Seduction Instruction (Coble Coffee, #2), page 1
Seduction Instruction
Coble Coffee, Book Two
NOELLE ADAMS
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2022 by Noelle Adams. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
About Seduction Instruction
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Epilogue
Excerpt from The Sunshine Strategy
About Noelle Adams
About Seduction Instruction
MEGAN SPENT MOST OF her life in love with Tyler Carmichael, her best friend’s older brother, but she’s not in love with him anymore. She grew up. She traveled and changed and had her own life experiences, letting go of her silly infatuation. Now she’s back in her hometown to work on her degree, and she’s ready for a romantic relationship at last.
The only problem is she’s never had one before, and at twenty-five she feels clueless and out of her depth. So what better way to learn some best practices in romance than take lessons from a master dater? Tyler himself. If anyone can teach her how to attract a man, it’s him.
First she’ll have to convince him to do it. And then she’ll have to make sure she doesn’t accidentally fall in love with him again.
One
MEGAN O’DONNELL LEANED back in her favorite chair in Coble Coffee, relieved to be off her feet for a while. She had a half-hour break coming, so she’d sat down at a table with her best friends, Vivian and Britt.
She’d been working at the coffee shop for almost two years, and she enjoyed it as much as she’d enjoy any other job she could get right now. Her boss, Nash, was grumpy but good-hearted, and her friends hung out there all the time. If sometimes she felt like she had no space for fun from trying to work full-time here and also taking an overload of college classes, it wasn’t because her job was a bad one.
She’d chosen this path, just like she’d chosen all the circuitous routes that had taken her here.
At the moment, Britt was telling her and Vivian about the first date she’d had with a new guy. Britt was pretty and blond and tiny with a perpetually sunny disposition, so she had no trouble finding new men to ask her out. She seemed excited about this one—he was working on his PhD in criminal justice—and she was going on and on about their date.
Megan was pleased for her. Genuinely. But sometimes it was hard. Vivian had recently gotten serious with the man she’d been into for a long time, and things between her and Rick now were going so well it was like a sappy movie. Britt had dates every weekend and no end of interested partners waiting in the wings.
While Megan herself hadn’t been on a real date... ever.
It sounded ridiculous, but it was true.
“I’m sorry,” Britt said after a while, her brown eyes sobering as they moved from Vivian to Megan. “I’m babbling, and it’s probably annoying.”
“Of course it’s not,” Megan said quickly.
“You know you can babble to us anytime.” Vivian was smiling already, but just then her smile warmed and softened even more as her attention cut across the room.
Rick, her smart, thoughtful, good-looking boyfriend, was working at a table near the window. He was really good at focusing no matter how crowded the room, but at the moment, he’d looked up from his laptop and was giving Vivian an intimate little smile.
And Megan had to admit the truth. To herself if no one else. She was kind of jealous.
Not that she wanted Rick. Not at all. But she wanted what they had. At least once in her life.
And she’d never had it.
“What’s the matter, Megan?” Britt asked, breaking into her reflections.
“Nothing.” Megan was typically an even-tempered, no-nonsense type of person. She was known for her quick thinking and her sensible advice. She wasn’t in the habit of feeling sorry for herself. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You look kind of down in the dumps.” Britt was frowning now.
“Shit. Am I being obnoxious about Rick?” Vivian asked, her dimple disappearing and her blue eyes sobering. “You guys promised you’d tell me if I was.”
“You’re not!” Megan said.
“No way!” Britt replied at exactly the same time. “But something is wrong with Megan, and now she has to tell us what it is.”
“It’s really nothing,” Megan explained, making a hand gesture like she could brush away the silly thoughts. “I just sometimes get kind of blah since you’ve got Rick now, and Britt always has someone, and I have absolutely no one in the romance department.”
“But that’s because you don’t really put yourself out there. You always seem so fine on your own, and you never get on the dating apps or ask your friends to set you up the way I always did.” Vivian clearly knew what she was talking about. She’d definitely been “out there” when she was looking for someone to love, making herself far more vulnerable than Megan would have been comfortable with.
“I know. But none of that really feels like me. I do run into guys sometimes. I mean, I live in the world, and I occasionally encounter them. But they never seem interested in me.”
“That’s not true,” Britt objected. “Plenty of guys have been interested in you.”
“Maybe a few. I wouldn’t say a lot. But most aren’t guys who do it for me. And even when there is someone I might be able to conjure some interest in and he seems to notice me, I have no idea what to do to hold his attention. I’m so inexperienced that it ends up freezing me. It’s this vicious cycle. I can’t get the experience I need with men because I’m so inexperienced.”
“It’s not that hopeless. You do just fine.” Britt was the most empathetic person Megan had ever known, and her voice was cracking with sympathy already. “When you meet the right man, it will just happen.”
