Free Home Matters (A Ripple Effect Romance Novella, Book 1) by Julie N. Ford

“And a copy of my sales receipt?” she added, faking outrage when in fact, the idea that someone might care what she’d bought at Walgreens made her feel lightheaded, dizzy almost—at first. But as the guys continued to quote from the article, adding their own demented spin, a feeling altogether different began to emerge. A sensation of being… hollow? A deep crevice, an emptiness, that seemed to be expanding the more the guys continued to discuss the article.
    “Looks like it,” Tom said, then proceeded to list the items on the receipt. “D-batteries?” he read, wagging his eyebrows. “And ring pops? You hiding an illegitimate child no one knows about in your room?”
    “First, get your mind out of the gutter,” she scolded. “If you must know, the batteries were for my cordless fan. I get hot when I sleep, and I like the white noise. It soothes me. I need my beauty sleep,” she explained. “And don’t you dare go starting any rumors about fatherless babies,” she warned, to which the guys continued to regard her with cynical eyes. “What? I like to snack while I’m reading, or watching a television show, and sometimes I don’t want to eat the whole sucker at once. So I just pop it onto my finger, and it’s there when I’m ready for more. Simple as that.”
    Sean studied her with a wary eye. “Right,” he said, drawing out the word. “At least the Midol needs no explanation. But given what happened the other day, you might want to up your dose,” he said, referring to the sander that had flown from Olivia’s hands, off the top of the nursery dresser she was “refinishing,” and right into the crotch of an unsuspecting crewman.
    Humiliation darkened her blush. “I already told y’all that was an accident.”
    “Tell that to Larry, laid up back at the hotel with his who-ha recovering in an ice sling,” Sean said.
    “‘Who-ha?’” Brandon shoved Sean’s shoulder. “Dude, what are you, like four?” he said, to which the rest of the group joined in with jeers of their own.
    Olivia glanced around at Pete’s crew, laughing, taunting one another. How long had it been since she’d felt lighthearted? Again, she mentally ran through her list of blessings, so long and yet still lacking, missing that one mysterious item equating to happiness. What could it be? The more she tried to answer that question, the greater that canyon inside her widened. Then the pleasing scent of pizza wafted up again, tempting her nose, whetting her taste buds. What if she wasn’t dissatisfied with her life at all? What if she was simply hungry? Yes, that had to be it.
    Casting the paper aside, she went for a slice, and drove it into her mouth before her better sense had a chance to thwart her decision.
    The crust, cheese, veggies, and yes, even the greasy sausage blended together, rolling over her tongue to form a divine combination. If heaven had a signature food, this pizza would certainly fit the description.
    “It’s been a while since I ate pizza,” she said around the glorious bite delighting her ravenous appetite. “But this has to be the best I’ve ever tasted. Where did it come from?” she asked, already making plans to procure a pie for her own private enjoyment. Kale cleanse? What a ridiculous notion.
    A smile tugged up the corner of Pete’s mouth. “It came from a place called Vinnie Van Go Go’s . It’s down by the river, close to the design school,” he was saying when a voice of disbelief cut in.
    “Olivia?”
    All eyes swung to see William pulling back the plastic.
    “Are you eating pizza?”

Downtown Savannah fascinated Olivia. She marveled at the way history had survived amidst the present day in the form of resurrected storefronts, cobblestone streets, and grand-spired churches with bell towers that sang out hymns of praise at the top of each hour. But her favorite part of all was the squares scattered every few blocks. While some hosted sparkling fountains, others epitaphs to a