AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her eyes flew open to find him staring at her with way too much perception, as if he knew what she wanted but would make her wait for it.
He’d be waiting a long time considering she had no intention of using his card.
“Bye, Blane.”
Her noncommittal reply fell on deaf ears as his confident smile broadened and she sent him a jaunty wave as she strolled away, resisting the urge to peek over her shoulder and see if he was watching her. By the heat burning holes in her back and spreading, he was, but she didn’t look back.
Just like he hadn’t when he’d walked out on her in Rainbow Creek.
Chapter Four
Camryn gnawed on her bottom lip, giving the screwdriver an extra vicious twist as she tried to fix the refrigerator door for the third time.
The screwdriver slipped, sheering off the hinge and gouging a deep gash into the pale oak cabinet housing the fridge, and she swore, shoving the useless tool back into the pink tool case designed especially for ‘the independent woman’.
“Is it thefreaking toolthat’s the problem or the supposed expert wielding it?”
Camryn narrowed her eyes, sending Anna a glare she reserved for rude customers. “I never said I was an expert.”
“No? Then what’s with the fancy tools?”
Anna’s grin widened as Camryn sprung up from her squatting position and kicked the offending tool case under the bench.
“Apparently they’re only good for hammering picture hooks or tightening the odd loose screw.” Which is exactly what she had—quite a few loose screws if she thought she could fix something requiring better biceps than hers.
“As for fixing fridge hinges…” she blew out an exasperated puff of air, casting a malevolent glance at the offending metalhinge. “I hate having to call a handyman to fix something as small as this.”
“But if you don’t, we’ll lose tomorrow’s cheesecake supply.” Anna paused, tapping a manicured fingernail against her bottom lip. “Know anyone we can call at short notice?”
Camryn’s heart sank.
She knew someone all right.
In fact, his business card had been burning a hole in her pocket all week. She’d had no intention of calling Blane despite the fact she did a double-take every time a tradesman entered the café, and she’d dreamed of his laid-back charming smile and twinkling grey eyes several nights since.
She should’ve thrown his card out and would have, if she’d been able to find it, but she had so many pairs of jeans she rotated as her ‘uniform’ she’d forgotten which pair she’d worn the night he’d waltzed back into her life.
She assumed she’d washed them anyway and that would’ve taken care of it, but as fate would have it, when she’d crouched down to fix the hinge something crackled in her back pocket and she’d found his card.
If she believed in all that airy-fairy fate crap she would say she was meant to call him. But she didn’t, so she’d put it down to luck instead. She needed a handyman, she’d found his card, she’d call him. That’s where it would end.
And if he tried charming her again, she’d plead a massive workload and hide out in the back storeroom until he finished the job.
“So, do you know anyone?” Anna winked. “Do you? Huh?”
Anna had been trying to get the lowdown on her supper with Blane all week and Camryn had told her the basics: they ate, they chatted, they parted company, end of story. Looked like she was about to open a new chapter.
Of course, she omitted the teensy-weeny detail of him being her husband. What was the point of going into all that when he wouldn’t be for much longer?
“Hold onto your latte, funny girl. I’ll give Blane a call now and see if he can swing by tonight.”
Anna’s wide grin spoke volumes: her friend wasn’t buying her casual attitude one bit. “Good idea. I’m sure Blane will be a lot more skilled with his tools.”
Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t help but chuckle at the innuendo. “We can only hope.”
Turning away, Camryn slid her fingers into her back pocket, relieved and scared at the same time when they wrapped around the stiff cardboard. She didn’t want to do this, she really didn’t, but the café came first, and if she wanted to offer her regular patrons their fix of the best cheesecake this side of the Docklands, she had no choice.
She slid the card out of her pocket and stared at the crisp, bold font, BLANE ANDREWS, amongst the crinkles.
