When the phone rang, Hayden said, “I’ll get it. You go grab lunch.”
Dad nodded and went to the back of the store as Hayden picked up the portable phone off the counter. “Price’s Hardware, where we have the best price in town. This is Hayden, how may I help you?”
“Hi, Hayden. It’s Riley.”
He gripped the phone, instinctively turning around and putting his back to the door. “Hi, Riley,” he said, making sure to keep his tone businesslike, as if she were just another customer. The drumming in his heart wasn’t exactly cooperating. “How may I help you?”
“I said I would call you today.” She paused. “About helping me with Mimi’s house.”
“Oh, right.” He sounded like he had forgotten, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It had taken everything he had to keep a cool distance and not approach her at church yesterday. He wasn’t used to struggling this much. Calming his emotions had always come easy to him. As a pitcher, he couldn’t allow himself to feel excitement or pressure or anxiety, and especially not during a big game or when the score was on the line. Being on autopilot and leaning on his training was key.
But how did he go on autopilot when it came to Riley? Somehow he would have to figure it out because Erma needed help, and fixing up her property was something he wanted to do for her.
“Could you stop by tonight?” Riley asked. “I can show you what needs work, and we can draw up the contract.”
“Is your lawyer going to be there?” He meant for it to come out sounding like a joke, but his tone was too sharp.Great.So much for keeping cool.
A pause. “I’m capable of writing a simple agreement.”
She sounded a little touchy, and he couldn’t blame her after his lawyer dig. He tempered his tone. “I’ll be there after six.”
“Thank you.” She hung up.
He stared at the phone, cleared his screen, and put it in his pocket. Whatever. He’d finish Erma’s projects, and then he and Riley wouldn’t have to cross paths again. He was even questioning what he saw in her in the first place. Good. He needed to hang on to that attitude if he was going to work with her.
Hayden went back to the office, expecting his father to be at his desk eating the lunch Mom packed for him this morning, since Jasper hadn’t shown up today. But his father wasn’t there, and Hayden saw the note he’d left.
Gone to the diner for lunch. Call if you want me to bring you anything back.
He sat on the swivel chair and thought about what he wanted to eat. It was better than thinking about Riley. As he tried to decide between a chef salad and chicken tenders, he straightened a stack of tool catalogs on his father’s desk, then saw a piece of paper with familiar letterhead at the top.Henry Price, Esq.His brother’s law practice. Why was his brother sending a formal letter to their father?
Hayden picked up the letter and read it, his stomach churning by the time he finished. Despite the fancy header, the contents weren’t about legal business. Instead, it was about his father selling the store.
Reeling from what he’d just read, he set the letter back on the desk and covered it with a catalog. His father had found a buyer and asked Henry to look over the contract since Dad wasn’t using a real estate broker and was selling the property on his own. Henry had scrutinized everything and said it was a fair offer. But his brother’s last words had driven the sharp point home.“Don’t hesitate to accept.”
Hayden stood and yanked his cell out of the pocket of his cargo shorts and tapped his brother’s number. The phone rang a few times before Henry answered.
“Hey, Hayden,” he said. “How’s it goin’?”
“Dad is selling the store?”
Silence.
“Yes. How did you find out?”
Hayden explained. He didn’t care if Henry chastised him for reading information not meant for him. Right now he had to get down to the bottom of why their father was giving up on the family business.
But Henry didn’t say anything about Hayden reading the private correspondence. “So, I take it he hasn’t said anything to you yet.”
“Not a word. Does Mom know?”
“Yes.”
Hayden thrust his hand through his hair and started to pace. “Why didn’t they tell me?”
“I’m sure they have their reasons.”
“I bet Harrison knows.”
