LITMIR.BIZ

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stressed and distracted when she’d arrived at the shop this evening to remember if she had turned off the alarm or not.

      Ashley shrugged again. “Not the alarm.” She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “It was the middle of the day.” One corner of her mouth turned up. “What? You think someone broke in here and messed up a few boxes?”

      “I told you what happened last night. Someone—” she lowered her voice into a harsh whisper “—attacked me. Right here.” She jabbed her index finger at the stain of orange paint on the floor. She had left out the part about Johnny’s investigation.

      A contrite expression settled on Ashley’s features. “I’ll make sure I set the alarm from now on.” She adjusted the belt on her dress. “But you and I know we were so busy this morning making final preparations that we might have knocked those boxes over. Who knows?” Ashley gently tapped Ellie’s forehead. “Don’t let your overactive imagination get the best of you.”

      Ellie rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the tension. “Maybe you’re right.” The haphazard pile of boxes taunted her.

      “I came back here to tell you your handsome FBI guy has arrived.”

      “Really? Johnny’s here?” She smoothed a hand down the front of her dress and Ashley lifted a knowing eyebrow.

      Ellie was already regretting that she had mentioned that Johnny had happened by last night after the attack. Ashley was duly impressed that he was an FBI agent. And her singsong tone when she announced his arrival indicated she’d never let Ellie forget she had once had a schoolgirl crush on him. Ashley had witnessed firsthand how Ellie would linger in the family room when her brother would have his friends over to watch a baseball game on TV. Her skin heated with the memory. Ellie had made such a fool of herself mooning over her brother’s friend.

      Ellie opened her mouth to tell her that Johnny wasn’t her handsome FBI guy, but decided protesting at a moment like this would be a tactical error. Protesting would be a huge flag for Ashley to hoist and run with, broadcasting everything Ashley knew about her friend’s crush. Well...before Johnny had turned out to be an undercover narcotics officer.

      “Well, aren’t you going to greet him?” The single question was rife with expectation.

      “We better get out front and see to all of our guests,” Ellie said, deflecting her friend’s line of questioning. They slowed in the doorway and she whispered, “Looks like a great turnout.”

      “Of course. Did you expect any less?” Ashley leaned in close, smelling of garlic and feta and a hint of olive oil. “Now, you better go talk to that yummy man over there or I will.” She leaned in close to Ellie and pointed slyly with a hooked index finger at Johnny who was studying a painting on the wall.

      One of her paintings.

      Perhaps sensing their eyes on him, he turned and faced her, a wide smile splitting his handsome face. She felt her face flush. Again. She glanced away so as not to be caught staring. Man, Johnny looked sharp in a casual sport coat and collared shirt.

      “You sure got it bad,” Ashley said and laughed. All the reasons Ellie was drawn to Ashley were displayed on her friend’s playful expression. Ashley saw the bright side in everything. Nothing got her down. Ashley tapped her friend’s arm and waggled her eyebrows before strolling away to greet some other guests.

      Ellie shook off her misgivings about the upended open boxes in the storage room and walked over to greet Johnny.

      “The store looks great,” he said. “You got the shelves on the back wall up.”

      The shelving unit softened the bold color she had been second-guessing from the minute she had opened the paint can. “Thanks. I’m happy with how it turned out.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “How did you know about the grand opening?”

      He studied her, a hint of amusement on his face. “The flyer on the front window.”

      “Oh,” she said, suddenly feeling foolish. “Of course.”

      Johnny pointed to the painting on the wall that he had been studying. “You’re talented.”

      “I was inspired.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she dipped her head. She had never learned to take a compliment. On the canvas, she had captured the sun exploding over the horizon, the purple and pink clouds floating over the ocean. Looking at God’s creation even now filled her with awe.

      Standing close to Johnny, she noticed that tiny lines etched the corners of his eyes, reflecting the ten years since she had last seen him. She also detected a hint of aloe aftershave and Dove soap and smiled to herself. That’s how he’d smelled back when he used to hang out at her house, sitting around the table with her family.

      Almost part of the family. That’s why his accusations had hurt so much.

      “Everything okay?” Johnny asked, snapping her out of her reverie.

      “Yeah, I think so.”

      “Are your brother and mom here?” The small shop was crowded.

      “Unfortunately my niece Grace is in the talent show at school. I had already advertised the grand opening in the paper, so I couldn’t switch nights.” Ellie shrugged, but couldn’t deny the disappointment that had settled in her gut. Perhaps it was better this way. Her mother thought her efforts were a waste of time and money.

      “That’s too bad.”

      “Yeah, but I’d hate for Grace to be disappointed.” She rubbed her bare arm, eager to change the subject. “Some opened boxes were knocked over in the back this afternoon. Can’t say for sure if they were like that before I left to get ready for the party.”

      “But you don’t think they were?”

      Ellie bit her lip. “I’m pretty organized. Ashley, on the other hand...and she was the last to leave.”

      “I’ll wander back there and check it out.”

      The chimes on the door jangled and a few more guests filled the small space.

      “Did you or the police find out anything more about last night?” she whispered.

      Johnny shook his head. “Sorry.”

      The celebratory mood had deflated as her nerves buzzed at the memory of being attacked yesterday.

      “Enough of that.” He gestured with his head toward the food. “Those appetizers look great. Any chance you have those little hot-dog thingies wrapped in crescent rolls?”

      Ellie felt a smile pulling at her lips. “No, I must have left those off the menu.”

      His forehead crinkled. “Really?”

      “No, not really.” She laughed. “I was shooting for a little more upscale.”

      Johnny adjusted the flap of his sport coat. “Are you saying I’m not upscale?”

      “I enjoy a hot dog as much as the next guy, but tonight is more a scallop-wrapped-in-bacon kinda night.”

      “Bacon?” Humor lit Johnny’s brown eyes. “You are definitely my kind of girl.”

      Ellie felt like that fourteen-year-old girl with a crush on her brother’s best friend. She was so in trouble.

      No, no, no. She was not looking for a relationship. Based on the last one, she was horrible at judging men. She was determined to make a go of it alone. And the easiest solution? No more relationships.

      The door bells chimed in the background, saving Ellie from making a fool of herself. She patted Johnny’s arm. “Go find yourself some bacon. I need to greet my guests.”

      She felt Johnny’s eyes on her as she walked away. She plastered on a smile and greeted members from her church and the neighborhood. She hoped tonight’s success was an indication of the shop’s future.

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