Hooked on You by Kathleen Fuller (hot novels to read .txt) 📕

“Did we interrupt your lunch?” Olivia gestured to the sandwich on the kitchen table.

She paused, then shook her head. The food they brought was way better than ham and cheese any day. “Sorry the house is sucha mess.”

Harper raised her flawless eyebrows. “I thought it was a little neater than it was the last time we were here.”

“It is,” Anita added.

Riley was surprised to hear that they had been here before. “When was that?”

“Three months ago, I think.” Olivia opened a plastic container of hummus and set it in the middle of the table. “Erma andHarper’s mom, along with their other friends, were playing bunco, and they invited us to join in.”

“That was a fun night,” Anita said wistfully. “I wish my mother had a group of friends like that.”

“She has the Junior League,” Harper said, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t remind me.”

Feeling at loose ends, Riley went to the cupboard and pulled out plates and glasses, then opened one of the drawers and gatheredsilverware. It wasn’t long before all four of them were seated at the table, filling their plates with pita triangles, hummus,tabbouleh, rolled grape leaves, spanakopita, and chicken skewers.

The three other women continued chatting, but Riley felt a bit uneasy. She added two grape leaves and a spoonful of tabboulehto her plate. Ten minutes ago she was lonely and completely alone. Now she wasn’t sure what to do about having company. I’m such a mess.

*  *  *

“Girls, I don’t know what to do.” Erma picked at the stack of blueberry buckwheat pancakes in front of her. She loved thesepancakes, and The Orange Bluebird’s brunch in general, but her appetite had disappeared. A shame because the restaurant didn’tallow doggie bags.

“About what?” Bea had no problem polishing off her stack and was working on a second, along with three strips of crispy baconand a tall glass of milk.

“Hayden and Riley.”

Peg’s and Bea’s forks clattered onto their plates.

“What?” Peg said, her hand going to the tacky red bead choker around her neck. Erma loved Peg dearly, but the woman had horrendoustaste in jewelry. “There’s something going on between Hayden and Riley?”

“I had no idea.” Bea grinned. “But how wonderful. He’s such a nice young man, and if anyone deserves a nice young man, it’syour Riley.”

“True.” Bea’s words made Erma feel a little better, and she ate a couple bites of her pancakes, then took a sip of her Frenchroast coffee. “Unfortunately I don’t think she believes that, and that’s why I don’t know what to do.” She filled Bea andPeg in on her spur-of-the-moment plan to get Riley and Hayden together. It had formulated the day she asked Hayden to pickRiley up at the airport, and then grew when she came up with the idea for Riley to take her place as assistant coach. Whatbetter way for them to be in each other’s company at least two days a week? That backfired when Riley resisted going to practiceand then came home so unsettled and told Erma in no uncertain terms that she didn’t want anything to do with coaching or softball.Now Erma was wondering if she’d made a mistake.

“Maybe you should mind your own business,” Bea said before biting into a strip of bacon.

“Riley is my business, Bea.” Erma didn’t try to hide the edge in her tone.

“Of course she is.” Bea’s expression turned contrite. “I just meant that if Hayden and Riley are meant to be, let them cometogether on their own.”

“From what I can tell, that’s not going to happen.” Erma set down her fork. “I have to admit I’m surprised there wasn’t aspark.”

“Why? Did you expect there to be one?” Peg asked.

Erma scoffed. “He’s smart, comes from a good family, has impeccable Southern manners, and you’d have to be blind or dead notto notice how handsome he is.”

“Why, Erma Jean, I think you have a crush on the young’un.” Bea giggled and winked at Peg.

“Very funny.” Erma leaned back in her wheelchair, now wondering if she should have brought this topic up at all. She knewshe couldn’t reveal the real reason she hoped for Riley and Hayden to click romantically. She was ashamed even to think aboutit because she was being singularly selfish. But I want Riley home.

Falling in love with Hayden would ensure that. His dad had mentioned a few days before Erma’s accident that Hayden boughta fixer-upper on the edge of town, which meant he was staying in Maple Falls. She remembered being a little jealous. At leastHarry had one son home. Besides, what man wouldn’t think Riley was a catch? And who wouldn’t want Hayden Price as a grandson-in-law?

“I’m surprised someone hasn’t snatched up Hayden since he got back.” Peg cut into her eggs with the side of her fork. A hugecobalt-blue and emerald-green ring adorned her finger. It would have been pretty except it was in the shape of a beetle. “Thereare several single young women in our town.”

“Maybe he’s not interested in dating anyone,” Bea added. “Did you ask him about it, Erma?”

“Of course not. I’m not that nosy.”

Bea and Peg smirked. “Right,” they said in unison.

“Not about romance, and not when it comes to my granddaughter.” She sighed, realizing she was contradicting herself. “Youtwo are no help. You know that?”

“I’m going to get some fruit,” Peg said, pushing back from the table. “Do you two need anything?”

Erma shook her head, but Bea said, “Another piece or two of that bacon, please. Wait, make it three.”

When Peg left, Bea turned to Erma, her expression serious. “All right, Erma, what are you really up to?”

Surprised, Erma frowned. “I just told you. I want Riley and Hayden to get together.”

“I’ve never known you to be a matchmaker.”

“There’s a first time for everything.” Erma lifted her chin. “Besides, we all agree that Hayden’s a keeper.”

“He is, but I suspect that’s not the only reason you want him and Riley together.” Bea leaned forward. “You can’t force herto stay, hon.”

Drat. Leave it to Bea to figure it out. If Myrtle had been here,