Read Online Here in My Heart: A Novella (Echoes of the Heart) by Anna DeStefano - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Anna DeStefano
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filled Brad in on how involved Dru had been, settling Lisa in at the Dixons’ home—including encouraging Sally to invite Lisa along on Saturday mornings, if Sally kept the younger girl out of trouble and out of the way in the kitchen.
At the moment, Dru looked desperate to shoo both kids away.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Sally said.
She hurried to the apron rack beside the enormous refrigerator, looped one off its peg and over her neck, wrapping the long, frayed strings twice around her waist before tying them behind her. She grabbed another for Lisa and repeated the process, the younger girl’s hem nearly grazing the ground.
“Our water heater gave out this morning,” Sally chattered on. “There’s water all over our garage. I was helping my mom and dad bail us out before everything got soaked. We lost track of time.”
“It’s okay,” Dru said as Sally headed for the bushels of locally grown potatoes the Dream Whip cut into fresh homemade fries. Lisa followed at her heels, glancing at Brad and Dru over her shoulder. “We still have time to—”
“I could help out this morning—” Brad interrupted, directing his offer to Sally. “If your parents still need you at home. When I was your age, I peeled and cut my weight in potatoes every week.” He nodded in the direction of the manual french-fry cutter bolted into the wall above one of the stainless-steel counters. “Doesn’t look like the technology’s changed a bit.”
Dru’s eyes narrowed. “The fries here have been fresh-cut since the day your grandfather opened the Whip. People still travel from everywhere to buy a bucket, drench them in malt vinegar, and see how much ketchup they can consume while they devour every crumb. Why would we change anything?”
“Hey, I’m a true believer. You’d know that, if I hadn’t had to avoid this place for most of the last seven years to keep from ticking you off.”
Dru was close again, close enough for him to smell the same strawberry shampoo she’d used when they’d been kids. It was maddening how much he wanted to keep smelling her, to reach out and touch her.
“Feel free to tick me off anytime you want.” She glared up at him. “It’s not like I’ve wasted a second of my life wondering whether you’d grace this place with your presence, the two times a year you’ve actually make it back to town.”
“Then how do you know it’s only been two times a year?”
He caught Sally’s snicker.
He tried and failed to stifle his own.
Dru homed in on her young employee. Sally made herself busy piling up a bin of potatoes and hefting them to the sink for the scrubbing they needed before they went through the cutter.
“I hear things,” Dru said more quietly. “Everyone in Chandlerville hears things, whether they want to or not. I can’t help it if people gossip with me when they place their orders.”
She inhaled. Her soft chest pressed against his. She stepped away, looking as shocked by the contact as he’d felt. While she fought to control her breathing, he filed away a note to piss her off as often as possible. Then he mentally smacked himself upside the head.
Pushing Dru’s buttons, tempting her to fight with him enough that she might one day forgive him, wasn’t why he was there. Nor were her feelings for him, or how much more he wanted her today than he had when she’d told him off in the YMCA lobby.
She braced her hands on her hips and stared down at her pink sneakers. She’d always loved pink, smelled pink, blushed pink when he’d made her laugh or teased her. He hadn’t seen the color in seven years without missing her.
He backed up, giving them both room.
He had to get out of there.
“Think about what I said.” He headed for the door to the back parking lot. When he turned around, she wasn’t watching him leave, but she wasn’t pummeling hamburgers again, either. “Forget about me. Do this for Vi. Do this for yourself.”
“Do they really hate each
At the moment, Dru looked desperate to shoo both kids away.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Sally said.
She hurried to the apron rack beside the enormous refrigerator, looped one off its peg and over her neck, wrapping the long, frayed strings twice around her waist before tying them behind her. She grabbed another for Lisa and repeated the process, the younger girl’s hem nearly grazing the ground.
“Our water heater gave out this morning,” Sally chattered on. “There’s water all over our garage. I was helping my mom and dad bail us out before everything got soaked. We lost track of time.”
“It’s okay,” Dru said as Sally headed for the bushels of locally grown potatoes the Dream Whip cut into fresh homemade fries. Lisa followed at her heels, glancing at Brad and Dru over her shoulder. “We still have time to—”
“I could help out this morning—” Brad interrupted, directing his offer to Sally. “If your parents still need you at home. When I was your age, I peeled and cut my weight in potatoes every week.” He nodded in the direction of the manual french-fry cutter bolted into the wall above one of the stainless-steel counters. “Doesn’t look like the technology’s changed a bit.”
Dru’s eyes narrowed. “The fries here have been fresh-cut since the day your grandfather opened the Whip. People still travel from everywhere to buy a bucket, drench them in malt vinegar, and see how much ketchup they can consume while they devour every crumb. Why would we change anything?”
“Hey, I’m a true believer. You’d know that, if I hadn’t had to avoid this place for most of the last seven years to keep from ticking you off.”
Dru was close again, close enough for him to smell the same strawberry shampoo she’d used when they’d been kids. It was maddening how much he wanted to keep smelling her, to reach out and touch her.
“Feel free to tick me off anytime you want.” She glared up at him. “It’s not like I’ve wasted a second of my life wondering whether you’d grace this place with your presence, the two times a year you’ve actually make it back to town.”
“Then how do you know it’s only been two times a year?”
He caught Sally’s snicker.
He tried and failed to stifle his own.
Dru homed in on her young employee. Sally made herself busy piling up a bin of potatoes and hefting them to the sink for the scrubbing they needed before they went through the cutter.
“I hear things,” Dru said more quietly. “Everyone in Chandlerville hears things, whether they want to or not. I can’t help it if people gossip with me when they place their orders.”
She inhaled. Her soft chest pressed against his. She stepped away, looking as shocked by the contact as he’d felt. While she fought to control her breathing, he filed away a note to piss her off as often as possible. Then he mentally smacked himself upside the head.
Pushing Dru’s buttons, tempting her to fight with him enough that she might one day forgive him, wasn’t why he was there. Nor were her feelings for him, or how much more he wanted her today than he had when she’d told him off in the YMCA lobby.
She braced her hands on her hips and stared down at her pink sneakers. She’d always loved pink, smelled pink, blushed pink when he’d made her laugh or teased her. He hadn’t seen the color in seven years without missing her.
He backed up, giving them both room.
He had to get out of there.
“Think about what I said.” He headed for the door to the back parking lot. When he turned around, she wasn’t watching him leave, but she wasn’t pummeling hamburgers again, either. “Forget about me. Do this for Vi. Do this for yourself.”
“Do they really hate each
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