Chapter 5

“Come in,” I said and moved aside, letting the door slam behind him.

Denny smiled. “This place is amazing. I wanted to buy lavender.”

I lifted my T-shirt and wiped sweat from my face. When I lowered my shirt, Denny moved closer and stared at me.

“It’s hot,” he said.

“This is nothing. It’s not even summer yet.”

Denny dug a bandana out of his back pocket and mopped his glistening forehead. “You mentioned lemonade?”

“The best lemonade.”

“How long you lived here?”

“Forever.”

“Yeah?”

I nodded at the stool set up next to the kitchen counter. “Take a seat.”

He did, and I got two glasses out of the cupboard.

“So, forever huh?”

“Feels like it,” I muttered. The window above the sink was open, and the curtains moved in the breeze. The fragrance of lavender wafted in, and inhaling, I closed my eyes and imagined being somewhere else. I wondered if I could catch the next plane to Paris. I pictured laughing at some café in a small French town, with an alluring French man.