Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1) by Inés Saint

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