Return to Me (Blue Harbor Book 5) by Olivia Miles (most popular ebook readers .TXT) 📕

was because of all these ridiculous dates he insisted upon. She had plenty to occupy her mind, after all. This boutique being the primary one.

She consulted the swatches again, deciding to add one more to the mix in a deeper shade, closer to navy. Of course, the fabric she wanted was on the very top shelf, and even standing on her tiptoes, she couldn’t reach it. Still, her step stool was upstairs in her apartment; she’d been using it to dust the tops of her kitchen cabinets last night when she couldn’t fall asleep, and she didn’t want to leave the shop unattended at all, not even to dash up the back stairs. She tried again, shifting a few bolts around, and then, before she could even process what was happening, shrieked as all the shelves seemed to collapse on each other and the fabric came tumbling down around her.

From behind her, she heard the husky rumble of a laugh, and she darted her eyes over her shoulder to see none other than Kyle standing in the open doorway, taking in the sight.

“Looks like I arrived just in time,” he said with a rather cocky grin.

She glared at him. “More like you distracted me.”

“Distracted you? But you didn’t even seem to hear me come in.”

That was true, all true, but so was what she had said. He was on her mind, day and night, and she wasn’t thinking clearly.

“Here, let me help you,” he said, reaching out a hand to help her up.

She wanted to snatch her arm away, but she was wearing those ridiculous stiletto strappy sandals that she’d always known would be the death of her one day, and so, with gritted teeth, she held out a hand.

He took it. And oh, it felt good. Warm and familiar and as comforting as her favorite old blanket, and she wasn’t so sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Only as he hoisted her to her feet, and she steadied herself on her heels, their eyes locked and she knew that it was a bad thing. Very bad. His eyes were locked on hers, as if he was searching for something, or waiting for something. And his hand, it still held hers, and to her horror, she realized that she wasn’t a passive recipient here. She was holding his hand back, long after she needed assistance.

Quickly, she pulled herself free and turned, looking at the bolts that had now fallen to the floor. She could forget the bath and wine, at least for a few hours. This fabric was nearly as important as the gowns themselves. She could already see wrinkles appearing on the taffeta; she’d have to steam it carefully before she restocked it.

And there would be no restocking until she had fixed the shelves.

She checked her watch. It was past five now. She doubted that Gus would be willing to come by on such short notice, and her father was many things, but handy had never been at the top of the list for the Conway brothers. Her uncle Dennis had fallen off a ladder last year, after all!

“I should call Gus and see if he can get over here soon,” she said. Or maybe Cole McCarthy—pull in the old family favor now that he was dating her cousin Maddie. He was a fine contractor; the bakery was proof of that.

“I can get these shelves back up for you,” Kyle said simply, not that she’d be hinting, or wanting that. No, what she wanted was for Kyle to have never come inside. For him to drop this stupid agreement.

What she wanted was to never see him again. To forget him.

Easier said than done, she thought.

He inspected the wall, and then looked down at the shelves. “These are old. And you did have them stuffed to capacity.”

“I like fabric,” she said simply.

His mouth lifted. “I think that’s obvious. But then, you always did.”

She grinned, remembering their last Christmas together when all she’d asked for was three yards of embroidered linen to make the curtains for the cottage they’d already planned to move into. Kyle had assumed she was joking, but she wasn’t, and when he saw the delight in her face when she opened the box, he’d seen firsthand how much this meant to her. Designing. Creating.

It was the last time she truly felt he had supported her dreams.

“Fine.” She blew out a sigh. Fixing her shelves was the least he could do for her, all things considered. “And thank you,” she added, more than a little begrudgingly.

Still, it was nice of him, and she knew that Gus rarely took on small projects. She’d been lucky to get him over to hang some lights and the sign out front. Fixing shelves would hardly classify as an emergency to him, even if those shelves did hold some of her most cherished possessions.

She began to carefully gather up the fabric and prop the boards against the wall.

“Do you have a toolbox around here?” Kyle asked.

“No, actually.” She wondered if the hardware store was still open, and assumed that it was. Would they go together? That would certainly get half the town talking.

“I’ve got one back at the pub,” Kyle offered. He scrutinized the shelves as Brooke cleared away the fabric. “This is going to take a while. I can bring back something for dinner if you’re hungry?”

At the mention of food, Brooke’s stomach grumbled loud enough for Kyle to hear. His eyebrows shot up before he burst out laughing. Brooke’s cheeks flamed with heat.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Only because I’m hungry,” she told him. As if that much wasn’t obvious. Still, she didn’t want him to think this was anything more. Unless… “Although it could count toward part of our agreement. If we’re spending the evening together,