Loser Wins the Girl: Weko Harbor, #1

By Kristy K. James

Wesley Cooper thinks happily-ever-afters are a crock and has, in fact, spent his life avoiding women who might expect one.

 

Except for a handful of childhood friends, Wesley has never wanted to get close to anyone. Not since he was eight years old anyway. And when he's forced into a situation where he has to start dating-but-not-dating an old acquaintance, he is far from happy. She's not his type. It is curious though, how many things they have in common. And that he actually enjoys spending time with her. But not in a boyfriend/girlfriend kind of way. Nope. They're just friends.

 

Lainey Lawson has always believed in fairytale endings, she's just not sure Mr. Right exists. At least not for women like her.

 

Most days, Lainey feels like a confident, successful woman. She's got a great job, a healthy bank account, and has visited places others can only dream about. Sometimes though, hidden in a lonely place in her heart, she longs for someone to share her life. Part of her wishes that man could be her matchmaking cousin's future brother-in-law. Another part knows he would never look twice at her.

 

Welcome to Weko Harbor, a place where the friends you made when you were a kid are friends for a lifetime. And sometimes, they might be more than just a friend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristy K. James
• Release date: Nov 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201390976

Kristy K. James

Kristy K. James' first goal in life was to work in law enforcement, until the night she called the police to check out a scary noise in her yard.Realizing that she might someday have to investigate scary noises in yards just as dark as hers if she continued on that path, she turned to her other favorite love...writing.Since then her days have been filled with being a mom and reluctant zookeeper (7 pets), creating stories, and looking for trouble in her kitchen.

Book preview

Loser Wins the Girl

A Sweet, Small Town, Inspirational Romance

Book 1 in the Weko Harbor Series

Kristy K. James

Copyright 2021 by Kristy K. James

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be copied or reprinted without express written permission from the author.

Wesley Cooper thinks happily-ever-afters are a crock and has, in fact, spent his life avoiding women who might expect one.

Except for a handful of childhood friends, Wesley has never wanted to get close to anyone. Not since he was eight years old anyway. And when he’s forced into a situation where he has to start dating-but-not-dating an old acquaintance, he is far from happy. She’s not his type. It is curious though, how many things they have in common. And that he actually enjoys spending time with her. But not in a boyfriend/girlfriend kind of way. Nope. They’re just friends.

Lainey Lawson has always believed in fairytale endings, she’s just not sure Mr. Right exists. At least not for women like her.

Most days, Lainey feels like a confident, successful woman. She’s got a great job, a healthy bank account, and has visited places others can only dream about. Sometimes though, hidden in a lonely place in her heart, she longs for someone to share her life. Part of her wishes that man could be her matchmaking cousin’s future brother-in-law. Another part knows he would never look twice at her.

Welcome to Weko Harbor, a place where the friends you made when you were a kid are friends for a lifetime. And sometimes, they might be more than just a friend.

To Kathie... There really are no words to tell you how much I appreciate the time you take to help make my books the best they can be! From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Connect with Kristy...

http://kristykjames.net/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/KristyKJamesReadersGroup

Be sure to follow Kristy on Bookbub to get notifications for her new releases!

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kristy-k-james

Other Works by Kristy K. James

Coach's Boys Series

The Daddy Pact, Book 1

A Hero for Holly, Book 2

A Harry Situation, Book 3

Her Best Friend Jon, Book 4

Code Red Christmas, Book 5

Darby's Dilemma, Book 6

The Detective's Second Chance, Book 7

Back to the Beginning, Book 8

Holding Out For Love, Coach's Boys Companion Story (should be read between books 6 & 7)

Cooking With the Coach's Boys

A Royal Sweethearts Romance Novel Series

The Casteloria Royals

A Prince on the Run, Book 1

The Physician to the King, Book 2

The Princess and the Bodyguard, Book 3

Hemisphere/Paranormal Romance

The Ripple

Haunted Depot: The Ghost Curse Series

The Secret, Book 1

The Depot, Book 2

A Merry Depot Christmas, Book 3

Special Wishes Time Travel Romance

His Only Love

Her Long Road Home

Other Fiction:

Enza

Josh

The Secret Admirer

Erin's Christmas Wish

A Fine Mess

Reluctant Guardian

Chapter 1

Lainey Lawson dropped her laptop and messenger bag on the small folding table sitting in the middle of her dining room, pretending again that she didn't notice how tiny and spartan it looked in the otherwise empty room. She'd always meant to replace it with something more permanent. Something wooden. Something pretty. But somehow, in the almost six years she'd lived in the apartment, she'd never gotten around to it.

After booting up the computer, she carried a takeout bag from her favorite restaurant to the kitchen. Sitting the foam containers on the counter, she took a paper plate from a mostly bare cupboard. She kept meaning to buy some pretty dishes, too.

