Resolutions Read online

  Praise for Lucy Eden

  Everything’s Better With You

  “Everything's Better With You is a rare gem in the romance novel world. It has depth, great characters and a totally believable story line.”

  - The Laundry Librarian

  * * *

  Everything’s Better With Kimberly

  “Engaging with attention to detail and kept me hooked from start to finish.”

  - Janine Caroline, Author of I Look at You and Smile

  * * *

  Cherishing The Goddess

  “This enemies to lovers romance will make your insides roar and you will want to pick up Lucy Eden’s backlist immediately.”

  - Silvana Reyes, Frolic Media

  * * *

  Bear with Me

  “I just found this book so entertaining. It was exactly what I needed on a hard day, and I would gladly read more…”

  - Corey’s Book Corner

  * * *

  An Angel for Daddy

  “Their first kiss will make you sigh and vow to finish the book in one sitting… FIVE BIG STARS OF HELL YES.”

  - Rebel Carter, Author of Heart and Hand & Hearth and Home

  Also by Lucy Eden

  Visit lucyeden.com for purchase details

  Melted

  Everything’s Better With You

  Everything’s Better With Kimberly

  Everything’s Better with Lisa

  Cherishing the Goddess

  An Angel for Daddy

  Bear with Me

  * * *

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  Cover Design: Maria of Steamy Designs

  Copyright © 2019 by Lucy Eden

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/ or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status of products referred to in this book and acknowledges the trademarks have been used without permission.

  This book is intended for mature, adult audiences only. It contains extremely sexually explicit and graphic scenes and language which may be considered offensive by some readers.

  This book is strictly intended for those over the age of 18.

  All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older. All acts of a sexual nature are completely consensual.

  Every story is for my mom, who made me fall in love with reading & Ms. K, who made me fall in love with writing.

  Resolutions

  A Short Sweet & Steamy Novelette

  Mike is my best friend. My tall, gorgeous, and bearded best friend.

  We both share a love for music, Monty Python, dirty jokes and my grandmother’s homemade cookies.

  I also have a giant crush on Mike.

  And he has no idea.

  I tried to tell him at a New Year’s Eve party last year, but I lost my nerve, and he ended up with someone else.

  Armed with a broken heart and a massive hangover, I wrote a list of New Year’s resolutions intent on turning myself into New and Improved Jane who doesn’t let life pass her by.

  With resolutions to check off the list and limited time to finish, I accepted Mike’s offer to help.

  But spending all this time with Mike is bringing up feelings that I’d spent a better part of a year keeping under control. Mike has a girlfriend and I can’t risk losing my best friend, but sometimes the way he looks at me makes me think, maybe, he feels them too?

  I’m probably just daydreaming, as usual…

  * * *

  This novella has NO cheating and is a standalone, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy full of alphas, steam, sarcasm and Monty Python references.

  For Content Warning with spoilers for all my books visit lucyeden.com/cw

  Contents

  Praise for Lucy Eden

  Also by Lucy Eden

  Resolutions

  1. Do More Volunteer Work

  2. Eat Healthier

  3. Learn A New Skill

  4. Meet New People

  5. Get Organized

  6. Take A Road Trip

  7. Learn A New Language

  8. Spend More Time With Family

  9. Do Something Brave

  10. Fall in Love + Bonus

  11. Lose Five Pounds

  The Soundtrack

  Author’s Note

  Notes From Paradise

  Also by Lucy Eden

  one

  Everything’s Better With Kimberly

  Everything’s Better With You

  An Angel for Daddy

  Cherishing the Goddess

  Bear With Me

  About the Author

  Resolutions

  A Notes from Paradise Exclusive Novelette

  Lucy Eden

  Edited by

  Rhonda Merwath

  Do More Volunteer Work

  one

  “That is one hell of a wrapping job, Stella.” Mike was standing behind me eyeing my latest cellophane and ribbon creation. “I wonder what’s inside.”

  Whipping around to face him with a huge grin on my face, I held out the guitar-shaped present for inspection. His chestnut-colored eyes glinted as he narrowed them and rubbed his bearded chin in mock introspection before finally saying, "Kayak?"

  “Excellent guess, Captain, and on the first try,” I laughed and put the newly wrapped instrument on top of the cart Mike was pushing. “How are we doing?”

  "Well, this is the last of the gifts."

  Three years ago, I spilled a pint of Stella Artois on Mike at a Struts concert at The Brooklyn Bowl. He let me apologize by buying him a Captain Morgan and Coke. We spent the rest of the show talking until the people we were dating at the time realized we were missing and came looking for us. We've been best friends ever since. Oh, I should also mention that I have a giant crush on him and he has no idea.

