Love on the Boardwalk (A Cinnamon Bay Romance Book 1)

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

  Mac heard about all the time she’d spent at Brewed with a View and her dear grandmother, told in a delightful Boston accent he came to enjoy immensely. In return, he shared silly tales from his summers at camp as a kid and then as a camp counselor.

  One moment he felt eager to share his adoption story with her, but the next he knew it was foolish. They’d only known each other twenty-four hours so no one in their right mind would trust a virtual stranger. Not that his adoption was that big a deal. It wasn’t that.

  He had a decision to make.

  His introverted soul desperately wished to keep his hunt for his birth family a secret. Wouldn’t it be easier to just spy on the Parkers from a distance? But, really, what would he learn? That his great-aunt Elizabeth shared his blue eyes? That she could make the baseball team as the designated hitter with her crazy bat swing?

  That was about it.

  He supposed he should take a chance and trust Eva with his secret. It wasn’t like she would blurt out his adoptive status to the trio of meddling, matchmaking widows. Even though his original idea had been to simply come to Cinnamon Bay and do a bit of snooping, but lay low, but now, something inside him demanded more answers. His parents hadn’t known much, and he wasn’t going to learn a damn thing if he didn’t ask for help.

  He reached across the table and placed his hand next to hers. “I have something I want to tell you. Something very important to me. But…I need to know that I can trust you,” Mac said with a fierceness in his voice that surprised him.

  “That’s a tall order for someone you only met a day ago,” Eva replied. “I’m a good person. I certainly don’t have any intention of betraying you. It’s legal, right?”

  “As far as I know, everything is legal and on the up-and-up,” he joked.

  “But you don’t want anyone to know?”

  “For right now, yes. That may change later. It’s nothing more than some family mysteries and that type of thing.”

  “Okay. That might not be harmless since family secrets can be huge problems but go ahead. Lay it on me.”

  “Do you want the short version or the long?”

  “Start with short, and then we will see.”

  He took a deep breath and dove in. “I’m looking to learn more about my birth family. My grandfather lived in Cinnamon Bay.”

  “Oh, that explains why you need discretion,” said Eva. “Ooh boy. Let me think for a minute. I’ve just moved back to town, and I don’t know if I can really be of any help.”

  “That’s what makes you perfect,” Mac said.

  That and that biteable lower lip you’re nibbling on. Mac counted to three in his head and waited for the blood to return to his brain. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about jumping her bones when he was practically begging for help from her.

  “Why am I perfect?”

  “I have the impression that everyone in town knows you and loves you. Plus, you own Brewed with a View, and on any given day, half of the town strolls through your doors. You could ask questions and help me fill in some details. What do you say?”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Y OU WANT MY help?” Taken aback, Eva sipped her drink slowly, processing what Mac had just asked her.

  He shrugged. “Figured it can’t hurt to ask you. You don’t have to.” Was that hurt in his tone?

  “No, I don’t have a problem helping. You just threw me off guard, that’s all.”

  Her mind raced. Maybe by asking questions and helping Mac, it would take the attention away from taking the drink off the menu. She’d had enough of the topic coming up in the past couple of days.

  “I suppose my brush-off didn’t help, right?”

  “We all have bad days. I won’t hold that against you.” She grinned. “Too much, anyway.”

  “Too much?” he echoed.

  Eva played coy. Her one drink deal with Mac had turned into a couple more, and when she had more than she should, a new version of her showed up. One who let loose and flirted a little more.

  Like now.

  “Well, I need something to hold over your head, don’t I?” she teased, leaning closer.

  “Hmm.” He pretended to think on it. “That’s fair, I suppose, but that means I need collateral.”

  “Is that so?” She giggled.

  “Mmhmm.”

  “What kind?”

  “Since we decided neither of us want to get caught kissing.” Mac tapped his chin. “What about…”

  “What?” Eva shifted again, her body reacting to his words.

  “Tell me the deal with this legendary drink of yours.”

  She held back a groan.

  “Oooh. Your reaction tells me I really want to know the scoop.” He raised his glass to his lips.

  Eva sighed. “I guess it’s only fair, huh?” She slumped in her seat.

  “Why are those three old hoots so invested in this drink?”

  “They’re the town’s matchmakers, haven’t you noticed?” Eva grunted.

  She loved them to pieces, but their matchmaking ways sometimes…that she could do without.

  “Very much so. But they’re quite amusing.”

  “Sometimes,” she half-heartedly agreed. “Except for when they pressure me.”

  “Okay, so what’s the deal?”

  “The drink is a special…Well, there’s a legend behind it,” she began, folding her hands together on the table, almost wishing for another drink. But she’d had her limit, and anything more, she’d probably be more of a mess than she already was.

  Mac laid his own hands flat, his gaze settled on her. “I like legends.”

  “The drink the lovely trio has been chirping about is supposedly a love potion.”

  “Huh.” He tilted his head to the side. “How so?”

  “Something about how when people drink it, it makes them fall in love.”

  “Uh-oh.” He feigned worry. “We both drank it.”

