A Small-Town Reunion Read Online Free Page A

message. Addie herself had flashed the hands-off signal like a neon skyscraper on the Vegas strip. This morning’s chilly exchange had let him know nothing had changed.
    Nothing but the passage of twelve years since his high school graduation, a mouth-watering deepening of her sexy voice and a refinement of the padding on those interesting feminine curves. And his own deepened and refined appreciation for both her curves and her attitude.
    He frowned as he remembered that awkward pause earlier when he’d opened the kitchen service door and they’d stood there, staring at each other like a couple of dumbstruck kids. She’d looked at him as if she’d expected him to slip a snake into her pocket or trip her as she walked up the steps. And he’d wondered how her expression would have changed if she’d known his thoughts involved something scarier than a slithery reptile and just as likely to knock her off balance.
    Now she dropped to her knees beside the damaged windows and plucked a few bits of glass from the carpet runner. “Is this everything that came loose?”
    “No. Most of it’s outside, on the ground beneath the foundation shrubs.” Geneva clasped her hands at herwaist. “I wasn’t sure whether you’d need those fragments, so I left everything as I found it.”
    “How did this happen?” Addie peered more closely at the long crack in a wavy yellow panel. Beside that piece, dented metal framework outlined empty spaces. “Stained-glass windows are usually sturdier than others.”
    “One of the statues on the upper level fell from its pedestal. The tremors must have sent it rolling down the stairs, and it crashed against the glass, as you see.”
    Addie ran her fingers over a section of damaged lead. “How old are these windows?”
    “My husband had them installed when the house was built, shortly before he and I were married. So they’re at least fifty years old.”
    “I’ll take a look at the exteriors to see if there’s any sign of deterioration.” Addie leaned in closer to the glass. “I don’t see any signs of bowing, so it might be another twenty or thirty years before they need complete reconstruction.”
    “Reconstruction?”
    “You’re close to the ocean here. Salt in the air can cause the lead to deteriorate over time.”
    Addie frowned as she studied the windows. “I’m not going to be able to simply patch these up, you know. I’ll match the missing pieces as well as I can, but they may not be exactly the same. A lot of this is high-quality antique glass, and suitable replacements are going to be hard to track down.”
    “I’m sure whatever you can manage will be acceptable.”
    “I’m sure you’ll be pleased with whatever I ‘manage.’” Addie wiped her hands on her jeans as she stood, and then she leveled a bland look at Geneva.“And whatever that is, I assure you it will be a great deal more than acceptable.”
    Geneva gave her a tight smile. “Very well, then. When can you start?”
    “Once I find the glass I need and order it. This weekend, perhaps. More likely the week or two after that.”
    “Sooner would be better.”
    “I’m sure it would.”
    Dev smiled at the subtle clash of wills, grateful his grandmother had insisted he stick around for the show.
    “Well?” asked Geneva, raising one eyebrow. “Will it be sooner, then?”
    “I’ll need to arrange for some help getting these windows removed.”
    “You need to take the entire window?” Geneva stroked a hand over a curve of ruby-red glass. “Can’t you fix them here?”
    “Not without setting up a duplicate shop.” Addie trailed her fingers along a twisting length of lead, her gesture resembled Geneva’s. “And even then, I’d still have to remove the windows from their frames.”
    “Then take them.” Geneva inhaled deeply and squared her shoulders. “Do what you need to do. As quickly as possible. Devlin will help you.”
    “I need expert help,” Addie clarified, ignoring Geneva’s