  “Holy shit, Jane. These look amaze-balls. Where did you learn to wrap gifts like this?” That was Chellie, Mike’s girlfriend. They met at a New Year’s Eve party last year. It was the same party where I’d almost worked up the courage to tell Mike how I felt, before chickening out at the last minute. He’s also the only person who calls me Stella and I’m pretty sure I’m the only person who calls him Captain.

  “Thanks, Chellie. This is nothing. My grandmother takes the holidays very seriously. The wrapping was usually more fun than getting presents.”

  “Awe, that’s adorable.” She used the same tone I use when one of my students is showing off a finger painting. I struggled not to roll my eyes. "You're really wasting your talents here." She waved a dismissive hand around the shelter. It was barely perceptible, but I noticed Mike's jaw clench. "I could post these on my Instagram feed, and thousands of people would be dying to pay you some serious scratch to wrap their gifts." She paused with her head tilted and eyebrows raised, waiting for me to consider her offer. I stared at her in awe that someone could manage to make so many problematic statements with so little self-awareness. My expression must have confused her, and she turned to Mike.

  “Hey, Chellie. Why don’t you wait in the truck? I’m almost done here.”

  "Good. I'm bored, and I'm hungry." She pulled out her phone, wrapped an arm around Mike's waist and positioned them in
front of the cart full of wrapped gifts. "Charity selfie!" she sang and snapped about a dozen pics. After scrolling through the snaps to find the perfect one, she mumbled as her thumbs flew over the screen of her phone, "My Pookie and Me spending our Saturday helping the less fortunate. #Seasonofgiving… Santa emoji, gift emoji, kiss emoji… Perfect!" She said all of this out loud before walking out of the shelter scrolling through her phone and almost bumping into one of the other volunteers.

  My eyebrows were still raised when I turned to face Mike.

  “Don’t say a word, Jane. She’s not that bad once you get to know her.” He didn’t even sound convinced by that statement.

  I tilted my head. The better part of my year—or the worst, depending on your outlook—was spent trying to be a good sport and getting to know Chellie. I could understand what Mike saw in her. She was tall, thin, and beautiful. Her job was what she called an influencer, and her social media feeds were stuffed with photos of her working out, eating vibrantly colored foods, and wearing bikinis in exotic locations.

  Chellie was also a people person. She loved to go out and party. She and Mike could strike up a conversation with anyone and walk away best friends. The only people I could tolerate for long periods were my grandmother, my roommates, Mike, and the twenty kindergarteners that called me Miss Jane.

  What I couldn’t understand was what the hell they talked about. They had almost nothing in common. She never understood any of our Monty Python references. If Mike invited her to see a new band, she would check their Twitter feed before deciding whether or not it was worth her time to go.

  Maybe they didn’t do a lot of talking. I pushed that thought out of my head.

  “Hey, Moonage Daydream. Come back to Earth," he chuckled. I blinked and refocused my attention. "Getting long-dicked by Jason Momoa again?"

  "I wish.” I laughed, slapped him on the bicep and shook my head at him. He nodded towards the back room, and I followed him. We unpacked the cart singing Bowie since Mike had put the tune in my head.

  We were shrugging into our coats when I accidentally knocked over my Teachers Do It With Class tote bag spilling its contents. Mike bent down to help me as I rushed to gather them. A tattered sheet of college-ruled paper covered with my scribbling slipped out of a notebook and he picked it up before I could grab it.

  “New Year’s Resolutions,” he read out loud, then looked up at me. My face was burning with embarrassment. “This is quite the list, Stella.” His eyes were scanning the page. “You did all this in a year?”

  After the New Year’s Eve party, I went home and cried myself to sleep listening to The Struts. When I woke up the next morning, determined not to let life pass me by and inspired by “Could Have Been Me,” I made a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish for myself and spent the year checking them off. There were about a dozen I didn’t get to.

  "Almost. There are a few things left, but I doubt I'll get them done in two weeks."

  He was still studying the list. I knew the exact moment when he reached the bottom because he flashed a ghost of a smile and I felt myself flush.

  “Not by yourself. We’ll do it together. It’ll be fun.”

  “You don’t have time for this.”

  "Work is light for a couple of weeks. I have one major thing I have to do next weekend, but other than that, I'm all yours." I've been waiting years for Mike to tell me that he was all mine, but he wasn't, not really. I took a deep breath to tether myself to reality.

  “What about Chellie?”

  “Don’t worry about Chellie. Worry about how we’re going to learn a new language in two weeks.”

  I smiled at him. “There’s no way we’ll finish in time.”

  “Oh ye of little faith.” He scanned the list again. “These are totally doable…and this one we can cross off right now.”

  "Which one?" I tried to grab the list, and he held it out of my reach. Mike was over a foot taller than I was.

