Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,11

once seen him with an actual girlfriend. Just a random woman here and there who is never from Harmony Falls.”

“I know,” Addison said. “It’s just a crush, Gracie, nothing more.”

Is it? Then explain why you masturbated in the shower this morning after reliving what happened between you and Preacher.

Addison drank some wine, hoping Grace would think her deepening flush was because of the wine. So, she had masturbated this morning – and last night when you got home from the pub - so what? It was like Harper said, plenty of women in their small town masturbated to thoughts of Preacher. She was no different than them.

Except you actually know what it’s like to kiss Preacher.

Did she ever. And it’d been the hottest and best kiss of her life. She’d kissed Harrison thousands of times and it had never once been like that. She’d never felt so alive or turned on, or even –

“Addie?”

She cleared her throat. “Sorry. Just, uh, thinking. Hey, what are you doing tomorrow afternoon? I was thinking of texting Kira and seeing if she wanted to go for a hike at the Falls. I know it’ll be busy with tourists, but I could really use some exercise and fresh air.”

“Sorry, honey, Kira and Connor are coming over for a barbeque tomorrow afternoon and to play cards.”

“Oh, okay,” Addison said.

“Why don’t you come over too? There will be plenty of food and -”

“Nope, this is obviously a couples thing,” Addison said.

“I’m sorry,” Grace said.

“Don’t be, it’s all good. I’ll do my own thing tomorrow,” Addie said.

She plastered a smile on her face, determined not to let Grace see how upset or left out she was feeling. It wasn’t Grace’s fault Addison wasn’t part of a couple anymore. Besides, she needed to get used to being alone and enjoying her own company. She didn’t need a guy to have a good time. She could have a great time on her own.

* * *

“I am having a great time on my own,” Addison muttered. She opened the door to Twisted Stitches and stepped inside. The air conditioning hummed in the store and the cold air was a welcome relief from the hot mugginess of main street.

During the winter months, Harmony Falls only yarn shop was closed on Sundays, but Emma, Twisted Stitches owner, kept the shop open seven days a week during tourist season. Not surprisingly, the yarn shop was busy with a mixture of both tourists and locals. Some were obviously just there to escape the heat for a few blissful minutes, others carried small baskets loaded down with colourful hanks of yarn.

“Addie, hey, how are you?” Emma, wearing a ‘Twisted Stitches’ t-shirt, squeezed her curvy body past a couple of tourists. She carried a few hanks of yarn, a couple of sets of knitting needles, and a pattern book in her hands. Her usual calm vibe was a little frazzled. “Good to see you.”

“You too, Emma. Busy in here today,” Addison said.

“It is. I’m a bit swamped because Cora called in sick.”

“Ma’am? Excuse me, ma’am?” A woman wearing an ‘I love Harmony Falls’ t-shirt and a large sunhat jammed onto her head, waved at Emma with one sunburned arm. “Do you have this yarn in chartreuse?” She turned to face the bored looking teenager standing next to her. “The yarn place in New York just has so many more colours. I knew I should have brought extra yarn to the cabin, but your father insisted there wasn’t enough room in the car. Probably because he filled it with his fishing gear. I swear, next year we’re renting a trailer when we come up for our summer holidays. If your father gets to bring fifty different fishing rods, I should get to bring more than a bagful of yarn.”

The teenager mumbled a reply that Addison couldn’t hear as the woman waved at Emma again. “Ma’am, I’m really looking for chartreuse yarn.”

Emma turned to face them, and Addison winced when the woman twitched in surprise and the teenager said, “Dude, what’s up with your face?”

“Rodney! Car, now!” the woman snapped.

He was still staring at Emma and his mother elbowed him hard in the side. “Go to the car and wait for me there.”

“Fine.” The teenager rubbed his ribs. “God, it was just a question.”

“I’m so sorry,” the woman said as the teenager slouched out of the store. She smiled apologetically, her gaze skittering away from Emma’s face.

“It’s fine,” Emma said in the ‘it’s no big deal, it happens all