Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1) by Inés Saint

when everyone was staring at his eyebrow? Ugh.”
    “No. I was too busy staring at his eyebrow, too.” Holly glared at her, and Emily bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Come on, let’s sneak a look at the house. Dan’s at Huffy’s with the guys and you know how they are. They’ll be there till it closes, watching games, playing darts and pool, and grunting at each other.”
    Holly considered it. Emily was right. They went inside, rummaged around for a couple of flashlights, and headed next door.
    They peeked into the window closest to their own house first. Holly slowly guided the light up and down and from side to side over the living room. “He’s taken all the doors, moldings, and trim down. Not much else to see.”
    “Let’s go to the back.” Emily grabbed her arm.
    But Holly remained rooted to the spot. “I hope he’s staining everything. I’d hate to see it repainted.”
    Emily pulled her arm again. “Don’t dwell on it. Let’s keep moving.”
    Holly shut the light off and grinned. “You don’t give a hoot about the house. You just like the idea of doing something sneaky.”
    “I’m pathetic, I know. But this is the closest I’ve come to doing something risky since I became a mom,” she said, eyes bright.
    They tiptoed around to the back, though Holly wasn’t sure why they were trying to be quiet. They both turned their lights on and shone them into the kitchen. “The old cabinets are gone, that’s a good thing.” Holly sighed. “It looks like he’s moving along at a good pace.”
    Emily put her arm around Holly’s shoulder. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
    “I’m fine. Come on.” Holly turned the flashlight off and together they rounded the corner.
    Emily was about to turn the light back on, but Holly put her hand on her arm, looked back at the house next door, and said, “Wait. What if Mrs. Jenkins sees the light and thinks we’re intruders?”
    “Her house is on a downward slope and she’s nearly blind,” Emily reassured her.
    They turned their flashlights on again and tried to look inside. This side of the house was darker and they had to squint and press their noses against the glass to see anything. “Look over there, beside the fireplace.” Holly nudged Emily.
    “What? I don’t see anything.”
    “He found the matching stone. How’d he manage that? I’ve been trying to find it for months.”
    A hand clamped her shoulder. “I know what I’m doing, that’s why,” a deep male voice spoke.
    Both women screamed and jumped. Holly’s heart felt as if it had exploded inside her chest. She looked up to see Dan. Emily began to giggle the moment she saw him. It was a nervous habit, and poor Emily would be giggling like an idiot for a while.
    Holly put her hand on her chest. “Don’t do that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? What’re you doing here?” she yelled, unable to think straight.
    Dan had the nerve to grin. “I forgot my wallet.”
    “Is that why you snuck up on us? To kill me? We’re just looking. Jeez!” Holly’s cheeks were burning. She clenched her teeth, grabbed Emily by the arm, and marched back across the lawn with as much dignity as she could muster.
     
    “Heather!” Holly cried, when Sam’s ex walked into her shop on Monday.
    The two women hugged. “I’ve been dying to see you and talk to you, but Sam says you’re spending time with your parents and I know you’ve been busy . . .” Holly’s voice trailed off. She hadn’t seen her friend in three weeks, but she didn’t know where to begin.
    “I know. But I finally have a day off and I wanted to spend some time with you and Emily. I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier, but it’s been crazy.”
    “Oh, Emily will hate she missed you. Gracie’s got the flu and Emily stayed home with her, but if you give me a few minutes, I can get someone to take over and we can go out.”
    “Actually, I was thinking about getting a new signature scent. We had so much fun coming up