Hooked on You, Kathleen Fuller [book club suggestions TXT] 📗

asked me to. And yes, that’s why. I don’t pick up people late at night at the airport on a whim, but I’d do anythingfor Erma, even if I hadn’t made the tragic decision to send her to third.”

What a Hayden thing to say, and of course Riley believed him. She doubted he had a mean bone in his body.

After a long pause, he asked, “How was your flight?”

“Long.” She hadn’t been on a plane since she’d left Mimi’s, and she spent the first half hour gripping the arms of her seatwhen they encountered some turbulence shortly after takeoff. Once she realized the plane wasn’t going to crash, she’d beenable to relax a little. It was hard to fully settle down when her nerves were already stretched thin.

“When was the last time you were in Maple Falls?”

She hesitated. “Nine years ago.”

“You haven’t visited since you left for New York?”

Riley shook her head but didn’t say anything else. She didn’t want to go there with Hayden of all people.

Fortunately he changed the subject. “Do you like living in a big city?”

“I love New York.”

“Seems like I’ve heard that somewhere before. I lived in a few when I was with different minor league teams.” As he drovepast the southern suburbs of Little Rock, the lights dimmed, and the interstate became pitch-black except for the red taillightsof the few cars on the road with them. “Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami.” He chuckled. “I found out real fast that I’m not a cityboy. Give me a small town like Maple Falls anytime.” He laughed again, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Mind if I turn on the radio?” he asked.

She nodded, and soon country music filtered through the speakers. He left the volume low but loud enough that she could hearthe twang.

“Do you like Country?” he asked after a few minutes.

“A little.” She’d avoided the music as much as she could, especially during her first few years in New York. Aside from SouthernGospel, it was Mimi’s favorite. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. The steady hum of the engine, the liltof a country ballad, and the cool air blowing through the vents all settled her nerves.

“Hey,” Hayden said, touching her arm. “We’re here.”

Riley opened her eyes, shocked to see that they were in Mimi’s driveway. The 1940s brick ranch house was in front of her,the porch light on. “I fell asleep?”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “A few bars into ‘She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.’”

She turned to him, and her breath caught. Mimi had a streetlight at the end of her driveway, and Riley could see Hayden clearlyin the light. A thick lock of his blond hair hung over his brow, his mouth forming a half grin. He was beyond handsome, andso darn nice. She needed to get out of this car. “What do I owe you?”

“Nothing.” His smile faded. “I’m not an Uber, you know.”

“But I want to pay you for gas.”

“Forget it.”

“I insist.”

“This is a favor for Erma, remember?” He opened the door. “I’ll bring your bags to the porch. I’m sure she’s chomping at thebit to see you.”

Riley scrambled out of the car, bothered he wouldn’t let her pay him but eager to see Mimi. She hurried to the house and swungopen the door. Instantly she was greeted by the smell of arthritis cream, Mimi’s favorite vanilla-scented candles, and thesound of The Golden Girls blaring from the TV as she entered the living room.

“Riley!” Mimi motioned for her to come to the ancient recliner, her smile big, bright, and the most beautiful thing Rileyhad ever seen. “Come give me a big hug, sugar!”

Tears welled in Riley’s eyes, and not only because she saw the wheelchair next to Mimi—a visual reminder of the pain her stalwartgrandmother was suffering. Otherwise, Mimi looked the same. Her silver hair was still cut short in a style Mimi had alwayscalled serviceable, and she was wearing her usual evening attire—old sweatpants and a T-shirt that said “I’m a limited edition.”In that moment, basking in her favorite person’s smile as she saw the love in her blue eyes, she realized how much she missedand loved this woman who had taken her in when her mother abandoned her. Mimi had showered her with the affection Riley hadn’tknown she craved. She dropped her purse and hurried to her, kneeling on the ground and hugging her thin but still strong body.

“Welcome home, Riley,” Mimi said, her voice thick as she hugged her tightly. “Welcome home.”

Chapter 3

Hayden yawned as he swept the sidewalk in front of his father’s hardware store the next morning. He hadn’t made it home untilalmost midnight, and then it took him at least two hours to fall asleep, mostly because he was thinking about Riley. Why wasshe still on his mind? It wasn’t like he was going to get to know her better while she was taking care of Erma. He was sureshe’d want him to keep his distance anyway, especially now that she knew he was to blame for her grandmother’s accident.

The smart thing would be to forget about her. He had his job at the hardware store and his new house to focus on. Besides,Riley wouldn’t be in Maple Falls very long anyway. Last night she looked like she wanted to jump right back on that planeto New York.

His mind returned to the scene he’d walked in on when he brought Riley’s bags inside the house. Neither woman heard him comeinside, and he was surprised when he saw Riley crying in Erma’s arms. Erma hadn’t exactly been dry-eyed, and when she finallynoticed Hayden standing there, she motioned for him to leave. He quickly crept out the door. He shouldn’t have watched sucha private moment, but he had to be sure they were both okay.

He bent over and swept the dirt from the sidewalk into a dustpan as he mused about something else he learned last night. Hecouldn’t believe Riley hadn’t returned to Maple Falls in nearly a decade. Even when he was busy