Once Upon an Email

By Diane M. Pratt

Skye Ashton currently has two men in her life; actually, they're not really "in" her life, but one of them is a major pain in the neck she can't seem to avoid at work, and the other is a nice guy she is emailing about furniture he is selling. She hopes she'll never see the first one ever again, and also hopes she'll soon meet the second, who is so far only an email address to her, but he's got a great sense of humor, something the first one is completely lacking.

 

Sullivan Wilde's goal this summer is to sell the furniture his parents dumped on him and is currently filling his two-car garage. Unwilling to waste every weekend hanging around at home for sales transactions, he organizes a group mountain climb at work, hoping for a good turnout. Who doesn't enjoy climbing? When his posting nets only one person, the sassy blonde he keeps butting heads with at work, who looks just about as happy as he feels about the idea of the two of them making the climb together, he has no clue what the day, and the future, are about to throw at him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diane M. Pratt
• Release date: May 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224860005

Diane M. Pratt

Diane M. Pratt lives on Cape Cod where she avoids the summer traffic by hiding at home with her trusty laptop, long-suffering husband, and all the chocolate she can find. Escaping from reality in a romance novel, the ultimate goal a happy ending, is her idea of a good read.  

Book preview

Chapter 1

As Skye Ashton cleaned up her breakfast dishes, she read the list of things to do on the whiteboard clipped to her refrigerator. Find a dry sink and climb a mountain.

She would have thought finding the dry sink would be the easier of the two, but she’d already spent a month looking around for one. Which had to mean dry sinks were either completely out of style or so in style there were none available. She had seen two at yard sales, but they just weren’t what she wanted, either too big or too small. She was prepared to refinish the right one, as she’d done with the end tables she’d found at a flea market that had been painted an interesting shade of red. Once she’d gotten her hands on those, she stripped off the layers of paint and stained them with a more realistic oak finish. Because her latest search was taking so long, she had even tried a few furniture stores but she wasn’t about to pay full retail when she knew she’d eventually be able to find something used.

She wished her condo had a garage she could use as her workshop but since that kind of wish didn’t magically come true, she’d continue to use her deck as a work space. She hadn’t been in her condo for even two years and she was nowhere near ready to buy something else only because it had a garage. Maybe when she’d built up some equity she’d think about it.

As to climbing a mountain, she hadn’t been able to find anyone willing to climb one with her, which was a shame because there were plenty to climb in Massachusetts, as long as she was willing to drive from Clarksville to the western part of the state. And she was willing, but she didn’t want to go alone. Who in the world would want to climb a mountain alone?

When she asked Myla how she felt about the idea she’d received two thumbs down. She hadn’t asked her parents and her sister yet but she was pretty sure their combined responses would be six thumbs down. If she’d suggested a shopping marathon, her mother and sister would have been all in, but Skye had never been, and never would be, a shopaholic.

Well, she couldn’t stand here all morning and dream about reaching mountain summits or finding the perfect dry sink.

But what about crocheting? Maybe she should add learning to crochet to the list, since it would be really fun to give her family something handmade for Christmas as a little surprise.

Just stop.

It was Monday, not the weekend, and she needed to get to work. Taking her purse and her lunch bag, she went out the front door and climbed in her Jeep, mostly ready for another fun-filled week at Lexitech.

Yay.

At least it was June, the day was gorgeous and sunny, and she would have lunch with Myla and catch up on what her bestie had done over the weekend. There was plenty to look forward to.

SULLIVAN WILDE STOOD in his garage, slowly shaking his head. There was something wrong when a guy’s garage was so filled with someone else’s furniture he couldn’t park his own pickup in there. Kids were supposed to inconvenience their parents by storing stuff at their parents’ places, not the other way around.

The only bright spot was, whatever he could make from selling it all was his to keep. When his parents decided to move to Maine to be near Sullivan’s sister, his mother decided she wanted all new furniture. Naturally, she hadn’t wanted to take the time to sell what they had. Why should she do that when Sullivan had all that space in the garage? And think of all that money he could make by selling it. Because who didn’t want a houseful of somebody else’s crap?

He understood why his parents made the move. Cara and Lucas, who’d only been married six months, had a baby on the way, and nothing was going to stand in the way of Grace and Connor Wilde being right there when that baby was born. Maybe his mother would suggest names. Maybe she was already suggesting names.

Checking his watch, he decided he’d better get the photo he’d printed and get to work. Maybe something would come from the posting, maybe not. But there was always the good old interweb if his first attempt failed.

As he drove to work, Sullivan started to wonder if today was actually Friday the 13th. He saw two fender benders, a cat ran across the road in front of him and he had to slam on the brakes, barely missing the thing, and the photo he’d printed flew up from the shotgun seat, headed for the open window. Since he couldn’t lean over to catch it, he closed all the windows as quickly as the control allowed but it was a close one, and the page ended up on the floor mat on the other side of the pickup.

