Read Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1) Online

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!

Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1) (8 page)

BOOK: Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1)
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“You know, I apologized for hurting your feelings and I meant it, but you never apologized for hurting mine. You called me an ass. And a keister.”
“I’m sure you cried yourself to sleep. Now, do we have a deal or not?”
He looked up at the sky before meeting her eyes. “Fine. I’ll take it if you agree not to play anymore Hall and Oates or Toto. I can hear it in the house and it gives me a migraine.”
Holly sighed. “Now you’re criticizing my taste in music?”
“I’m just saying—”
“Beggars can’t be choosers, Dan. Take it or leave it.
Last chance
.”
He blew out a breath, held his hand out, and they shook on it.
“I feel as if I’ve made a deal with the devil,” she muttered as she turned to go inside.
He grinned at that. “See, we’re not that different. I was thinking the same thing.”
 
When he came around to the front of the house, he ran into Leo, and they caught up a bit.
“Do you want to come in for a beer? You can see what Sam did with the house.”
“I wish I could, but I’ve got too much work to do. I gotta say, though, he did a great job on the apartment downstairs. I didn’t know it had been him, but I’m not surprised.”
“You were in the apartment? With Holly?” Leo’s eyebrows went up. Dan walked backward. “You have nothing to worry about. I was there on business.”
Leo shrugged. “Well, the apartment wasn’t Sam. It was after the fact and he didn’t have time. Holly managed the whole renovation in exchange for six months of living there rent-free.”
Dan stopped. He’d complimented Holly’s work when he’d complimented the apartment, but she hadn’t taken credit for it, even though it would’ve made him stuff a few words about how she couldn’t manage a renovation down his throat. Why hadn’t she said anything?
He shrugged. Maybe she knew a basement renovation was nothing compared to rehabbing a house.
 
“Did he leave?” Ella poked her head from behind the hallway wall.
“He’s gone, sweetie.”
“You said he was mean. Why did you let him inside?”
“Well, he wants to be friends now.”
“But he was mean and you said we couldn’t be friends,” she said, sitting on the chair in front of her coloring book.
“I—well, yes. But we’re friends with Sam and Johnny and they want us all to get along, so I decided to give it a try. But he’s not tea-party material yet. And he probably never will be. We’re just going to be polite to him. That’s all.”
Ella considered it. “Okay.” She shrugged and continued to color.
A wave of tenderness washed over Holly. Her daughter trusted her in matters both big and small. She’d trusted her own mother in much the same way. And her mother had trusted Grandma Ruby. Time had shown each daughter that mothers did not always know best. It wasn’t until Holly had Ella that she’d understood the trust hadn’t been misplaced. They all just did their best with what they had.
“What are you’re wearing for Halloween tomorrow?” Ella asked.
“I think I’m going as a gypsy, in honor of Grandma Ruby.”
 
