Opposites Attract: The complete box set Read online

  Opposites Attract

  The complete box set

  Rachel Higginson

  Contents

  Other Romances by Rachel Higginson

  Follow Rachel

  The Opposite of You

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Thank You

  The Difference Between Us

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Acknowledgments

  The Problem with Him

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Untitled

  Acknowledgments

  The Something about Her

  Follow Rachel

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Thank You

  Never Fall in Love with a Rockstar blurb

  About the Author

  Never Fall in Love with a Rockstar Chapter one

  Other Romances by Rachel Higginson

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright@ Rachel Higginson 2017

  This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give, copy, scan, distribute or sell this book to anyone else.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.

  Any people or places are strictly fictional and not based on anything else, fictional or non-fictional.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copy Editing by Amy Donnelly of Alchemy and Words

  Cover Design by Caedus Design Co.

  Other Romances by Rachel Higginson

  The Five Stages of Falling in Love - Buy Now

  Every Wrong Reason - Buy Now

  Bet on Us - Buy Now

  Bet on Me - Buy Now

  Constant - Buy Now

  Consequence - Buy Now

  Trailer Park Heart - Buy Now

  The Opposite of You (Your current book)

  The Difference Between Us - Buy Now

  The Problem with Him - Buy Now

  The Something about Her - Buy Now

  Follow Rachel

  Keep up with Rachel on her Newsletter

  Connect with Rachel on her Facebook Page

  Follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram

  The Opposite of You

  Book 1

  To A, B and K,

  You’re not victims. You’re survivors.

  And the strongest women I know.

  You deserve all the happiness.

  One

  “Beautiful.”

  I turned my head and smiled at my best friend since fourth grade. “She is, isn’t she?”

  Molly pushed her dark curtain of bangs back from her eyes, revealing her heart-shaped face and determined expression. “She better be after everything I’ve done for her.”

  My heart stuttered in my chest, my pulse sped up and hammered excitedly beneath my skin. This was my baby. My life. And after today I was one step closer to opening. “You’ve done for her?”

  Molly turned and her bright blue eyes widened, twinkling with humor. She waved her still wet paintbrush in the air. “To her. I meant to her.” Ignoring my glare, she brought her paintbrush back to her messy palette and swiped the tip in the gloopy paint. “You’d be nothing without me, babe. Who cares what kind of magic you can do inside the Shaggin’ Wagon? Nobody would be able to find you without my perfect signage.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. Molly Maverick was a ridiculous person, and the only reason I still had my sanity after the past year.

  “Can we not refer to my truck as the Shaggin’ Wagon? It makes me sound like a hooker.”

  Molly’s sideways glance revealed her thoughts. “You could use some hookin’.”

  I turned back to the fresh paint glinting in the sunlight, my whole body shivery with anticipation. “The smell.”

  She snorted indelicately and paused her paintbrush midair. “What?”

  “They’d find me by the delicious smell. Like little cartoon characters. They would follow their noses right here.” I pointed at the ground beneath my feet.

  She tossed her head back, her long black hair dancing across her back, and laughed. “If you’re planning on also hooking, you might not want to advertise the delicious smells.”

  I poked her arm. “You’re a pervert, Molly Maverick.”

  “But you love me, Vera Delane.”

  We shared a conspiratorial grin acknowledging both truths until the bright red lettering Molly had just finished painting on the side of my truck captured my attention once again. I couldn’t turn away from it. Or at least not for long. There was finality in naming something. And hope. Something burrowed in the action, pulled from the decision and conviction that said, “This is mine. I claim you.”

  The fresh paint glist
ened against the silver siding. Most of the aluminum sparkled in the afternoon sun, except for the shaded part where my brand new black and white striped awning stretched along the row of windows, the frilly edges danced in the stifled summer breeze. The sliding line of windows were all clean corners and modern efficiency, but the rest of my newly acquired “wagon” winked with a kitschy vintage vibe that I liked to think mirrored my style.

  She really was beautiful. Only made more perfect by the bright splash of fresh red paint. My insanely talented friend was an artist by nature and a graphic designer by trade, but her true passion was painting. And she was absolutely incredible at it.

  Which was why I felt no shame exploiting our friendship. Not that Molly had taken much convincing. She was the first person I’d shared my crazy food truck idea with, and she was also the first person to offer her help when I’d returned home.

  Now her retro-inspired design on the side of my truck would attract customers from all over the plaza. My most optimistic fantasy pictured them stumbling drunkenly in droves from the bars and clubs that dotted the trendy part of downtown.

  Hungry droves.

  Probably wishful thinking, but I didn’t have much to hope for these days. My endeavor with Foodie the food truck was my last ditch effort to salvage the remnants of my career that had gone terribly wrong in the last few years. In fact, my truck—my very own food truck!—was pretty much all of my dwindled goals and remaining aspirations and savings all tied up into one final push.

  If Foodie didn’t make it, I failed too.

  Which meant what?

  I stared at the name I’d carefully picked after months of planning and dreaming and hoping and tried to picture a realistic future if this desperate venture fizzled—or worse, if it went up in flames just like everything else I’d built my life on.

  I couldn’t see anything beyond this truck. I couldn’t imagine anything but Foodie working out for me. And it wasn’t for lack of trying.

