Almost Heaven. Charlotte Douglas
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he picked her up at ten the next morning. In shorts, T-shirt and sneakers, and with her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked for an instant like the child he remembered. But closer scrutiny revealed the womanly curves beneath her casual clothes, the maturity in the attractive angles of her heart-shaped face and the intelligence in her bright blue eyes.
He opened the passenger door of the pickup for her to climb inside. His vantage point provided a clear view of her long, tanned legs, crossed demurely at the ankles, and caused heat to curl below his stomach.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise.” He closed the door and took a deep breath of morning air to cool his thoughts as he circled the truck and slid onto the driver’s seat.
“I like surprises. That’s one reason I want to move. Nothing ever surprises me in Pleasant Valley.”
“I’ve found something that will.” He started the engine, pulled away from the curb and headed downtown. He ignored her dubious expression.
After a few short blocks he turned into a diagonal parking space on Piedmont Avenue, the main drag.
“Not the hardware store,” she said with obvious disappointment. “Your dad’s owned this place my entire life. No surprises here.”
“We’re not going to the hardware store.” He felt a rush of satisfaction, knowing that Merrilee would be not merely surprised, but amazed. He hadn’t learned this tidbit of information himself until yesterday.
On the sidewalk he grasped her elbow and guided her toward the small storefront to the left of the hardware store. The windows were smudged with grime and a fading sign hung at an angle above the door.
“Here we are,” he announced with a flourish.
Merrilee’s jaw dropped. “Mr. Weatherstone’s old fix-it shop? It’s been empty for years.”
“Hard to maintain a business repairing typewriters and small appliances in today’s market,” Grant agreed.
He stepped to the glass front door, so grimy it obscured the shop’s interior, and gave three sharp knocks. “You should have brought your camera.”
“Yeah, right.” She grimaced in distaste. “So I can shoot a fascinating montage of dust motes, dead spiders and cobwebs—”
The door swung inward and an excited squeal interrupted her midsentence. “Merrilee! You’re back!”
Jodie Nathan barreled through the doorway and enveloped Merrilee in a bear hug. Merrilee returned her embrace with a dazed expression.
“Jodie, what are you doing here?” Merrilee asked.
Jodie beamed at Grant and contentment flooded him. He hadn’t seen his sister this happy in a long time. Her hazel eyes sparkled beneath the light brown curls that had escaped from the blue bandanna tying back her hair. Even with a smudge of dirt across one cheek, she looked radiant.
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