Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison - Chapter Sampler

7/22/2019 Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison - Chapter Sampler

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DID YOU PURCHASE THIS BOOK WITHOUT A COVER?If you did, you should be aware it is stolen propertyas it was

reported unsold and destroyed by a retailer.Neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment

for this book.

First Published 2014First Australian Paperback Edition 2014ISBN 978 174356617 6

ANYTHING TO HAVE YOU 2014 by Paige HarbisonPhilippine Copyright 2014

Australian Copyright 2014New Zealand Copyright 2014

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All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in anyform. This edition is published in arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A..

This is a work of ction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either theproduct of the authors imagination or are used ctitiously, and any resemblanceto actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales isentirely coincidental.

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CHAPTER TWO

I awful, bright kind of cold out today, only made

worse by the sea of red and pink that I had been swimming

in. I know it tends to be mostly bitter people who say they

dont care about Valentines Day, but Ireally dont. Its dumb.

Ill take burgers and f ireworks over heart-shaped candies and

roses any day.

I sat on a table outside of school at the end of the day, wear-

ing no color that came close to pink, and checked the time

on my phone. Fifteen minutes since the bell rang. Id known

I would be waiting, so I already had headphones in and waslistening to my fifties doo-wop playlist. I sighed and sipped

from the aluminum water bottle I had filled up.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and nearly spat the water out.

I turned to see Aiden Macmillan, Brookes long-term,

for-serious, if-they-get-married-theyll-be-the-definition-

of-high-school-sweethearts boyfriend. The one with whom

she considered herself to be in a stale relationship.I took out my earbuds and scooted over. Aiden, hi, sorry.


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PAIGE HARBISON22

Its all good. What are you listening to?

Um, the Fleetwoods right now.

Ah, your doo-wop playlist.

Thats the one.

That kinda day, I guess.

Yes, the doo-wopin the temperature put me in the mood.

I nudged him with my elbow.

Oh, man, he said. That was bad even for you.

Shut up!

Just kidding. No Valentines roses today?My heart is breaking over it. Please.

Right, right, I know you hate itbut I kinda got you a

little valentine.

At first I couldnt tell if he was kidding. What?

Yeah, really, I did. He handed me an envelope. It said,

Happy Pal-entines Day.

Hah! And Ivegot corny jokes.I opened it, and out fell a package of what looked like some

kind of seasoning.

My mom swears by it. He shrugged. I dunno, its prob-

ably dumb. I know you like to cook and thought you would

like it. I was going to give you a package of it randomly, but

decided to give it to you on a holiday you hate instead.

Thats so nice of you. Andand weird.

I know, I kinda see that now.

He messed up his hair and looked out into the parking lot,

where people and cars were all weaving around one another

to leave. So to change the subjectdid you see its supposed

to blizzard this weekend?

Nois it really?

Yeah, its supposed to be a couple of feet.

Wow. Time to get out the snowshoes, I guess.And the toboggan.


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ANYTHING TO HAVE YOU 23

Toboggan! Oh, my God, seriously, though, I love sled-

ding. Why is that a thing reserved for kids?

Me, too. And in fact, its pretty dangerous, as far as sports

and leisure activities are concerned. So really it shouldnt be

for kids at all.

You probably didnt do a lot of sledding in Texas as a

child, anyway.

Nope, only when I visited my aunt up here for Christmas

and we got lucky enough for it to not just be gray and cold.

So almost never, then. Thats probably my least favoritething about our winters. Not only do they drag on for weeks

longer than you want them to, but most days its just ugly out.

I completely agree. If Im going to live somewhere with

four seasons, I want four realseasons.

Exactly, I said. My cousins live up in Michigan, and as

awful as Michigan can be

Brooke appeared behind Aiden, and I stopped talking.Always dressed impeccably, she had also not lowered her-

self to wear anything in theme today. She was in black velvet

leggings, a navy blazer and a sheer black tank top. The only

thing arguably holiday-related was the Tiffanys filagree heart

necklace she was wearing on a long chain. She clicked toward

us in her heeled ankle-boots, rolling her eyes dramatically.

Ugh! I am so sorry, you guys, Mr. Andrews was nagging

me for, like, ten minutes about how, for thisessay, I need to

arrange my thoughts and write an outline. Ugh. Okay, lets

get out of this soul-sucking hellhole.

We climbed into Aidens Jeep. We rode with him when-

ever Brooke woke up early enough.

Brooke buckled her seat belt and turned to me. Oh, did

he give you that seasoning stuff?

Yeah, just now. Okay, so she had known about it. Thatwas less weird, then.


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PAIGE HARBISON24

I dont know what it is, but every time his mom cooks,

the food is amazing and its because of that stuff. So now you

can cook me food whenever I want it and I dont have to wait

for his mom to let me come over. She gave me a cheesy grin.

Oh, okay, so heres our new mission, Aiden. We have to f ind

Natalie a boyfriend.

I leaned back against the headrest. Brooke

Oh, shush, I know better than you. Im thinking she needs

a hipster-type guy.

