Page 29 of Pinch of Love

“Okay, off to get Pancake a toy. She’s itching for one.”

I glanced down at Pancake, who’d already stretched out next to Grace.

“Are you sure you don’t want to grab a table and hang out here? Pancake looks like she could care less about—”

Grace grabbed my free hand and pulled me to the door with Pancake next to us. “Nonsense. I know what my girl needs.”

As I nearly tumbled out the door, I looked back at Izzy and waved with a quick thank you before the door shut behind us.

“Where are we headed?” I asked.

“Across the street and down a block. Not too far. The hardware store is like one of the cute ones, where the entire front half is full of gifts like kitchen towels, fancy aprons, and pet things. Basically, anything you can imagine.”

I nodded in amusement, surprised that my sister had found her happy place in a hardware store, or was it just Buttercup Lake in general? Everything about this small town dazzled Grace. I mean, I could kind of see it. I took another sip of my coffee, devouring the raspberry flavor.

I’d always loved Buttercup Lake when I was younger. The summers were magical, and the few times I’d managed to visit Grandma and Grandpa in recent years, I still enjoyed the simpler life. But I had no idea this town was bubbling up an entirely new main street and shopping district. It was a regular tourist town.

“Voila,” Grace announced as we made our way to the cute hardware store with cement platters in front overflowing with hot pink petunias.

The automatic doors clapped open, and I followed Grace and Pancake into the air-conditioned store, where one of the cashiers waved at Grace.

“Hey, Bea,” my sister called back.

Another cashier, about my age, waved at us. He was cute and kind of looked like a surfer lost in the middle of Wisconsin. “Who do you have with you?” he asked Grace.

“My sister, Maya. She’s single, Jack,” she called back.

I noticed the woman wink at my sister right before I tried to kick her and wound up tripping over my two feet to avoid killing Pancake.

In the last bid for survival, I reached for whatever was in front of me as my life went into slow motion, and a rack of towels and floral aprons collapsed on top of me as I hit the ground with a hard whack.

“Oh, my God,” Grace muttered, dashing to my rescue with Pancake waddling over to me to lick the spilled drink.

“Chocolate. Stop,” a man hollered from nowhere as he leaped over the towels and swept Pancake into his clutches next to a bright orange puppy in his other arm.

My eyes met his, and I couldn’t believe who was in front of me, clinging to two dogs and staring at me sprawled out on the floor.

I looked away.

He was quite agile.

“I’m fine. Thank you for asking,” I muttered to Cash as Grace tried to hold in her laughter and I pulled my dress back down over my lady bits.

Jack dashed over, and Cash scowled at him.

“I’ve got her,” Cash growled at Jack.

“Whatever, man,” Jack said, wandering away.

My toe throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the embarrassment flooding through me.

Cash smirked when I brought my gaze back to him. He set the dogs down away from the chocolate drink and scooped me off the floor before I had a chance to object.

When his eyes locked on mine, my mind went dizzy with excitement and annoyance, especially when his smirk turned into a smile.

“Are you okay?” he asked with his gruff voice that made my knees nearly knock.

I let out a deep breath and laughed. “Define okay.”

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