  She laughed at his expression, then waved in the air. “It’s just silly talk.”

  “You don’t believe in it?”

  “No! Would you?” Eva squirmed, wishing they could get off this conversation now.

  “Sounds far-fetched, but I’m sure the legend brings in the tourists?”

  “I doubt that many. Cinnamon Bay has plenty to offer. Why rely on a supposed love potion drink, that doesn’t work, to keep our town alive?”

  “Maybe you’re just afraid to fall in love.”

  She bristled. “I’m not afraid to fall in love! I just don’t have plans for it right now.”

  “I see,” Mac said.

  What was that response all about? “You see what?”

  “Aside from a stunning woman? I see a lot of stubbornness,” he teased.

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Eva defended, with arms now crossed over her chest as she shot a glare across the table.

  “Never said there was.” Mac held his hands up in surrender, giving Eva a crooked grin. “Being steadfast can be a good thing. Thus, the reason I’m asking for your help. I have a sneaky suspicion you won’t give up looking for information until you find what you want, and I need.”

  “Somehow I get the feeling that just turned into a backhanded compliment. I’ll accept it, though.” Eva checked her watch, blinked, then read it again. “Wow.”

  “What?”

  “I didn’t realize it was so late.”

  “Late?” Mac frowned. “It’s barely ten.”

  “Yeah, well, I run a coffee shop and also get up early.”

  “I guess we should call it a night, then.” He pulled out his wallet. “And I’ll walk you home.”

  They paid and headed out.

  The waves crashing on the shore nearby soothed her soul.

  “Hey, thanks for spending a few hours with me,” Mac said, knocking her lightly with his shoulder.

  “Sure. You’re welcome.”

  “You’ll really help me?”

  Eva faced him. “I will. Not sure exactly what you want
, but I can help.”

  “Like I said earlier, anything to fill in the gaps.” He told her what he knew so far, which wasn’t much. “Trixie insists I look like my grandfather, so I think she’s on to me. But everyone in this town says Macklin had no grandchildren, yet they all seem to know about my parents.”

  “Hmm.” Eva pondered this. The whole thing intrigued her. No wonder Mac liked legends and mystery so much: he had his own to solve. “I’ll do what I can to help.”

  “That’s all I can ask for,” Mac said.

  Once home and in front of her door, Eva faced him again. “Hey, thanks again for tonight.”

  “You’re welcome, but really, the pleasure’s all mine.” He stared at her with an intensity that gave her chills. “Silly love potion or not, I find you attractive, Eva. I’ll be honest.”

  She gulped and took a step back. “But you aren’t going to be here long.”

  He nodded. “True.”

  “So…”

  “So, I can’t help but think about kissing you.”

  She blew out a breath. Her body acted in a strange way around him. “Small-town gossip, though. And I don’t want to be—”

  “Yeah. Right. You don’t want to be paired up with every man someone sees you with. Right.” His tone came out a little edgy.

  “Mac…”

  “No, don’t worry. I think it’s the few drinks talking. Tomorrow I won’t feel this way.”

  Jeez, how did things go this sour already? They’d been having a decent evening and good conversation.

  “Good night, Eva.” Without another word, Mac walked off, leaving her confused and more than a little annoyed.

  She headed inside, and with the little information he’d been able to give her, started researching things. Just because they’d had a little misunderstanding about an almost kiss didn’t mean she’d forget her promise to help him.

  MAC HADN’T BEEN able to sleep much. All due to thoughts of Eva and the way they’d ended things last night, and the fact he’d opened up to her about his family. So, instead of tossing and turning most of the night, he spent it working as much as he could. Keeping his mind on other things than what he couldn’t control or take care of until morning.

  Like an apology to Eva for coming on too strong.

  Another one, of course.

  He was batting a thousand with this woman.

  Sure, he’d been thinking not-so-innocent thoughts about the tantalizing woman but getting upset when she’d turned down his advance shouldn’t have happened. It wasn’t the first time a woman hadn’t been into him, but there was something different about Eva. It wasn’t just a physical pull he was dealing with. He wanted to get into her head and learn all about her thoughts, invade her heart, and experience what she felt. He was intrigued by the whole package.

  Mac entered the coffee shop, hoping to spot Eva right away, but disappointment weighed heavily upon his shoulders when she wasn’t there.

  Kolby waved at him. “You like it here, huh?”

  Mac held up his laptop. “You have the best Wi-Fi, and I need it to work.”

  Kolby smiled but shook his head.

  “What?”

  “Sure it isn’t to catch a glimpse of a pretty owner?”

  Mac raised a brow. “Are you taking cues from the trio now?”

  Kolby let out a hearty laugh. “Ah, so you know about their ways, do you?”

  “I’ve heard stories. Where’s Eva? I do have a question for her.”

  “She had something to do, so she took a break.”

  Avoiding him?

  No, that couldn’t be. How would Eva know he’d come back, and especially at this time?

  “You want something?” Kolby asked, gesturing.

