Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1) (17 page)

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Authors: Inés Saint

Tags: #Romantic Comedy, #Contemporary, #Romance, #Fiction, #Forever Love, #Adult, #Bachelor, #Single Woman, #Spinning Hills, #Ohio, #Town History, #Small Town, #Amador Brothers, #Community, #Hammer & Nails, #Renovating Houses, #Perfumer, #Military Brat, #Ramshackle House, #Craftsman Style, #Young Daughter, #Single Mother, #Real Estate Flipper, #Outbid, #Auction, #Family Tradition, #Neighbors, #Optimism, #Fairy Tale Ending, #Dream House, #Quirky, #Line Streets, #Old-Fashion Town, #Settling Down, #Houseful Of Love, #Flipped!

BOOK: Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1)
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Emily grabbed her arm and pulled her in. “Don’t leave. We need to have a chat.”
Holly pulled away. “No way. You two are getting your sexy on, and Stanley and I refuse to be the clueless, inopportune neighbors.”
“Leo’s been whining nonstop about a hockey game he’s missing, and I hardly think he’s doing it to butter me up.” Emily rolled her eyes toward the living room.
“I can hear you, and you know I came home to watch the game. We need another TV.”
Stanley’s ears pricked at the sound of Leo’s voice and he at once began to squirm. Holly put him down and he scurried off for some guy time with Leo.
“Second TVs are the reason the American family is falling apart,” Emily shot back before hauling Holly down the hall and into the den. “See? We’re
so
not getting our sexy on.” She chuckled. “Now sit down. You and Dan left Huffy’s together. What’s that about?” Emily crossed her legs and propped her chin on one hand.
Holly closed her eyes. If she didn’t tell somebody, she’d implode. “Dan and I have kissed. Three times.”
“
What?
”
“I know! I don’t even know how it happened, but I’ve gotten to know him better, and as crazy as it seems, I—I get him.” She drew in a deep breath and exhaled on a sigh. “The first time we kissed, it felt so
good.
I loved it. I needed it . . . but tonight we kissed again and I felt
more
.”
“Honey, I know you’ve only been with one man, and it’s been a long time, but you do know it’s natural for a man to become aroused just by kissing, right?”
Holly managed a smile. “That’s not what I meant by
more
.”
“Oh. Okay, go on.”
“It’s hard to describe, but it was as if I got to kiss Dan’s soul or something. It was scary in a way.”
“Oh.” Emily’s eyes got all warm. “That’s lovely. Do you think he felt the same thing?”
“I don’t know, but it wouldn’t matter if he did.”
“Because he’ll eventually leave?”
“There’s that.” Holly laid her head back and stared at the ceiling.
“I can’t allow myself to forget how judgmental and uncompromising he can be.” She studied the pattern stamped onto the ceiling, trying hard to bring order to her scattered thoughts. Litter from the past kept creeping in, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to push it out.
How weak she’d been to let everyone convince her that her dreams were stupid. How stupid she’d been to push herself aside over and over again. How she hated the mistakes she’d made because of it . . . She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Every time I feel good about how far I’ve come, I remember what I did to Ben, and I feel . . .
diminished
.”
Emily remained quiet for a moment. “You know, I’ve never been able to feel a connection with ‘perfect people’. I only seem to bond with people who know they’ve made mistakes and who know what it’s like to regret them. You’re human. You’re real. And you need to forgive yourself.”
Holly’s chest tightened. “Because of me, a great kid has a mostly absentee dad, and a great dad was forced into being mostly absent. How can I forgive myself that?”
“Don’t set aside what he did, Holly. His actions were the catalyst.”
“But my choices were my own.”
Emily sighed. “Sweetie, why are you beating yourself up over Ben? I thought you came here to talk about Dan.”
Holly drew in a deep breath and sat up. “There’s really nothing more to say about him.”
“Of course there is.” Emily reached over and squeezed Holly’s knee. “You still haven’t told me whether he’s a good kisser or what you plan on doing about him.”
Holly finally cracked a smile. “Obviously, he’s too good for my peace of mind. And I’m planning to avoid being alone with him.”
“That should be easy enough . . . if it’s what you really want.”
CHAPTER 10
F
or the first time in a long time, a sense of contentment had settled over Dan. He and his brothers were spending a lot of time together, making plans for the remaining twenty-four houses, playing at Huffy’s during slow weekends, and finding excuses to get together for beer. They’d talk sports, music, and politics. They were older and living their own lives, so he hardly ever ran into Marianne. Only thoughts of Holly agitated him. They hadn’t spoken to each other in two weeks.
Friday evening tours were over. She was no longer knocking on the door, no longer trespassing.
Dan would occasionally see her with Ella in the mornings, but their paths and gazes never crossed. Holly was always in a hurry, her attention focused on her daughter. They met up in the library once and exchanged nods as greetings.
Right now, they were sitting at the same table at Huffy’s, but their words and smiles were directed to everyone but each other. Laughter and conversation flowed easily.
“Hey, you’re looking at home,” Johnny observed.
“You know, I’ve got an idea for a different kind of project. It might interest you.” Sam lifted his shoulder in a careless shrug.