I told you, I dont want some weird poser who wears non-

prescription Ray-Bans. Its really not my thing.

That shouldnt be anybodys thing, said Aiden.

Agreed.

No, guys, Brooke said, not the annoying kind of hip-

ster whos just catching on to the mainstream hipster thing,

more someone who is a little off-kilter, but not to an annoy-

ing extent.

I already think he sounds lame.

Nat, be real, Im not saying he needs to be exactlyanything.

I mean someone who is into the same things as you. Youre not

going to date, like, a football player. She gestured at Aiden.

I dont see that being something youre into. Or maybe you

need someone who is your total opposite. I dont know! Its

going to be fun to shop you around. Which is why shepulled out her phone and opened up Facebook we are

going to this tomorrow night.

I took the phone and looked at it. Stupid Cupid Rager?

Yes. Its at Alexas place, have you been there? Well, its

huge and has a pool table and a movie theater, and is the best.

Were hoping to get snowed in there. Its even better in sum-

mer because of the pool in the back, but whatever. Itll be fun,anyway. She has a hot tub!


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Snowed in? I groaned. That seems like it could be kind

of a nightmare.

Yeah, Aiden agreed. There are more than a few people

I would rather not be locked in a house with.

God, Mom and Dad, chill out. Its going to befungod-

dammit.

Aidens eyes shifted to mine in the rearview. I stifled my

grin.

Point is, Brooke went on, therell be a ton of people

there and its going to be awesome. Lots of guys. And Alexa

used to go to Northwest, so I think we might not already

know and be sick of them all. Bonus!

Does Natalie even want a boyfriend?

Aiden. Every girl secretly wants a boyfriend, no matter

what they cop to. Its how the world works.

Brooke, Im not searching that desperately. Im actually

not even searching. You are. For me. Without being asked.

I know youre not, youre doing the opposite! Youre hid-

ing! And what happens if you squander your youth and beauty

by not even trying? She glanced back at me again. Youre al-

ways going to be pretty but you know what Im trying to say.

I dont see the point in wasting time or youth on some

drunk LAX bro, either.

Then you havent met some of the LAX bros I know.What? Aiden was giving her a look. She rolled her eyes and

turned back to me. Hes being jealous. So will you go?

I dont know

Come on! You promised!

She gave me her best puppy-dog eyes. They didnt work on

me ordinarily, but I had promised. And I didnt have any plans.

Fine! Fine, if its that important to you, Ill go.She squealed.


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PAIGE HARBISON26

G party, Natalie.

But I dont wanna. I was bent over the back of the couch,

a listless sack of un-fun. My father was in the kitchen mak-

ing us egg salad sandwiches and trying to convince me to be

a teenager.

Brooke is rightthere are certain things you have to do at

your age. Even if its not fun, youll be with your best friend.

And Aiden, you two are friends.

Yeah, I know. But Brooke tends to gets wasted and wan-

der off, and then Im left alone.Tell her in the beginning of the night, say, Brooke, I

would really appreciate if you could make an effort

Dad, Dad, Dad, I cut him off, pushing myself off the

couch and holding up a hand. Do you really see that being a

real conversation? No, shes going to do what she wants, and it

would be incredibly loserish of me to have a conversationabout

sticking by my side.Fair enough. He cut my sandwich diagonally, and then

cut his down the middle. Then hang out with Aiden.

He turned around and gave me a look.

Shut up! I said, covering my face with the neck of my

hoodie.

Aiden and Natalie, sittin in a tree

Dad! Hes Brookes boyfriend, I dont know why youre

so intent on me having a crush on him.

Im not getting in your business. All I know is, my daugh-

ter is a big fan of his, and I like him. He shrugged and

brought over the sandwiches. The guy watches football with

me while you and Brooke shriek upstairs, doing your makeup

and comparing split ends or whatever it is you do. Cant help

but like him.

Yep, you nailed it, Dad. No, Brooke, my split ends arebetter than your split ends!


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I say go, be careful he handed me my plate dont

get housed or make mistakes, but have fun. Let Brooke force

you to have a good time. Gotta admit, I see where shes com-

ing from. You do hang out with your dad too much. Youre,

like, so uncool.

I laughed and unpaused the episode of The Officewe were

watching. And resigned myself to attending the Stupid Cupid

Rager. When even your dad tells you youre a pitiful home-

body, you really ought to get out of the house.

W the street and made our way up to the house.

It was already starting to snow. Brooke, Aiden and I left foot-

prints in the white dust as we walked.

Inside, I saw exactly what I expected to see. A room full of

wasted people shouting, guffawing, flirting and mostly try-

ing to look hot.

Yup, I said to Brooke and Aiden. Pretty much exactly

how I remembered it.

Aiden laughed, but Brooke punched me on the arm. Give

it a chance!

Alexa, the good host, came over to greet us. You guys!

You got Natalieto come? She extended her arms for a hug,

her mouth agape.

Alexa, hi! I hugged her back and gave her a little pat onthe shoulder. Good to see you, thanks for having me.

