Page 19 of From Grumpy to Forever
“It’s true. Craig Carlson started this shop a few years back, and it truly is the best.”
What I really wanted was a glass of wine, or something stronger. Maybe a whiskey would be better suited considering the meeting I’d just come out of and the news I was going to have to deliver to Reid. The lawyer hadn’t been able to find a loophole. Which meant I was about to lose the inn.
Keeping the smile on my face all of a sudden felt impossible. I dropped my gaze to the black and white tile floor for a moment in an effort to regain my composure.
“Hey.”
Reid’s hand on my bare arm was almost as good as the hug I really needed. I looked up into his concerned eyes.
“Not only is his ice cream the best, but it’s pretty much known as fact to make any day better. Isn’t that right, Quinn?”
“It’s true,” the girl said earnestly. “When I first moved here, I was having a bad day, missing my friends back home, and Uncle Reid brought me for ice cream.”
The idea of the grumpy, growly Reid doing something so sweet made me melt a little. “He did?” I focused on the girl, which was for the best because Reid was still touching my arm and it was causing all kinds of sensations to race through me, which was only making me even more twisted up inside.
“Yup,” she said matter-of-factly. “And now, every time I have ice cream with him, it’s a good day.”
Just like that, the smile came back naturally to my face. I looked at Reid, who shrugged.
“What can I say? It’s powerful ice cream.”
Something told me it had nothing to do with the ice cream.
“What do you say?” he pushed. “You seem like you might be a maple walnut kind of woman?”
“Maple walnut?” I pretended to be offended. “I’m a chocolate girl. The more the better.”
Reid slid his hand off my arm. “I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, I was almost convinced that it was magical ice cream. The double chocolate fudge Reid handed me was groan-worthy delicious. But it was the banter between Reid and his niece that I had to credit for helping me forget my troubles. It seemed the grumpy handyman had met his match in a twelve-year-old girl.
“My uncle says you’re his new boss.” Quinn shifted the conversation to me, and just like that, I lost my appetite.
I pushed the cup of ice cream away. “I…well…I…”
“Actually, Quinn. Avery and I are going to go over the final details this afternoon. So she’s not officially my boss yet.”
Hoping that my face looked as neutral as possible, I glanced quickly between them and nodded. “That’s right.”
“Well, that’s my cue to leave then.” Quinn wiped her face with a napkin, grabbed her backpack off the floor, and jumped up. “I wanted to go check out that new bookshop anyway. See you at home, Uncle Reid.”
Home?
“It was nice to meet you, Avery.” The girl flashed me a smile. “He’s right, you know. You really are pretty when you smile. I hope whatever made you sad isn’t too bad.”
My mouth dropped open, but still, I somehow managed to say goodbye and wait until Quinn had made her exit before I let my smile slip away again.
“Okay,” Reid said as soon as we were alone. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on? Because if you decided to hire Danny Davis after all?—”
“I’m not hiring anyone.” I stopped him. “I’m going to lose the inn.”
Chapter Eleven
Reid
There is no way I heard her correctly.
“You’re what?”