Reaching the parking lot of the Rutherford Building, he reversed into a space near the perimeter of the lot where the shade would keep the cab cooler. Staring at the runaway paper on the mat, he twisted and leaned across the console, extending his arm as far as he could so he could grab it. Pinching the paper between his index finger and thumb, he sat up in time to see a red Jeep whip into the space beside his, a blonde at the wheel.

When she turned her head and he saw her face, he didn’t recognize her as an Evander employee, so he guessed she must work at Lexitech. Looking down at the space between the two vehicles, he decided she must have depth perception issues. How the hell was he supposed to climb out of the truck with the room she left him? Carefully opening his door at the same time as she opened hers, he said, Maybe you could have parked a little closer. You left almost a foot between us.

Skye slowly opened her door, wondering what the guy’s problem was. His grouchy expression made it clear someone had rained on his parade, and because his eyes were aimed at her, he must have decided she was the one. She held her breath and eased her way out without letting her door touch his truck, then she closed her door and turned around so she could watch him get out. So maybe she had parked a little close, but there was no need for him to be making faces.

I can always move it closer once you get out of my way, and since I need to get to work at some point this morning, maybe you could move a little faster. Skye had never seen him at Lexitech, meaning he had to be at Evander. Myla had never mentioned any guy with an attitude working there, but Myla had only been there a month, and she may not have come across him yet. Lucky her. Now that he was out of the truck, he just stood there, facing her. Or actually only sideways facing her since there really wasn’t enough room to stand the other way. Still, she wondered what the heck he was waiting for.

Yeah. One more example of Friday the 13th behavior. Tucking the paper under his arm and pulling out his phone, Sullivan said, Don’t let me hold you up. You can walk around the other way. He needed a couple photos of his truck in case Blondie was less careful with her door when she climbed back in later.

Skye wondered what he was doing now. Why do you need your phone?

I’m ordering glasses for you so you don’t park this close to other vehicles. Other drivers don’t like it. He stared at her, hoping she’d leave.

The man was impossible. You have a fantastic day. As she turned around to wind her way out between other cars whose owners weren’t jerks, she heard his parting words and gritted her teeth.

Too late for that. Sullivan took his shots, put away the phone, and gripped the paper again so it didn’t fly off into the parking lot. It shouldn’t be this damn hard to get one damn piece of furniture out of his damn garage.

Chapter 2

When Skye met up with Myla Drew on the sidewalk outside the front door at lunch time, Myla’s arm was outstretched and she was wiggling her phone.

Hi, Skye. Look at this picture I took. Somebody at Evander is selling a piece of wooden furniture and I thought of you when I saw this.

Thanks, Myla. She took the phone and studied the photo. Wow. Thanks. This dry sink looks perfect.

There’s an email address there, too. Can you read it?

Skye stretched the photo. It looks like SWILDE@evander?

Yes. Wouldn’t it be great if you finally got your dry sink? Myla asked.

You said it. And the price is great, too. I’ll email her or him as soon as we get back from lunch.

You can email now if you want. I can drive today.

Skye thought about where her Jeep was. I’ll drive, since I’m beside some crazy guy who was all over me because he didn’t like the way I parked. Beware of big black pickup trucks when you’re in this lot, and don’t park next to them, whatever you do.

When they reached her Jeep, Skye squeezed her way inside while Myla jumped in easily on the passenger side. When they returned from lunch, there was no way Skye would be taking the same space, even if there were no other spaces. She’d go park on the grass where no one would bother her if she had to. I brought a PB&J today, but I think I want something more exciting, Skye said, backing out and wishing she could see around the huge pickup. Which was just one more reason not to park beside a truck.

You go, girl. What are you thinking about?

A nice little burger and a diet soda.

Make that two and you’ve got a deal, Myla said.

SULLIVAN WAS HAPPY when he reached his truck at lunch time and saw the Jeep was gone, then he checked his truck carefully for dings. Nothing. When he returned, he wasn’t parking in the same space, leaving his truck defenseless against crazy drivers. He wished Chase had been able to get out for lunch, but he’d texted that he was hung up in a meeting.

Chase would have appreciated the warning about the blonde in the red Jeep, but Sullivan could fill him in later. Maybe Chase would know who she was, although with the number of employees at Lexitech, maybe he wouldn’t. The company had almost as many employees as Evander and there was no way Sullivan could name every blonde he knew at Evander. Still, he had a feeling Chase would know this girl, or would at least remember having seen her face. And her body.

Pulling out of the lot, hoping his lunch hour would be less adventure-packed than his ride in that morning, he headed for a burger. Maybe he’d spring for some fries today, too. Then again, maybe not. He didn’t need that kind of anti-nutrition. What he needed was to sell every damn piece of furniture in that garage. He grinned, thinking maybe he’d use the furniture for his bets on poker night. A couple of the guys might actually go for it.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT the crazy guy you saw in that truck this morning, Myla said.

Dark hair, a scruffy beard, wearing a white shirt and black pants. Maybe six inches taller than me. Over six feet, anyway.

That doesn’t pin it down much, you know. Was he hot?

You know. Regular.

"Regular? Skye, you’ve never described a guy as regular."

"Fine. He was nice looking. Or he would be if he didn’t have