Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1)

by Ines Saint

  “Yes, and it better be a good one.” Sherry leaned in.

  Dan racked his brain, but he couldn’t come up with anything the meddlesome women would consider a good question. “You ask for me.” He nodded to Sherry.

  Sherry bit her lip, her pale green eyes aglow. “Will Dan find true love?” she asked before cutting her eyes to Dan. “And don’t you dare roll your eyes.”

  “Okay. I can see how this will be one of the fun ones.” Rosa wiggled in her seat. Dan shook his head at her, in mock disappointment. “Your reaction will be the fun part,” she explained.

  “But Dan has to be the one to ask,” Ruby said. The three women looked at him and waited.

  He blew out a breath. The things one did to appease women. “Will I ever find true love?” he muttered.

  “No! Not like that. Close your eyes, breathe in and out a few times, clear your space, call your angels to your side, and then ask. Like you mean it.”

  “Oh, I like that. I do believe in angels, you know.” Rosa clapped her hands together.

  Dan channeled his inner Johnny. He made a huge show of closing his eyes, breathing, and clearing his space—and was kicked hard under the table for his efforts. He laughed, rubbed his shin, and asked in a booming voice, “Will I ever find true love?”

  It was then Ruby’s turn to close her eyes. Her right hand moved over the deck of cards. “Will Dan Amador, the young man before me, ever find true love?” she asked in a soft, breathless voice. She then began shuffling the cards, eyes still closed. Rosa’s eyes had gotten very big, watching her. Dan and Sherry’s eyes met, and they both had to clamp their mouths down hard.

  Ruby opened her eyes suddenly and Dan and Sherry sat up straight. Ruby looked down. “See this card?” she asked, pointing to a card that was sticking out.

  Dan nodded and tried to look serious.

  “When a card sticks out like that, it means it holds a special message.”

  “Or that you need to work on your shuffling skills,” Sherry said.

  “You’re ruining my energy.” Ruby said between clenched teeth.

  “Your energy is fine. I feel perfectly at peace,” Dan reassured her, lest she want to start over.

  Ruby chose the card that was sticking out and placed it facedown to her far right. She then chose two more cards and placed them facedown in front of her.

  “Lift the first card and place it face up,” she instructed. Dan did as he was told and resisted looking down at his watch. The first card said, Creative Project, and it had a picture of angels fixing a harp.

  Ruby’s eyes widened and she looked up sharply. “Lift the second card,” she commanded.

  “Aren’t you supposed to tell me what the first card means?” Dan asked.

  “Just do as you’re told.” Rosa waved him on.

  Dan lifted the second card and placed it face up, as well. That one said, Activation, and it had a picture of an angel blowing fire.

  Ruby gasped. The sound was so sharp and sudden, that Rosa and Sherry jumped. Dan couldn’t help it; he chuckled. “Well? Will I or won’t I?”

  “Will you or won’t you what?” Sherry asked, confused.

  “Find true love,” Rosa supplied. “Now lift the third card, the special one.” She patted Dan’s hand and looked as eager as Ruby.

  “Who’s reading the cards and who’s the disbeliever here?” Ruby asked.

  Rosa crossed her arms and sat back, a petulant look on her face. “I just want to get this over with. We need to open up soon. It’s almost seven.”

  “You may lift the third card.” Ruby made a grand sweeping motion with her hand.

  Dan flipped it over and the three women leaned in. The “three elements” card depicted three angels, one hovering within a spiral of wind, one swimming underwater, and one planting a seed, its hands full of earth.

  Ruby slammed her hand on the table and even Dan jumped. “The Amador curse will be broken and you will find true love!” She placed the cards over her heart, a joyous look on her face. Abruptly, she put them back down. “And that is all I can tell you for now.”

  “What? How did you get that from these three cards?” Sherry picked them up, turned them around, and studied them. She looked disappointed.

  “I will tell you when the time is right!” Ruby exclaimed, looking pleased with herself.