Emily sighed, plunked her drink down, and turned to them. “Why don’t you guys just ask him to move up here? It’s what you want. Jeez.”
Johnny grinned. “Dan’s easily spooked. Gotta be careful around him. Ease him into new ideas slowly.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Dan watched Holly. She sat still and listened in on their conversation, but never looked their way. Sam and Johnny nursed their beers, but didn’t look at him.
“Some people just need to roam and you shouldn’t try to get them to stay.” Holly shrugged. He looked at her, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. So she wanted him to leave? Because they’d kissed and enjoyed it?
“What’s this big project you have in mind?” He turned his attention to Sam.
“Not here.” Sam winked.
Holly’s cell phone rang and she looked at her caller ID. She didn’t recognize the number, but she got up and answered anyway. The idea of Dan staying in Spinning Hills filled her with mixed feelings, and she didn’t want to examine them too closely. The expression on his face when Emily mentioned it told her it was the last thing he wanted to do. But then he’d looked at his brothers and that expression had softened, whether he realized it or not.
“Hello,” she answered when she was far enough from the noise.
“Hello, may I speak to Holly Bell?”
“This is she.”
“My name is Claire Dodson. I was told by Steve and Debbie Glazer you were interested in a stained-glass window I have in my possession?”
Holly’s heart nearly stopped. The second stained-glass window!
They spoke for a few minutes, Holly’s excitement mounting. Mrs. Dodson had other Spinning Hills memorabilia. They went back and forth for a while, negotiating on the stained-glass window, and agreeing on the day after Thanksgiving for Holly to pick it up. The woman was difficult and wanted everything her way. She spent an inordinate amount of time talking about herself and Holly was itching to hang up.
When they were finally done, she hurried back to the table to tell Dan.
Midway there, she slowed her steps. The window was for his house, not hers. Probably she should’ve let him negotiate the deal. And he’d want to go pick it up. She wanted to go see the memorabilia.
But if she didn’t tell him and surprised him with it, he might take it as a grand gesture on her part. Her mouth twisted. As if she’d go through all that trouble for him.
By the time she reached the table, she had a plan. Dan was a busy man. She’d wait until the last possible moment to tell him about the window and then offer to pick it up for him.
Leo and Emily were hosting a formal Thanksgiving dinner for close friends and family at their house, and Dan welcomed the opportunity to wear a suit. He’d been living in jeans and flannels for far too long. Everyone was to contribute a homemade dish. Dan made trail mix.
He walked up the cobbled path of the steeply pitched, stone and wood-shingled cottage and took a moment to admire the arched, single-panel oak door. Sam did good work in bringing out the fantasy element in each house he restored. When the door swung open, he half-expected a tiny gingerbread man to come running out.
Instead, a wild-eyed Leo greeted him with a stinging back slap before leading him into the large main living area. Emily said a quick hi before gutting Leo with a stack of plates. “It’s our first time hosting,” he explained before rushing away.
“You’re doing great,” Dan called after them. The fireplace had a nice fire going, and a rustic, two-tier chandelier bathed the room and its ginger and tan Thanksgiving decorations in a soft light. The dining room table had been moved to the front of the room and was full of Thanksgiving favorites, while the built-in sideboard contained a variety of glasses and drinks. Folding tables and chairs lined the perimeter of the room.
People were milling around, chatting, and enjoying themselves. Dan knew almost everyone there and it was a welcome change. Whenever he was invited anywhere, he usually only knew the hosts and a few other people. He guessed it was the difference between home and everywhere else.
Sam and Heather were chatting with Holly, Ruby, and Sherry in one corner of the room.
The moment he caught sight of Holly, he knew he’d tell her his news, only because it was the perfect excuse to talk to her. He took a page from her book and blamed his nose for wanting to be near her. It knew what she smelled like and was half-addicted to the memory. Her scent always drifted to him when they were at the same table, but not from across a room.
His eyes were playing a number on him, too. How could he not want to stand a little closer when she wore a sparkly, silver dress that set off everything about her that glowed?
Her short, throaty laugh, the one that ended with a small snort, reached him, and he set off in her direction. It wasn’t a musical sound, but it was cute and he’d missed it.
It was a wicked trick, to claim his senses that way.
When Holly saw him, she turned toward Leo and Emily, who were coming to her from the opposite direction. “We always seem to gravitate to each other,” she said to Emily.
“You’re right. You’d think you’d be gravitating toward some of the single men here instead of standing around with couples,” Emily answered, stepping into the group Holly had just left.
“I’m a single man, I’ll take her away for a few minutes,” Dan spoke up.
Everyone looked at him. It had been a joke, but they were all serious. He cleared his throat. “I’m just kidding. I have some news for her, that’s all.”
When neither he nor Holly budged, Sherry shook her head as if she was looking at a lost cause. “We’ll leave you two alone then. Let’s all take five steps to the side.” Everyone laughed.
 
