Fixer-Upper (Spinning Hills Romance 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

learning that Dan would be so close, visibly loosened up. “Dan doesn’t know Sam and Heather have decided to separate?” she asked, looking for all intents like an angel again. But Johnny knew she was merely fishing for information.
    Johnny was now itching to leave. It was all too easy to stick your foot in it with these three.
    That night, Marty started teasing him about the mystery girl. Word had already gotten around. Behind him, the new wood-fired pizza oven sparked like a hellish pit. After Rosa’s threats, he’d never look at it the same way again. And he was there often enough.
    It was going to be a long year.

Chapter 3
    One year later
     
    “M om’s throwing a welcome home party for Melinda tonight. Wanna come?”
    Johnny glanced up at Marty, who was wiping down the bar. The time had finally come. His insides began buzzing. He’d examined his feelings over and over during the past year, and no matter how many times he’d tried to convince himself that the anticipation over someone he’d barely spent an hour with was stupid, something inside him wouldn’t concede. Something inside him just knew . But why did Marty have to bring up the moment of truth . . . in front of the wood-fired pizza oven?
    “Marty, do you have an extra sack of all-purpose flour you can give us? We’re almost out and we want to make extra goodies for Melinda’s party.” Rosa’s voice came up behind him. Johnny turned to say hello and was greeted by Rosa’s gesturing hands, along with their bloodred nails, too close to his face. She reminded him of Wolverine, but with a manicure. At least the rhinestones were gone.
    A little over a year had passed since the fateful masquerade party. Melinda had been home for three days. He remembered thinking a lot could happen in a year. Well, that had been the understatement of his life.
    Dan had come back home to help Sam with the family business, confronted his demons, and gotten thoroughly whipped into husband material in the process. His wedding was in three weeks. Sam had finalized his divorce, bought thirty-four houses, almost bankrupted his business, and fallen for his first love all over again. Most recently, Johnny’s band had broken up because two members had moved away.
    And somehow, during the last year, Johnny had managed to have everyone rooting for him and the mystery girl. Except the whole thing had taken on a life of its own and had gotten completely out of control. Everyone’s expectations about Johnny and the mystery girl were now way too high. Everyone knew he hadn’t been on a date in a year. He’d been working hard at rehabilitating houses, completing his coursework and practice hours, and trying to pay off his debts and save for a house.
    But Rosa and Marty were both there, Marty had brought up Melinda, and he’d be seeing her again tonight. If ever the proverbial stars had aligned themselves in his favor, it was now.
    Johnny took in a deep breath and let it out. “You know the mystery girl I’ve been talking about for the past year?”
    Rosa and Marty both froze, but while Marty looked eager to hear more, Rosa’s eyes had narrowed ever so slightly. “The girl you were out on that date with in Columbus? The one you said you were craving, but the timing was off? The one you’ve been leading us on and on and on about?” she asked, both her words and memory a little too detailed for Johnny’s taste.
    Out with it. “I never said she was my date. I said it was the girl from the day before in Columbus.”
    Rosa pursed her lips. Marty stopped wiping, still eager. Johnny plunged ahead. He’d worded everything carefully in his head and practiced it a few times, making sure he didn’t betray Melinda’s “little Vegas.”
    “I was on a date that night but it didn’t work out. The girl left with someone else, and I was fine with it. But before I left, I met the girl I told you guys about. We were at a masquerade party.” He locked eyes with Rosa then. Her nails