  Rosa scraped her chair back and stood up. “Not the curse again. How can I get you to understand that God would not permit your ancestors to put a curse on anybody’s descendants?” Rosa shook her head and mumbled something under her breath in Spanish before looking around. “I can tell you one thing; angels were not here if that’s what you came up with.”

  “I’m not saying one person can’t curse another. The gypsies didn’t curse the Amadors. Sergio cursed his family with his actions,” Ruby explained.

  “I don’t see much difference. You’re still saying they’re cursed and I’m telling you, curses don’t exist. People can rhyme, rant, and rave all they want. It doesn’t give them any power over anyone else.”

  Dan sat back. He’d missed their bickering because it was harmless and he knew they enjoyed it. He wondered if they even remembered he was there and that it was his blighted family tree they were discussing.

  “Answer me this: Who has a better chance at a happy life, a child born to poor, homeless drug addicts, or a child born into a loving, stable, middle-class family?” Ruby demanded.

  “Both children have a chance,” Sherry chimed in.

  Ruby narrowed her eyes at her. “I know they both have a chance. I asked who had the better chance.”

  “Are you saying the poor child born to drug addicts is cursed?” Rosa shook her head.

  Ruby closed her eyes and breathed in and out. “I’m saying behaviors are learned and patterns that have gone on for generations are hard to break and that it can all start with one person. I’m with you in believing that individual will can break through it all, but doesn’t Sergio Amador sound like a horrendous person to you? No offense, Dan.” Ruby looked down at him.

  He lifted a shoulder. “None taken.”

  Ruby patted his hand and continued, “Do you think children born to a man like that will learn love from him? Don’t you think the painful pattern can be passed on until others break the pattern? Sergio cursed his family and they need to break the pattern. The pattern is the curse, so curses do exist.”

  “Well”—Rosa lifted one shoulder—“I do agree they need to break a pattern.” She tossed Dan a pointed look.

  “And I guess it’ll just have to be you. It’s in the cards,” Sherry ribbed him.

  “Don’t look at me.” He grinned. “I sure as hell don’t want to break the curse if it’s what’s keeping me single.”

  Ruby began shuffling her cards, a small smile on her lips. “We’ll see . . .”

  CHAPTER 6

  Trick-or-treating in Spinning Hills always ended at Star Springs Park. Parents would spread their kids’ haul out on picnic tables to check them, and kids would trade the candy they didn’t want.

  Holly, Ella, Ruby, Leo, Emily, and their little girl, Gracie, were sifting through candy when Johnny walked up to them, dressed as one of the Wright brothers. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty and . . . a pirate.” He rubbed Ella and Gracie’s heads.

  “I’m a pirate captain and Ella’s Rapunzel.” Gracie looked at him as if he were clueless.

  “Those were my next two choices. I promise.”

  “Orville Wright?” Holly smiled, taking in the mustache, hat, and old-fashioned suit. “How very original.” The Wright brothers were Dayton’s engineering rock stars, and every year at least half a dozen people dressed up as one of them.

  Johnny ignored her and eyed the candy. “May I join you?”

  “You always seem to join us at the same time, every single year,” Emily observed.

  “So he can take the candy we don’t want.” Ella giggled.

  “You guys are on to me, huh?” Johnny straddled the bench.

&n
bsp; “You’re not that complicated,” Ruby said to him. “And we saw you pocketing Jake’s discards.”

  Ella and Gracie took the candy they wanted to trade and ran off to another table.

  “Trust me, I’m complicated enough. Or at least my life is.” Johnny twisted his face into a pitiful look that nobody bought.

  “Poor baby. Are you having girl trouble again?” Emily asked.

  Johnny chuckled. “Okay, so maybe I’m not that complicated.”

  “I thought you had turned over a new leaf,” Leo teased.

  “I have. Some girls don’t believe me, though. And I’ll never make any headway with the right girl and her family if I can’t get rid of the wrong ones.” He popped a few candy corns into his mouth, chewed, and turned to Ruby. “Do you have any desserts that tell a girl to stop stalking a guy?”

  “I’m thinking sending a girl any dessert sends the wrong message,” Ruby answered. “Have you tried just talking to her?”

