Page 11 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

“You’re helping me. Why would I be mad?”

“Give me an hour. I’ll see what I can do.”

He hung up, leaving me alone with my thoughts and my disaster of a place. I glanced around, and uncertainty rained down on me again, hard. When I’d conducted my research and business plan, I’d been confident with my niche, even thinking that I could make a difference by helping people to live healthier. That had to count for something, right? But after this morning’s setback, I was scoring very low on the confidence graph, and very high on the freaking out chart.

Time to assert some control over this problem. I didn’t know what Eric was going to do, but I couldn’t just wait around for him.

After moving my car to a closer spot in front of the shop, I hauled my backpack inside the store, then sat on a debris-free spot on the floor. Pulling out my laptop, I began to rework my finances, figuring out where to cut costs so I could reallocate the funds for the repair expenses. Accommodation took up a significant chunk of my budget, so I had to do something about that. Find somewhere cheaper to live, or maybe, if push came to shove, and things got really bad, I couldprobablytemporarily camp out in the shop. I wondered if sleeping in a commercial space was illegal and made a mental note to check on that.

Reaching for my phone, I opened my list-maker app, then started a new To-Do List and a To-Buy List. On the top of the list: disposing of all the rubble, then buying some cleaning supplies and running a mop soaked in hospital-grade disinfectant through the floor. Some duct tape to put over the leaky pipe. A ladder, and tarp to cover the hole in the roof.

An hour later, I had a good plan going, and my confidence was slightly restored. Going back to my car, I decided to find my sleeping bag. The chances that I would sleep there tonight with the squirrels treating it as their stomping ground was less than 5 percent, but just in case.

As I turned around to go back inside the shop, I missed the five dogs happily stampeding in my direction, followed by their teenage dog walker, who was staring at her phone as if her life depended on it. In the split second it took me to notice the canine entourage, my feet snagged on the crisscrossing leashes, and like a bad slapstick routine, I tumbled, ass over teakettle. My sleeping bag went flying as my hands shot out to cushion the fall, and my left forearm heroically scraped the cobblestone pavement, saving the day.

I groaned as the dogs continued their journey unfazed, and my fresh wound began to sting. A car door slammed somewhere in the distance, and there was the faint sound of footsteps pounding the pavement. But the sidewalk was quiet, and nobody had witnessed my fall, so perhaps I could stay down for a while. After the busy past two weeks and the stress of this morning, the brief respite felt wonderful. I could probably close my eyes and doze off for a few minutes…

A firm hand clamped around my arm, interrupting my precious nap.How rude.

“Are you okay? Shit. Wait here, don’t move.”

Glad whoever that was had left me in peace, I turned my body sideways, hoping to find a more comfortable position. Only to be interrupted by the same person.

“Your hand is bleeding.” Those firm hands gently touched my face, then felt around my head. “Your head seems fine, though.”

Who is this guy? Why is he back?

I was faintly aware that the owner of said hands was squatting down and dabbing at my bloodied arm with something soft and wet.

“Ellie? Can you hear me?” There was a tinge of worry now in the voice. “Are you feeling dizzy or shaky?”

How does he know my name?

And why does the voice sound oddly familiar?

I opened my eyes to find a pair of eyes the color of matcha infused with lightly roasted cocoa beans, and framed by incredibly long lashes, peering down at me. From memory, I knew that the frown on his face hid a lone dimple on the left cheek. A faint scar cut through his right eyebrow, making him look like he’d been in a knife fight. Some people had argued that the overall combination could be called hot, but I wouldn’t go that far. Maybe he could be classified as cute, at best, but I certainly wouldn’t be caught dead saying that—at least not within hearing distance. He smelled as nice as I remembered, too, like citrus, spice, and sunshine.

Him.

The last person on Earth I had expected to see.

CHAPTER 4An Annoying Blast from the Past

My first instinct was to snatch my hands away and make a run for it. But he was too close, so I’d have to push him off or elbow him in the ribs if I wanted to escape, and my injured left arm didn’t really feel like it was up for the task. And if I wanted to be reeealllyy honest, his warm hand on mine felt kind of… nice.

I blinked once, then twice, trying to make sure that he wasn’t a figment of my imagination. Then to be extra, doubly sure, I lifted my good hand and poked twice at his right cheek, then his left cheek, and pinched his nose for good measure. Extra hard.

“Ouch.” He frowned at me, still dabbing at my left arm. “What was that for?”

Okay, so hewasreal. Alec Mackenzie, aka Sir Annoying McGrumpyface, formerly known as Eric’s BFF, was actually here. In the flesh.

Right in front of me.

“You.” I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. “Why are you here?”

He stopped cleaning my arm and stared at me, before returning my glare. “Eric called me.”

Him? He was THE HELP Eric had promised me?

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