  "You do not need to lose five pounds." His declaration made me blush again. One part of me was shocked that he actually paid attention to my body, but the rest was shocked at his nerve.

  "Excuse me. You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do with my body." I dug my fists into my hips, and I glared at him. The man who was dating a supermodel was trying to lecture me on body positivity.

  Mike bit his bottom lip and was fighting a smirk. I knew him well enough to know that he was biting back a retort to what I said about him telling me what to do with my body. The thought made my thighs clench. Mike had tucked both of his lips in between his teeth, and his eyes glittered in response to my expression. Being so close to someone that you could read each other's minds had its disadvantages. It also doesn't help that Mike and I both had the same filthy sense of humor.

  “Fine. It stays, but you’re on your own with that one.” He snapped a photo of the list with his phone before folding it up and handing it to me. “We’ll start Monday.”

  Eat Healthier

  two

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “What?”

  “The list says eat healthier.”

  “Right.”

  "So why are we at Serendipity?"

  Serendipity 3 is a famous restaurant in Manhattan, notorious for its decadent ice cream sundaes. It also happens to be one of my favorite places to eat, and one of the worst places to end up if your New Year's resolution is to adopt healthier eating habits.

  “They serve salads here.” He grinned at me, knowing perfectly well that I wasn’t going to sit at a table in the middle of this frozen confectionary Shangri-La and eat rabbit food.

  “You are the worst Samwise Gamgee, ever.”

  "Well, that would make you a hobbit, which would explain your short stature, hairy toes, and freakishly large appetite."

  “At least my hairy toes are cute. Yours look like fingers.” I made claws and wiggled my fingertips at him.

  That was the moment the server approached us with menus, so he narrowed his eyes and shook his head, giving me a to be continued look.

  “Hi,” he addressed the server. “We won’t need those. I placed a preorder under the name Michael Duke.” Her face brightened with recognition. “And she’ll have the Big Apple pie—vanilla ice cream—with the serendipitous hot chocolate”—my favorites—“and I’ll have a double espresso.”

  “Very good. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

  “What did you pre-order?”

  He ignored me. “Let’s talk about this list and come up with a plan.”

  “You are so into this. Maybe I would have finished by now if I’d told you about it sooner.”

  “I wish you had, although some of these look familiar,” he said. My brow furrowed. “Number Twenty-seven: Ask for a Raise.”

  I smiled. I knew I deserved a raise but was always too scared to ask for one until I made the list. Mike helped me research salaries for kindergarten teachers in private schools, and we practiced my speech for days. A five percent raise was the goal. I asked for fifteen and came away with nine. We celebrated at the little table in the corner opposite where we were sitting.

  “You’ve actually helped me with a few of those. Number Twelve: Start a Diary. I’ve been using the journal you bought me for my birthday.” I saw Mike’s beard twitch in a sheepish smile.

  “Cool,” he said. “I always wondered if you ever use that.”

  "Have you ever heard of a teacher that didn't love school supplies?" I smiled at him again, and he responded with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "What's up, Captain?"

  "Nothing," he sighed, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "I just had a little bit of a rough day yesterday, but I don't want to talk about it yet. No bad vibes in Serendipity."

  “Fine. No bad vibes in Serendipity, but you have to promise to tell me later.”

  He smiled at me and crossed his index finger over his heart.

  Our drinks arrived, and I leaned forward onto my giant hot chocolate and gently
slurped, rising with a nose covered in whipped cream. Mike's face scrunched in mirth. He was the easiest person to cheer up.

  “What?” I shrugged. “Do I have something on my face? You have to tell me if I do. You don’t want to be a bad friend, do you?”

  Mike chuckled, reached out, swiped the whipped cream off of my nose with his finger and popped the finger into his mouth, sucking it clean. It topped a long list of the sexiest things I’d ever seen him do, and the muscles between my thighs clenched in agreement. I stared at him in shock.

  “You didn’t think I was going to waste perfectly good whipped cream, did you, Stella?” He winked. “Here comes your pie.”

  The server set down my plate. A man in a chef's jacket delivered Mike's sundae, and my jaw dropped. He'd ordered the infamous Golden Opulence Sundae. The world-famous thousand-dollar dessert was a Tahitian vanilla sundae topped with expensive fruits and chocolate, then garnished with actual gold. I'd been dying to try it for years, and he knew it.

  “You’re insane.” I squealed, grabbing my spoon and reaching across the table.

  Mike used his spoon to block mine, making a clanging sound. “Ah, ah, ah. You’re trying to eat healthier, remember? So you can have these cherries.” He dug around in the sundae. “Here’s a raspberry and some chocolate-covered almonds. Almonds are very healthy.”