Dan knocked on the window next to the Gypsy Fortune Café’s carved mahogany door early the next morning. They were still closed, but it was the only way Dan would be able to visit with them the way he knew they wanted him to. Three pairs of eyes looked up. Sherry rushed to open the door.
Rosa looked up, dropped the broom she’d been sweeping with, and hurried over, which couldn’t be easy in her zebra-striped heels and pencil skirt. She opened the door and engulfed him in a warm hug. He was soon surrounded by all three women. They pulled him toward a chair and offered him treats left and right.
He chuckled and put his hands out in front of him. “Just regular coffee and fruitcake is fine, thanks.”
“Today’s fruitcake has pumpkin in it, too. In honor of Halloween,” Ruby said from behind the dessert counter.
“Why has it taken you so long to visit us?” Sherry demanded.
“It’s been crazier than I thought it would be, and you guys are always closed when I’m free. That’s why I came in so early today. Plus, I thought you were mad at me.”
Rosa took the dessert Ruby had served up and brought it to the table. “Well, we are. You weren’t very nice to Holly, were you?” She placed a gigantic piece of fruitcake in front of him and sat down.
“No. But we’ve come to an agreement and I’m going to try to make it up to her.”
“And she said you think she’s a fruitcake.” Sherry’s eyes twinkled. “Which is funny, because you’ve always liked fruitcake, but you don’t like her very much, do you?”
“See this?” Dan pointed to the scar above his eyebrow. “She doesn’t like me very much, either. And I never called her a fruitcake.”
Sherry’s eyes widened when she got a good look at the scar. “Well, you won’t soon forget her, that’s for sure.”
“Uh, maybe we should change the subject,” Rosa said, also looking at the scar.
“Let’s talk about Sam. I can’t believe he did something so crazy. Will he be okay?” Sherry asked.
Dan smiled. “He thought things through. He just doesn’t communicate them to everyone. But, trust me, he’ll be fine. Even if he didn’t have Johnny and me, he’d have found a way.”
Sherry and Rosa observed him enjoying his cake a moment, their faces beaming.
“What are you doing with your place in Atlanta while you’re here? Is anybody looking after it for you or do you have a roommate?” Sherry asked.
“Is that your way of asking if I’m in a relationship?” Dan grinned.
“Are you in a relationship?” Ruby called from behind the counter, where she was making his coffee.
“I date here and there. Nothing serious. My lease is almost up and I’ll have to go back down and put my stuff into storage till I figure out where I’ll go next.”
“You’re moving
again
?” Rosa frowned at him.
He shrugged. “There’s lots I want to see.”
“You always seemed so stable,” Ruby called again.
“I’m about as stable as one gets. I’ve got a steady job, I live a conflict and drama-free life, and I don’t need stuff.”
“Don’t you miss the friends you leave behind each time you move?” Sherry asked.
“It’s easy enough to meet new people,” he said between bites of cake. “E-mail and phone calls make it easy to stay in touch with anyone who cares to, and most of my good friends are all here.”
“You have a funny way of showing your good friends are here.” Rosa raised both eyebrows.
Dan laughed. “I know, I know. I’ve stayed away too long. I’ll come back more often now. I’m thinking at least once a year.”
That seemed to make them happy.
“Well, it’s good you came back. Even if Sam can handle things on his own, there’s no denying it’ll all flow more smoothly with the three of you working together.” Ruby brought him his coffee and a pack of cards, the backs of which read,
Angel Oracle Cards
. He lifted an eyebrow.
Sherry and Rosa laughed.
“You are the only native who has never let me tell them their fortune.” Ruby shot him a look that told him he wouldn’t get out of it this time.
“You yourself say it’s just for fun, so why bother?” Dan sat back and sipped his coffee.
“I’ve come to realize that a lot of what I’ve said has come true. I’m convinced I have some sort of gift,” Ruby explained, her eyes a little too bright.
“Are you going to sit there and take this heretic nonsense?” Dan taunted Rosa.
Rosa shrugged. “It isn’t heresy to believe God gave you a gift. And in Ruby’s case, it’s only old age talking.”
Rosa glared at her. “Old age my—”
“Please!” Sherry rolled her eyes. “Let’s not get into this again. You two should just let her have her fun.”
“Sure. Let’s do it.” Dan cleared his throat and braced himself.
“It’ll damn well be fun when I end up being right,
again
,” Ruby mumbled. “Now, ask a question,” she said to Dan.
Dan paused with his coffee midair. “I have to ask a question?”
“Yes, and it better be a good one.” Sherry leaned in.
Dan racked his brain, but he couldn’t come up with anything the meddlesome women would consider a good question. “You ask for me.” He nodded to Sherry.
Sherry bit her lip, her pale green eyes aglow. “Will Dan find true love?” she asked before cutting her eyes to Dan. “And don’t you dare roll your eyes.”
“Okay. I can see how this will be one of the fun ones.” Rosa wiggled in her seat. Dan shook his head at her, in mock disappointment. “Your reaction will be the fun part,” she explained.
“But Dan has to be the one to ask,” Ruby said. The three women looked at him and waited.