“It won’t happen until I let it happen, and I’m too stiff and self-conscious to do it.” Megan shook her head, trying not to glance over to where she knew Vivian’s older brother, Tyler Carmichael, was sitting and chatting with a pretty redhead. “It’s my fault. I was so hung up on Tyler all through school that I didn’t let myself get close to any guy at all. And then I went overseas to teach English. Traveling throughout Europe and seeing all those new places was great, and sure, European men had no qualms at all about hitting on me. But they were all strangers. And I just couldn’t see taking them up on their offers. So then I came back, and now I’m almost twenty-six years old, and I’ve never done anything at all.” She rubbed her face with her hands, wondering why she was getting into all this.
Her friends already knew her history. She’d grown up as best friends with Vivian, and they’d met Britt in high school, and the three of them had been inseparable ever since. Megan wasn’t usually one to ramble on about her feelings, so there was no reason to be doing it now.
“Well, you haven’t met the right man yet,” Britt said, returning to her previous point. “I’m sure when you do, all the steps you think are so impossible will just come easy.”
“Maybe,” Megan replied dubiously. “But I’m not holding my breath. What I really need is a class on how to do romance. I’m good at following instructions. If I just had the lessons all laid down for me step by step, I’m sure I could figure it all out in no time.”
Both Britt and Vivian giggled at that idea, which was exactly what Megan had intended.
“Someone should really do it,” Britt said. “I bet they could make a fortune offering lessons in romance. But who would the teachers be?”
“Anyone who’s good at it could do it.” Megan finally let herself look over at Tyler. To her relief, he appeared a bit restless and distracted despite the way the redhead was clearly throwing herself at him. “We just need someone who has a lot of experience and is good with women.”
Vivian gasped, her eyes following Megan’s. “Tyler can do it! He’s always dripping with women.” Her eyes were glinting, making it clear that she was teasing.
But the idea had planted itself in Megan’s mind now, and it wasn’t as wild as it originally sounded. He could do it. If anyone in her circle knew about dating, about relationships, and about attracting other people, it was him.
It didn’t matter that she used to have an embarrassing crush on him. She was over that now. She’d also had real feelings for him, and those had the tendency to cling. She would never truly brush them away until she could build a good relationship with someone else. And that was what she didn’t know how to do.
“I was just kidding,” Vivian said in a different tone. “You look like you’re taking it seriously.”
“I don’t know. I’m starting to think the idea has some merit. Maybe he can teach me something.”
“Megan!” Vivian’s tone was still soft, but it was sharper than normal. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Remember how you used to feel about him? It might end up hurting you. If you need help with men, I’m sure Rick would be happy to give some advice.”
“Besides,” Britt added, “Tyler wouldn’t agree to it. I know he’s one of the nicest guys around, but he always used to make fun of our wild plans and would constantl
“Maybe. But maybe not. I’m going to think about it. I need to get over this hurdle one way or another, and if I need to take desperate measures to do it, then I will.”
It wasn’t like Megan at all. Such a foolish, spontaneous scheme. She worked hard. She made smart choices. She prioritized reason over sentiment. She didn’t get weird ideas out of the blue and think she could follow through with them.
But this one had come to her out of nowhere, and she was actually excited about it. It gave her that buzz of anticipation, something she hadn’t felt in a really long time.
Other people jumped into things headfirst, and they ended up getting what they wanted. Just a few months ago, Vivian had woken up with a silly plan about dating older men, and she’d made her dreams come true.
Why shouldn’t it happen that way for Megan?
Vivian and Britt were meeting each other’s eyes, but whatever silent communication they shared, they didn’t put it into words.
Britt shifted the topic slightly. “Speaking of Tyler, he’s clearly looking for an escape from that girl.”
Megan glanced over again. Her first impression had been right. Tyler wasn’t enjoying the conversation. The young woman was launching herself at him full force, and he was scrambling to find a way out of the encounter. “He’s too nice,” she said. “He won’t just tell her he’s not interested or get up and leave.”
“He’s always been that way. Reluctant to hurt anyone’s feelings.” Vivian smiled in her brother’s direction. The two were typical siblings and bickered as much as anything else, but they were obviously close. “I keep telling him that sometimes you have to be direct. A lot of people just won’t take the hint.”
Megan wasn’t surprised that Tyler was so good with women. He’d been popular all through school. He was handsome—tall and lean and fit with brown hair and blue eyes—but his appeal was more than that. He had a smile that could take you by surprise with its warmth. Like a force of pure kindness radiated out when he met your eyes. She’d still never known anyone who could make her feel so safe and warm and valued and known. And he did it all without even trying.
“Now he’s looking over here for help,” Vivian continued with a little laugh.