  Johnny looked up, as serious as Holly had ever seen him. “I have, but she thinks I’m teasing her.”

  “It’s that grin of yours and the look in your eye,” Emily said to him. “It sends the wrong message.”

  “Well, I can’t change my face.” Johnny picked up a couple of jawbreakers the girls weren’t allowed to eat and popped one into his mouth before turning to look at Holly. “Maybe you could whip up some stalker-repellant scent for me.”

  “Your body does that naturally when you play touch football with the guys,” Holly joked.

  Johnny hooked an arm around her neck and stuck her head into his armpit. “Gross!” Holly laughed. When he let her go, she turned her head away as if she couldn’t stand his stench and caught sight of Mrs. Amador, Heather, Sam, and Jake at another picnic table. Heather waved and Holly waved back. Mrs. Amador looked over at them, pursed her lips, and looked away.

  Holly pretended she hadn’t seen, but it made her feel low. There was nothing going on between her and Johnny and there never would be, but the fact that both their mother and Dan didn’t think she was good enough for him stung. It made her unconsciously scroll through the bad decisions she’d made.

  The moment she caught herself doing it, she pulled back her shoulders and counted off all the successes she’d achieved.

  It worked. There was a lot she was proud of.

  She turned and spoke in a low voice, so only Johnny could hear, “I’ve been meaning to tell you . . . Dan stopped by yesterday.”

  Johnny looked at her, his expression serious. “Why?”

  “To make things right.”

  “Did he?”

  “We came to an agreement, so you can let him off the hook. But please don’t do anything like that again. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me. You’re a good friend, but you had to know I’d absolutely hate to come between you and your brother. The whole thing made me uncomfortable.”

  Johnny looked down at the table and thought for a moment. “Honestly, I did it for him as much as I thought I was doing it for you. But you’re right. I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through.”

  “And that’s why I love you. You’re a good guy, Johnny. The best.”

  He laughed. “It’s too bad we’re not into each other. We’d make a great couple.”

  Dan was beat. He walked to his car and tried to shake off the dust and grime before getting in. “Hey, bro,” a familiar voice called.

  He looked up to see Johnny, Holly, and Ella walking along the sidewalk. Ella was dressed up as some sort of princess, Johnny was dressed as Orville Wright, and Holly was dressed like a gypsy. She had a red bandanna and a white pirate shirt, and it accentuated her milky skin, dark hair, and intense eyes. Their gazes locked and she lifted her chin.

  It hit him that he couldn’t blame his brother if he was infatuated with her. There was a heart-stopping quality to her . . . when she wasn’t foaming at the mouth.

  Johnny was watching them, so Dan smiled. “Hey, princess,” he said to Ella. “Queen Matilda.” He bowed to Holly, calling her by Miami Valley’s famed gypsy queen.

  “What are you supposed to be?” Ella frowned at him.

  He looked at his dirty plaid shirt and raggedy jeans. “A tired construction worker.”

  Ella shrugged and skipped off to her backyard.

  “I’ve been meaning to tell you.” Johnny pointed to Dan’s new Honda Accord. “Real men drive pickups. There was even a survey about it a few weeks ago. Women rated sedans as the least sexiest car.”

  So he and Johnny were good again. Holly had kept up her side of the bargain. Dan lifted one shoulder. “And all the insecure men ran out and bought pickups. Real men know they can pull off any car.”

  Johnny laughed. “I’ll see you at home in a bit.”

  “And I’ll see you tomorrow at seven.” Holly smiled, a little too sweetly.

  As if he could forget. He was already dreading it.

  “Another binder.” Dan pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “This one will blow you away.” Holly looked around for a place to place the binder, and Dan led her to a worktable he’d set up in what used to be the sixth bedroom. “You knocked the wall down!” she exclaimed. Her heart clenched. The house was beginning to take shape.

  “Anyone with any sense would have done the same.”