Shrugging, she spooned half of the beef stroganoff and steamed broccoli onto the plate, then grabbed a plastic fork from the silverware drawer, a bottle of water from the fridge, and a napkin from the bag. In seconds, she was sitting at the table, trying to eat a few quick bites as she opened the video chat. It wasn't long before her cousin's pretty face appeared on the screen.

Excitement made it hard to keep her expression neutral, but she didn't want to give anything away. Not just yet.

What's up, cuz? Brenda asked, her somber tone registering at the same time Lainey realized she looked sad. As she stared at the screen, she wondered why. You said you had some news. It had better not be bad. Yeah, something was up. Brenda was the most upbeat person she'd ever known, and upbeat would not describe her today.

Well, that depends on what you consider bad news.

Lainey...

She'd wanted to drag the suspense out, but couldn't keep it in any longer. She grinned at the screen and blurted it out, glad she'd never taken up poker. Any time she got a good hand, everyone else in the game would be folding.

The next opening I'll be overseeing is going to be in Petoskey!

Petoskey? Brenda asked quietly. And then she asked again, eyes wide, her voice filled with disbelief, "Petoskey? Does that mean you're going to be in the area then? Like living here?"

Yes, ma'am. And I'll be arriving in about five weeks, she said, then laughed when her cousin jumped to her feet and did a quick victory dance before sitting back down at her computer. The joy at her reaction didn't last long when she saw the navy-blue dress her cousin wore. On a Saturday.

"For like – months?" Brenda demanded breathlessly.

Three or four. At least.

That's the best news I've heard in a long time!

I know. I couldn't believe it when Garrett told me.

I can hardly wait until you get here. And I know your folks, and mine, are going to be thrilled.

Actually, Dad's working on a contract out west, so I'm not sure they'll even be back in Michigan before I have to leave again. He said they might wind up being there most of the year.

Like her, he was also in the business of helping companies, but where she worked with owners to open new franchises, he was a private consultant who helped to struggle establishments get back on their feet. It would be nice to be a couple of hours closer to them, but he'd already told her this job was more challenging than most, so she wouldn't hold her breath that they'd be able to get together.

"Well, you're going to be here and I couldn't be happier. She paused for a moment. What does Ryan think about all of this? Is he still complaining about all the time you spend out of town?"

Lainey realized they hadn't talked in at least three weeks, so Brenda didn't know about the change in her relationship status yet. And since she didn't post anything like that on social media sites, the news had to come directly from her. She sighed softly, and Brenda frowned.

Let's change the subject. Why are you wearing such a dark dress on a weekend in the spring? Now it was Brenda's turn to sigh. The sadness returned to her eyes and Lainey was sorry she'd asked. Now, she didn't know if she wanted to know the reason.

Do you remember Hank Rutledge?

The youth group leader? Lainey felt her appetite disappear, and she laid her fork down.

Yeah. He died on Wednesday. His funeral is at two-o'clock. About a half an hour away. Lainey felt tears sting her eyes.

I'm so sorry. He was one of my favorite people in Weko Harbor.

I think he was a favorite of most everyone who met him. Brenda wiped a couple of tears away, and making a determined effort to set the sadness aside for the moment, said, It's too soon to start crying. So, let's change the subject back. Ryan? Did you finally break up with him?

If only it had been that easy.

He gave me an ultimatum.

Him or the job?

Yes. Quit and marry him, or it was over. My choice.

Obviously, you didn't choose him.

Obviously. She felt a momentary pang at the thought of him not being in her life, but reminded herself that her heart had only been bruised, not broken. If he'd been the one, she would have quit so fast it would have made his head spin. Something was missing.

Something is always missing, sweetie.

"I know. Maybe I just want too much. Or maybe I'm just meant to be-

Don't even go there, Lainey, Brenda said sternly, glaring at her. It almost felt like they were in the same room instead of over four hundred miles apart. You're not meant to be alone.

She zoned out, ignoring yet another lecture about self-esteem and expectations. Self-esteem wasn't an issue. Expectations, however...

Yeah.

Brenda believed everyone could have a happily-ever-after fairytale kind of life. She, on the other hand, had accepted that for some people, people like her, it wasn't likely to happen. Unless they were willing to settle, and she wasn't. If she couldn't have the dream, she wouldn't risk winding up with a nightmare.

YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE thing to pull the twin card, but this penalty is a little over the top, don't you think? Wesley Cooper demanded as he tucked folders for the accounts he’d finished back into the filing cabinet before turning back around to straighten his desk.

You signed me up for a 10K, Wes. What did you expect? That I'd just be okay with that?

Wesley sighed, remembering the last-minute meeting his brother's boss had called. The problem was, it had been the same night Chase and his girlfriend Brenda planned to attend a concert. They'd bought the tickets weeks before and had all but marked the days off the calendar in anticipation of seeing their favorite band.