He was. Megan could read his glance clearly. They’d helped him before in a variety of ways, and he was hoping for similar assistance right now. “That girl isn’t going to be discouraged by any of our normal methods. He’s going to have to tell her no.”
She was starting to think of other strategies for saving him when a glance toward the counter made her notice that a longish line was forming. Nash was covering her break, and he’d do it without complaint, but Megan still felt bad when he was drowning and she was sitting here chatting. “I’m going to go help Nash since it’s getting busy. I’ll take the rest of my break later.”
She was actually glad of the routine tasks required for serving coffee, sandwiches, and pastries. It gave her mind time to process, and she had a lot of thinking to do right now.
She had the beginnings of an idea. A way out of her current predicament. She just needed to figure out how to make it feel somewhat natural.
And also how to get Tyler to agree.
TYLER WAS GETTING FRUSTRATED. Bored and impatient and frustrated.
He normally liked people. He was friendly and outgoing, and he genuinely enjoyed hanging out with different kinds of people. He had a lot of friends, and he dated often, and he wasn’t all that picky about companions.
But Lila was everything that bothered him, condensed into one redheaded package. She was always flirting. Always putting on a show. Always focused on the shallowest parts of life. Never discussing anything with depth and authenticity and never being real with him. Plus she was far more sexually aggressive than he was comfortable with. He didn’t mind women asking him out or making an initial approach, but Lila wouldn’t take no for an answer.
She kept showing up where she thought he’d be, and it was starting to feel stalkerish.
He could hear Vivian’s voice in the back of his head. Just tell her no. Tell her you’re not interested. Be clear about it even if you have to be mean. That was what she always said when he got himself into these dilemmas.
But Tyler knew it would hurt Lila if he said that, so he kept thinking of some other way out.
When it became clear she was ignoring all his hints, he finally said, “Well, thanks for talking. I’ve got to get going now.”
“Oh no! Not already!” Lila did the pouty face. “You never have time for me.”
“I’m busy constantly. I’m afraid I don’t have time for anything else.” There. Surely that would be enough to clue her in while still giving her a reason other than disinterest. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think anything’s going to happen between us.”
She sniffed and said something about how she wasn’t giving up on him.
He almost groaned. When he shot a quick look over to the counter, he saw Megan watching him, a dry sort of amusement in her eyes. The line that had formed earlier had cleared out, and she wasn’t currently busy doing anything but observing his predicament.
Perfect. Now she was laughing at him for being trapped the way he was. “I’m getting a refill,” he said, using the excuse to get away from the table and Lila’s expectant face.
When he got to the counter, Megan was laughing out loud. Softly but unmistakably.
“Shut up,” he muttered, giving her a narrow-eyed look.
She had light brown hair and a pretty, freckled face and hazel eyes that managed to convey intelligence, depth, and humor all at once. He vividly remembered when she’d gotten back from Europe a couple of years ago and he’d been shocked at how his sister’s mousy friend had turned into this captivating woman.
Not that he’d done anything. She was his sister’s best friend after all. Plus she wasn’t remotely interested in him that way.
Not anymore.
He used to suspect she had a crush on him in school, but that was evidently long gone now.
Now she was more likely to laugh at him than anything else.
“I didn’t say a word,” Megan said, taking his mug so she could refill it. “But any pickle you’ve gotten into over there is entirely your own fault.”
“How is it my own fault?”
“You should work on not being so irresistible to women.”
She was teasing, but it still kind of bothered Tyler since she was clearly distancing herself from all the other women who were interested in him. He’d had pretty good luck with dating, but it wasn’t because he was uniquely appealing. He was smart enough—getting good grades in school, college, and in his MBA without trying too hard. And he had a good job doing marketing for a local tech company that was starting to take off regionally, so he made decent money. He wasn’t a millionaire. Or a movie star. Or some kind of prince. He was just a normal guy who had some luck with women, so it was hard to take an ego boost from her words.
Megan evidently recognized that something was bothering him because she added in a different tone, “Just tell her you’re not interested.”
“I did. She refuses to listen. She said she wasn’t giving up on me.”
“Were you direct about it? Sometimes you think you’re doing it, but you soften the blow so much it’s not a clear no.”
“I told her nothing would happen between us.”
“Seriously?” Megan’s eyes widened.
“Yes. So will you help me now?”
“Maybe. I still think you need to work on being too nice.”
“Being nice is a good thing, isn’t it?”
“Sure, but there have to be limits. You’re allowed to tell people to back off. You’re allowed boundaries. You’re allowed to ask for space. You’re allowed to tell someone no.”
He knew she was right, and in professional contexts, he’d gotten a lot better at it. But he still hated to hurt a woman’s feelings when she’d done nothing but show interest in him. He glanced back toward Lila. She’d remained at the table, waiting and watching him. “You’re always good at solving problems,” he said. “So why won’t you help me out with this one?”
