Page 2 of Sweet Cinnamon and the Mountain Man (Festival of Hearts #2)

Cinnamon

“Grandma, you need to stop trying to fix me up with that man. He’s so annoying. I can tell he doesn’t like me and I…I just don’t want to deal with your matchmaking anymore. You call me every time you know he’s going to be here to run some stupid errand for you.”

“Humph! Picking up my lunch is not a trivial thing, dear. You want me to pass out from hunger?”

“Of course not,” I huff, cocking my head and switching the pictures on my dream board for a new project.

I want the room to seem peaceful when I show it to my prospective client.

Heather was a mean girl in school and I’m dreading meeting with her but sometimes you can’t let your personal feelings influence a job. Especially when you need to eat.

I need this job. Need the arts and crafts fair that starts tomorrow to hopefully get a little traffic going to my new website. I need new business if I want to get the downpayment together for renting a storefront in town.

One step at a time, Cinnamon.

“Are you even listening to me, Cinnamon. I’m not going to be around forever and I want to see you settled before I shuffle off this earth.”

Grinning, I shoot her a sparkling look, tickled at her audacity even as I’m appalled at the way she tries to get her own way.

“Granny, you know that you haven’t aged a day in twenty years. There’s no way that you’re going any time soon.”

Rolling her narrowed blue gaze, she pats her pale blue hair into place. She’s kept it up in a crazy beehive swirl for as long as I can remember.

“Don’t try and sweet-talk me, girl. I know exactly what you’re doing and it’s not going to work. You could at least try being nice to Reginald Hawks. The man’s a genius with furniture. He’s going to make it with his business.”

My heart trips in my chest and my lips tighten.

I’m well-aware of what my grandmother thinks of my little design business.

It’s not her fault. She’s a firm relic of another era and she really believes that the only way I’m going to be taken care of is if I get married and have kids with some poor sap.

She doesn’t think that I can take care of myself. Admittedly, it’s not looking great right now but I know I can do it. I can make this business successful. All I need is a little break and a few more clients so that I can purchase that space.

She sighs and reaches over to pull at my shoulders and I stand up and lean into her, sighing deeply.

“I’m sorry, child. I just want to make sure that you’re taken care of.”

Eyeing her skeptically, I lift a brow. “You want grandchildren.”

Snorting, she lets me move a step away. Her pale blue eyes are still as clear as they were when she was breaking boy’s hearts when she was dating. She hasn’t gone near another man since my grandpa died though.

He was her great love and she’s got no interest in any other man.

“So what if I want a grandchild or two before I leave this earth. We both know that neither of your brothers will ever settle down. At least not without a push and they won’t come back here so I can do it.”

I grin cheekily. “Can you blame them? The last time they came back you basically had your own little version of the bachelor going on. One girl after another showing up to hound them. At least with me you’ve only got the one guy you keep throwing at my head.

They had them crawling out of the woodwork!

Jeremy’s still afraid to go to sleep without checking to make sure that all his windows are closed and locked for fear some girl is gonna crawl in and sneak up on him. ”

Agatha rolls her eyes. “Jeremy’s just a little wuss. He needs to grow a spine. Your mother made him into a…”

“Grandma!” I shriek.

“What?” She shoots me an innocent look and I narrow my eyes at her.

“I know exactly what you were going to say and you need to settle down. I know that Jeremy’s the baby of the family but he’s a good guy. He’s just a little gun-shy since Barb broke up with him.”

“Barb was an idiot. I still don’t know what that boy saw in her.”

“She’s pretty and sweet and she loved him.”

“One out of three ain’t bad,” she huffs and flops down on the chair next to me. I love to work after-hours in the library when she works late.

But she’s not in any rush to get her work done tonight. She’s too busy working on me right now to care about her precious library. Probably because the library can’t give her the grandbabies she’s dying to bounce on her old knees.

“Cinnamon, please. I know you want to make this business work and I’m right there with you if that’s what you want.

But I also know that you’re not gonna be happy alone for the rest of your life.

I know that James really tore you up when he decided to leave town for that fancy job.

I wouldn’t have blamed you for giving up Valentine and flying off with him to a new life. ”

Hunching over, I poke at the dream board. “I’m not leaving Valentine for any reason. This is my home and I do not want to leave it. I love it and there’s nothing that’s gonna convince me that this isn’t where I’m supposed to be.”

She stands up and pats my shoulder. “I hope that you don’t regret it, child. I know I wasn’t a big fan of James and I hope that my feelings didn’t color your decision.”

Shaking my head, I smile up at her. “Nope. James was a mistake.”

As far as I can tell all men are mistakes. James was just the most recent one to prove that to me.

“Since your mama passed away, I’ve tried to take care of you, Cinnamon. I won’t be around forever and I just want to make sure that you’ve got someone looking out for you before I pass away.”

Jumping to my feet, I hug her and grunt, “You’re not going anywhere so just stop it! I’m alright by myself. Trust me, granny.”

She stomps off after she pulls away. “You’re a stubborn girl, Cinnamon Walker. But I know that Reginald Hawks is the man for you so don’t expect me to just give up and walk away. You know that’s not my style.”

Rolling my eyes, I flop back into the hardwood seat and roll my neck back and forth then drop my forehead into my hand huffing out a breath.

I just want some peace and quiet so I can get some work done. Is that too much to ask?

I grab my dream board for my prospective client and holler good-bye to Agatha and then stomp out the door.

At least Jeremy and Clark left town so they’ve got a little distance between Agatha’s machinations and themselves.

I refuse to leave town just to keep from having her harass me to go out with Reginald Hawks. I mean it.

That man is trouble and I don’t want anything to do with him or his steely blue eyes.

No matter how pretty they are surrounded with long, dark eyelashes that most girls would kill for.

He doesn’t like me and I don’t like him. And that’s just how it’s gonna be.

No matter what Agatha thinks.