Free Righting a Wrong (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella) by Rachael Anderson Page A

“I’m glad things worked out for you.”
    “And I’m glad things worked out for you.”
    When an awkward silence started creeping in again, she yanked on the door handle. “I guess I’ll see you around?”
    “I’d say that’s a pretty safe bet,” he joked. “You are stalking me.”
    “Right.” Cambri smiled slightly. “Maybe I’ll peek in your windows sometime soon then.”
    He watched her for a moment, feeling like this was a goodbye. A better goodbye then before, but his heart still wrenched at the thought of not seeing her again. “Or you can knock. If I’m there, I’ll answer.”
    Her smile grew larger. “I’d like that. Night, Jace.” She hopped from the car and sauntered toward her house. On the front porch, she turned and lifted a hand.
    Jace took that as his cue and left.
     

     
    “Nickelback!” The non-expletive was the first thing Cambri heard as she walked inside, shutting the door quietly behind her.   Although her heart still felt heavy, it had a lightness to it that had been missing for a long time. She should have talked to Jace years ago.
    “I’m telling you, I didn’t cheat,” countered Grandpa Cal. “How could I? You were sitting there the entire time.”
    “You distracted me with all those stories, that’s how,” said Harvey. “I never lose at chess.”
    “Only because I always let you win to avoid an argument like this.”
    “Then why didn’t you let me win today?” her father countered.
    “To teach you a lesson in humility, remember?” Grandpa Cal said. “I should have known better. You and humility go together about as well as pickles and lemonade.”
    “Spitwicks.” Cambri walked into the kitchen and found her father jabbing a finger on the table to make a point. “I am the best chess player in the county, and you and I both know it.”
    “Looks like I just kicked you out of that spot.”
    Her father pushed his chair back at the same time Cambri decided it was time to intervene. “I’m glad to see you’re both good sports when it comes to losing”—she shot her father a warning look—“and winning”—she turned her expression on Grandpa Cal. “Your late wives would be so proud of you both right now.”
    That seemed to shut them up. At least until her father pointed a finger at Cal. “You and me, next week. Same time and place.”
    “I’ll be here.”
    Cambri rolled her eyes, making a mental note to hide the chess game before then. She clapped her hands together and forced a smile to her face. “Now that that’s settled, it’s time for your meds, Dad.”
    Her father frowned, and Cal grabbed his jacket. He gave Cambri a side hug and pecked her on the forehead. “Thanks for dinner, Cambri. It hit the spot.”
    “Yeah, like an arrow in the gut,” her father grumbled.
    “Never you mind him,” said Cal. “They don’t make medicine strong enough to cure his surliness.”
    “I never do,” said Cambri with a smile.
    She walked him to the door, waved goodbye, then returned to her father. After handing him his meds, she leaned her hip casually against the table. “I’ve been thinking about your yard. How would you feel about me giving it a bit of a makeover before I leave?”
    “Before you leave?” He eyed her with a look she couldn’t interpret. Wariness perhaps? Disappointment?
    Cambri sighed and pulled out a chair, sitting across from him. “I have to go back, Dad. My life is there, not here.”
    “Your life is where you want it to be.”
    “Right now I want it to be there.” Although the words sounded firm and believable, Cambri’s heart still wavered. But that was only because she was here. Once she returned to Charlotte, she’d transition easily back into her old life and start looking forward instead of back.
    Her father let out a breath and leaned back in his chair. “No good ever came from arguing with you. If that’s really what you want, then that’s what it will be.”
    Cambri eyed him with a mixture of respect and