The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (Dream Harbor, #2)(35)

The town had replaced the modern fluorescent streetlights with ones that looked old-fashioned and filled the center island in the road with flowers. Noah couldn’t identify most of them but he knew in daylight the street was full of late summer color.

A cluster of sunflowers rose particularly high, their giant heads looking almost eerie in the dark.

Hazel’s hand brushed against his and he grabbed it, twining his fingers with hers. She leaned against him, her touch lighting up the side of his body with little pinpricks of starlight. Her soft sigh drifted across his skin.

‘I think I like this time of year,’ she said as they walked.

‘You sound surprised.’

‘I am.’

Noah laughed. The night was cool, the sound of crickets buzzing loudly as they moved toward the more residential side of town with manicured lawns and front gardens. He’d been to her house only once when he dropped her off after Logan’s bonfire.

‘I always liked summer.’

‘Oh, yeah? Why?’

‘No school,’ he said with a laugh. ‘I liked being outside. The winter involved a lot of my mom yelling at me to stop jumping on the furniture and my teachers yelling at me for not paying attention.’

‘Hmm.’

He shrugged. ‘I liked being out on my dad’s boats. So ... summer was it for me.’

‘It’s growing on me, for sure. Even though I still strongly identify as a cozy-season girl.’

He gave her hand a squeeze and she glanced up at him with a quick smile. ‘Sure, cardigans and knit socks and a lot of ... pumpkin-flavored things...’ His voice trailed off and was buried by Hazel’s laugh.

‘Yep, you nailed it. Very cozy.’

‘Hey, I like fall as much as the next guy. As long as no one is making me do homework, I’m all about it.’

Hazel nudged his shoulder. ‘Do you read all those books you buy from me?’

‘I can read, Haze.’

‘I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just ... do you like them?’

‘I do. I like them a lot. Much better than The Scarlet Letter and that one with the kids killing each other... What was that one?’

‘Lord of the Flies.’

‘Yeah, much better than that.’

‘Agreed. I don’t know why they still make kids read such horrible stuff when there is so much amazing YA literature out there.’

‘Totally.’ He wanted to listen to Hazel talk more about books because he loved it when she did that. Especially at random times like in the middle of trivia night at Mac’s or when there was a long line at the Pumpkin Spice Café and she’d strike up a conversation with the person behind her. She never seemed self-conscious when she was extolling the virtues of her latest read with the inhabitants of Dream Harbor. Maybe he should remind her of that.

But right now they had stopped at her little bungalow on the end of a quiet street.

‘This one’s mine.’

‘I remember.’

‘Oh. Right.’ They stood awkwardly out front at the end of the little path that led to her door. He should go. He should definitely walk away and go home and not linger here in front of Hazel’s house like he wanted to kiss her goodnight, as though this was some kind of date, because it wasn’t.

She looked up at him, the streetlight reflected in her glasses. ‘Want to come in?’

Noah nearly groaned. Of course he wanted to come in. Did she know how much weight that innocent question held? Did she know that if he came in he would want to do so many other things, too? Did she want that?

‘Sure.’ His mouth answered before his brain could catch up and spit out an excuse. And maybe that was fine. Maybe he got two months with Hazel and he should take full advantage of that time right? Like, for whatever reason he’d developed some kind of sexy-librarian kink and he just needed to play it out. And then at the end of this they could go back to normal. He could go back to normal. So, yeah, he would come in and do whatever else Hazel wanted. And maybe he’d finally get Hazel Kelly out of his system.

He followed Hazel to her front door, thinking about how her lawn was a bit overgrown and wondering who mowed it for her, because he couldn’t picture her doing it given her alleged aversion for the outdoors. His fingers tapped nervously against his thigh.

Wait, was he nervous?

The answer was a loud, resounding yes rattling through his brain.

He didn’t know how to do this. He was adrift and suddenly, all he wanted to do was get back to his safe little island of casual sex with strangers.

Hazel turned to him and smiled in the mischievous way that told him she was about to blow him even further out to sea.





Chapter Fourteen





Noah was in her home.

She’d invited him in of course and now here he was. Standing in her entryway looking all large and sexy and she couldn't quite remember why she’d invited him in. He’d scrambled her brain again.

‘I like your plants.’

Her what? Right. Her plants. ‘Thanks.’

The front bay window was filled with plants, Hazel’s babies. She couldn’t have pets thanks to her allergies – although Casper never seemed to make her sneeze so maybe it was time to get that rechecked – but she could have as many plants as she wanted. And she did. They’d gotten a bit out of control at this point and Hazel could barely see out the window past the various hanging vines and potted trees.