Page 16 of All Because of You

“Do you want to come in? We can eat here and then head to the store.” Madison widened the door.

He stroked his throat. “Yeah, of course.” Memory upon memory hit Evan as he stepped into Chrissy’s small house. He hadn’t been here much when Chrissy was well, but once she’d gotten too weak to work at the store every day, he’d spent many hours in this very room. And other than a stack of books on the coffee table—Madison’s, he presumed, since Chrissy rarely read anything but her Bible—the place looked the same.

The beach decor, the smell of peaches, the overstuffed chair and ottoman with a matching blue couch . . . it all reminded him so much of his mentor and friend. It didn’t matter how small the living room. The place welcomed everyone who came inside and made them comfortable while they were there.

Evan held up the pizza. “Where do you want this?”

“On the coffee table is fine. Just move my books if they’re in the way.” Madison scurried toward the kitchen.

He set down the box and picked the top book off the stack.Hardware 101. The others boasted titles likeThe All-New Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware StoresandSmall Business for Dummies. The woman didn’t do anything halfway, did she?

Madison re-entered the room with plates and napkins in hand. She plopped next to Evan on the couch and opened the box, inhaling. “I haven’t had Froggies in forever. And I’m starving. Thank you for bringing dinner.” Separating a piece from the rest of the pie, the cheese stretching and finally tearing away, she plated it and handed it to him before grabbing herself a slice.

“Thanks. And you’re welcome.” He glanced back at the books. “A bit of light reading you’ve got going on here.”

“Ha. Yes.” Taking a bite of the pizza, she sat back against the couch and groaned. “Just as good as I remembered.”

Man, how much he wanted to just relax with her, enjoy the pizza, chat about whatever. And he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous of the way that slice of pizza got to touch her lips over and over as she ate . . .

But he couldn’t enjoy any of it until he’d told her about Herman. After polishing off his slice, he set down his plate and wiped his mouth with a napkin then leaned forward and touched the spine of a book. “So, you’re really committing to this, huh?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I told you, I don’t know anything about running a business, especially a hardware store. So, what I don’t know, I read.”

“Guess that’s the librarian in you talking.”

She laughed, the sound igniting his wish that they could talk about anything else right now. That he could just spend the evening getting to know her better. “I guess so.” She took another bite of pizza, studying him as she chewed. “When my world is upended, when things don’t make sense, I turn to books. I always have. And they’ve never let me down.”

And that was the perfect opening. “Will you be happy running a hardware store, then?”

“What do you mean?”

“You spent the last two years studying to become a librarian. Do you really want to stop pursuing that dream?”

Madison shrugged. “Yes, I thought that would be a great career, but this store has been dropped into my lap. And it’s a sure thing. I have bills to pay, and, to be honest, the idea of being subject to a position that’s dependent on grant money year in and year out isn’t all that appealing.”

Great. He was feeling like more of a cad by the minute. “True, but nothing’s for sure.”

“It almost sounds like you’re not happy I’m staying.” Her voice came out nearly a whisper, her face softening into a look of expectancy. Then, as if realizing what she’d asked, she blinked hard.

He rushed on. “No, that’s not it. But Madison, I can tell you’re wicked smart. You can do anything. Are you sure you want to spend your time running your aunt’s store?” As soon as the words were out, a desire to punch himself almost took over.

“Excuse me, but I don’t remember asking for your approval.”

He’d made a mess of this already, and he hadn’t even told her everything. Evan massaged the back of his neck. “Sorry, that came out wrong. It’s just that there’s something I need to tell you, and I wanted to make sure this wasn’t some whim, you taking over the store.”

“Even if it were a whim, what do you care, Evan?” Gone was the comfortable, relaxed Madison, one replaced by a wary face and crossed arms. “What do you need to tell me?”

“The town is getting close to signing an agreement with a regional hardware chain to open a Walker Beach branch right next door to your store.” He winced as the words tumbled out.

For a moment, she didn’t say a word, just stared at the pizza box. Had she heard him?

He touched her elbow. “Madison . . .”

She wrenched away and glared at him. Or was that hurt marring her features? Either way, he hated the way she was looking at him. Which was dumb, because even though they’d apparently attended high school together, he’d basically known this woman for four days. Why did he care so much about what she thought?

Closing her eyes, Madison breathed in and out a few times. Finally, she reopened her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Until today, I didn’t think it was happening.”

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