The Cinnamon Bun Book Store (Dream Harbor, #2)(69)

‘So beautiful.’ Kristen gave him a squeeze.

‘Thanks, Dad,’ Rachel laughed.

It was their mother’s turn to roll her eyes. ‘You’re all ridiculous.’

And as Noah sat there, watching his family teasing each other he could almost smell his mom’s apple pie. He could hear the sound of the football game blaring from the living room. He could see his nieces running wild while his brother-in-law attempted in vain to wrangle them.

For the first time in a long time, Noah let himself feel homesick. He’d ignored it for so long, pushed it down and denied it, always managed to have some stranger in his bed on all major family holidays, that the feeling now was overwhelming. It washed over him, strong and fierce like a sudden storm.

‘Oh, my God, Noah! Are you crying?’ Kristen’s voice was loud enough to drown out the rest of his family’s bickering.

‘What?’ He hastily wiped his eyes. ‘No. Why would I be crying?’

‘Because you love us and miss us!’ his sister crowed triumphantly.

‘Shut up,’ he said but couldn’t help the smile on his face. He loved these ridiculous people and he’d let his stubborn pride keep him away for too long.

Maybe coming home wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world after all.





Chapter Twenty-Seven





Mac’s was suspiciously empty for a Thursday night, especially for a birthday party. Other than a few regulars at the bar, the dining room was quiet. Quiet except for the corner booth, where Annie’s cackles and Hazel’s voice could be heard as soon as Noah walked in.

He’d agreed to meet Hazel here even though he’d offered to pick her up. They hadn’t seen each other since the day on his boat and he had thought of nothing else in the two days since then. His brain had been a twenty-four hour, non-stop Hazel-a-thon ever since. The feel of her lips, the way she looked in his clothes, her laugh, the way she’d trusted him, her taste, dear God, her taste. He had just barely been a functioning member of society and that had only been with the help of lots of coffee and twice daily cold showers.

But they’d both been busy. He had several unexpected end-of-season tours, plus all his homework trying to get his vacation-rental plans in order and Hazel had been busy putting all her new ‘spooky season’ books out as she’d called them. And it just didn’t seem appropriate to waltz into someone’s place of business and declare your love for them. Although it had worked for Logan...

So he’d offered a ride to the party and had hoped they could talk on the drive over, but Hazel threw a wrench in that plan, too. She’d insisted on just meeting him there. So all his important declarations would have to wait until after the party. He glanced around the room on his way to the table. At the moment, it wasn’t much of a party, at all.

‘Hey, everyone.’

‘Hey, Noah!’ Jeanie smiled. ‘We were just talking about you.’

‘Uh oh.’ His gaze landed on Hazel’s glowing face and she grinned at him.

‘Hazel was just telling us all about how you saved her life,’ Annie said with a raised eyebrow. ‘It was quite the harrowing tale.’

Noah’s smile grew, his gaze never leaving Hazel’s face. ‘Oh, that. Yeah, that was a good day.’

Hazel’s cheeks turned bright pink and Noah was sure he heard Logan groan but he didn’t spare a glance for his friend.

‘According to Hazel, there were twenty-foot waves and gale-force winds,’ Jeanie added.

‘The boat was rocking and you were taking on water!’ Annie chimed in.

‘Hazel nearly fell overboard into shark infested waters. She would have if you hadn’t steered the boat to safety just in the nick of time.’

Annie and Jeanie nearly fell over each other in a fit of giggles.

‘I may have exaggerated a little,’ Hazel said with a shrug.

‘Just a little,’ Noah laughed. ‘You’d make a good fisherman.’

Hazel’s smile was big and bright. She was surrounded by her friends on her birthday and Noah knew HANSOF was mission accomplished. If nothing else came of this night at least he knew he’d given Hazel the adventurous send off to her twenties that she’d wanted.

‘I’m going to get another round of drinks,’ Hazel said, already scooting out of the booth. ‘Noah, want to help me?’

‘I’m sure he’d like to help you with a lot of things!’ Annie nearly shouted as they walked away.

‘Oh, God,’ Hazel muttered. ‘I might have to make Annie’s a seltzer.’

Noah chuckled. He bumped her arm, leaning to whisper in her ear. ‘Happy Birthday, Haze.’

She peered up at him, cheeks flushed. ‘Thanks.’ She was wearing a red shirt-dress, cinched at the waist to show off her curves, complete with a tantalizing row of little white buttons down the front. She looked beautiful, amazing, perfect. He should tell her that. He used to be good at this sort of thing. He forgot when that used to be.

Amber was at the bar. ‘Another round,’ Hazel told her. ‘And add one for Noah.’

‘Sure thing.’ Amber gave him a little smirk, as though she remembered when he used to be different and that now she saw exactly what had changed about him. And why.

They leaned against the bar as they waited for the drinks and there were so many things Noah wanted to say that the words all jammed up in his throat. Should he lead with, so I may have accidentally fallen in love with you because you are kind and sweet and beautiful and funny and so freaking perfect for me, and I really hope you could someday love me too, even though I’m basically an irresponsible idiot? Or was that the sort of thing he should build up to? Maybe just, how are you? Or I’ve missed you? Or what are you reading, tell me all about it?