Page 1 of Pinch of Love

Chapter One

Maya

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I wiped the sweat puddling on my dark brows and blew out a sharp breath of frustration.

As I punched the code into the door lock again, the angry squeal of rejection came back at me. In frustration, I kicked the wheel of my suitcase with my sandal. My bags collapsed next to me, and I breathed a grunt of pain and annoyance. This moment in time framed why I was grateful I wasn’t born grumpy. Things would always go wrong, and I’d get hurt.

“Just great.” I sat on the suitcase closest to me while I dug in my purse for my cellphone to call the property manager. This magic code was supposed to let me into my vacation rental, yet here I stood.

I glanced at my phone, saw a million missed calls from Rob, and rolled my eyes.

Rob. Fiancé and business partner extraordinaire.

Crusher of dreams.

Demolisher of hearts.

Or maybe it was the other way around.

Either way, my heart, body, and soul had quit the opposite sex.

On cue, my phone rang again.

“Right, like I’m going to pick up your call.” I shook my head and let out a heavy sigh as the front door magically opened.

I turned to see a tiny face poking out the door with scrunched brows. She had two lopsided blonde braids and what looked like spaghetti sauce smeared on top of her cute nose.

“You not Daddy.”

I stood quickly and shook my head. “No, I’m not your daddy, but I am supposed to be staying here for the rest of the summer.”

The little girl looked surprised and shook her head. “Nope.”

She slammed the door in my face, and I sat down again in complete defeat.

Maybe they overbooked the house.

I shrugged and started to dial the property manager’s number when the door swung open.

This time, a woman my age poked her head out.

“May I help you?” Her plump cheeks matched mine, and I instantly felt like I’d found my savior.

I nodded. “Yes, I mean, I hope so. I rented this house through October, or so I thought.”

The woman stepped onto the porch as I stood with my suitcases again.

Her blonde hair had been slicked into a ponytail, and her white jumper was encrusted with a red handprint on it, probably from the blonde kiddo holding down the fort.

She folded her arms over her chest and playfully scowled. “Well, my husband has some explaining to do if he rented our house out from under us.”

“Darn it,” I muttered. “I’ve been scammed. The cab dropped me off, but my sister lives in town. I’m so sorry for imposing. I’ll be out of your hair before you know it. I’ll give her a quick call.”

She shook her head and studied me for a split second. “What’s the address you’re looking for?”

I showed her my phone, and she smiled.

“The good news is that you haven’t been scammed. The bad news is the rental house is on the other side of the lake. Happens all the time, partly because we always let our tree limbs overgrow and block the sign. Our house has a one in front of it. See? The driver must not have paid attention. You’re looking for 450, and we are 1450.” She smiled and shrugged. “I know Cash, the owner. He'll come pick you up, no problem. He’s a little jaded with a dollop of grumpy, but he’s a sweet guy for the most part.”

---