An Excerpt From Tart
Oct
16
2012

Delicious: TART by LAUREN DANE
Copyright 2012, Lauren Dane
All Rights Reserved, The Berkley Publishing Group
Releasing in digital formats and trade paper, November 6

When Jules arrived back at Tart it was to find Daisy in the kitchen giving orders to a carpenter as he stretched to finish installing shelving on one of the far walls.

“Hey you.” Daisy smiled quick and easy as Jules put the flat down on her worktable. “How’d it go?”

“Really well. Patrick was pleased to do it. Oh and hey, did you know Gideon was there? He’s going to help Patrick run the place.”

“The grandson, right? He’s blond like you? He and Cal were tight? I have vague memories of having a crush on him when I was eleven or twelve.”

“Join the club.” Jules had a vivid memory of the two of them, Cal with his dark hair and olive skin, head back, laughing uproariously at something Gideon had said. They’d been cute teenage boys back in the day. “Yes. He and Cal used to run around a lot.”

“Is he still cute?”

Jules put her hands on her hips. “Girl, you have a hot man already. Don’t be greedy.”

“Ha! Levi is more than enough for one woman to handle. But I have several single friends who are all awesome and gorgeous so it helps to know when a new, cute single dude comes into the mix. Or even for that one gorgeous single friend who also likes boys as well as girls.”

Jules tried very hard not to frown. If Cal and Gideon got together, it would suck. Mainly because she was tired of watching Cal date everyone but her over the years. But also because they were both so hot it would suck to know they were together and she wasn’t gettin’ any of it.

“I really do think you should just make a move on Cal. God, you just frowned at the mere mention of him dating. You two should be together.”

But they weren’t. And it was Cal’s choice. “It’s not up to me.” She muttered this as the carpenter used the drill to get the last screws and brackets in. “It’s stupid to even imagine there’s going to be anything between us. He kissed me once, back when I was fifteen. And apparently it was so horrible he never tried it again. It’s worse when he dates men because while I can work the being-a-woman thing pretty well when I put my mind to it, I can’t be a dude. I don’t have what he needs.”

Now it was Daisy’s turn to frown, and of course she looked just as adorable as she did when she smiled. “Just because he likes it doesn’t mean he needs it. He needs someone who will love him for him, who will understand how close he is to his family, how important all his charity work is to him. So far I’ve seen him parade men and women who don’t seem to get it. And it makes me wonder, Jules.”

Jules braced herself, knowing Daisy would call it like she saw it. “Wonder what?”

“If he doesn’t choose people he’ll never end up with permanently because there’s one person he’s wanted all along but is too shy to just finally make that move and grab your ass and take you to bed and give it to you the way he so clearly wants to.”

Jules laughed and hugged Daisy. “You know I love you, right? Thank God you’re here today. But I’ve been amenable to being jumped for years now and he’s never made a move. We have a great, close friendship. I have to be happy with it and move on. So Gideon is totally cute and I think I may need to put some of my attention his way. One look at the way he moves, sort of slow and lanky, and you know he’d make a girl all boneless and sweaty between the sheets.”

“Always one of my favorite qualities in a man. And it’s been a while, if I recall and you know I do, since you’ve had a man in your bed. So tick tock, time’s a running. Grab this Gideon while the getting’s good.”

They laughed and Jules began to sketch out tomorrow’s menu. But Jules thought Daisy’s advice was pretty darned good and planned to give it a go. Getting some Gideon sounded like just the thing.

4 comments to “An Excerpt From Tart”

  1. Rachel Riddles
    October 16th, 2012 at 8:02 am · Link

    Awesome!! Can’t wait and keep em’ coming!



  2. Melanie
    October 16th, 2012 at 8:04 am · Link

    Yay! This book is a day late birthday present for my 40th, and I can’t wait, these snippets are making me crazy with need for this book!



  3. Christine
    October 16th, 2012 at 8:07 am · Link

    Time is counting down. Thank goodness.



  4. Viki S.
    October 16th, 2012 at 1:30 pm · Link

    Thank you 🙂



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