Hallie couldn’t imagine running away at fourteen. The fact that the woman didn’t do anything to convince her daughter to come home made her want to track her down herself. What kind of mother did that to her child?
“My life is much better with Roxy Parr out of the picture. I intend to keep it that way.” Kendall ran her finger along the delicate gold bracelet lining her wrist, betraying her unbothered tone. It was the only piece of jewelry she ever wore, and Hallie had often noticed her fiddling with it during stressful situations.
Hallie resisted the urge to wrap her friend in a hug. Kendall hated being coddled. Her childhood left some heavy scars, giving her a fierceness and independence that made her reluctant to get close to anyone. Yet she’d become almost feral in her loyalty to the small circle of people she truly cared about.
Balancing the bakery boxes in one hand, Hallie headed for the door. “I’ll see you later. Good luck with your studying. I can help run through your flashcards when I get back.”
“Thanks,” Kendall said, waving her off with her spoon. “I’d appreciate that.”
After delivering the cupcakes to the Pattersons, Hallie stopped by Tyler’s on her way home. The house, located in a cute neighborhood with picture-perfect lawns and tidy homes, belonged to Gemma’s grandma. The couple had acted as caretakers for the spunky old woman since her stroke four years ago.
Darkness hadn’t yet fallen when Hallie parked on the curb in front of the two-story home. Her brother and sister-in-law occupied the front porch, cozily snuggled together on the hanging swing Tyler put in a few years back. With his arm draped around her shoulders, he lazily rocked them back and forth with his feet.
As Hallie stepped onto the porch, a quiet, electronic hum reached her ears from the baby monitor propped up on one side of the swing.
Tyler stopped rocking, lifting his head from his wife’s hair. “What brings you to this neck of the woods on a Tuesday night?”
“I had a delivery to make, so I thought I’d drop by. I wanted to ask if you’d be in town for the Autumn Festival.” He traveled a lot for work, so she never knew whether he’d be around or not.
Thankfully, Tyler nodded. “We were planning on taking Will one of the days. Do you need me for something?”
“I’d love some help running the booth, if you’re willing.”
“Just tell me when.” He glanced at his wife, flashing her a flirty grin. “Do you think you can spare me for a few hours on a weekend?”
Gemma rolled her eyes with a smile. “I think I’ll manage. It’ll give me a nice break.” She laughed when Tyler scoffed in feigned offense.
Hallie watched the playful exchange that followed, shifting a little uncomfortably on her feet as she worked out the words to bring up her next request. “There’s something else I wanted to ask.”
Tyler looked at her expectantly. “Name it.”
“I was … uh …”Just spit it out.“Can I have Christian’s address?”
Her brother’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
She had no reason to be nervous about this perfectly reasonable question. Still, maybe texting him would’ve saved her from theawkwardness. This was one time her preference for face-to-face conversation complicated the situation.
“I … um … wanted to bake him some cookies.” She rubbed the bottom of her flip flop across a small pebble on the porch. “For helping me with my website.”
“No way.” Tyler shook his head forcefully. “I’ve been around the block enough to realize a woman delivering any kind of baked goods to a guy is girl code for ‘I like you.’”
“What?” Hallie took a step back, and her heel teetered off the porch. Her stomach swooped to her throat at her near fall. “That’s not it at all.”
She was curious about him, sure. After yesterday, she could even say she enjoyed his company. True, the way her body reacted to his scent when she was within smelling range was a little weird—it had happened in the car yesterday too. As was the way he entered her mind at random times, or how the prospect of seeing him again made her stomach bubble over with anticipation.
But no. She didn’t like him. That would be silly.
“Ty, I’m a baker. Delivering cookies is literally my job.” She wasn’t even a little bit interested. No matter that Christian was super hot.
Wait.
What?
No.
Tyler stared at her with squinty eyes that made Hallie want to squirm. And defend herself. Why did her brother always have to get all protective of her when it came to men? It was the one drawback of living so close. “I have to do something to repay him. He offered to build me an entire website for free.”
“He did?” Tyler’s eyes were now tiny slits, and the blue in his irises had disappeared. “That doesn’t sound like something he’d do.”
