Batter of Wits (Green Valley Chronicles #22) - Smartypants Romance Page 0,53

me.

While photos from the hike downloaded onto my laptop, I pulled open my phone and considered the wisdom of reaching out to him.

He'd broken up with his girlfriend, by all accounts, in between the times I'd seen him yesterday.

We met at the fairgrounds, I practically spilled my cursed heart onto the ground in front of him, he looked at me like he wanted to snatch me to him and eat me whole, he broke up with his long-term girlfriend, and then he saved me from a wayward croissant.

I rubbed at my forehead and tried to remember if anything stuck out to me from that brief slip of time at Donner Bakery.

Croissant.

Choking.

Hand smacking.

Water.

Tucker.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. His face came into my mind, as sharp and clear as if he was standing in front of me.

Those remarkable eyes took me in, and yes, he'd been concerned. But there was something else, tickling on the edge of my mind as I remembered our interaction.

A warmth behind the concern, as he looked at me. Happiness. I pressed a hand to my heart.

Interest. Attraction. Fascination.

All of it had been there. Something I hadn't known to look for, because he was him. And if I knew anything about him, it was that Tucker was a good man. He wouldn't have allowed that to come through so visibly, so clearly unchained, if he hadn't been free to do so.

I blew a raspberry through my lips and pulled up his number, carefully changing his contact info to his full name. No more hiding behind his initials.

To text or not to text, I mused, rubbing my thumb over his name once it was saved.

My phone vibrated, eliciting a surprised squeak.

Incoming call- Tucker Haywood

My heart took off with so much raw, unharnessed power, I could've lit the Vegas strip.

"Oh, fuck you, you stupid southern curse."

I took a deep, steadying breath, and answered the call.

"Hey," I said, tucking the phone between my cheek and my shoulder.

"Grace."

Goosebumps everywhere, from the sound of his voice saying my name. They chased each other up my arms and down my spine, lifting hairs as they went. Five silly letters had never sounded the way they did when his deep, deep voice curled around my name.

"That's, that's me," I answered weakly. Then I pinched my eyes shut in embarrassment. "Um, what can I do for you?"

The smile in his voice was clear when he answered, probably because I sounded like a fool. "So … it occurs to me that when we met this morning, we never actually accomplished anything related to the festival."

Any wind puffing up my sails from his surprise call died a quick death.

"Right," I said. Mental adjustments were harder when you were cursed apparently, because I dropped my head back and willed away anything other than the reason he was calling. "Umm, what did we need to talk about again?"

He chuckled. Why did it have to sound so sexy and wonderful when he chuckled? I stifled a groan, spearing my hand into my hair and tugging until I felt the sharp sting of pain.

"How we want to do this without kissing every person in town and also raising a ton of money."

My lips curled. "Ahh yes."

"Did I interrupt anything exciting when I called?" he asked.

I sighed. "You have no idea."

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah. Downloading the pictures I took on the hike. I doubt I caught anything worth keeping before my ankle decided to twist itself."

"That does sound exciting."

"Mmhmmm." I chewed on my lip. "What about you? What are you doing?"

Honestly, I could not have sounded more awkward if I tried. But there was something terribly intimate about being curled up on my couch in the dark, with the sound of his voice in my ear. There wasn't a single part of me that didn't wish he was there with me.

There also wasn't a single part of me in denial about the feelings that Tucker had coursing through my body.

Floodgates were unleashed, the wall was knocked down, any other clever analogy that my love-addled brain could think up.

"Just driving around. Felt like I needed some fresh air."

I snuggled into the corner of the couch and took a deep breath. "I-I saw Magnolia at the Piggly Wiggly."

Loaded silence met my quiet statement.

"Did you now?" he asked after a beat.

I swallowed. "We didn't talk long." I smiled. "Long enough that I had to beat off some of the town vultures though."

Tucker groaned. "That place is a breeding ground for bored minds to run