Oh, anytime, girl. Well, any time my mom goes out of

town. She giggled. Does this mean youre going to finally

hang out with us again?

Brooke gave me a look that a mother might give a daugh-

ter who needs to say thank you.

Yeah, def initely. Senior year and all that. I smiled enthu-siastically to try to make up for how lame I sounded. Brooke


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PAIGE HARBISON28

looked pleased, then turned from us and scurried away to talk

to other people.

Oh, I know, Im so excited! But so sad, too. Im going to

miss everyone so much. She shook her head. May is getting

closer and closer every day.

There was a small drop in my stomach. I, too, was dread-

ing the end of the year, but not for the same reasons a girl like

Alexa was. While hers was more of a melancholy dread, mine

was outright terror at the fact that I had no clear next step.

Crazy! She downed the rest of whatever was in her red

cup and swayed a little. Ohmigod, so you have to come take

a shot with me right now.

Shots? EeeI dont know

I remembered all too well the feeling of throwing up after

too much liquor. I had been part of the group when we were

freshmen and sophomores. We had mostly gone to the mov-

ies or gotten dropped off at the mall to go shoppingI was

usually tagging along, never having much moneyor we had

sleepovers. It wasnt until the end of sophomore year when

Brooke had gotten hold of a few bottles of wine that things

started to change. Then it was a hop, skip and a jump to the

big parties they were still into.

That unfortunate night with Reed, I had done shots.

Just one! Alexa insisted.Um I didnt know how to get out of it. I lacked the

ability to put my foot down, like I knew I should. I had an

incessant need to please people, but almost none of the where-

withal to do so.

Natalieeeee! said Brooke, coming up to us. She had taken

off her coat and was wearing a tight red tank top with a black

bra. Her necklace dangled scandalously between her boobs.She grabbed me by the shoulders. Natalie is letting me be


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her party godmother this year. Which means shes actually

going to have some fun and stop sitting at home all the time.

Sick! Were going to have such a blast! The rest of this year

is going to be insane. I mean, how could it not be? We already

got accepted to schools for next year, so who gives a fuck?

There was a whoop from the people around us. Brooke

ambled away again.

My cheeks went slightly hot, and I wanted to make sure no

one tried to ask me about my plans.

Youre going to Arizona, right? I asked Alexa, recallingwhat Brooke had told me. One of my few skills was remem-

bering details about people. This would be great if I actually

knew any of them well anymore and could come off more

like a good friend and less like a stalker.

Yes! Im ready to bake in the sun. I cant stand this cold

weather. My aunt lives out there and absolutely loves it. Ive

heard people either love it or hate it there. I hope I love it,ya know?

Oh, Im sure you will. And hey, if you dont, you can al-

ways soak up a good base tan and a few credits and go some-

where else, right?

She smiled at me, looking like that somehow actually made

her feel better. Exactly. Exactly! Youre totally right, Natalie.

Thats how I need to look at it.

I basked in the glow of her approval and became suddenly

desperate for more. Okay, lets do a shot.

She squealed and pulled me over to the counter, where

Brooke had gone to squeal with a girl named Bethany, who

I had always disliked. For almost no reasonshe just bugged

me.

Brookie! Natalie said shed do a shot!

Brooke looked surprised, but she smiled. Thats my girl!It was kind of funny to see Brooke in her element. I was


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PAIGE HARBISON30

used to slightly dopey Brooke, who was a little off the wall

and could always crack me up or unselfconsciously pull an

ugly face. But here she was, her hair swooshed to one shoul-

der, confidently chatting with the people around her while

she poured vodka into a shaker with ice and whatever else.

She really was good at the whole being the queen thing.

She had that smile that looked real every time. She sounded

interested, surprised, shocked, or however it was you wanted

her to sound when you told her something. She made thepeople around her feel interesting, funny or attractive, and all

the while it was clear that she was the most interesting, funny

and attractive person in the room.

I came off as the opposite. I didnt want to take a shot, so I

immediately felt like the prude. Which sucked. Because hon-

estly, I simply didnt want to.

When I talked to people, I felt like I could never think ofthe right response or anything clever to say. I was fine with

people I really knew. Smart, and even funny sometimes. But

with strangers or acquaintances, I was a mess.

Ready? asked Brooke, handing me my first two ounces

of regret. Its not that bad, I promise.

To senior freaking year! screamed Alexa. Everyone

cheered.I took the shot and was unable to play it cool, reaching for

something, anything, else to shoot back afterward, but there

was nothing. I became the unwilling center of attention as

everyone around me, clearly unfazed by the sting, laughed or

looked at me like I was their little sister or something. Some-

one even went, Aww!

Oh, God, was it really that bad for you? Brooke huggedme. Im so sorry, Nat. Whoo! She widened her eyes. All


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right, thatll probably do you for a while. I wanna play darts,

come play with me!

She grabbed me by the hand and dragged me through the

party, and up onto the stage that is her life.


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Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison - Chapter Sampler