep up with Hildred’s latest releases by joining her mailing list! Behind the scenes, first looks, and even some free snippets! PART 1 JUST FOR HER . Chapter 1 Rain in central Oregon fell differently than in Portland. Or the coast, for that matter. While Portland had its showers, Kayla was more used to the constant drizzles that dotted the winter landscape. Over on the coast, which she avoided this time of year, one needed a sturdy hoodie to wear beneath the rain jacket. Otherwise, people were in for a soaking wet time. Yet here in Bend, the rain was as cold as the feeling a bad date usually gave Kayla. I should have brought my good jacket. The unfashionable one, of course. Kayla wasn’t so naïve that she didn’t expect anything but “chilly, possibly freezing” in Bend during the middle of February, but she had hoped to get by with a heavy leopard print sweater and a pair of good gloves. Hoods would only mess up her hair. Then again, so would the wind that threatened to blow the rain sideways. Nevertheless, downtown Bend was as busy as the day before when Kayla first arrived in town. Her friend had dropped her off near the Deschutes River downtown, close enough to the grocery store that Kayla hadn’t completely put out the woman hosting her in a new development. That’s all this town is now. Kayla had heard a hundred stories about the recent history of Bend, Oregon: a town that had once been as downtrodden as the rest of the country during the 2008 recession. Yet its turnaround had not only blown up its population in the past decade but had attracted several wealthy residents who now called Central Oregon their home. Kayla was from the Portland area. This was only her third time in Bend, and her second since it ballooned into the most expensive city in the state. Perfect. She courted nothing but optimism as she stood in front of a shop window and touched up her hair. The last of Kayla’s money had brought her here, siphoned into the gas tank of her cranky Ford Focus. Most of her belongings were back in Sherwood with her brother and his wife – the rest had been packed into the Ford and driven down to Bend, where Kayla hoped to completely start over. Short-term goal? Get a job at a local brewery. Long term? Bag herself a husband worth at least one million. I’ve heard this is the place to do that now, after all. Satisfied with her appearance, Kayla ducked back into the drizzle and resumed her mental mapping of Bend’s old downtown. Between the usual touristy shops and taverns were outdoor stores, wine bars, and dog pubs, whatever those were. Kayla thought herself pretty savvy about all the markers of widescale gentrification, but the “dog pubs” were new. New enough for Portland to have only vaguely heard of them. There weren’t many dogs out that day. When she walked up to the door, she realized that “dog pub” was a fancy way of saying doggy daycare with a side of pooch pampering. While purebred pugs and mixed labs pranced around the indoor turf, Kayla kept walking. She wanted to become as acquainted as possible with the layout of the land, and maybe scope out some decent places to apply for a job. A few of the restaurants and one of the wine bars had “HELP WANTED” signs in their windows, an indication that food service jobs weren’t hard to come by down here, either. Still, Kayla didn’t immediately look any of these places up on her phone. She had enough savings to get her through the month. Taking the week off to get used to a new town shouldn’t be too bad. You’ll find the perfect husband soon enough. Not only were Kayla’s standards low, but she was confident. Her friend Chrissy had no trouble landing herself a new money millionaire who called Bend his home. All she had to do was be at the golf course on the right day. Sounded easier said than done, but lightning had stricken multiple times in this town. It was almost like the good ol’ days of Portland, except everyone was in a much denser area! Now Chrissy drove around Bend in a brand-new Subaru. Her four-bedroom house in that new development meant she could host her husband’s kids for the summers and Kayla until she got up on her feet. This might be a good contender… Kayla saw the sign before she recognized the name of the brewery. Already, a line formed out the door and weaved beneath a tent that feebly blocked out the drizzle. The lunch rush? No, no. It was a brunch rush, wasn’t it? Either way, worked for Kayla! She merely needed to find a place that paid well enough