  “You’re admitting I have sense then?” She looked at him. His shirt was open, revealing . . . solidness. And a few of those dark hairs. What was it with her and hairy chests? If she really had any sense, she’d find them disgusting, like most women. He showed her how much sense he thought she had by holding his thumb and pointer finger so close together, there was barely any space between the two. She ignored him and looked away. “Before you get to peek at the binder, you have to give me the tour.”

  As if he wanted a peek at her binder . . .

  The two projects he’d been working on most were the master bedroom and the family room. Since they were standing in the new family room and she could see he’d torn down a wall and was either patching the others up or taking old drywall down, he took her to the master suite. He’d gutted the old bathroom and removed its walls along with the wall separating the master from the fifth bedroom.

  Holly looked around, nodding as if she approved, her dimpled smile bright. Dan couldn’t help but feel a little pleased someone liked what he was doing. Even if it was her.

  Although he also had to admit she was a sight for sore eyes. The fit of her jeans kept drawing his eye and her black, V-neck sweater brought out her striking features.

  Stepping around the debris, she glanced into the old bathroom and closet, and then the old fifth bedroom. “Where are the trim and moldings? I know you took them down, but I haven’t seen them.”

  “I’m having them sanded and painted white again.”

  “Oh. Have they started?”

  “They start tomorrow.”

  “Because I think you should consider a light mahogany stain. I know white trim is all the rage now, but I think a stain would suit it better. In the evening, sunlight bathes the house and gives it all a warm glow. It’s soothing and peaceful. You’ll see.”

  Dan rubbed the back of his neck. “Remember I’m going to flip the house. Most people want the latest trends, even in historical homes.”

  “I know, but consider the way the light comes in. Buyers will look at that, too. Let’s go back down and look at my binder.”

  Dan took in a deep breath and held it. “Sure,” he said as he let it out.

  “You know, I think you might be a misogynist,” Holly spoke in an indifferent, conversational tone as she left the room and headed downstairs. “You act as if listening to a few of my ideas is unbearable.”

  “Right. You’re on to me. I think women should only be seen in the kitchen and bedroom, and never be heard,” he joked.

  “Too bad you’ll be seeing and hearing me in every room of this house,” Holly answered. Her words hadn’t been meant to conjure up lascivious thoughts, he knew, but that’s
exactly what they’d done. Long dark curls against a satin pillowcase, and certain sounds echoing through a room bathed in golden light. Dan swallowed and shook his head. What the hell? He looked over to see Holly watching him, arms crossed, lips pursed. “You’re a misogynist lecher, that’s what you are.”

  “You don’t know what I was thinking,” he accused.

  “Oh, I know exactly what you were thinking. It was written all over your face.”

  “Well, whatever I was thinking, it had nothing to do with you,” he lied. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that her words would’ve conjured up images in any man. Still, he was embarrassed to have gotten caught. “Jeez, you guys really do think you can read minds.”

  “What do you mean, ‘you guys’?”

  “I ran into Ruby and your daughter a while back. Your daughter thought she’d read my mind, too.” He walked over to her and the infamous binder.

  “What did she say?”

  “I don’t remember exactly,” he lied again.

  Holly leaned on the makeshift table, opened her binder, and turned a few pages. “Well, I’m sure she did read you. It’s like she has this built-in radar when it comes to people. I don’t have that gift.”

  “Gift?” he scoffed before he could stop himself. “You sound like Ruby.”

  “You have something against my grandmother now?”

  “No. I happen to love your grandmother.”

  That earned him a bright smile. He couldn’t look away.

  “But you don’t believe in gifts?” she asked.

  “I believe in natural inclinations and hard work. A gift implies someone handed something over to you for free.”

  “Well, isn’t something you’re born with, free? I agree you have to put in hard work to turn it into anything, but I’d still call it a gift.”

  Her theory was cute, but he couldn’t disagree more. “I don’t think I was born with legal expertise.” He looked down at her binder, as if to end the subject.

  “Why is it you’re better than most at researching legal cases? Why is it you know exactly where to look for information and precedents? Do you ever wonder how you come up with the right combination of words to bring up the exact search results you need, and how it is you know what facts will sway a judge or a jury? It’s a gift, Dan.”