Page 1 of All Because of You

Chapter 1

Two weeks. She only had to endure Walker Beach for two weeks.

Madison Price gripped the steering wheel as she parallel parked in front of the quaint blue and yellow storefront on Main Street. At first glance, Hole-in-the-Wall Hardware looked much the same as it always had.

But one thing was glaringly different from the last time she’d been here—Aunt Chrissy wasn’t.

An ache pierced her heart, but Madison shook it away. She pulled her phone from her purse and shot off the text she’d considered sending during the entire four-hour drive north from Los Angeles.I want to make an offer on the Dalton Street House. Asking price, like we discussed. Thanks.

She hoped her realtor in Oregon would respond soon. Not that Madison didn’t have plenty to distract her in the meantime. But it would be nice to have a home to go along with the assistant librarian job she’d start in just fifteen days.

Madison cast another wary glance at the store to her right, climbed from the packed-to-the-hilt car, and tucked her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. She probably should have dropped off her stuff at Aunt Chrissy’s house, but something had compelled her to come here first. Dodging a few stray passersby, Madison unlocked the front door and stepped into the darkened store.

A small bit of light filtered in from the large front window, enough for her to make out the shadowed rows of hardware supplies and the hulking oak desk where she’d seen her aunt countless times, cashing out Walker Beach patrons and dishing out a larger-than-life smile. The place still smelled of wood dust and lemon, a mixture so familiar that she hadn’t realized she’d missed it until now.

Madison reached for the light switch, but as she did, the back door creaked open and something clattered to the ground. Even from the front of the store, she could hear the wooden floorboards in the back groan and settle as someone walked across them.

Her breath stuttered. Was a thief taking advantage of the relatively quiet day on Main Street and the store that had been empty for more than four months? Walker Beach, California, had always been synonymous with safety, but a lot could have changed in the ten years since Madison had lived here.

Tiptoeing to the closest shelf where the hammers once had been stored, she fumbled along until she gripped a solid wooden handle. As quietly as she could, she crept toward the back, where someone was making quite a racket. If it were a thief, they were not a stealthy one.

After advancing through the front room, she tucked herself behind the desk and peered around the corner into the small kitchen that served as a break room. Her eyes first caught sight of the open back door and the sand and ocean just beyond. Then her gaze roamed the room, landing on a pair of legs. What the . . .

A man was lying on his back, his head stuck underneath the break room sink, a wrench in his hand. And he was humming. Loudly.

OK, so most likely not a thief, unless there was some black-market demand for plumbing parts she didn’t know about. But for some reason the heightened speed of her pulse continued. Madison stepped fully into the room. “What are you doing in my store?”

The man surged into a sitting position, his head smacking the top of the cabinet along the way. The wrench hurtled to the ground as he covered his face with his hands, groaning.

Sucking in a breath, Madison rushed forward. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

But at that moment, the man lowered his hand, and Madison couldn’t help the gasp that fell from her lips.

What washedoing here?

Evan Walsh was as handsome now as he’d been during their senior year of high school. Instead of the tousled hair that had always made him appear as if he’d just rolled out of bed, he sported a casual blond brush-up. A defined jawline and full stubble had replaced sparse whiskers, and his wider shoulders gave way to crafted arms that peeked out from the rolled sleeves of his blue dress shirt. The only thing that hadn’t changed about him were those piercing aqua eyes, the ones that had inspired more than one female at Walker Beach High to compose a silly love poem.

And yet, the sight of him still clenched Madison’s stomach. “I asked what you’re doing in my store.”

“Yourstore?” He studied her for a moment, eyebrows puckered in confusion, until his eyes widened. “Oh, wow, you must be Madison.”

He made it sound like he had no idea who she was. As if he hadn’t spent months writing her pen pal letters that had ended up being a cruel joke. Evan Walsh, of all people, should have known her name.

Or maybe he only remembered the one he’d invented for her.

“Yeah, I’m Madison.”NotLizard Lady.

Evan stared at her, a grin curling around his lips. “And, Madison, tell me, what exactly are you planning to do with that?” His amused gaze traveled to her hand, and she looked down.

Instead of the hammer she’d intended to grab in defense, she’d snagged a plunger.

She set it down onto the small table behind her as her cheeks reddened. “I thought you were a thief.”

“And so you said, ‘Hey, I’ll plunge the guy to death?’” Evan stood and brushed off his beige slacks, chuckling.

Madison backed up at his sudden nearness. “Well? Why are you here?”

“Your aunt asked me to keep an eye on things until you came back or sold the place. Of course, if I’d known it would be nearly five months, I’d have asked for double what she was paying me.” At her lack of reply, he tilted his head, his smile disappearing. “Hey, it’s just a joke. Are you OK?”

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