So, in a long-established habit, Chase had asked the favor. Pretend to be him for a few hours, take meticulous notes, and don't do anything to get him in trouble. But when Mr. Monroe sent the sign-up form around the table for one of his pet fundraisers, the temptation had been too much.

What was I supposed to do. Most of the women at the meeting were signing up. And they were all looking at me like I was some sort of wimp. Or they thought they were looking at you. I had to save your reputation, didn't I?

First, no, you didn't have to save my reputation. I don't care if they think I'm a wimp. I don't like to run. And second, are you telling me you did this out of the goodness of your heart? Given the sarcasm in his tone, Wesley figured his brother didn't believe him.

The thing was, that was exactly why he'd signed him up. Well, it was ninety-five percent of the reason he'd done it. But most people had been expecting the worst from him for as long as he could remember, so he usually let them think whatever they wanted, whether it was true or not. He wasn't going to let that happen this time, though.

As a matter of fact, I did. What he hadn’t expected was for Chase to have a conniption fit over it. Conniption fit? Jeez. Sometimes, he sounded just like Aunt Jessie!

I didn't expect to be running my butt off for the next ten months trying to get ready for this thing!

C'mon, bro. It's six miles. You could walk that in a couple of hours.

And look like a wimp?

Opening his briefcase, Wesley tossed a packet of policy changes in and rolled his eyes heavenward. Chase could be such a drama queen sometimes. If it wasn't for periodic trouble from a knee injury from his high school track days, he'd have offered to run it for him.

Look, I'm sorry. He slammed the case closed with more force than necessary and fastened it before getting to his feet. I shouldn't have done it. I should have let everyone think whatever they wanted about you. But give me a break, okay? Brenda's cousin?

You chose door number two.

The rules they'd established when they were kids were still as relevant today as they had been then. If one twin took advantage of the other, just because they were identical and most people couldn't tell them apart, they had to choose the invisible door number one or door number two. One allowed them to get off scot-free. The other meant they had to do whatever the offended twin decided was fair retribution.

Chase almost always put the penalty under door number one, so Wesley rarely lost. That wasn't the case today. Not only had he lost, he'd lost in a big way.

It's not like we're asking you to marry her, Chase was saying patiently on the other end of the line. Just even the numbers up a couple of times a week. Maybe take her out yourself once in a while.

"Maybe not marry her, but you are asking me to date her." His tone was flat as he pulled his keys from his pocket and getting the key ready to lock his office up for the night. A movement near the doorway caught his attention and he lowered his voice a little.

No. It's just a friend kind of thing. She's only going to be here for a few months.

Taking her out a couple of times a week for a few months isn't dating? Yeah, right.

Wes-

Listen, he said, lowering his voice even more when he headed for the elevators. Denny Brubaker was hanging around the receptionist’s desk and the last thing he needed was for that lover of gossip to get wind of this. He waited impatiently for the car to get to the fourth floor. When the muted chime announced its arrival, he stepped inside, saying, I remember her visiting Brenda's family when we were kids. She was a chunk with pimples and braces.

It's gotta be a decade since she showed up at the youth group. The braces will be gone now, and most people outgrow acne.

Well, that's comforting.

You owe me.

As he left the building and headed across the parking lot, Wesley tried to come up with an argument that might change his mind, but Chase had that tone going on. The one that made it clear there was no getting out of this.

He held the phone between his shoulder and ear as he climbed into his car, tossing his briefcase in the passenger seat.

I'm stuck doing a six-mile run because no matter what you say now, you thought signing me up was fun. But I still offered you the doors. You had a fifty-fifty chance, and you blew it. Now I'm cashing in the card. You'd do the same thing if the situation was reversed and you know it.

The whole twin card thing was getting old, Wesley thought, dropping his head back against the seat. They were going to have to renegotiate it. Soon. He ignored the quiet voice reminding him that Chase had stopped initiating the game a long time ago.

Dating Brenda's cousin for the entire summer, and who knows how long into the fall, is asking a little much, don't you think?

I'm going to be running every day for almost a year so no, I don't think so.

Even though his heart had been in the right place, maybe the run thing had been out of line, he admitted, but only to himself. He had gotten a lot of laughs out of it though, but still...

So why can't this girl get her own dates? Does she look like Frankenstein now? Or just Frankenstein's curvy sister? Because usually, when friends or family badgered him into something like this, the girl wasn't anything to write home about. And more often than not, her clothing size was in the double digits.

I'm guessing it's still the weight thing, Chase said reluctantly. Brenda did say she's really pretty.

Brenda always said she was pretty. What's this girl's name again?

Lainey.

Last name?

I can't remember, and I didn't think to ask. Brenda has only referred to her as Lainey. So, are you going to do it?

How many dates?

"I don't know. Like I said, maybe once or twice a