Page 3 of Sweet on Her

She nods her golden-brown head and then cocks it. “If you don’t mind my asking, You’ve got the kind of skills that could make it anywhere. Why are you here in our little town?”

My stomach twists as I wonder the same thing. I shouldn’t be doing this. But Dad needs help and there’s nobody but me.

“I’m actually from here. I moved away to go to college and then got an internship with Mitchell Ferret. But now my Dad is sick and I need to be here for him. There’s nobody left.”

“Really? Wow, I’m sorry to hear that. But I’m happy that you’re here. Our business has been going crazy since what happened last month. It’s like everybody wants to show support for Franklin and I.”

I nod my head but I don’t ask her. I heard the bare bones and it’s enough to give me nightmares but this chipper woman is sitting here with me with a huge smile on her face and a look in her eyes when she says Franklin’s name that makes me jealous as hell. And I miss him.

The man I walked away from. The man that did everything for me and loved me like a crazy man. Yet, I left him. Without even seeing him face to face. I just sent him a fucking letter.

My mom thought it would be best and I cringe when I think about the fact that I listened to her. I shouldn’t have. I should have stuck up for the man I loved. Should have at least told him why. Maybe we’d still be together. Maybe we’d be married now and have children of our own. Instead of him being happily married and having children with another woman.

My heart flutters in my chest, aching wildly. I wish I could forget how he looked the one time I came home after my mother died, just before Christmas.

There he sat, in front of the coffee shop with her. The delicate, ethereal blond with impossibly blue eyes and the rounded belly that told me everything I needed to know. He’d moved on. He smiled sweetly at her and his hand cupped her belly, his touch gentle and sweet.

So I turned around and left. I didn’t care if anyone understood me. Didn’t care if I ever felt the way he made me feel. I was a damn idiot. I should never have listened to my mother. She always hated Hank and his brash family. His father, the previous fire chief, had snapped at her when she tried to tell him that his boys were a bit wild. She’d always been like that. Nosy and interfering. Judgmental.

And yet I listened to her and took myself over to Paris to learn hot to make fancy pastries and chocolates.

And by the time I came home, she was gone and Hank had moved on. There was nothing left for me here.

Except my father. And now he needs my help. When they called and told me that he’d disappeared and they couldn’t find him, my heart sank.

When he was found in the next town over, I knew that my time was over. I needed to take care of my only remaining family.

Her eyes drift down my body and I lift a brow. She smiles cheekily. “I’m just trying to figure out which one of the boys is gonna win you over.”

My head jerks back. “What?”

“Well, it’s like there’s a damn run on men in this town. One after another of them is falling like a ton of bricks for the ladies in town.”

Shuddering, I eye her. “I’m not interested. I’ve got my father to worry about.

“We’ll see. These boys are persistent.”

Shaking my head, I stack the papers up neatly. “Is it alright if I take these for my attorney to look over?”

She shrugs. “Of course. I’ve got nothing to hide.” She stands and holds out a hand. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

“Terrific. I think everything looks great but…”

“You should always have your attorney check everything out before you sign it.”

I point a finger at her and click my tongue. “You know the drill. Obviously you’ve heard that speech!”

She giggles. My Franklin is a very careful man.”

I’ve heard about the ex-cop. He’s a cautious man but considering what they’ve had to deal with, I get it.

“I bet one of the construction guys comes beating on the door for you. They’re a good-looking bunch. Have you seen the calendar?”

I shake my head and she opens a drawer and tosses one at me. “Here you go! Welcome to the neighborhood! Just don’t tell Franklin you got that from me. It’s for charity you know.”

I glance down and my cheeks get hot. Puppies and kittens and hot as hell guys in jeans and oiled-up chests with the occasional power tool? There’s enough testosterone on those pages to fuel every woman in a fifty-mile radius’s sexual fantasies.

“Ummm. Are these guys from here?”

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