The relentless pressure behind my ribs feels like a warning. It began as soon as I lay in bed and closed my eyes. Groggy from the alcohol at Patsy’s and buzzed from being in Hartley’s arms hours before, it was a long and restless night.
Morning came too soon. With it came the reminder that I’ll learn today why Lolly summoned me back to Sugar Creek. And although I haven’t worried about it too much, something in my gut tells me I should worry more. A lot more.
My jaw tenses. “And then there was church.” I snip the end of a flower a little rougher than necessary.
According to Markie, the little blonde who sat by Hartley is new to town and works at the bank. She’s been sitting beside him for more than a month. Not that it’s any of my business, but if weweren’t in church, I would’ve made my way up there and staged an introduction.
And I hate that. I hate that I would do that because that makes me a jerk.
“I’ve missed you, too, Mira. But it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
Still … I would’ve, and I probably would’ve tugged the collar of my dress down a little to show off my cleavage to boot.
I’m going to hell.I grin, recalling Audrey giving Brooks a look, warning him to behave. God knows what he was doing.At least Brooks will be in hell, too.
I grab another flower when the door shuts behind me. “I know we’re Methodists and don’t exactly believe in confessionals,” I say to Lolly. “But I had some super mean thoughts today in church, and I feel like maybe I need to tell someone to absolve me of my guilt.”
“Oh, really?”
Whipping around, my heart ricocheting off my rib cage, I spot Hartley leaning against the doorway with a pie in one hand.Damn. That’s a picture of dessert in a few different ways.
“I thought you were Lolly,” I say, giving him a little laugh that sounds pinched.
He shoves off the wall, placing the pie on the table, then lazily moving toward me. “What mean thoughts were you having this morning?”
Shit. There’s a shimmer in his eyes, nearly making the browns appear green, and I know he knows exactly what mean thoughts I was talking about. He did catch me glaring at the back of Lora’s head … twice.
My cheeks flush. “Why are you here?”
“Lolly asked me to come in that way where it’s debatable if she’s really asking or telling, and I wasn’t man enough to find out.”
“That would make two of us.”
He smiles, and every worried, guarded part of me softens.
It’s tragic how quickly he undoes me. It’s equally unfortunate that he’s the only person in the world who can affect me in this way. There have been times in my life when I would’ve given a lot of things up just to have someone else—anyone else—be able to flip a switch inside me like Hartley Adler. But no man has ever come close to possessing that ability.
“How’s Pigasso?” I ask. “I haven’t gotten around to calling any rescue centers yet, but I will.”
“Sure.” He winks. “What are you working on?”
I glance over my shoulder. “I brought Lolly some flowers, and I’m trying to cut them down to fit in this vase.”
“Need help?”
“Not with that.” I grimace, facing Hartley again. “Do you know what I do need help with?”
He hums.
“Fried chicken.” I lift my shoulders, trying not to gag at the idea of eating a baby chicken. “After the whole Pigasso thing, I’m a changed woman. I can’t do it. I can’t eat any animal.” I frown as a shiver runs down my spine. “I don’t know what to do because I can’t hurt Lolly’s feelings.”
Hartley laughs. “What in the hell am I supposed to do about it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I could slide my pieces under the table, and you could eat them?” I bat my lashes in case it helps. It usually does.
He just shakes his head in amusement, so I move along. We both know that if I thrust a breast in his hands, he won’t turn it down.
My cheeks heat at the double entendre, so I go back to the flowers. “I’m sorry about last night.”
