“What’s going on?” I asked her.
She squeezed my arm and let go. “Well, I was hoping you’d come over for dinner tonight. It’s been a while since I’ve cooked for you.”
Linda’s cooking was phenomenal. There was no way I could say no to a dinner.
“I will be there,” I said without hesitation.
Her caramel-brown eyes lit up. “Perfect. I’m making fried chicken; I know you love it.” She pointed a finger at my bag of candy bars. “And leave those at home. I’ll have something good for you.”
My mouth watered at the thought of her fried chicken.
“I can’t wait,” I told her. “Five o’clock, like usual?”
She nodded. “On the dot.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
She disappeared into the store, and I got in my car to head home. I was excited for the evening. Eating Linda’s food would be epic, not to mention, the conversations. Talking to her was always entertaining.
It was going to be a good night.
Chapter 4
Ayla
Linda lived a couple of houses down Magnolia Lane, so it only took two minutes to walk there. And I made sure not to come empty-handed. When I visited Kat in North Carolina, we’d gone to an amazing place called Thistle Meadow Winery. Their wines were some of the best I’d ever tasted. Linda and I had finished a few bottles of wine together before, and I figured tonight we could enjoy a bottle she hadn’t tried yet.
Her front door was open, and I could smell her famous fried chicken. She was known in town for being an exceptional cook.
When I walked in, I heard Linda moving around in the kitchen. I couldn’t wait to show her the bottleof wine I wanted her to try. The second I stepped into the kitchen's doorway, I held up the bottle and was about to announce I had a surprise for her, but then I clamped my mouth shut and hid around the corner. It wasn’t Linda in the kitchen . . . it was Declan!
Slowly, I peeked my head around the corner, hating myself for wanting to see more of him. Even though I despised him, he was still a very sexy man. Declan didn’t have a baseball cap on, which revealed his ashy brown hair with sprigs of gray. However, it was his body I recognized. He was dressed in khakis and a light blue polo shirt. The shirt didn’t hide his toned muscles; it hugged him perfectly.
My pulse skyrocketed, and I gritted my teeth. Why the hell was he here?
Then, of course, it all made sense. Linda wasn’t just the town’s favorite cook; she was also the town matchmaker. I knew one day she’d try her luck with me, but I didn’t think it would be with Declan.
I took a deep breath then let it out slowly. Everything was silent, so I had to assume Declan hadn’t heard me. If that was the case, I could sneak out unnoticed.
I took a step toward the front door, praying the hardwood floor wouldn’tcreak, holding my breath until I reached the door. When I did, I stepped out and rushed down the porch steps.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Linda shouted.
My heart stopped and I froze, unable to turn around and face her. The sound of the screen door opening and Declan clearing his throat filled me with even more dread.
“This is so not happening right now,” I mumbled to myself, too embarrassed to face them. It was obvious I was running away.
I turned around and plastered on a fake smile. Linda was all too amused by the grin on her face, but Declan’s expression was blank. I was pretty good at reading people, but I had no clue what was going on in his mind.
Linda cocked her head to the side, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. “Sweetheart, what are you doing? Were you running away?”
Leave it to Linda to put me on the spot.
I blew out the breath I’d been holding, failing at my attempt to hide my disappointment at the sight of Declan.
“You didn’t tell me you were having others join us for dinner?” I said, but it came out as a question.
Linda’s smile widened. “Well, you know now.”She waved a hand in the air. “Come on, the food’s getting cold. And you know I hate it when that happens.” Then her gaze dropped to the wine bottle. “We can open that up, too.” She glanced back and forth between me and Declan. “It looks like you both could use it.”
