The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (Dream Harbor, #2)(5)

He stretched out on the mattress he’d been using as a bed and took a sip of his drink, letting his thoughts wander back to Hazel. What would she think about this house and his ideas? Would she think he was ridiculous? He didn’t have time to wonder about it for long before he drifted off to sleep and dreamt about capturing a certain bookseller and whisking her away on his boat.





Chapter Three





Another book was crooked. And backwards. And Hazel was refusing to look at it. She didn’t care. It was just a poorly shelved book that some customer had haphazardly put back on the shelf. It happened all the time.

Alex would handle it later when they came in for their shift. Hazel had more important things to do, like work on next month’s book order and schedule September’s author events. She was the operations manager after all. She could leave the book straightening to Alex or Lyndsay or the new hire who came in on Sundays or literally anyone else but her.

Damn it. She was looking at it again.

It had been two days since the last crooked book incident and Hazel had officially decided it was a weird occurrence that definitely wasn’t about her and definitely wasn’t going to happen again. And now look. Another one.

Someone was messing with her.

An image of Noah’s excited face when he’d thought maybe it was a clue flashed in her mind. She’d shut that down quickly. Too quickly. His handsome face had fallen in disappointment when she’d dismissed the idea.

She’d felt bad about it, but clues, really? That was absurd. And just because she’d gotten in her own head about her stuck-ness and then Noah had flittered in with all his confusing handsome-ness, did not mean there were suddenly secret messages in her books. Because that would be crazy.

Hazel tapped her fingers on the counter. Another slow day. Did people not read in the summer? She straightened the already straight bookmarks and sipped her tea.

Damn it.

Hazel marched over to the Romance section to fix the book and possibly give it a piece of her mind because she was that kind of crazy lady today. She pulled it out and found a corner turned down, just like in the other book. She couldn’t just put it back on the shelf if it was highlighted, too. She couldn’t sell a defaced book.

She had to check.

The blueberries popped tart and bright in her mouth. They tasted like summer and new beginnings.

Hazel was instantly transported back to picking blueberries as a kid, the sweet burst of fruit on her tongue, scanning the bushes for the ripe ones, and the ice cream her dad would buy her on the way home. She closed her eyes and leaned against the shelf. When was the last time she’d gone blueberry picking?

‘Napping on the job?’

Hazel’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Annie’s teasing voice. She had to stop getting caught doing weird things in the Romance section. She shoved the offending book back on the shelf and turned to greet her friends.

‘No, of course not.’

‘We brought you lunch,’ Annie said, dropping into her favorite comfy chair by the window.

‘And an iced tea.’ Jeanie held out the drink and Hazel took it, happy for the distraction.

‘Thanks.’

‘Everything all right?’ Annie asked. Her blonde ponytail slipped over her shoulder as she tipped her head, studying Hazel. They’d been friends since Hazel’s family moved here in the ninth grade and Annie knew her a little too well.

‘Yep. Fine.’ Hazel grabbed the other half of Annie’s sandwich and sat across from her. She slipped her feet out of her shoes and tucked them underneath her. Normally she would have insisted they eat in the backroom but the store was empty enough that it didn’t seem to matter.

‘You sure? You look kinda strange.’

‘You look kinda strange.’

Annie stuck her tongue out and Jeanie giggled.

‘The heat always makes her grumpy,’ Annie whispered to Jeanie, like Hazel couldn’t hear her.

‘It doesn’t make me grumpy. It’s just not my favorite.’

‘Hazel hates sunshine. She’s like a vampire.’

‘I am not! I just prefer to be inside. I’m an inside cat.’

Jeanie laughed again, her gaze flicking between the two old friends. ‘Well, since you’re an inside cat, you may not want to come, but I convinced Logan we should have a bonfire tonight.’

‘A bonfire?’

‘Or like a regular campfire. I don’t know. But there will be s’mores!’

‘And drinks?’ Annie asked.

‘And drinks.’

‘Great, I’m in. And you, little inside cat? Can you manage the outdoors for a few hours to have fun with your friends?’ Annie was just teasing but her words hit a little too close to home. Hazel’s friends thought she couldn’t even tolerate a campfire?

She scowled. ‘Of course I can.’

‘Perfect!’ Jeanie clapped her hands in excitement and Hazel realized what she’d just signed on for. Bugs and smoke and dirt. And quite possibly Noah, considering he was Logan’s friend. Her stomach did a concerning swoop at the thought of the fisherman.

Damn it.

It was too late to back out. Jeanie was already packing up the rest of her sandwich and hustling out the door. ‘I gotta go. I left Crystal alone with the lunch rush, but I’ll see you guys later. Around eight!’