Page 47 of Out to Get Her
Erin waved back. As she reached the car, she shouted, “Thank Addie! She’s become quite the town matchmaker.”
“Town meddler is more like it!”
“I’ll take it either way.” Erin closed the car door and gave one last wave through the window before driving off.
The sun hadn’t fully set yet. That late summer sunset with the orangey-pink haze blanketed the surrounding fields.
Samantha went back inside where Dexter stood in front of the door, staring up at her. Silently judging her. But it seemed she had his approval because he grunted and wobbled off to bed now that their guest had exited and the excitement was over for the evening.
That left Samantha completely alone. Something she was used to. Something she should be fine with.
She looked over at the empty containers and bottles on the table.
Two sets.
She didn’t know what any of this meant. Her desire for company. Her complete failure today. Inevitably losing the election. Her feelings for Erin. Thatkiss.
She wasn’t someone who did things like that. Something so impulsive. Something that felt so good.
For the first time ever, she decided not to worry about anything. She planned to watch TV with Dexter and not think about any of it. Those were Tomorrow Samantha’s problems.
ChapterFifteen
Erin slippedthe last bead on the head pin. Then she grabbed her pliers to form a loop and attached a jump ring to connect the ear wire.
She lifted the completed pair, checking that the beads on each lined up correctly and that the loops were the same size and shape, and that nothing looked wonky. She shifted them in the light, examining her craftsmanship from different angles.
Perfect.
Her shoulders relaxed with a tiny sigh of satisfaction. Making jewelry always provided a sense of focused calm. Better than any meditation app.
She slipped them onto a card and into her “done” box.
Only forty-nine more pairs to go.
The sort-of-good news was that a tropical storm had popped up in the gulf and took aim at New Orleans. Forecasters weren’t expecting major damage or evacuations, but the store would be closed for a day or two, giving Erin a few extra days to settle things here in Etta.
More good news was they’d sold out of her pieces at all the owner’s locations and wanted a re-order delivered when she returned. Plus, she’d gotten more online orders than she’d planned for, so she needed to restock, package, and ship those, too.
Aside from money in her account, more orders meant more to do while she waited to finalize everything and sell this house… if this murder case ever got solved. More to do meant less time to think about a certain officer of the law and a certain kiss they’d shared.
She hadn’t meant to kiss Samantha Ardoin. It just sort of happened.
No, that was a lie. Erin hadmadeit happen. With an assist from Addie, of course.
She’d always wondered about Samantha, even though she’d only dated guys in school. Erin never suspected that was an act or a cover. But she’d also seen… something else. Something in the way Samantha had looked at her. Even back in high school, when Erin had been dating Sam’s friend.
The more she thought, the more she remembered those little moments. Lingering glances. Tiny smiles. Last night’s kiss proved it hadn’t all been in her imagination.
But that didn’t mean kissing Samantha had been a good idea. Far from it.
A knock on the front door set Marty squawking. Great. Her head was already pounding.
Erin pushed up, stretching her legs a bit before she hobbled over to see who it was.
“Just checking on my two favorite neighbors,” Zach chirped as she let him in.
“We’re practically your only neighbors. And barely that. There’s a whole cane field between us.”
