The Grump and the Girl Next Door: A Sweet Small Town Romantic Comedy (On the Hunt for Love Book 1) by Ellie Hall

Author:Ellie Hall [Hall, Ellie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Breaking, Entering & Breakthroughs

Lexi drums her fingers on her hip. “How exactly is our stakeout going to work?”

I let out a slow breath because I did not expect to think about getting mushy with Lexi. I clear my throat. “My buddy Shaw was an associate in military intelligence. Maybe he could help. He’s also the original Boy Scout, though now he has a wife, Cora, and a few kids. He’s mentioned coming down to visit.”

“I think we need a more immediate solution.”

She has a good point.

The sound of rain patters on the roof and the Coming Swoon banner whips in the wind. Peaches sits at our feet and shifts closer when thunder cracks. Can dogs chew gum? Probably not, but the corgi stinks.

“Could be the crocogator,” Lexi says.

“That’s a bunch of hogwash.”

Lexi lets out a long sigh. “So is my thinking that I can run this shop.”

“That’s not true. Nan did it and her background wasn’t in making sodas and sundaes.”

Lexi perks up. “Actually, my friend Rose runs an ice cream shop called Queen’s Cones in Liberty Lake, New Hampshire. I’ll see if she has any tips.”

“That’s good thinking.”

“For now, who would try to interfere with us reopening the Penny Gamble?” Lexi taps her chin. “Do you have any enemies?”

I snort. “Uh, yeah. More than a few, but thankfully they’re overseas and probably couldn’t find their way here.”

“That sounds sketchy.”

“How about you?”

“No one comes to mind.” Lexi runs her hand along the counter as if contemplating and then she stops in the space where the granite ends and it opens to the area for customers.

Crouching down, she says, “I didn’t notice this before.”

With the storm driving in, the room is dim and I shine a flashlight on the floor.

She points to a penny sunken into the tile.

“It’s glued in there. Interesting.”

“Wish we could ask Nan if she knew anything about it,” Lexi says.

“Yeah. My guess is it was the first cent Hogan Tickle made. You know how some businesses pin up their first dollar bill.”

“Maybe, considering this is the Penny Gamble.” Lexi stands up and continues her stroll as if surveying our progress. Peaches stays tight to her heels. “Nan’s last wishes were for us to restore this place to its former glory.”

“I think we’re well on our way.”

“Totally, but this wall over here is kind of boring. Do you know if there are any old pictures of Nan, Cory, or even Hogan Tickle around? Images from the old days so people could appreciate where the Penny Gamble Soda Fountain started and where it is now?”

“I was going through the office the other day and came across some articles.” As I guide us toward the back hallway, a drip, drip, drip interrupts the squeak of my boots.

“Oh no,” Lexi says when I open the door to reveal water streaming from the ceiling and puddling on the floor. “But it’s not even raining that hard.”

“Must be a burst pipe.” I spring to action to turn off the water main.

Lexi gets a mop and we do our best to clean things up, but the water keeps coming.

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