Page 37 of Tough Nut to Crack

I return to my stool and pour syrup over all of it before topping it with whipped cream.

"I'd normally have some fresh fruit to go with it, but I forgot it when I went shopping last.

"Fresh fruit?" I moan around another full bite. "That would be amazing."

I chew, chiding myself for being so mannerless, all the while resisting the urge to wiggle like a happy child as I eat.

"Why don't you make this sort of stuff for your business?" I ask, pointing my fork at my nearly empty plate. "It's phenomenal."

"This is my grandmother's recipe," she explains. "I grew up with my grandmother teaching me how to cook. When I left town and went to culinary school, I learned so much about food. I wanted to bring all of that back to Lindell."

"People love this type of food," I say. "My grandmother made something similar, and I'd call you a liar to your face if you told her I said this, but yours is somehow so much better."

She shrugs. "It's just a simple breakfast casserole."

"Exactly," I say around another bite. My stomach is so full it's starting to ache, but I'm not going to leave a single crumb behind. "You're part of a community of simple people. They don't have to have weird shit to eat to enjoy food."

She stands, carrying her plate to the sink before busying herself with finding the lid for the leftover casserole.

"Were you able to secure the contract with the McGees?" she asks with her back to me as she begins to wash the handful of dishes I saw in the sink.

I tilt my head, my neck popping. I'd somehow forgotten for a few minutes that my house is in shambles.

"No. I guess it's a good thing, though," I say. "I won't have the time to do the renovation on the old theater because all of my spare time will be spent repairing my own house."

"I feel so guilty," she mutters, her back still to me. "I'd offer to help pay for part of it, but I'm flat broke."

"Insurance will cover most of it, but the problem is that what materials they think I should use aren't the same grade of stuff I have in my house. I take pride in the work I put into that place. It's why I wanted the McGees to come and see what I'm capable of."

"No one in town doubts what you're capable of, Mac," she says in a way that is so to the point that I believe that she believes it.

"Thank you," I say, feeling genuinely grateful for the boost of confidence.

"If only it were that way with everyone from around here," she says, turning off the faucet and reaching for a hand towel to dry her hands. "I, on the other hand, have to decide when the best time is to put my houseup for sale because it's inevitable that I'll have to move into one of Jason Brakeen's duplexes."

"This is your family home," I say, remembering her living here the entire time that her family has been in town.

She shrugs as if it doesn't matter, but I can see in her eyes how devastating that would be for her.

"Taxes are too expensive. I can either sell the house and keep plugging away at my dream, or I can sell the house and move to the city where I can get a job in a restaurant, making someone else's dream come true. I'd much rather stay in Lindell."

"The only thing I worry about now is asbestos in the duplexes. Jason isn't exactly known for doing things above board."

"There isn't asbestos in those duplexes," I say, a hint of the same anger I felt last night with Walker's lie rearing its head. "Walker lied to Claire in order to get her to move in with him."

Her mouth hangs open, but then a smile spreads across her face. "That's sort of sweet and a little toxic."

"Seriously," I mutter, fighting the offer in my head that I can't seem to push down.

Chapter 15

Riley

We went from talking over breakfast after a night of the most amazing sex I've ever had to him walking out with a kiss brushed against my temple.

And then...

Nothing.

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