Free Finding The One (Meadowview Heroes 1; The Meadowview Series 5) by Rochelle French Page A

different, right? Sisters shared almost everything. Surely Mac had kept his sexy mouth shut. And if it came up, she would let Doe know she wasn’t interested in reconnecting with the girl’s brother, without offending Doe, of course. She definitely wouldn’t want to start off her job with Gregor Johansson on the wrong foot with the sculptor’s assistant.
    Wow. It was still hard to believe she’d have a steady and well-paying contract for three years. Lisa seemed pretty confident the trial period would get extended to the full three years. With the amount the artist was paying, she’d get her credit cards back to black and would be able to pay off a sizable chunk of her mortgage. A few weeks ago she’d been despondent when she hadn’t been chosen to be the exclusive model for Essentially Green, but now? Now she didn’t need that clothing company’s contract, anyway. Sure, this job paid a little less and wasn’t as long, but it was a job. And a good one. Little thrills of excitement sizzled through Trudy’s body. She hadn’t been this excited since… A memory surfaced, bumping its way unwanted into her consciousness.
    Oh, heck. Since Saturday night. The night she met Mac.
    That night, when their eyes met, her heart had done the same bumpety-bump it was doing right now. And when he’d kissed her in the bar, the same tingly zings had raced up and down her spine. Until, of course, she’d caused sex to be an epic fail.
    She shook her head, hard. She needed to forget Mac and focus on the new awesome in her life. She was about to become Gregor Johansson’s new muse. She deserved the zings and tingles of excitement.
    Trudy refused to leave her loft for the remainder of the day, unwilling to even grab a latte at the bakery at the end of the dock in case she’d miss the messenger. By late afternoon, the messenger had yet to arrive. At four o’clock, she placed a hesitant call to her agent Lisa’s office, and by four-thirty, she’d left almost a dozen messages on Lisa’s voice mail. No response.
    At five minutes to five, she heard a knock on her front door. Finally .
    She tore down the hall and opened the door.
    “Gertrude Prendergast?” A young man stood in front of her, motorcycle helmet under one arm, messenger bag slung over his shoulder.
    When she nodded, he handed her a rather wrinkled sheet of paper. “First, here are the instructions to MacGregor’s place.”
    She took the paper and noted a map and driving directions to Meadowview, California, with the name MacGregor Johansson sprawled in a heavy hand across the top.
    “MacGregor?” she asked, puzzled. “I thought his name was Gregor.”
    “Just following instructions.” The courier shrugged and dug around in the bag, finally producing a manila envelope he handed to her. “Here. You’re supposed to sign this.”
    Trudy opened the metal clasp and slid a bound document out. The contract. But only one? Lisa had said two would be delivered—one she’d sign, and the other she’d keep. She pulled out her phone and dialed her agent’s number again. This time she was met with Lisa’s cheerful voice informing her the agency was closed for the weekend and to call back on Monday. She hung up, confused.
    “Why is there only one copy? I was expecting two, and I don’t have a copy machine.”
    The courier shook his head. “Dunno. You’re supposed to sign, I’m supposed to leave.”
    “But—” Trudy bit off her words. Maybe it didn’t matter. Lisa could always send her a copy sometime next week.
    “Look,” the courier added, “if I don’t get back on the bike soon, I’ll be stuck in traffic as soon as I hit I-80.”
    “Why would you get on the interstate?”
    He shrugged. “As soon as you sign, I’m to take this back to Meadowview. Doe’s expecting it.”
    She nibbled her lip. “I thought you were taking this to the agency. That’s south of here, off Highway 50.”
    He sighed. “I don’t know about that. All I know is that Doe