Page 16 of The Bitter Heir and the Beauty

Chapter 4

A Revenge Plot WIP

Like we were kicked out of the restaurant for bad behavior, Honey and I careen toward each other on the sidewalk. We stop short of making contact much like our vehicles earlier. But it’s like there’s an invisible elastic tension between us.

One hard snap and ... I wonder what would happen.

Then I remember why I’m here and it’s not to woo a woman. More like making one regret the day she betrayed me.

No longer wearing her apron, Honey brushes off her denim skirt that gives way to a pair of long, tanned legs and wedge sandals with red painted toenails that match her car.

Vavavoom.

I smooth my hand down my shirt.

She glances at her feet, then her car, before her gaze darts across the street, and then back at the sidewalk. She’s looking everywhere but at me.

Something sparks inside, making me want to change that, but then I remember the last time I let a woman lure me in.

A welcome fall breeze ruffles the palms and the waxy leaves on the myrtle trees, cooling me off from within.

Honey marches over to her car, opens the glove box, and pulls out a lollipop. I half expect her to offer me one, but she puts it in her mouth, drawing my attention there.

Unfortunately, the air is now still.

And I’m burning up again.

In an annoyed tone, she says, “Let’s get this over with.”

Something about the lollipop, her lips, and her no-nonsense attitude messes with my pulse.

She stops short and I nearly bump into her.

Not unexpectedly, I receive a scowl as if it’s my fault she decided not to keep walking.

A magnet draws me close while an invisible force seems to push me away. The tension makes me imagine what her smooth skin would feel like under my calloused fingers, her silky hair in my hand, and her lips ...

Whoa there, Hotcake.

A woman with a cane, toting what looks like a battery-operated dog, crosses the street toward us.

Hardly moving her lips, Honey says, “Looks like you’re getting the full Hogwash Holler greeting committee. Buckle up.”

“Honey, is that your red car?” the older woman asks.

“Yes, Mrs. Halfpenny.”

“Earlier, I saw a truck almost plow into it.”

“That truck?” Honey points with her lollipop.

She squints. “I can’t be sure. They all look the same to me.”

I start to protest, but the animatronic dog barks.

Mrs. Halfpenny stiffly crouches down and soothes the toy. “Frodo,there there. It’s okay. I won’t let him run you over with that big mean truck.” Straightening, she says, “Who are you?”

“My name is Maddock Witt, ma’am.”

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