  I thought about this all the time. Concerns, anxiety and the fear of failure kept me awake at night constantly. Most nights I couldn’t stop staring up at my dark ceiling, trying to reimagine my life without food or cooking or creating.

  And I honestly couldn’t.

  This was who I was.

  Life could take everything else from me—my stable future, my expectations, my dream of becoming a noteworthy, decorated chef before I hit thirty, my last dollar… all of it.

  But I would not give up on my goal of becoming the chef of my own kitchen.

  I would cook out of trash cans in an alley if I had to.

  Just kidding.

  That was a metaphor.

  Nobody would eat food made in trashcans.

  “Vera?” Molly asked in that small, careful voice I was coming to realize meant she was trying not to startle me.

  I blinked until the world around me came back into focus. I already knew what she was going to ask before the question formed in her mouth, so I cut her off at the pass. “I’m good.”

  “You spaced out,” she stated the obvious, looking concerned.

  I let out a sigh and told her the truth. “I’m freaking out. This is scary.”

  One corner of her mouth lifted in a smug smile. “This truck is going to be amazing. Your food is going to be amazing,” she promised. “This city is going to be crazy for you. I predict lines down the block and hour long waits and rave reviews.”

  I allowed a wobbly smile that didn’t feel real or honest. “Everything I’ve always wanted.” I turned away before she noticed the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. Sarcasm wasn’t enough to mask the truth in my words. Those were the things I honestly wanted.

  Or had wanted.

  Once upon a time.

  Before everything went to shit.

  Now I wanted them again, but on a smaller scale. Instead of a gleaming, five-star kitchen, I was settling for a shiny thirty-foot galley on wheels. Instead of a fully staffed, well-oiled machine, I was giving up my original ambitions and taking on this endeavor solo.

  I hadn’t buried myself in massive student loan debt to cook out of a rescued Airstream that I’d gone into even more debt for. But four months ago, I’d moved back home with sharpened skills, an intense year of experience and Plan B.

  Foodie was Plan B.

  I’d put myself through culinary school to become a world renowned chef. I’d fought and battled my way through a male dominated profession to work in the best restaurants around the world. I’d slaved and sacrificed to build a resume and reputation that would open doors to any kitchen I wanted. And I’d hoped and prayed that I would be able to learn from the best chefs, to be accepted in their circles and maybe even, hopefully, someday be considered one of them. I’d promised myself awards, Michelin stars and industry-wide respect.

  Only that hadn’t happened. My dreams had been delayed because I made a poor decision and got distracted.

  I still felt distracted.

  No matter how hard I’d worked over the last year to heal, I still felt the nagging pressure on the back of my neck, the hitch in my breathing and sickly feeling deep in the pit of my stomach.

  I still felt the presence I couldn’t ignore hovering just over my shoulder. A dark specter I couldn’t quite see… couldn’t quite forget.

  This truck, as beautiful and inspiring as she was, didn’t represent the person I thought I would become. She was the culmination of everything that I’d let happen to me. She was dreams abandoned and futures lost.

  And she was all I had left.

  Bells jingled in the distance, drawing my attention toward the shop I shared the parking lot with—Cycle Life— when the owner stepped outside. I smiled at him since he was one of my favorite people on the planet. A small business guru, a total hipster in denial and my older brother, Vann was everything I looked up to and admired. He held up his hand against the blinding sun and started walking toward Molly and me with a nod.

  Molly returned a halfhearted jerk of her chin and then went to stand on the ladder so she could finish the last touches on Foodie. She was all confidence and comfortable-in-her-own-skin until she had to show someone else her work, then she became as insecure and unsure as the rest of us mere mortals.

  “Hey, Vann,” I greeted before he’d made it to the shade of the awning.

  He gazed seriously, assessing Molly’s handiwork. Usually, Molly didn’t have anything to worry about. Her art was always perfect, her talent moving and breathtaking to anyone lucky enough to see it. But my brother wouldn’t hold any punches, especially not for Molly. Molly and Vann were as close to being siblings as Vann and I were. “You got the name on it?”

  Nervous energy tingled through me. “What do you think?”

  Vann was super critical of every single situation he ever encountered. He had no filter. And he had no sense of empathy. He always said what he meant. And he meant what he said.

  That made him an intolerable asshole the majority of the time.

  Which meant his opinion was super important to me.

  “Looks good, Vera. You’re a legit business now.”

  “Hear that, Molly? I’m like legit.”

  She turned toward us, balancing on the ladder rungs and smiled. “You’re impressed. Aren’t you, Vann? Go ahead and tell me how amazing I am.”

  He waved her off but nodded in agreement. “I like it. I’d eat here.”

  “I hope so,” I groaned. “I need at least one paying customer.”

  Vann let out a low chuckle. “Oh, I didn’t say I’d pay to eat here. I just mean because it’s so close to the shop and mooching by parking in half of my lot. Plus, it’s run by family. For those reasons, I would stop by once in a while for a meal on the house.”

  I gave him a look. “I can’t afford meals on the house. I can’t even afford meals that people are paying for yet.”

  His face crumpled, disappointed. “Not even lunch?”

  Giving his shoulder a shove, I shook my head. “All I have tod
ay is paint. But I’m happy to whip you up a bowl of red.”

  “Barn Red to be exact,” Molly added helpfully.

  “You’re such a smart-ass these days,” Vann said to my back. “You used to be so nice. Hey, Molly, remember when Vera used to be nice?”