Free Tapped: A Love on the Rocks Novella by Cora Cade Page A

my pleasure."
    Even though she smiled, Georgia didn't know what to say in response to that, so she just started to mop up her wet shirt.
    "You vacationing here? Haven't seen you around before."
    "My brother lives here and I'm house sitting while he's road tripping with my nephew. I just got in this afternoon."
    "You're Dane Burke's kid sister? Georgia, right?"
    Georgia's head snapped up. "You know Dane?"
    Molly shrugged. "Small town. He's neighbors with a good friend of mine. Nice guy. Great kid."
    "Yeah, they're both pretty great."
    "Welcome to Fox Lake." She paused, placing a fresh beer down. "Your neighbor in the bungalow is Emma Rae, and her man is Gabe. You let any of us know if you need something while you're here."
    Georgia nodded, then sat back and took in the petite woman. Small town hospitality at its finest. She might actually like it here. "I appreciate that. I'm a little out of my element right now."
    Molly leaned forward and rested her arms on the bar before speaking. "Stop back in through the week sometime. It's typically quieter, and I'll buy you a drink. We're going to be friends, chick."
    Georgia let a slow smile spread across her face. "I'd like that, Molly."
    "Good. I'll be back to check on you in a bit. Crowds going to be picking up soon." She slapped a hand down on the bar before walking away.
    Georgia scanned the area again. It looked like everyone was paired off or in groups. So much for her grand plan to score a hot guy for some dirty sex. It was probably a dumb idea anyway. Just because you found your jerk boyfriend sticking it in your friend, in your bed, and in your apartment, doesn't mean snapping up a random dude at a bar was a good idea.
    But it definitely sounded like fun.

Two
    W ill Calder couldn't take his eyes off the shapely brunette at the bar. She had long hair pulled back in a fancy twist and a pair of glasses perched on her nose. With lips painted a deep red, she gave off a sexy librarian vibe.
    He might've come in for a quick pub dinner and a cold beer, but he was not leaving without chatting up the librarian. She dabbed at the wet spot on her white tee again and looked around, cataloging the crowd from one end to the other.
    "Boys." Will threw enough cash down to cover the group's dinner and stood, "I'm out."
    His crew made a couple of passing remarks, but were happy enough when he took care of the bill, they were half-hearted at best. Will smiled. They were a solid crew, but he was the boss, and he kept their outings pretty tame. Once he was out of the picture, they could cut up as much as they wanted.
    The Friday night crowd was getting thicker as people came off the lake and wanted to make the most of their time here. Will skirted around a few rowdy tables and made his way to the bar. He had his eye on the empty stool next to the librarian and was taken aback when his ex intercepted him.
    "Hey, Will."
    Fuck. The downside of small town living was running into your ex on the regular.
    "Tori." He glanced at the empty chair again, knowing his window was closing. As the crowd grew he'd lose an opportunity to get close to the fascinating woman drinking alone.
    Tori followed his gaze and frowned. "Really, Will? You're going to make a move on that when you can have me?"
    And that's exactly why they'd never worked out. Tori thought everything, and every man, revolved around her. Pretty, without a doubt. And she knew it. It had made for a very one-sided relationship. Something Will was happy to leave behind him. He wanted a partner, not a piece of arm candy.
    "Sorry, babe. Been there, done that." It was a shitty thing to say, but it guaranteed her outrage. And, as she stalked off, he wasn't sorry to see her go. Their relationship had been toxic from the start. He felt a little sorry for the next guy Tori got her claws into.
    Finally Will slid into the still empty bar stool and thanked the bar gods for the chance to meet the sexy librarian. He raised a hand to Molly, gaining her attention,