The Friendly Cottage Read online

  “Ms. Hatler has a way of writing witty dialogue that makes you laugh-out-loud throughout her stories.”

  — Night Owl Reviews

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  “I am a huge fan of Susan Hatler!!! I have yet to read a book I did not absolutely love!”

  — Tifferz Book Reviewz

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  “Hatler is my go-to girl for a sizzling clean romance with swoon-worthy kisses!”

  — Books Are Sanity!!!

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  “An Unexpected Date is a wonderful and perfect release to a stressful or crazy day.”

  — Cafè of Dreams Book Reviews

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  “I couldn’t help but smile and laugh at the antics that Ben and Sarah go through. I’m so excited for this whole series!”

  — Katie’s Clean Book Collection re The Wedding Charm

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  “Laughter, tears, misunderstandings, and puppies! Susan Hatler packed all the above into Million Dollar Date, the first book of her new series…that promises to delight her readers.”

  — Among the Reads

  Titles by Susan Hatler

  Do-Over Date Series

  Million Dollar Date

  The Double Date Disaster

  The Date Next Door

  Date to the Rescue

  Fashionably Date

  Once Upon a Date

  Destination Date

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  The Wedding Whisperer Series

  The Wedding Charm

  The Wedding Catch

  My Wedding Date

  The Wedding Bet

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  Blue Moon Bay Series

  The Second Chance Inn

  The Sisterhood Promise

  The Wishing Star

  The Friendly Cottage

  The Christmas Cabin

  The Oopsie Island

  The Wedding Boutique

  The Holiday Shoppe

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  Better Date than Never Series

  Love at First Date

  Truth or Date

  My Last Blind Date

  Save the Date

  A Twist of Date

  License to Date

  Driven to Date

  Up to Date

  Déjà Date

  Date and Dash

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  Christmas Mountain Romance Series

  The Christmas Compromise

  ‘Twas the Kiss Before Christmas

  A Sugar Plum Christmas

  Fake Husband for Christmas

  * * *

  Treasured Dreams Series

  An Unexpected Date

  An Unexpected Kiss

  An Unexpected Love

  An Unexpected Proposal

  An Unexpected Wedding

  An Unexpected Joy

  An Unexpected Baby

  * * *

  Young Adult Novels

  See Me

  The Crush Dilemma

  Shaken (Mind Reader Series, 1)

  Linked (Mind Reader Series, 2)

  The Friendly Cottage

  Susan Hatler

  The Friendly Cottage

  Copyright © 2016 by Susan Hatler

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  * * *

  License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  _________________________________________

  Cover Design by Elaina Lee, For The Muse Design

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  ** To receive a FREE BOOK, click the following link now to sign up for Susan’s Newsletter: susanhatler.com/newsletter **

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Friendly Cottage

  Susan Hatler

  Chapter One

  If they gave out jobs for choosing the wrong men, I would so be hired. Seriously, when the relationship with my last boyfriend ended, he asked me to reimburse him for the coffee he’d bought on our last date. That’s what he felt he’d lost when we parted ways: four dollars, plus tip. Not me. Clearly, I needed to reevaluate my screening methods for dating.

  Maybe I could do that in Italy.

  I raced down the highway in my silver compact car, forgetting Italy for a moment, when I glanced at the clock and realized how late I was to the unveiling of the newly restored Blue Moon Bay library. One of my three best friends, Charlie Rockwell, had donated millions to renovate the library—she’d inherited that large chunk from her rock star ex, Rex Rockwell—and she’d put me on the VIP list for the formal event.

  I’d RSVP’d for two to the party—Megan Wallace and guest—but that had been pre-break-up with my coffee-reimbursement-demanding ex. Thankfully, my good friend Brian Watts had agreed to stand in as my “date” tonight. I used the term “date” loosely since Brian and I had always been strictly platonic. He was my best friend Wendy Watts’s big brother and we’d known each other since my freshman year in high school, but he only thought of me in a little sister type way.

  I bit my lip, thinking about all of the times in the past thirteen years I’d fantasized about Brian thinking of me as more than a friend. But that would never happen. He’d actually given me a soft chuck under the chin with his fist the other day. Not exactly a sign of romantic interest. Whatever. There was bound to be a gorgeous, suave man in Italy whose eye I could catch.

  I felt beyond ready to take that adventure I’d always dreamed about, especially now that I was the only one in my family still living in our California coastal town of Blue Moon Bay. I loved my small beach town, but I’d always longed to travel. Now would be the perfect time, too. Last fall, my younger brother went off to college, so my parents retired and purchased an RV. Now my mom, my dad, and their three large dogs were traveling around the country in search of collectible souvenirs. My idea of travel leaned more toward my paintbrush and Italy.