He blew out a breath. The things one did to appease women. “Will I ever find true love?” he muttered.
“No! Not like that. Close your eyes, breathe in and out a few times, clear your space, call your angels to your side, and then ask.
Like you mean it
.”
“Oh, I like that. I do believe in angels, you know.” Rosa clapped her hands together.
Dan channeled his inner Johnny. He made a huge show of closing his eyes, breathing, and clearing his space—and was kicked hard under the table for his efforts. He laughed, rubbed his shin, and asked in a booming voice, “Will I ever find true love?”
It was then Ruby’s turn to close her eyes. Her right hand moved over the deck of cards. “Will Dan Amador, the young man before me, ever find true love?” she asked in a soft, breathless voice. She then began shuffling the cards, eyes still closed. Rosa’s eyes had gotten very big, watching her. Dan and Sherry’s eyes met, and they both had to clamp their mouths down hard.
Ruby opened her eyes suddenly and Dan and Sherry sat up straight. Ruby looked down. “See this card?” she asked, pointing to a card that was sticking out.
Dan nodded and tried to look serious.
“When a card sticks out like that, it means it holds a special message.”
“Or that you need to work on your shuffling skills,” Sherry said.
“You’re ruining my energy.” Ruby said between clenched teeth.
“Your energy is fine. I feel perfectly at peace,” Dan reassured her, lest she want to start over.
Ruby chose the card that was sticking out and placed it facedown to her far right. She then chose two more cards and placed them facedown in front of her.
“Lift the first card and place it face up,” she instructed. Dan did as he was told and resisted looking down at his watch. The first card said,
Creative Project
, and it had a picture of angels fixing a harp.
Ruby’s eyes widened and she looked up sharply. “Lift the second card,” she commanded.
“Aren’t you supposed to tell me what the first card means?” Dan asked.
“Just do as you’re told.” Rosa waved him on.
Dan lifted the second card and placed it face up, as well. That one said,
Activation
, and it had a picture of an angel blowing fire.
Ruby gasped. The sound was so sharp and sudden, that Rosa and Sherry jumped. Dan couldn’t help it; he chuckled. “Well? Will I or won’t I?”
“Will you or won’t you what?” Sherry asked, confused.
“Find true love,” Rosa supplied. “Now lift the third card, the special one.” She patted Dan’s hand and looked as eager as Ruby.
“Who’s reading the cards and who’s the disbeliever here?” Ruby asked.
Rosa crossed her arms and sat back, a petulant look on her face. “I just want to get this over with. We need to open up soon. It’s almost seven.”
“You may lift the third card.” Ruby made a grand sweeping motion with her hand.
Dan flipped it over and the three women leaned in. The “three elements” card depicted three angels, one hovering within a spiral of wind, one swimming underwater, and one planting a seed, its hands full of earth.
Ruby slammed her hand on the table and even Dan jumped. “The Amador curse will be broken and you will find true love!” She placed the cards over her heart, a joyous look on her face. Abruptly, she put them back down. “And that is all I can tell you for now.”
“What? How did you get that from these three cards?” Sherry picked them up, turned them around, and studied them. She looked disappointed.
“I will tell you when the time is right!” Ruby exclaimed, looking pleased with herself.
Rosa scraped her chair back and stood up. “Not the curse again. How can I get you to understand that God would not permit your ancestors to put a curse on anybody’s descendants?” Rosa shook her head and mumbled something under her breath in Spanish before looking around. “I can tell you one thing; angels were not here if that’s what you came up with.”
“I’m not saying one person can’t curse another. The gypsies didn’t curse the Amadors. Sergio cursed his family with his actions,” Ruby explained.
“I don’t see much difference. You’re still saying they’re cursed and I’m telling you, curses don’t exist. People can rhyme, rant, and rave all they want. It doesn’t give them any power over anyone else.”
Dan sat back. He’d missed their bickering because it was harmless and he knew they enjoyed it. He wondered if they even remembered he was there and that it was his blighted family tree they were discussing.
“Answer me this: Who has a better chance at a happy life, a child born to poor, homeless drug addicts, or a child born into a loving, stable, middle-class family?” Ruby demanded.
“Both children have a chance,” Sherry chimed in.
Ruby narrowed her eyes at her. “I know they both have a chance. I asked who had the better chance.”
“Are you saying the poor child born to drug addicts is cursed?” Rosa shook her head.
Ruby closed her eyes and breathed in and out. “I’m saying behaviors are learned and patterns that have gone on for generations are hard to break and that it can all start with one person. I’m with you in believing that individual will can break through it all, but doesn’t Sergio Amador sound like a horrendous person to you? No offense, Dan.” Ruby looked down at him.
BOOK: Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1)
12.31Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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