Free Flipped! (Spinning Hills Romance 1) by Inés Saint Page B

all. “Is that the whole truth?”
    Dan hesitated. “Two-thirds of it. I promise.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “I’ll tell you as soon as we read the letter together.”
    Ella looked out the door. She took one look at Dan and ran down the hallway. Dan frowned at that. Holly looked into his gray eyes. The remorse he was describing was reflected there.
    She wanted to read the letter, and technically, it was his. It didn’t matter what he really thought about her. His opinion meant nothing to her. Because he meant nothing to her. She broke eye contact.
    “Leo doesn’t know what happened, so please don’t bring it up when you see him. I don’t want to drag anyone else into this. I only vented with Ruby and I asked Ella to just keep it between us. Now sit your butt down. We’ll read the letter together, and then you’re out of here,” she commanded. He didn’t deserve politeness.
    “You mean, sit my keister down?” Dan wanted to thank her for not telling Leo what he’d said, but he knew she didn’t want to be thanked because she hadn’t done it for him.
    He sat down and took a good look around the apartment. The L-shaped kitchen fit a small island. Plenty of cedar cabinets lined the walls. White Corian countertops and a glass backsplash reflected light and further brightened it up. The dining area was next, followed by a family room. Large casement windows that would let plenty of natural light in during the day. White trim and neutral walls and furniture with colorful kid’s art and throw pillows completed the bright and airy look.
    There was a hallway between the dining area and the family room and, from the size of the house, he could guess it led to two bedrooms and one or two bathrooms.
    “Hey, this apartment is pretty decent. Lots of light and storage. Leo and his wife did a great job,” he said, to break the ice.
    “I know. It’s surprising I didn’t choose a crypt to live in, what with my general lack of judgment and all.” Holly flipped the envelope over. He moved his chair closer to hers and together they stared at it. Stanley hopped from her lap to his. He got up on his hind legs and began sniffing Dan’s shirt. Satisfied, he spun around three times before curling up on Dan’s lap. Holly narrowed her eyes at her puppy.
    “Is he a terrier mix?”
    She nodded.
    “What’s his name?”
    “Stanley.”
    Dan stroked the dog’s gray, white, and gold fur. “Sam and Johnny had a Yorkie. His name was Cooper. I used to tell them it was a girl’s dog.”
    Holly did her best to keep her lips from twitching. Not because Dan was funny. He wasn’t. But she knew Sam and Johnny well enough to imagine how much that would’ve bugged them.
    They reached down to open the envelope’s flap, their fingers touched, and they both pulled their hands back.
    “I’ll open it. You stay back.” Holly lifted the flap and slid the letter out. Carefully, she unfolded it. Unable to keep the excitement out of her voice, she read aloud. “December, Saturday 17, 1913. My dearest Miranda,

    “The days are cold and gloomy. The ground is covered with ice. The conditions outside the window reflect the way I feel. I conceived this house for you, yet you will share it with another. I cannot speak of my feelings, but I can build, and I build for you. Expressive, lovely, at one with nature; the girl who was once Miranda Catelli, and her house.”

    Holly stared at the letter, the simple words deeply felt.
    “Is that it?” Dan asked, looking over her shoulder. Holly showed him there was nothing else on the page. His eyes drifted from the page to her, and they stared at each other.
    “Nineteen thirteen. The year the house was built,” he said.
    “Does the name Catelli ring a bell?” Holly asked.
    “No.”
    They were quiet for a moment.
    “I think you should take this to the library. They can preserve it properly, and they’ll know where it belongs now that it’s left its home,” she said after a