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

what? Why haven’t you called me? I’ve been worried about you and Mimi.”

“I’m sorry.” Riley threw off her T-shirt and sleep shorts and hurried to her suitcase. She was down to her last outfit andwould have to do laundry today at some point. “I’ve been making Mimi breakfast every morning.”

“Wait. You? Cooking?” Melody chuckled. “I never thought I’d see that happen.”

“Yeah, well, every once in a while, I go crazy and do something domestic.”

“Anytime you want to do that around here, you have my blessing. What else is going on in small-town America?”

Riley filled her in on her plans for Knots and Tangles and fixing up Mimi’s home. “There’s so much work to do around here.”She slipped on a sports bra, a scoop-neck short-sleeved shirt, and then jean shorts. “I had no idea.”

“Wait, hold up. You’re working at the yarn shop?”

Riley finger-combed her hair into a ponytail, realizing she had a lot to explain to Melody. She decided to leave Hayden outof the updates. If her friend knew about him, or worse yet, how Riley felt about him, she would never hear the end of it.

“Yes, but just until Mimi can work full-time again.”

“How is she doing?”

Riley slid her sandals onto her feet. “Ready to get back to normal. We see the doctor tomorrow and find out when she can usecrutches.”

“That sounds promising. So, you’re coming back soon, then?”

She paused, her second foot halfway into its sandal. “Um, I might be here longer than I planned,” she said hesitantly. “Willthat be a problem?”

“Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I was going to tell you not to worry about the rent next month. Charlieis still here, and he said he would cover it.”

Riley sank on the bed with relief. “Thank God.”

“I thought you’d be happy to hear that.”

“I totally am. Tell him thanks for me.”

“I will. I’ve gotta go, but give me a call soon and tell me more about everything going on. I miss you.”

“I miss you too. And I promise, I’ll call you when we have more time to talk.” She ended the call and inhaled. Not havingto worry about the rent while she was taking care of things here lessened the load on her shoulders. When she went back home,she was giving Charlie a huge hug.

Home. She glanced around her teenage bedroom, which had never looked like a typical teenager’s room. She hadn’t put posters onthe walls or kept any kitschy or personal items scattered around. She’d learned long ago that personalizing a space was awaste of time and money, and she hadn’t decorated any of the four New York apartments she’d lived in. This bedroom had beenhers longer than anything else.

Riley pressed her fingers against her forehead. What was she doing traveling down memory lane again? Hadn’t last night beenenough torture? Her emotions had overwhelmed her, and look what happened. Hayden happened. That thought led to her remembering the best parts of the dream she just had. Those were some images she didn’t mind revisiting . . .

She jumped out of bed and batted at her cheeks. Focus on something else. Anything was preferable to being stuck on this confusing merry-go-round of emotions she was riding. She hated every minuteof it. Well, not every minute . . .

She opened her mouth to utter a curse, but out of habit she checked herself. “Dagnabbit,” she muttered. The ridiculous wordyanked her out of her mental rut. The best way to stop the ride was to be busy, and she had plenty to do. She headed downstairsto prepare her grandmother’s breakfast.

When she walked into the kitchen, Mimi was already at the table, sipping her coffee, a small plate with two pieces of toastsitting next to the newspaper she was reading. She glanced up, peering at Riley over her purple reading glasses. Mimi seemedto have different colored glasses for each day.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.”

“I’m sorry I overslept.” Riley hurried to the pantry. “I’ll have your oatmeal ready in a few minutes.”

Mimi scoffed. “I’m tired of that slop.”

“Really? I thought you loved oatmeal.”

“My cardiologist does. I’m not a fan.” She gestured to her toast, which Riley now noticed was slathered with butter. “Thisand my coffee are good enough. Why don’t you get your breakfast and join me?”

“I thought I’d pick up something on the way to the yarn shop.”

Her grandmother pointed to the seat across from her. “The shop can wait.”

Detecting the seriousness in Mimi’s tone, Riley nodded, and a few minutes later she was pouring milk over a bowl of cornflakesas her grandmother pushed her newspaper aside. “I want to talk about last night.”

Riley stared at her cereal. “I’m sorry I acted so childish.”

“Not that,” Mimi said. “Although, for the record, you weren’t being childish. You have the right to get upset sometimes, sugar.You don’t always have to be so strong.”

Riley met her compassionate gaze. “There’s getting upset, and then there’s acting like an idiot.”

“You didn’t act like an . . .” Mimi shook her head. “Let’s agree that’s water under the bridge. What I really wanted to talkabout was your plans for my house.”

“Oh.” Riley dug into the cereal, glad for the change in topic. “What did you and Hayden decide?” she asked before taking abite of the flakes.

“Nothing, really, other than taking care of the roof. Everything else around here is fine.”

“Did Hayden say that?”

“Well, no—”

“Because it’s not true.” Riley set down her spoon, not caring that her breakfast would be soggy in a few seconds. She couldn’tbelieve how deeply her grandmother was digging in her heels. “Let me do this for you, Mimi. I want to make your house as beautifulas it used to be when—” She almost said when she lived there, but she caught herself.

“I know you do.” Mimi’s voice grew soft. “But I’m concerned you might also be doing this out of obligation or guilt.”

“I’m not,” Riley said quickly.

“Are you sure about that?” She set her glasses on the table. “You don’t have to feel bad for pursuing your dreams in New York.I encouraged you to do exactly that, remember?”

Riley nodded.