  When my favorite aunt had become hospitalized due to breast cancer last year, I’d painted her painting after painting of the Boboli Gardens in Italy—from photos online and my imagination, mind you—because it was her favorite place. Knowing how much I longed to travel, before she passed away she made me promise I’d go visit those gardens as soon as possible. I made her that secret vow from my heart and had saved every penny all year for the trip, but then disaster struck.

  I was all set to book my plane ticket to the land of gelato, historical buildings, men who didn’t demand financial reimbursement for coffee upon break-up, and best of all . . . Aunt Bea’s beloved Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy, but then I heard five dreadful words from my dentist: Your wisdom teeth have cavities. I had wisdom teeth? Really?

&nbs
p; I just wanted to go to Italy and paint the gardens like I’d promised Aunt Bea. But, no. Instead of booking my flight and finally using my passport, I had to pay a small fortune to have my wisdom teeth pulled. They should really be called expensive teeth, or drain-my-savings teeth. I could testify honestly in court that there was zero wisdom in having to fork out all of the money in my savings account to remove unnecessary teeth at the ripe age of twenty-seven. I felt fully recovered from that procedure last month—and the swollen chipmunk-like cheeks I’d had that first week—but now I had to find a way replenish my savings account so I could make my adventurous dream a reality.

  Spotting an available stall at the Blue Moon Bay library’s parking lot, I applied my brakes, screeched to a halt, and then threw my gearshift into park. I promptly pulled down the visor, peered into the mirror, and opened my mouth wide. Didn’t notice the wisdom teeth while they had been there and didn’t notice their absence since they had been pulled three weeks ago.

  My bank account noticed, though. Sigh.

  I checked my this-morning-applied makeup and quickly swiped on pink lipstick, which went well with my long banana blond hair and the hot pink dress I’d thrown on once that last lingering customer had left the dress shop. I may have gotten off work late, but hopefully I hadn’t missed much of the festivities because Charlie told me they were going to make a big announcement that she thought I should hear.

  I closed my visor, taking in the magnificent building, its windows all lit up in the beautiful evening light that made the new third story addition seem even more beautiful than it appeared in the daylight. I’d bet money it had a great view of the bay. Well, if I had any money right now, anyway.

  I hopped out of my car and slammed the door shut, checking out the renovated building a little more closely. A smile stretched across my face as I rounded the corner, hurrying toward the front. The library appeared to have used Charlie’s huge donation well. The restoration had turned it into a much larger building but the renovation team had also done a smashing job of keeping the Spanish-Colonial charm of the original section and it melded perfectly with the new addition. The red-tiled roof complimented the ocher stucco exterior and the white-framed windows. I couldn’t wait to see what they’d done to the interior.

  I trotted along the sidewalk in my pink heels, and then my heart caught in my throat as I spotted Brian Watts standing outside the arched double-door entry of the library. Brian wore a perfectly pressed white shirt beneath a dark blue suit and striped tie that made his green eyes stand out and his brown hair look richer and darker. Oh, hotness.

  Brian’s eyes lit up when our gazes met, and the corners of his mouth curved upward. His smile was open and sunny and I felt a flutter in my belly. “It’s about time, Megan,” he joked.

  “Sorry, I got off work late. Did we miss the announcement?”

  He walked toward me, holding out his arm. “Nah. Still got time.”

  I laced my arm through his, a thrill rolling through me. I had to remind myself he was just here as a favor due to my last dating debacle. “Thanks again for being my date.”

  He chuckled. “No problem.”

  “I know it was short notice and I feel bad you had to go to the trouble of breaking out a suit,” I said, thinking about how Brian preferred the casual look of jeans and a t-shirt. He also always kept his hair mussed like he needed a haircut. I found his usual look completely adorable. He looked amazingly hot in this suit, though, but I obviously wasn’t going to tell him that.

  “Wendy will be happy you got me in a suit.”

  “Very true,” I agreed. His sister was the formal type. When Wendy and Brian inherited the historic Inn at Blue Moon Bay from their grandma last fall, Wendy had the hardest time getting Brian to wear a collared shirt to meet guests at the welcome desk. I actually thought her struggle was pretty funny. I mean, he’d run the inn with his grandma for years in jeans and had done well.

  We hurried toward the library’s double doors. I tightened my grip on his arm, the heat seeping through his suit jacket meeting my fingers and sending a little shiver running through me. Gulp. I glanced down. Someone had placed clever little lights along the front pathway, adding to the whole fairy-tale ambiance of the evening. My hot pink frock swayed around my knees and I felt like Cinderella. Well, if she’d been on a fake date with the prince, anyway.

