Playing for Keeps Read online

  “They’re my skinny weight ones. But since I’m not at my skinny weight, they’re not comfortable at all.” She paused. “I’m not even at my medium weight. I’m the heavyweight champ right now, but I threw away all my heavyweight clothes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because my skinny weight self is a complete selfish bitch who thought I had more control than I do,” Mindy wailed.

  “You’re not fat, you’re just . . . easier to see.” Brooke tugged Mindy’s leggings off and went hands on hips. “Okay, I get that life sucks right now, but that’s never a reason to wear granny panties. Like ever.”

  “My skinny panties give me wedgies.” With a sigh, Mindy turned on her side and curled up in just her T-shirt and undies.

  Brooke spread a blanket over her.

  “But the kids,” her sister said, eyes already closed. “I’ve gotta make sure the kids brush and floss and clean up . . .”

  Mindy infamously micromanaged everything and everyone around her because she hated surprises. Brooke was the opposite. If you asked anyone who knew her, they’d say she was the free bird, the wanderlust spirit, the . . . well, crazy one.

  They had the crazy part right, especially given what she was about to say. “I got them. Just sleep.” And please God, wake up like your usual calm, unruffled bitch self . . .

  “Thanks, Bee,” Mindy murmured. “I owe you one.”

  “Wiiiiiiiipe meeeeeeee!” Mason bellowed.

  With a sigh, Brooke headed down the hall to save the kid, thinking she was going to have no problem not falling for these kids after all.

  About the Author

  New York Times Bestselling Author JILL SHALVIS lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

  www.avonromance.com

  www.facebook.com/avonromance

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  By Jill Shalvis

  Heartbreaker Bay Novels

  Sweet Little Lies

  The Trouble with Mistletoe

  Accidentally on Purpose

  Chasing Christmas Eve

  About That Kiss

  Hot Winter Nights

  Playing for Keeps

  Women’s Fiction Novels

  Rainy Day Friends

  The Good Luck Sister (novella)

  Lost and Found Sisters

  Lucky Harbor Novels

  One in a Million

  He’s So Fine

  It’s in His Kiss

  Once in a Lifetime

  Always on My Mind

  It Had to Be You

  Forever and a Day

  At Last

  Lucky in Love

  Head Over Heels

  The Sweetest Thing

  Simply Irresistible

  Animal Magnetism Novels

  Still the One

  All I Want

  Then Came You

  Rumor Has It

  Rescue My Heart

  Animal Attraction

  Animal Magnetism

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  playing for keeps. Copyright © 2019 by Jill Shalvis. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.

  Excerpt from The Lemon Sisters copyright © 2019 by Jill Shalvis.

  Digital Edition FEBRUARY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-274186-8

  Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-274188-2

  Cover design by Nadine Badalaty

  Cover illustration by Aleta Rafton

  Photo of couple by Michael Frost (couple only)

  Avon, Avon & logo, and Avon Books & logo are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.

  HarperCollins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.

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