You Smiled (11 page)

“He is. Do you want to meet him?” Blake asked politely. 

“Yeah!” Parker answered for her as he began to circle her, again. He pulled on her skirt and said, “He’s coming to our house for lunch today, and you can come, too. Right, Daddy? And bring Burt!” He looked from one adult to the other.

John gently pulled his son away, but before he could speak, Parker added, “Remember we wanted to invite her over yesterday?” 

John’s face colored slightly, which Maddy found surprising and a little charming. She focused on Parker.

“I’d love to visit sometime, and meet your pastor, too.” It seemed like the right thing to say. “But I’ve got to go and take care of some things at home. I have friends coming over this week to help me with my house, and I need to be ready for them.” 

Parker sighed. “You have
more
new friends? Are you having a party?”

“Oh no,” Maddy smiled. “It will be a long time before I can have a party at my house. It needs a lot of work to fix it up, so I’m having some worker friends come over to help me.”

“That Mason family tore your place apart, but good,” Otis chimed in. “It was such a nice little inn before they bought it. Not one of us in the neighborhood regretted it when they moved to Florida. A loud bunch they were, and those kids were so unruly.” He put his arm around Maddy and smiled. “But now look who the Lord brought to the beach!”

“So you two are neighbors,” John deduced, his momentary embarrassment replaced with interest. “And you bought the Mason place? Are you hoping to turn it back into a Bed & Breakfast?”

“That’s the plan. I wouldn’t want to stay in that big old house by myself,” Maddy replied. “Of course, it will be a while before anyone will actually want to come and stay there with me,” she added with a rueful smile.

John doubted she’d have any trouble filling her inn. He felt oddly uncomfortable with the idea, and agreed that it would probably be quite a while before she could reasonably expect guests. 

“It sounds like a big job,” he concluded casually.

“Yes, and thank you for reminding me.” Maddy grimaced at him, which had the unnerving effect of making him smile with those beautiful teeth. She could feel the heat in her face and quickly turned to her neighbor. “Otis, if you’re ready to go home, I’d love a ride. The walk was a bit of a challenge in these heels.” 

Sample ends here. Cafenova is available on Amazon.

Other books by S. Jane Scheyder

The Other Side of the Pulpit (2006)

Cafenova (2010)

One More Thing - Children’s Bedtime Story (2013)

The Clairmont Series Continues

in April 2014

About the author

S. Jane Scheyder, a firm believer in romance, lives with her husband and five children in Connecticut. Born in Royal Oak, Michigan, she graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana with a degree in Music Merchandising, though writing has always been her favorite artistic outlet. While enjoying her busy family tops her priority list, she looks forward to returning to the coast of Maine and finishing the Clairmont series.

For more information, visit www.andresblanton.com.