Ready for You

Ready For You A Small Town Fake Relationship Romance Samantha Leigh Copyright Copyright © 2023 Samantha Leigh This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, organisations, places, events, and incidents in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without written permission from the author. Cover design by Y’all. That Graphic Editing by Killing It Write Proofreading by My Notes in the Margin A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of Australia ISBN: 978-0-6455703-1-1 (paperback) ISBN: 978-0-6455703-0-4 (e-book) Dedication To those first readers who took a chance on my debut. You know who you are. Thank you. Contents 1. Emily 2. Josh 3. Emily 4. Josh 5. Emily 6. Josh 7. Emily 8. Emily 9. Josh 10. Emily 11. Josh 12. Emily 13. Josh 14. Emily 15. Josh 16. Josh 17. Emily 18. Josh 19. Emily 20. Josh 21. Emily 22. Josh 23. Emily 24. Josh 25. Emily 26. Josh 27. Emily 28. Josh 29. Emily 30. Emily 31. Josh 32. Emily 33. Emily 34. Josh Epilogue Meant For You Sneak Peek Books by Samantha Leigh Acknowledgements Join Samantha Leigh’s LoveLeigh Readers Group About the Author 1 Emily “Hey, new girl.” I was on my knees on the wooden floor of Valentine Bay’s one and only yoga studio, rolling up my mat and debating whether to order single-serve takeout for the third night in a row, when the woman who ran the class called out across the room. I looked over my shoulder, then up at her. “Me?” She chuckled and bounced towards me. “Yeah, you. Emily, right?”I stood and shook the hand she offered. “Yes, Emily Jones. Nice to meet you.”Be cool, Emily. Don’t say anything stupid. If you want a new life that includes new friends, you have to talk to someone other than yourself. The woman was a blonde, bronzed goddess, so perfectly put together that the sheen of perspiration on her forehead made her look glowing and gorgeous, while I stood there no taller than her chin feeling short and sweaty and gross. “Abbie Ellison,” she said. “You’re new to Valentine Bay, aren’t you? You’ve been in twice a week for the last six weeks, so you’re not just passing through.” I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, still surprised it stopped short enough to leave the nape of my neck bare. “I moved into a little apartment on Cockle Street a couple of months ago.”Abbie cocked her head. “Just you?”I flushed and scrunched up my shoulders. “Just me.” “Hm. You look like you could use a drink, Emily Jones. Feel like meeting a friend and me for margaritas later?” “Yes! I mean, sure. That sounds like fun.”She grinned. “And you sound like my kind of girl.” And that’s how three hours later at eight o’clock on a Friday night, I was hovering outside The Salty Stop wearing the second-best dress I owned, feeling like my entire future hinged on how well things went in the next two hours. The pressure to get it right was as heavy as if I were going on a blind date. No. Given what I’d been through in the last three months, it was weightier than that. I was a twenty-six-year-old single woman trying to make friends. The stakes were much higher. I pushed on the heavy timber door of Valentine Bay’s best pub and walked into a friendly cacophony of live music, weekend conversation, and the clink-clink of cutlery and glasses. I stood just inside the doorway, told myself I was imagining the press of eyes on me, and scanned the place for Abbie. The venue was all polished timber, industrial metal, exposed brick, and moody lighting, and I didn’t spot her straightaway, but then she jumped up and waved wildly at me from a booth towards the back. I smiled and snaked my way over. “Here,” Abbie said, pushing an empty salt-rimmed margarita glass at me as I slid into the booth, then filling it from an enormous jug that sat at the centre of the table. “Have one of these.”“Thanks.” I’d never had a margarita before, so I took a tentative sip while flicking a glance at the third person in the booth. Swallowing and choking back a little cough, I set the glass down and gave Abbie a small smile. “Delicious.” “The guy who owns this place—Will—makes the best margaritas, and they’re bottomless, so don’t be shy.”Abbie gestured at the person sitting beside her, a woman dressed in slightly creased but neat office clothes already halfway through a margarita of her own. “This is Jessica.”I reached over and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Emily.”“Hello. It’s lovely to meet you too.” Jessica slid her black-framed glasses higher up her nose as her chocolate brown eyes slid away from me before darting back again. I glanced over my shoulder to see what had distracted her. And what I found were three men. Three beautiful men huddled at the bar with frothy amber beers in front of them, laughing and shoving each other with the easy humour of old friends. The bartender joined them, grinning and handing over fresh drinks, and then there were four. A quick check of the pub revealed I wasn’t the only one checking them out. “Jess, don’t torture yourself.” Abbie topped up Jessica’s glass and put the cocktail in her hand. Jess threw it down her throat.“Do you know them?” I asked. Jess sniffled, and Abbie patted her hand. “We went to school together,” she replied, pointing as she spoke. “Pretty boy behind the bar is Will Kidd. Owns this place. Good guy, but don’t fall for the dimple. I’ll introduce you later.” Her finger shifted a little. “The one closest to us,