Page 20 of All Because of You

And this time, she was getting to the bottom of Evan’s deception, whether he liked it or not.

He’d rather be anywhere but here.

Evan stood in the middle of the empty storefront next door to Hole-in-the-Wall Hardware, hands in his pockets, waiting for Roxy to finish looking around. Definitely not how he wanted to spend his Saturday morning.

His eyes trailed her as she snapped photos on her iPhone from every angle. Decked out in her usual designer garb—tight jeans and a blouse that hugged her curvy frame and didn’t leave much to the imagination—Roxy’s heels clicked on the rustic wooden floor coated with dust. A souvenir shop had previously occupied the space, evidenced by circular metal clothing racks still dispersed throughout the store. The smell of wood polish lingered in the air.

Finally, Roxy shoved her phone back into her purse and approached him. “Thanks again for meeting me on such short notice.” She pumped her fingers through the roots of her bleached blond hair.

“No problem.” He should be at Ben’s inn, helping out like he’d promised. As soon as they were done, he’d head over. But while he was here, he might as well pick Roxy’s brain. “So what do you think? Will this space work?”

Roxy scrunched her nose in that way she’d had since they were kids when she didn’t know an answer. “That’s above my pay grade.” She ran her manicured hands along the wooden counter at the back of the store, lifted a finger, and grimaced at the layer of dirt now hanging out there. “But I do know that they’re excited about this deal. And so am I.”

“Why is that?” Evan ducked behind the counter, located a rag, and handed it to her.

She grabbed it from him without acknowledgment and wiped off her hand. “They see a lot of potential in this location. And I’m excited because I get a nice bonus for making the deal happen. A possible promotion too.”

“Glad to hear it.” Now, how to ask the question he really wanted answered? “So, what would happen if, say, the current hardware store was to reopen?”

Roxy tossed the rag onto the floor and placed her hands on her hips. “Your dad assured us that the current owner wasn’t staying.”

“Let’s be hypothetical about it, then.”

“Fine.Hypothetically, Aldrin may decide to pull out of the agreement if the old store is a big enough threat.” Advancing, Roxy now stood nearly toe-to-toe with Evan. The tropical perfume that he’d always found so intoxicating nearly suffocated him. “So, Evan, how big is the threat?”

How did he answer that? Was Madison’s store really going to threaten Herman Hardware? The opposite seemed much more likely. But he didn’t want to count her out. He saw the determination in her, the feisty desire to learn what she didn’t know. And Walker Beach’s residents might be loyal to her simply because she was Chrissy’s niece.

“I think the new owner has a legitimate chance at making a go of it.”

“Who’s the new owner?” Roxy’s thin eyebrows raised.

She didn’t know? Then again, she probably had much better things to do with her time than to stay current with the Walker Beach gossip. “Madison Price.”

Recognition filtered through Roxy’s fake eyelashes, and she snorted. “Madison Price? You thinkshehas a chance of running a successful business?”

He frowned. “Why not?”

“Don’t you remember her from high school?”

“No.” Although according to Madison, he should have.

“Seriously? How could you forget Lizard Lady?”

“Wait. That washer?” He ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know that.”

“How could you not? You’re the one who gave her the nickname in the first place.”

“No, I didn’t.” He paused. “Did I?”

“Well, it was both of us.” Roxy rolled her eyes. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember. You were still hungover from Duncan McAllister’s party the night before.”

Story of his life. He shook his head. “No wonder she hated me when we first met.” He snatched the rag Roxy had dropped and set it back where he’d found it.

“Oh, that’s adorable.”

“What?” He glanced at her and found a mocking stare looking straight at him.

“You like her.”

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