Page 36 of All Because of You

Madison placed her hand on his arm. “You’ve already done more than I could ever repay.”

“I can think of a way for you to repay me.”

And there it was—that shy smile that somehow captivated him more than a flirtatious one ever could. “We will have to see about that, Mr. Walsh.” Then she headed off to help her customer, and Evan stayed put in case someone needed to check out while she was away.

The bell sounded over the door, and Evan stifled a groan when Roxy sauntered in. What was she doing in town? Maybe she was just visiting her folks, but her roving eyes gave her a calculated appearance. She beelined for him. “So, my sources were right.”

“Hey, Roxy.”Just ignore her and don’t cause a scene.“How can we help you?”

“We? Now, that’s just the most adorable thing.” She tucked a soft tendril of hair behind her ear. “I’m surprised at you, Evan Walsh. First you play the girl, making her think you weren’t plotting against her store the entire time you were, well, whatever you were doing with her. And now you’re here working or being supportive or whatever, even though you know what’s coming.”

“What are you talking about?”

She rolled her eyes. “As if you don’t know.” But after a few major beats of silence, she leaned on the counter with one hand. “Wait. You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Oh, that’s funny. Well, I don’t want to be the one to spoil the surprise.” As she turned to leave, Roxy’s heel scraped the wood floor.

Evan moved around the desk and snagged her elbow. He prayed Madison wouldn’t see him talking to Roxy, who seemed to be a sore subject. “Stop.”

Roxy’s small glittering eyes laughed at him. “Yes?”

He led her toward the aisle by the door, where Madison wouldn’t see them. “What do you know?”

“Just that it’s a shame that Madison’s gone to all this work to open a store that’s going to be forced to close soon anyway.” Despite her words, her tone conveyed pleasure in the sentiment.

Why did Roxy always feel the need to cause trouble? But the real question was whether her information was true or made up for drama’s sake. “OK, I’ll bite. Who’s going to force Madison out of business?”

“Who do you think?”

“Aldrin?” At her conspiratorial smile, he shook his head. “No, he’s not interested in opening a location here since a viable hardware store is in place.”

“Maybe he’s reconsidered.” She was enjoying this way too much, drawing the conversation out on purpose. “I won’t say any more right now except that Madison Price shouldn’t get too comfortable here.”

Waiting for a middle-aged couple to walk by, Evan crossed his arms over his chest and lowered his voice. “I’m the assistant community developer. This was my deal from the start. I would know what you’re talking about if your words had any truth to them.”

“OK, Evan. Sure.” Roxy smirked then moved her gaze to the left. “Oh, hi, Madison. Great job on the store.”

Evan swung around to find Madison ten steps away. Confusion filled her gaze. “Uh, thanks.”

“Gotta go. Can’t wait to hear how things go for you.” Roxy blew a kiss and left.

Evan joined Madison. “Once again, it’s not what it looks like.”

She bit her lip then nodded. “OK.”

“OK?”

“Yeah, OK. I trust you, Evan.”

And with her words, something expanded inside his chest. She believed him. Believed in him, if her words last night on the baseball field were any indication.

He believed in her too—in her ability to start what she finished, to do something that she felt unprepared for, to stand up for what she believed in. And that inspired him.

As he pulled Madison into a hug and kissed the top of her head, he couldn’t help worrying. What if Roxy hadn’t been bluffing? What would that do to Madison? And if the hardware store really were threatened, what wouldMadisondo?

Would she stay and fight? Or would she go on with her life—move away from here—to become the person she’d intended to be before she’d returned to Walker Beach?

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