Page 9 of Forbidden Secrets
She frowned, taking it carefully so as not to touch him again.Her heart couldn’t take another bolt of lightning.“A plumber guy on YouTube says I should replace the flapper.But this kit has a fill valve as well as the flapper and now I’m wondering if I need to replace that too.”
“You only need the flapper.”
Even his voice was yummy—low and gravelly.She cleared her throat.“But what if that doesn’t fix the problem?What if there’s something else going on?”
Gage shook his head.“It’s the flapper.Replace it and you’re good.”
She turned over the package to again scrutinize the back information.“It doesn’t say what tools I’ll need.”
“You don’t need tools.”His brows came down in a scowl.“Want me to replace it?”
“No.”Her refusal was abrupt.“But thank you.I can do it myself.”
“Yeah, you can.”
Was he offended?He didn’t look like the type to be easily offended, but you never knew.Some men thought a Y chromosome was required to do household repairs, but she could learn like any guy.It was her house and she’d figure out how to take care of it.
Gage glanced at the desk set in her cart, then leaned closer to read the label.“You will need tools for this.”
“What tools?”
He tapped the sticker.“The ones listed here.”
“Oh.”She scrutinized the list.Screw gun, wood glue, clamps.The desk project was more involved than she’d anticipated.“I’ll have to borrow these things from Paul, but when I ask him, he’ll want to put it together for me.”She cast a hasty glance at the man at her elbow.“Not that that’s a bad thing.I love him to bits, but he can be super insistent that his way is best.”
Gage looked at her thoughtfully.“I have the tools listed.Let me know if you want to borrow them.No offers of help included.”
“Oh, thanks.That would be nice.”
He raised his hand in a brief wave and walked away toward the lumber section.She rolled her eyes when she realized she’d been staring at his butt.
CHAPTER THREE
Melanie pushed her cart to the checkout.An employee helped her wrangle the bulky box with the desk into the trunk of her car.She tossed the flapper kit next to it – no fill valve, just the flapper, thank you very much, hot neighbor.Deciding to walk the couple blocks to Sierra Valley Bank, she circled the building to the covered boardwalk that ran the length of Main Street.
Sisters was in full-on fall mode.Driving into town, she’d been talking with Esme and the scenery hadn’t registered.But now?Wow.The sky was a deep mountain blue, and a light breeze stirred the trees cloaked in oranges and reds brought out by the cool October temperatures.
Along Main Street, shops were decorated with pumpkins, some ghost white, some dusky green, and others bright traditional orange.Half barrels planted with marigolds and chrysanthemums carried the theme with colors ranging from yellow to rust.The faint whiff of woodsmoke made her think of a cozy fireplace and hot chocolate.Pumpkin spice season was in full swing.
She stopped to study a flyer taped inside a shop window.Cider Mill Farm encouraged visitors to enjoy autumn by spending a day at the farm.The photos of the rustic cider mill and packing shed brought back memories from her childhood.
Open to the public Friday through Sunday, visitors could pick their own apples and pears, enjoy hard cider tasting, and listen to live music.According to the flyer, there was a gift shop, a hard cider operation, and the café bakery was stocked with pastries and pies made from fruit grown on the farm.
Delaney had reached out by email a while back, but at the time, Melanie hadn’t been ready.She hadn’t been in a place to face the emotional fallout so she’d suggested they meet up once she got settled.
Well, here she was, and it was time.Delaney and Walker deserved a real conversation.They were looking for closure, as Melanie was.That meant offering Walker an overdue apology.
And beyond that, she wanted to understand.How had he finally been exonerated?What had brought the truth to light after all these years?
She continued her walk.A man with dark skin and a halo of white hair stood next to a ladder, hands on his hips.He gave her a considering look, then pointed.“What d’ya think?”
She tipped her head back and gave a startled yelp.“What the heck are those?Are they alive?”Black, lumpy forms hung from the rafters above the boardwalk.One blinked beady red eyes, and another extended its wings.Bats.Ugh.
The man’s face split with a grin as he cackled and slapped his hands together.“That’s exactly what I want.Scare the bejesus out of folks.Not real, by the way.”
“Scared the bejesus out of me so I guess they work.”
“You betchya.Gonna hang a vampire from the post next.”
