Page 8 of The Trouble With Attraction (Rock Canyon, Idaho 6)

“Gemma, I think she is avoiding your questions,” Ryan said.

Gracie backed up towards the counter, facing her friends. “Not avoiding, just not quenching your thirst for gossip.”

“So gossip is okay as long as it’s not about you?” Gemma asked.

Before she could answer, Gracie bumped into something that was big, hard, and smelled really, really good. As two large hands steadied her, she bent her neck back and looked up.

Into the upside down eyes of Eric Henderson.

Twisting out of his grasp, she crossed her arms and faced him. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to get some crack with a side of arsenic.”

“Huh?” she asked.

“You compared your coffee to crack and told me you’d make me a breakfast sandwich with arsenic. I’ve come to collect on both.”

“I’m not giving you free coffee and food. Nothing happened.”

Eric covered his chest with both hands. “Oh, how you wound me.”

“If only I had a spork, I’d cut your black heart out slowly.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a tiny bundle of violence?” he asked.

“I’ll get your stuff.” Gracie walked behind the counter and grabbed her apron that read, “Kiss My Cupcakes.”

“Gracie, are you going to hold a grudge forever?”

Sarcasm oozed from every pore in her body as she leaned on the counter and gave him wide, innocent eyes. “I don’t know. We’ll see if after I die, I come back as a ghost. Pretty sure I’ll still hate you though.”

Grimly he paid for his food and coffee as she totaled him out. When she handed him his order, she said, “Feel free to never enter my shop again.”

Eric took it and leaned towards her, his eyes brimming with an unholy light.

“Gracie, you can’t get rid of me that easy. You want a war?” He lowered his voice, bringing his face within inches of hers. “You got one.”

As Gracie stood there frozen, watching him leave the shop, she silently cursed herself.

Because, for just a split second, she’d thought he’d been about to kiss her.

And to her utter humiliation, she still wasn’t completely opposed to the idea.

Chapter Four

July

Gracie walked into Buck’s Shot Bar, her green eyes scanning the crowd for her friends. Tomorrow was the Rock Canyon Independence Day Extravaganza, and Buck’s was having a five-dollar pitcher night with the purchase of an order of their Independence Fries. It was a pretty genius move, if the packed house was any indication. Most people had the day off tomorrow and obviously weren’t worried about the hangover.

Finally, Gracie spotted Gemma, Mike, Ryan, and Gregg sitting at one of the tables, and headed their way.

“Hey, guys!” Gracie flopped down in one of two empty chairs next to Mike.

“Hi,” Gemma said, looking past her towards the door. “Where’s Jake?”

Gracie’s mouth thinned. She had been expecting the question, of course. Jake Paulson had been her main squeeze for going on four months, a record for her really, and for a minute, she had actually thought he was the one.

Thank God she’d come to her senses.

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