Mistletoe Magic Read Online Free Page B

have been surprised. Mr. Johnson knew everyone in Sycamore Falls.
    I turned my attention back to the wall and thumbed through the shaded cards. There were literally forty shades of blue, and I groaned in frustration.
    “I know. They all look the same to me, too.”
    The accent was warm and soft and undeniably Northern. When I turned around, I was staring into a pair of beautiful crystal-blue eyes.
    “Wow,” I whispered. I scanned the paint swatches, wondering if such a shade of blue would look good on the exterior of my house.
    “Mr. Johnson said you might need help selecting paint.”
    “It’s impossible,” I muttered. “I just wanted to buy some blue paint. Why is this so complicated?”
    The handsome man stepped closer to my side. “It isn’t, really. Just pick what you like.”
    I like crystal-blue. Luckily, I didn’t say those words aloud.
    “I need to paint my grandmother’s old house—well, my house now.”
    “Mr. Johnson says you’ve just moved back to Sycamore Falls.”
    I sighed. The prodigal daughter returning home from the big, bad city was sure to make the local tongues wag.
    “Why are you making that face?”
    “What are they saying about me?” Nervously, I glanced at the men over my shoulder. Mr. Johnson and two other customers were huddled around the cash register and watching us intently with gigantic smirks on their faces.
    He shrugged. “Not much. Just that your name is Sarah Bray and you’re a teacher. Your parents died when you were sixteen and your grandmother raised you until you went away to college. You taught for a while in Memphis, and now you’re living in your grandmother’s old house. You’ll be teaching at the high school when classes start in two weeks.”
    I laughed.
    “Not much, huh? That’s pretty much my life story.”
    He smiled. “Not really. I don’t know why you left Memphis. I’m Lucas Miller, by the way.”
    “It’s nice to meet you.” I managed to tear my eyes away from his long enough to focus on the samples. “So, Lucas Miller, which shade of blue do you recommend for the exterior of a house?”
    Lucas motioned to the adjacent aisle, and I groaned when I saw yet another vibrant wall of colors.
    “For starters, you need to be looking at exterior paint.” He was failing miserably at hiding his smirk.
    “There’s a difference?”
    This time he laughed loudly. “Have you ever painted a house?”
    “No.”
    “Do you plan on painting this house yourself?”
    “I was actually hoping to hire someone to do it, which is probably a good thing considering I can’t even pick out the paint.”
    “You could hire me.”
    “You’re a painter?”
    “No, but I have some experience in construction, and I have a few weeks off. I’m just working here to earn some extra money over the summer.”
    Lucas looked to be about my age, and I wondered what he actually did for a living. He knew my entire life story. Would it be inappropriate for me to ask?
    Probably so.
    “You could paint it in two weeks?”
    “I think so, if the weather cooperates.”
    “I couldn’t pay you much.”
    “You could pay me with dinner.”
    Of course, Mr. Handyman would be a flirt.  “You’d paint my entire house in exchange for dinner?”
    “Well, Mr. Johnson says you must be a great cook because your grandmother taught you everything you know.”
    “Mr. Johnson knows entirely too much about my life.”
    “I think he probably knows everything about everyone,” he said with a laugh. “So, am I hired?”
    I eyed him skeptically. “Don’t you even want to see the house first?”
    “No need.”
    “Why not?”
    Lucas grinned. “Who do you think mowed your lawn?”
    “I really appreciate you doing that,” I said with a laugh.
    His face grew thoughtful. “The house needs a lot of work, Sarah.”
    “I know. I don’t suppose you do landscaping, too?”
    “I do a bit of everything,” Lucas said, “although, landscaping might cost you two dinners.”
    Mr. Johnson and his