Sweet Little Thing by Abbi Glines Series: Sweet Series #1
Published by Self Published on 3/14/18
Genres: New Adult
Pages: 250
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The day her mother passed away, Beulah was left with one name. That was it. No other explanation.
Portia Van Allan was not someone Beulah could believe her mother had a friendship with. Wealthy, self-absorbed and other than the fact Portia was supplying special care for Beulah’s sister, Portia was cruel.
The day Portia’s son returns home for the summer, Beulah soon finds that Portia isn’t in charge. This isn’t her home at all. Her late husband left her with nothing. It was all left to their son who doesn’t seem to like his mother at all.
Jasper Van Allan doesn’t know why his mother has hired a young gorgeous blonde to take care of the house and he is almost ready to let her go when he finds out just why she’s working for his mother.
Realizing Beulah is more than a stunning face he gives her a chance then soon offers her a job at his office just to be near her all the time. It’s all falling into place. Making sense… when the real lies, the dark secrets, and the skeletons come tumbling out of the Van Allan closet. Twisted truths that will make Jasper loving Beulah impossible. And send her running…
Guys, this week Abbi Glines is releasing Sweet Little Thing everywhere. I should have links for Amazon tomorrow, but today I have an exclusive sneak peek into what you can expect with this sweet and sexy sounding read. And also, around noon a SIGNED paperback giveaway will be posted on our Facebook Page, so make sure you run over there to enter.
Purchase here:
Excerpt
I stood where I was to stay hidden and didn’t move until I heard Portia walk away and enter the house. I waited five minutes before walking to the entrance I always used in the back yard near the kitchen. I didn’t know what this family was like before Alfred Van Allan suffered a massive heart attack and died two days later, but I knew they were completely dysfunctional now. I felt sorry for Portia, although she didn’t sound like she had made wise decisions. I also felt sorry for Jasper because he had obviously been raised to be the man he was. They’d created him.
I had been raised by a woman who luckily put her kids first, above all else. Even before having a social life. I never once saw her date.
“I’d forget all you heard. Wasn’t your business,” the deep drawl I now recognized as Winston’s said from behind me. I was beginning to think he stalked me to catch me off guard and put me in my place. In his stuck-up, conceited world I was the minion he could look down on.
“I’m aware of that. It wasn’t on purpose. I just got home,” I snapped at him.
He gave a small shrug of his left shoulder, sat down on a lounger, then laid back and put his hands behind his head. “But you listened. You could have walked away.”
He was right. I could have. I started to argue that they were blocking my entrance, but it sounded lame even to me.
Instead, I walked away from Winston. I didn’t have to explain myself to him. I wasn’t going to try.
“He won’t keep you. She hired you, which makes him detest you. No matter how appealing you might be.”
That was a fear I was trying not to focus on, but after hearing what I’d just—as he’d pointed out I eavesdropped on—Winston may be right. If he fired me, Heidi and I would be on the streets. How would I keep her fed? I couldn’t afford the home where she lived, or leave her to work a job. Not alone. She couldn’t be left alone. Especially not on the streets.
My head began to pound. I hurried inside to get away from Winston and his threats. I couldn’t lose this job. This job was all I had right now. Working here was keeping Heidi in a safe home. If my mother was friends with Portia, or Portia owed her something, I had no idea what that connection was, but I knew Jasper wouldn’t care. He hated his mother, that much was obvious. He wouldn’t care about helping Heidi or me.
“You’re late,” Portia said as I walked into the house. I was actually early but their talk outside had stalled me. I couldn’t tell her I had overheard them though.
“I’m sorry. Traffic was bad.”
She glared at me. “I did you a favor letting you go today. The least you could do was return on time. I don’t need this from you. You’re the help. The help. Do your damn job and stop acting so damn entitled.” She slammed her glass down on the table causing the liquid to slosh over and drip down onto the floor. “Clean that up. Then get to your duties.”
I nodded. “Yes ma’am.”
She stalked from the room and I hurried to clean up her mess. I understood she was hurting over what her son had said to her. The bitterness and anger that often spewed from her came from that hurt. She’d had an unhappy life. She’d slept with another man. After her husband died, she was left to the mercy of her son. For a woman like Portia who lives in luxury, I imagine the threat of having her lifestyle taken away was tough. It didn’t make her treatment of me all right, of course. But I understood it.
“She’s a bitch, isn’t she?” That was Jasper’s voice. “You don’t have to answer that. I know what you’re thinking. Can’t figure out why you’re here working for her when you could work so many other places. That face—it could get you in many doors.”
I finished wiping up her spilled drink from the floor and stood up to face him. “I hope I never have to use my face to get a job. And this job is just fine. It covers my needs and my feelings aren’t hurt easily.” I hoped that was the right thing to say.
He studied me. That made me nervous as I waited for him to respond. It seemed much longer than the seconds it took. “You want this job then?”
“Yes.”
He shrugged and sighed. “Fine. She’s hard to deal with. If you can handle her, then you’ll do. You handled last night like a fucking champ. I was impressed.”
Portia never complimented me. I wasn’t sure if a thank you was appropriate or not. “I was doing my job.”
Jasper chuckled. “Yeah. I guess you were,” was his response, then he walked out the door heading toward the pool house. I watched as he said something to Winston, who laughed, and I stopped to watch that. Winston laugh. All I had ever seen was his serious face. And the disinterested way he looked down on all around those him. I hadn’t seen him smile. His face that was stunning with a scowl became almost angelic with a smile.
Shaking my head, I stopped admiring him and went to the kitchen. I had my list in there for the things I needed to do today. Staring at Winston wasn’t one of them.
About the Author
Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party and Existence series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.
You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.
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