Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3) Read Free Page B

“I’m Sterling Richards. I live across the street. I’m Adrian’s friend. We go to the same church.”
    Relief flowed through the small woman’s features. She smiled and a dimple winked in her cheek. His heart skipped. He again found himself staring, full of curiosity about his new neighbor. She shook his hand.
    “I’m Melissa, but everybody calls me Misty.” Her small, soft fingers enclosed within his palm. He released her hand, spying her red-painted nails. He stepped back, catching a whiff of pleasant, rose-scented perfume. “I’m sorry about the way I acted. I didn’t know who you were.”
    He blinked, spotting a small tattoo on her neck. She covered the mark on her skin, as if ashamed. What kind of tattoo was she hiding? Still feeling off-kilter, he said the first thing that came to his mind. “I could still help you move your stuff if you want.”
    “Are you sure? I’ve got lots of stuff and some of those boxes are pretty heavy.”
    “What else were you going to do?” He studied the loaded truck. “Could you really carry all of those boxes inside? It looks like you need some help.”
    She looked away, stared at the ground. “Some friends were supposed to help me, but they bailed at the last minute.”
    He wondered about the types of loser friends she had. The desire to bring the smile back to her face consumed him, in spite of his intense fatigue. Thinking about Leon’s behavior had affected his sleep the previous night, and again he longed for a nap. But duty called. He needed to help Misty move her stuff into Adrian’s house. “What’s the matter?” Her soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
    “Huh?”
    “I asked what was wrong.” She gave him a small smile. “You looked like you were going to cry.”
    His eyes were moist. He blinked the tears away. No way did he want Misty to see him cry. He had to pull himself together. “What happened to your cheek?” She touched his cheek, frowning. “It looks like it hurts. Were you in a fight or something?”
    He stepped back. His cheek still tingled from Misty’s cool fingers. Maybe helping her move in was not such a good idea. The last thing he wanted to do was tell a stranger about the fight he’d had with his brother. “Let’s hurry up and get your stuff in the house.” He glanced at the truck. “Are all of the boxes heavy?”
    She pursed her lips. She was probably annoyed that he ignored her questions. “The lighter boxes are on the left and the heavy ones are on the right.”
    “Okay, I’ll carry the boxes in and you can start unpacking.”
    She touched his arm, her dark eyes serious. “You don’t have to carry all of the boxes. I’ll carry the lighter ones and you can carry the heavy ones. I’m not some weak female who can’t do any work.” Her stern tone brooked no argument, so he agreed. He just wanted to finish the chore so that he could lie down.
    They worked in companionable silence, carrying the boxes. Good thing she didn’t have any furniture. Adrian’s spare bedrooms were already furnished, which seemed to work well for her cousin. After working together for a couple of hours, the van was emptied. Misty removed the keys from the pocket of her jeans. He glanced up and down the street. “Did you need to return the van and get your car?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t own a car.”
    He frowned. “You don’t have a car? How come?”
    She folded her thin arms in front of her chest and looked away. “I just don’t, okay.” From the irritated tone of her voice, he figured he’d offended her. He wondered how much help she’d be to Adrian without a car. Since Adrian’s roommate moved out, she’d been relying on one of her coworkers to help her. How was Misty going to take Adrian to the grocery store, church, work, and weekly errands? Questions loomed through his mind, but he sensed he needed to stay silent. Misty stood beside the vehicle, jiggling her keys, as if anxious to return the van.
    He knew the whole situation