Page 7 of The Do-Over Girl

“How about going out for a beer and some dinner?” I say. “We can talk about the reno details. You can give me some leads on a contractor.”

“Plenty of time for that tomorrow. I have to get home to my family. But don’t worry, I have it on good authority that Charline Pike will take good care of you. She’ll have a home-cooked meal waiting for you at six every night like clockwork.”

“A home-cooked meal? What’s that? I don’t remember the last time I ate one of those.”

“See you bright and early tomorrow.” Archie pauses and locks his gaze with mine. “And Nash, thank you for coming back. I know you had other options.”

Too many other options. That was the problem. None of them made sense, but I don’t tell him that. “Don’t thank me until the season’s over. See you tomorrow.” He takes off in his truck, and I take off on foot in the opposite direction, toward the town center a couple blocks away.

It’s odd walking down Main Street in Andrews Point the way I used to do as a kid, but I would have felt ridiculous driving my car three blocks from the school to the inn. A sea breeze brings a strong sense of the past, and I could swear I hear Kali’s laugh the way it used to sound when we were in school. When we were in love. Or thought we were.

Passing the cluster of giant red maples, I see the inn beyond the white picket fence and rows of blue hydrangeas lining the porch.

And there she is. Kali struggles with an arm full of boxes as she tries to wrestle open the screen door one-handed. She’s moving into the fucking inn? Where I’m staying?

Holy fucking shit. My juice ramps up like the coach just blew his whistle, signaling me onto the ice. I can hear the pounding of my own heartbeat. By the time I climb the porch steps, she’s halfway in the door, and it’s about to knock her boxes to the ground. I take them from her and prop the door open with my foot.

She stumbles inside with relief while I balance the boxes in front of me.

“Thank you,” she says until she looks past the boxes and sees it’s me. Her smile disappears like a puck trapped behind the net. “What are you doing here? Did you follow me?”

“Why would I do that?” My dick tells me the reason, thickening up and getting uncomfortably claustrophobic in my pants. Shit. I maintain my smile. “I’d planned to stay away from you as much as possible since you’ve made it clear with your unfriendly reception earlier that you’re still not over me.”

I don’t bother holding back my full-on grin at the spectacular fireworks of indignation lighting up her face, not to mention the blush of agitation pinking up her cheeks as she heaves those magnificent breasts.