  Brian dipped his head toward me. “Your dress looks like a bell.”

  “A bell?” I smiled, holding in my laugh. Okay, that wasn’t exactly the compliment of the year. But at least he’d noticed what I was wearing, which was more than I could say for most of the men I’d dated. Not that Brian and I were on a real date.

  We stepped into the library and I spotted Charlie near a tall set of windows. She stood with the fourth best friend in our tight-knit posse, Olivia Lane, who was the event planner for the library’s unveiling party this evening. Olivia wore a long sheath in a blue and green pattern that accented her elegant frame and her long, fiery red locks.

  Charlie looked every inch the glamorous actress she was—her first Hollywood movie would release next year—in a stunning black strapless silk dress, and her dark hair swept up high so her face was accented. As I stepped into the entry, Wendy crossed the room from the opposite direction wearing an emerald green taffeta dress, and strode toward Charlie and Olivia. Next to Wendy’s side strode Greta von Strand, bestselling author of Men: Who Needs Them? and Love: We All Need It, wearing a pretty satin skirt and skinny top combination that made the most of her coloring; her fiancé Scott Mitchell walked beside her.

  “I hear they finally set a wedding date,” Brian whispered, as we crossed the glamorous and crowded room past bookshelf displays.

  “I’m sure their wedding will be the event of the year.” I smiled over at Greta and Scott, but a small bolt of envy shot through me at the same time. Everyone I knew seemed to be falling in love and finding their happily ever after, whereas my dating history left me scratching my head and going, “Really?” A thought zipped through my brain that I could have that forever love, too, if only Brian would see me as a grown woman and not as his little sister’s friend.

  I glanced at Brian and his gaze met mine. My cheeks heated immediately.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Nothing.” I shrugged, feeling like my face was on fire. Deep breaths, Megan. Surely he couldn’t guess what I’d been thinking.

  Brian and I stopped where Olivia, Wendy, and Charlie stood.

  “Excuse me,” Brian said, squeezing my arm. Then he ambled off to talk to Wendy’s boyfriend Max and a few other guys. My skin heated where he’d touched, but I reminded myself it was just a casual gesture and didn’t mean anything.

  “Megan!” Olivia gave me a one-armed hug, while holding a glass of champagne in her other hand. “I love your dress. Did you get it at the shop?”

  “I did.” I snatched a champagne flute from a tuxedoed server’s tray. “Charlie tried it on at the dress shop awhile back but I talked her out of it.”

  Charlie gestured toward me with her flute of champagne. “It’s perfect for your petite figure. I never would have done that dress justice.”

  Yeah, right. Like she couldn’t rock any dress she wore, especially on the red carpet. But that was how Charlie had been ever since high school, always building up everyone around her. She winked at me, and then wandered off with Greta.

  Olivia turned to me. “Are you excited about that contract the Wexley Corporation offered you? You’d be the exclusive web designer for their clients, right?”

  “Yes, that’s right.” I sipped my bubbly drink, knowing I should’ve been excited about the offered contract. It was a great opportunity for my web designing business, but designing websites hadn’t been enough to feed that artist in my soul. I wanted to paint, and badly. “A big plus, is that I’d get to quit working at the dress shop.”

  Olivia sipped from her own glass. “You’ve wanted to quit working there awhile now.”

  “I know.
I love my boss, the dresses, and the store. I like most of the customers, too, but some of them drive me crazy. Like Farrah Wells. She tried on two dozen dresses today, and then demanded them all in a light apple-green color.”

  She lifted a brow. “Interesting color choice. Did you have to get it out of the back?”

  I shook my head. “The dressmaker doesn’t offer it in that color, which I explained to her. Then she said we had a poor selection and it’s not like I’m in charge of ordering.” I downed the rest of my drink, shaking my head. Then I caught sight of Brian across the room. He was eating shrimp puffs and talking to a woman who looked vaguely familiar. My brows came together. “Anyway, she’s driving me nuts.”

  “Uh, huh. . .” Olivia glanced in Brian’s direction, grinned, and then nudged my arm with her elbow. “You could just tell him you like him.”

  “What? Who?” I asked.

  “Don’t give me that, Megan. You and Brian have been friends forever and it’s obvious you two got close after Wendy left town. Now that she’s back in Blue Moon Bay, you still spend more time with him than you do with her.”

  My cheeks heated. “We’re just friends.”

  “Isn’t friendship the perfect place to start? Admit that you like him.”

  “Um . . .” I sucked in a breath, but then Brian strolled over and I was saved from having to answer Olivia’s direct question.