Holly’s belly got fluttery and her palms became moist. She dearly wanted to know how she could put an end to her physical reactions. The chaste berry and primrose oil Grandma Ruby recommended hadn’t worked, and seeing him in a suit had her in uncomfortable tingles. “You have some news for me?” she prompted. His hair had grown since he’d rolled into town, and it now curled under the collar of his dress shirt. Her hands itched to pull it out. And touch it. Run her fingers through it. Pull it.
She closed her eyes for a beat, wishing someone would slap her.
“I found some original paperwork buried in the corner of the attic. I thought you’d want to know Owen Amador didn’t finish building the Craftsman. A man named Milton Davis put the finishing touches on it.”
She glanced up. “Really? Poor Owen! He must’ve been suffering from too much unrequited love to finish it.”
Dan glanced down at her, a smile in his eyes. “Or he was fired before he got to finish it.”
“Fired? No way.” Holly shook her head. “The house was being beautifully and lovingly built. I’ve always felt it. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to live in it. Besides, I looked Owen up in Dayton Metro Library’s archives and he was a sought-after builder in the region. Why would anyone fire a great builder?”
Dan shot her a mischievous grin that sent the butterflies in her stomach into a tizzy. “Maybe Nathaniel McDowell caught him making eyes at Miranda. We Amadors have a history of falling for the wrong woman, you know. It’s why we’re cursed.”
“Owen wouldn’t have done that. He was careful.”
He smiled and held her gaze. “Really? How do you figure that?”
“Because he hid that letter so well. He was careful about it.”
“A careful person wouldn’t have written the letter in the first place. If it’s dangerous to let your feelings be known, you don’t.”
“But the more powerful a feeling becomes, the more that feeling needs a vent, or it becomes dangerous to your well-being. The letter was a much-needed vent, but he was careful about it.”
Dan shook his head, and Holly wondered how they had gone from avoiding each other to having a meaningful discussion so fast. She leaned against the window and looked out. A few neighbors were putting lights up. The truth was, she and Dan had become unlikely friends at some point, and she’d been missing her new friend.
“What are you thinking?”
She shrugged. “Nothing much. People are beginning to put lights up and I love seeing Christmas lights twinkling outside, Christmas trees through windows, and smoke coming out of chimneys. It suits the town.”
Dan looked outside, too, and they were silent for a while. She caught his reflection in the window, and it seemed as if he’d been staring at her reflection the whole time. “Anything new in Holly-world?” he asked, turning to her again with a devastating grin.
She blinked and gave her head a quick shake. “I have news, too. Remember Debbie from Charleston?”
Dan nodded and took a sip of his drink.
“Well, she found the old owner’s e-mail address and sent her my information. She called and offered to sell the stained-glass window to me, plus she said she had other Spinning Hills memorabilia.”
“How much does she want?”
“Five hundred dollars.”
“Did you negotiate it down?”
Holly nodded. “She lives near Toledo and she was very firm about only being able to meet with me tomorrow at noon. Apparently, her husband has been sick, but it’s been tougher on her than him. Ella and I are driving up. I’ll pick it up for you.”
“I’m not buying sight unseen and tomorrow’s no good for me.”
“I’ll text you a picture of a close-up.”
“I need to take a good look at it. If you switch it to Saturday, I’ll go with you guys.”
“No. You should trust me to know what I’m about by now. I’ll make sure it’s the real deal before buying it, but you can’t come. Ella and I are leaving at six so we can stop at Imagination Station for an hour or two.”
“Fine, then. I’ll ask Johnny to supervise a few things for me tomorrow and I’ll drive my car up and meet you there at three.”
“That’s stupid, both of us driving up in separate cars,” she said without thinking.
“Then we agree, we’ll take my car.” Dan took a sip of his drink to hide his smile, his eyes never leaving hers. He must’ve seen the worry there, though, because his expression turned serious. “I promise I’ll go my own way when we get to Imagination Station. I won’t intrude on your family time.” He then leaned in and spoke low, “And don’t worry. With Ella there, you’ll behave.”
“Like I’m the one who needs to behave.” Holly scratched the ear he’d tickled with his breath and smiled despite herself. With Ella there, they’d definitely keep their hands and lips to themselves. And it would be nice to go with someone who’d enjoy picking through old stuff as much as she would. “All right. But only if Ella and I pick the music the whole way there and back.”
Dan hesitated. “As long as you don’t choose anything by Toto, any power ballads, or any bubblegum rock.”
“Deal. That reminds me. You mentioned you like
Thriller
?”
“I do,” he answered, eyes narrowing. “I don’t mind if you play that on the way.”
“That’s not why I ask. I just wondered if you were aware that four of the six members of Toto worked on that album.”
 
Dan laughed at her triumphant expression. “No, I wasn’t aware of that. How long have you been sitting on that?”
“About a week.” She grinned. “I’ve been dying to tell you.”
He searched her eyes, wondering if she’d missed his company as much as he’d missed hers. “You know, a good marathon make-out session could’ve cured you of past regrets. We never did get very far.”
“That would instill a whole new set of regrets in me, and we agreed not to go there.”
“
A whole set?
I’m not even going to ask why.”
“A whole set of what?” Johnny asked, joining them.
“Er, a whole set of... deviled eggs. I brought a set of deviled eggs. That was my dish,” Holly said.

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