The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (Dream Harbor, #2)(6)

Hazel gave her a weak wave before meeting Annie’s eye again. Her best friend raised a blonde brow. ‘You sure you’re okay?’

Hazel sighed. She wasn’t okay. She was having some kind of mid-life crisis. Or quarter life crisis? Was that a thing? Either way, she was considering going on a scavenger hunt, inspired by some town book-defacer, just to have something to show for herself by her thirtieth birthday. None of that really seemed okay, but she didn’t feel like sharing it all with Annie just yet.

‘Yep. I’m good. Just a little worried about the lack of customers.’

Annie glanced around the empty store. ‘I wouldn’t worry too much, Haze. Everyone is just a little stir crazy after that long, wet July. They’ll be back.’

Hazel nodded. ‘Yeah, you’re right.’

Annie smiled and passed her a fresh baked cookie. A peace offering.

They ate the rest of their meal in companionable silence but Hazel’s attention kept slipping back to the crooked book and the blueberries and the rest of the summer stretching out, hazy and hot and wide open in front of her.





Hazel had already been bitten by no fewer than fifteen bugs and no matter where she sat around the fire the smoke seemed to blow in her face. She held a lukewarm beer in one hand and a s’more with a burnt marshmallow in the other hand. She was pretending to have a good time.

She wasn’t having a good time.

And Noah had just strolled in all sun kissed and freckled and her stomach was doing that swooping thing again.

‘Hey, everyone.’ He held up a hand in greeting and everyone called their hellos.

Hazel was flanked on either side by Annie and book-club Jacob, who were sitting in camp chairs while she got stuck with an old kitchen chair she was pretty sure might give out at any moment. George from the bakery was also here, standing with his beer while toasting a marshmallow. Isabel, Jeanie’s other book-club friend, had wandered away from the group to call home and make sure the kids had fallen asleep without her. Everyone seemed happy and relaxed. No one else seemed to be getting eaten alive.

Logan was tending the fire with more concentration and strategy than Hazel felt should be needed to tend a fire, but even he seemed pleased with how the evening was going. Annie was right. Summer made Hazel grumpy.

‘Hey, Noah!’ Jeanie greeted him with a hug before he grabbed a beer from the cooler and joined the rest of the group. ‘So happy you could make it.’

‘Uh, yeah, of course. I’d do pretty much anything for a s’more.’

Hazel thought she was sufficiently hidden in the shadows but somehow Noah’s gaze found hers and his mouth tipped into that confusing smile. She looked away and focused on her s’more which she had to admit was pretty good despite the charred flavor. When she glanced up again, Noah was watching her lick marshmallow goo from her fingers.

‘Hey, Noah, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.’ Annie’s voice tore his attention from Hazel’s fingers, thank God, because Hazel was about to turn as gooey as the marshmallow she was licking off of them.

‘Oh?’ He lifted an eyebrow and smirked in that way he did when he was amused. Hazel paid attention to her sticky fingers and not his face.

‘How come you never smell?’

A laugh burst from Jacob’s mouth. ‘What the hell kind of question is that, Annie?’

‘He’s on a stinky fishing boat all day and I’ve never once smelled fish on him!’

‘So are you accusing him of lying about what he does all day?’ Jacob asked, taking a sip of his beer.

Annie shrugged. ‘I don’t know, it’s kind of suspicious.’

Noah laughed. ‘I find showers work pretty well.’

Annie narrowed her eyes, studying him. ‘You must have some really strong soap.’

‘I scrub really hard.’ He winked at her and Annie laughed.

Everyone was laughing now, actually. Except for Hazel, who was using all her mental energy to not picture a soapy, naked Noah scrubbing himself in the shower.

‘What did I miss?’ Isabel asked, re-entering the ring of firelight.

‘Just discussing Noah’s showering habits.’ Annie gestured to Noah with her beer and he held out his arms as though to let Isabel admire his cleanliness.

She didn’t seem impressed, which was strange because Hazel could swear the heat of the fire increased when Noah’s biceps flexed against the sleeves of his T-shirt.

‘Wow, my first night out away from the kids in months and we have to talk about Noah showering?’

‘I also vote for a change of topic,’ Logan muttered, standing from his crouch near the fire. Jeanie planted a kiss on his cheek.

‘How about our August book choice?’ Jacob chimed in and Logan groaned.

‘We’re going to go from discussing Noah in the shower to smutty books?’

Jeanie giggled. ‘Yep.’

‘We need something summery. Ooo, maybe pirates!’ Isabel’s eyes lit up with her idea.

‘Hazel was reading an interesting pirate book the other day.’ Noah met Hazel’s gaze with a playful grin.

‘I wasn’t reading it. I was reshelving it.’

He shrugged. ‘It looked good.’

‘What was it?’ Jacob leaned forward, all interested now in this smutty pirate book and Noah was still looking at her and another mosquito landed on her thigh. What fresh hell was this?