“Tell you what,” he said. “You give me a few pointers on polish and professionalism, and I’ll give you free outdoor adventure tours.”
“Outdoor adventure?” She wasn’t surprised to hear that the words emerging from her mouth had the same intonation she’d use if she said “Pap smear” or “Ebola.”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” she said, flipping open her laptop. “But actually, I can show you some of my favorite fashion websites if you want to get some ideas for professional attire and—”
“Wait, why don’t you want an outdoor adventure?”
Miriam stared at him and wondered whether to offer the real story or the one that seemed most obvious.
“I’m a city girl through and through, in case you hadn’t noticed,” she said, settling for the surface story.
“Right, but you’re a city girl who’s managing the account for the nation’s second-largest outdoor gear retailer,” he pointed out. “Don’t you think you should be at least a little familiar with our products?”
“I am familiar with your products,” she said. “I did intensive market research using the reports from—”
“No, no, no,” Jason interrupted. “Reports aren’t the same as actually experiencing it. When was the last time you played outside?”
Miriam tamped down the panic that threatened to bubble its way up from her gut. It wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t possibly know she’d spent the last year avoiding all things outdoorsy.
Especially men with an adrenaline habit.
She swallowed hard and forced herself to answer his question. “I went outside on Saturday,” she said. “I walked out to get the mail.”
Jason shook his head and looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “Come on, I’ll start you off easy. Maybe some spelunking or something.”
“I don’t know what spelunking is, but unless it’s a drink, a sex act, or a fashion designer, I’m not interested.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Wait, so you would be interested if spelunking was a sex act?”
“I was being glib,” she said, tossing her hair and making note of the eagerness in his expression. “Whatever it is, I’m guessing it’s outside my comfort zone.”
“Exactly why you should do it.” He grinned again.
“Spelunking is cave exploration. I have all the gear, and there’s a really amazing cave I know of just a couple hours away. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“I think you and I have very different definitions of fun.”
“I doubt that,” he said. His voice was low and molten, or maybe that’s just how Miriam heard it. Either way, it sent a shiver down her spine.
I loved Miriam and Jason. And Ellie (Jason’s sister) and Henry (her son), for that matter. (Henry’s conversation starters! OMG, he’s such a five-year-old boy!) Heck, I even got a kick out of Phuzeei, Miriam’s door-opening, “furry ninja spy” (AKA cat). I don’t know how I missed reading Holly’s book ( The Fix Up ) but that’s an oversight I’m going to need to fix, and soon…
The Hang Up was funny, sexy, and sweet. There was a whole lot of highlighting going on on my end, and pretty much every example was because it made me snort-laugh when I read it. It had some of the most (ahem) creative hiccup cures ever, even if (especially if?) they are NSFW. Sooooo NSFW. And the scene with Miriam and Henry’s testing Ellie’s new home-based business’s merchandise? So. Much. Steam. And then there’s all the moments that made me goawwwwww…nearly all of them had Henry in them–coincidence? I think not.
He even made the proposal better–because yeah, Legos definitely are a no brainer. No question.
Ellie has to get a book–please tell me her story’s next? 🙂
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
Tawna Fenske is a USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Her offbeat brand of romance has received multiple starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, one of which noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”
Thank you for your lovely review!!
My pleasure!