Page 11 of Pinch of Love

Grace groaned and looked at the ceiling. “You know what I mean. Give me a read of him.”

I snorted. “Grace, I’m a therapist, not a psychic.” I brought my gaze to hers and grinned.

She stomped her foot and chuckled. “Come on... tell me.”

“I know exactly what you mean, so I’ll tell you all about me. I am a hot mess who has no business dragging some poor, innocent man through the fire with me.”

Grace smirked. “I’ve heard he’s not so innocent.”

My stomach fluttered for absolutely no reason.

Actually, that wasn’t quite true. I’d been thinking about Cash from the moment he drove his sparkling white Jeep in his shining armor to rescue me from Becky’s. In between my throbbing big toe and my stubbornness to avoid Rob’s incessant calls and texts, Cash was top of mind.

“Fine. What I think about Cash is that he’s a sexy and smart guy.” I took another sip of lemonade. “Who is a bit of a grump and has an affinity for his dead pets.”

Grace scowled. “How is that a bad thing?”

I folded my arms over my chest and chuckled. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing. It’s just my observation.”

“So, you’re saying you’re into him?” Grace prompted with a grin as she briefly glanced over my shoulder.

“I’m saying that I’m a mess, and Cash seems not interested. Very not interested.” I folded my arms. “I’ve become a textbook case of jumping into someone’s arms too quickly, and I just know that whatever he has to offer is next-level.”

A man’s gravelly voice nearly shot me off the stool. “What’s next-level?”

I turned to see a man I recognized immediately.

Jackson Locke Jr.

My sister’s first love.

And right behind him... Cash... and behind him, the elderly gentleman who had been using a walker earlier. Carter, maybe?

My cheeks instantly flamed red, and I prayed with all my heart and soul that the guys hadn’t heard much, if any, of the conversation. The beats of my heart thrummed so loudly my ears rang, and I was one step away from the room spinning. I attempted to wiggle my bad toe to remind me that I was present.

I slid off the stool as Grace kept a smirk plastered to her face.

Jackson set several bags of food on the kitchen counter. “I thought since I was bringing dinner over, and this guy was groveling on a street corner, I’d let him come along. I hope that’s okay.”

Carter scowled. “I wasn’t groveling. I have a damn walker I’m supposed to push all over the place, or Daisy threatened she’d come back to live with me. I can’t handle her. She’s way too perky.”

Jackson laughed and pointed at Cash. “I wasn’t talking about you, Uncle Carter. I was talking about this lost boy.”

“I wasn’t groveling. I was trying to get some ice cream since I managed to dump my last one all over the sidewalk.”

“Who’s Daisy?” I asked, glancing at Jackson.

“My younger cousin,” Jackson informed me.

“And Cash used to date her,” Uncle Carter chimed in.

Cash’s brilliant green eyes met mine, and my breath became stuck in the back of my throat.

Like seriously stuck.

I started hacking, and Grace dashed past Jackson and started banging me on my back.

“I’m okay,” I said between coughs. “Totally okay.”