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

He lifted his gaze to hers, and she thought she saw a faint grimace. “Does it matter what the store looks like inside if therearen’t any customers?”

He was right, of course. Even if the shop was pristine on the inside, the outside still showed neglect. “Would refurbishingthe outside help?”

“It can’t hurt. Knots and Tangles isn’t the only one that needs some TLC. Every building on that street does.” He sighed again,then waved his hand. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hijack the conversation. We’re here to talk about Erma’s house, not the declineof Maple Falls. Are you ready to draw up that agreement now?”

“What agreement?” The kitchen door swung open as Mimi rolled into the room.

Riley jumped, then spun around in her seat. Mimi had excellent hearing, but she wouldn’t have been able to discern their conversationunless she had been nearby. “Don’t tell me you were eavesdropping.”

“Of course not,” she said, sounding offended. “I needed a drink of water, and I just happened to hear you talk about an agreement.”

“You just happened.” Hayden smirked, but the twinkle reappeared in his eyes. “Did you happen to hear anything else?”

Mimi rolled over to the table. “As a matter of fact, I did. You two shouldn’t talk so loudly.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t park yourself right outside the door,” Riley pointed out.

“Never mind about that.” Mimi moved her gaze from Riley to Hayden. “I don’t like secrets. Tell me what’s going on, or I’lltake my lemon cookies and give them to someone who deserves them.”

“Ouch.” Hayden put his hand over his heart. “You got me right here with that, Erma.”

Riley looked at him, and he turned to her. Her toes curled at the teasing yet genuine smile on his face. She’d never beenmore attracted to him than in that moment. Something shifted inside her. This wasn’t just physical attraction or appreciationof Hayden’s kind nature. He might be helping her out because he felt guilty over Mimi’s broken leg, but she could see thathe cared about her grandmother. That meant more to her than anything. Hayden’s heart far surpassed his handsome exterior.

“Well?” Mimi said. “Spill.”

Riley pulled her gaze away from Hayden. “I want to fix up your house,” she said, knowing it was pointless to skip around thetruth when her grandmother was in a demanding mood.

“We want to fix it up,” Hayden added.

“Bless your hearts.” Mimi’s eyes turned soft. Then she raised her chin. “My house is fine.”

“Your roof is fixin’ to spring a leak any day.” Hayden pointed to the ceiling. “About right there.”

Mimi blanched. “It is? I had no idea. I guess I’ll call a roofer in the morning.”

“I can recommend a couple people,” Hayden said. “You should get more than one estimate. We also sell roofing materials atthe store. I can get you a good deal once you decide on a roofer.”

“All right,” Mimi said. “Sounds good. What else have you two been planning to do?”

Riley watched as her meeting with Hayden suddenly turned into a powwow between him and her grandmother, with neither acknowledgingher as they talked about not only the jobs that needed to be done but also the budget and the timeline. She waited for themto include her in the conversation, but after a few minutes she felt invisible. Normally she would have been okay with that,but suddenly it rankled.

“Hey,” she said, interrupting. “This was my idea. Remember?”

“And it’s a good one.” Mimi patted Riley’s hand, then turned back to Hayden. “Now, what were you saying about stain colors?”

Riley’s gaze darted between her grandmother and Hayden, her fists clenching under the table, her face growing hot. For somebizarre reason she wasn’t thinking about house repairs or business rehab. Instead, painful memories flooded her—feeling likean outsider at every school she’d attended, which had been too many to count until she was in high school. Never fitting inwith the New York art crowd or various social events she’d attended with Melody. Although she enjoyed lunch the other daywith Anita, Harper, and Olivia, she still didn’t feel like a part of their group. She’d sat in silence as they talked aboutpeople she didn’t know or had barely known. And now, even in her grandmother’s kitchen, she was feeling shut out of her ownplan.

Worse, she was familiar with the bitter knot forming in her stomach and the hot ache suffocating her head. She’d experiencedthose sensations over and over growing up. Loneliness. Abandonment. They don’t care what I think. They don’t care about me.

Suddenly she jerked back from the table and jumped up from her chair. Without looking back, she ran out the kitchen door andinto the backyard, heaving in gulps of warm evening air until she reached the tire swing.

Hadn’t she put all this in the past? All the pain and isolation she’d felt for years . . . Why was it back now? Over a discussionof home improvement, of all things.

Why now? Why here? Just . . . Why?

*  *  *

“Oh dear,” Erma whispered. “I was afraid of this.”

Hayden’s gaze had been pinned to the back door of the kitchen since Riley ran out. Her reaction was so sudden and intense,he was worried about her. Turning to Erma, he saw her eyes glazed with tears. Uh-oh. That wasn’t good.

“Did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No, sweetie.” Then she sighed. “She’ll be okay.”

Hayden wasn’t so sure. She wasn’t just a little upset. She was distraught. Her fleeing the kitchen out of the blue like thatconfirmed that something was seriously wrong. All he wanted to do was go outside and put his arms around her, which was aterrible idea. But that fact didn’t change his feelings. It only convinced him not to act on them.

Erma rubbed her temple, her fingertip brushing the short silver hair above her ear. Then a faint smile appeared on her wizenedface.

“Leave it up to her to want to do something sweet for me,” she said, her bottom lip trembling. “She spent all day workingin the shop and insisted that I take it easy. She would handle any customers