Lucky Break (Lucky 3)

Flushing at the memory, her body still tingling, she rinsed the bowl and headed for the downstairs bedroom. Lauren sat down on the bed and the cat jumped beside her and snuggled onto her pillow.

Right in the middle.

She sighed and stretched out beside her furry friend, wishing the warm body beside her was Jason. A dangerous thought and another reason she knew she had to leave town fast. He’d hurt her once but that was before she’d had her dreams to follow. Maybe that was how he’d felt all those years ago. She had been a potential distraction from his Olympic dreams and her leaving had been for the best. If so, she understood him that much better now.

At least she’d had tonight with him.

Tomorrow she’d head to town and ask around about hiring a contractor to work on the house. The sooner she completed the repairs, the sooner she could close on the sale and be finished with this town.

And with Jason Corwin.

“CATS SHOULD COME with a manual,” Lauren muttered as she picked up items she needed for herself and her pet in the grocery store.

First stop was the cat food aisle. No more cream for this kitty. On awakening, she’d discovered that the midnight snack had resulted in a mess she didn’t want to think about or face ever again.

When she’d called a friend in New York who owned a cat, Liza had burst out laughing. “Didn’t you buy him a litter box?” she’d asked.

No, she hadn’t. Because Lauren had thought the outdoor cat would do its thing in the great outdoors.

She paid for the groceries and a litter box with cash, placed the bags in her car an

d headed for the hardware store.

When she was younger, the creaking sounds in her grandmother’s old house had frightened her and she’d always slept with a flashlight by her bed. After the scare with the window last night, she’d gone looking for a flashlight only to find it didn’t work. New batteries hadn’t helped, so she needed to buy a new one.

She rounded the aisle and headed for the register.

There was one person in front of her and she waited for him to put his change away and step aside before she walked forward and placed her purchase on the counter.

The middle-aged clerk stared at her “You’re Mary Perkins’s granddaughter, aren’t you?”

The few times she’d come to town to do her shopping, she’d had mixed reactions, from silent acceptance to overtly rude whispers.

“Yes, I’m Mary’s granddaughter.” She didn’t recognize the clerk, but he must have seen her on one of her visits to Beth.

He braced his hands on the counter. “I heard you were in town.”

She nodded. “You heard right.” She pushed the flashlight forward, hoping to urge things along.

“Whatcha doing back here? It’s not like you got any relatives left to visit.”

Apparently manners weren’t his strong suit. She straightened her shoulders and looked at him head-on. “I’m here to fix up the family home so I can sell it and move on. Which reminds me, do you happen to know the name of a contractor I can hire?”

He frowned. “Not off the top of my head, but if I think of one, I’ll let you know.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

He was lying. There was no way a hardware store clerk in a small town didn’t know a contractor.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled her wallet from her purse and slid a credit card across the counter.

He glanced down at it. “Can’t use a credit card for something less than ten dollars.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Well, I just spent the last of my cash at the grocery store.”

“Then I guess you’re out of luck.” He folded his arms over his chest.

“Guess Perkins credit is no good here?” she asked sarcastically, shoving her card back into her wallet. “Tell you what. I’ll just take my business somewhere else.”

“Put it on my account,” a distinctive male voice said.