  Aside from Eva? Yeah, he did. Mac put in his order, then headed to the same table he’d managed to snag two days in a row and got to work. Hopefully, Eva would show soon, and he could get the apology out of the way.

  He focused on his laptop until the sound of bracelets caught his attention.

  The ladies had returned. Did they have nowhere else to be?

  Trixie stared at him from two tables away.

  “Stalking me?” he joked, hoping she’d take it as such.

  She marched on over. “You won’t find what you’re looking for easily.”

  He reeled back. “I’m sorry?”

  “Elizabeth. She’s not an easy one to crack.”

  Son of a… Did Eva say something? Fury coursed through his veins. He’d trusted her! Still, with Trixie, he played dumb. “Care to enlighten me?”

  “Word has it you’re looking for information.”

  He scowled, his gut twisting. Looked like he’d spoken to the wrong person last night after all. Trixie’s words after that went unnoticed to him as he tuned her out, trying to come to grips with one of three town gossips now knowing his business.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  EVA YANKED OPEN the door to Brewed with a View with an exuberance she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Her mood matched the warm sunny skies overlooking the Bay. Bright. Clear. Radiant. She had information for Mac she couldn’t wait to share. Hopefully, it would end up being a successful peace offering for having rejected his kiss last night.

  It wasn’t like she hadn’t wanted to kiss him. It was the complete opposite. Eva was finding herself way too attracted to the sexy graphic designer. More than she’d ever been to anyone else, and that even included her ex-fiancé, Sean.

  Unfortunately, it took Sean breaking off the engagement for her to realize she’d never loved him the way she should have. Sean had been that charming, good-looking guy that happened to be at the right place at the right time. A college party at the end of her senior year on a day she had been her most vulnerable.

  Eva had just come back to her apartment after having stopped at the grocery store. As she walked through the aisles of the overly air-conditioned produce department, her gaze was fixed on the array of colorful fresh fruits and veggies. If there were people around, she hadn’t noticed. Until her cart bumped into a pretty blond woman standing in front of her.

  Just as Eva began to apologize to the lady, a familiar man appeared and gave the blonde a warm smile. Eva’s heart sank, and her stomach turned. Her father? The man who had left her and her mom years ago. The same man she hadn’t seen or talked to in years.

  Fifteen to be exact. It had been more than a decade ago that he’d packed up his few belongings, gave Eva a quick hug, promised to see her soon and walked out the door. Never once looking back.

  So, when Eva’s roommate invited her to a party that night after she’d returned from the store empty-handed, Eva accepted. And that’s when she’d met Sean. He was charming, funny, and gave her the male attention she subconsciously had been craving for the past fifteen years. Which meant even though she’d loved Sean, it was more a love of convenience and not passion. He’d filled the gaping hole leftover by her father’s departure. At least for a while, anyway.

  After three years of dating and an engagement, Sean decided marriage to Eva wasn’t what he’d wanted. He broke it off, and at first, Eva had been hurt, but soon she came to realize what she’d been suffering from was nothing more than bruised pride. Not the broken heart most jilted girlfriends would experience.

  But now as she stepped through the doorway of her coffee shop, seeking out the dark-haired man with the ocean blue eyes, Eva knew she was in danger of losing her heart.

  And that went against everything she wanted or believed in.

  Sure enough, there he was sitting at the small table that had become his over the past couple of days. Laptop open, coffee cup on the left and a scowl on his face as he concentrated on what was on the computer screen. Eva watched as he reached for his drink and clasped the cup with a tanned, masculine hand.

  The muscles in his forearm tensed as he raised it to a set of full lips while never taking his eyes off his work. A trickle of awareness traveled down Eva’s spine, and she was certain she needed to wipe th
e drool from her face.

  Enough of this nonsense. Eva gave herself a mental reprimand to shake off the lust-induced daze. Helping Mac find information about his birth family was all she had to do. Setting herself up to watch another man walk out of her life was something she wouldn’t do. Mac was here temporarily, and she needed to remember that.

  After tilting her head from side to side to stretch out the kinks in her neck, Eva took in some much-needed oxygen and placed one foot in front of the other as she made her way over to Mac.

  “Hey,” she greeted, excited to tell Mac her news.

  Mac’s head raised at a snail’s pace before he turned confused eyes and a scowl on her. “You said I could trust you.”

  Eva flinched at his words. What had she missed in the past twelve hours since they’d been together? She’d expected he might still be a little put out from her rejection, but his accusing tone had come out of left field.

  “What? I don’t understand.”

  “I asked you to keep it a secret I was looking for info about my family,” Mac hissed under his breath so no one else would hear.

  “Still clueless over here,” she replied, flinging her arms out to her sides.

  “Can we talk about this where there aren’t so many eyes and ears?”

  “Come on back to my office.” Eva gestured with a jerk of her head for him to follow.

  She was more than ready to find out what was going on. The look he’d given her settled in her stomach like a lead ball. At first, she’d felt awful that he would even begin to assume she had broken his trust. But now she realized his accusations offended her.

  Mac stepped into her office, shut the door, then turned to face her with hands on his hips. He was ready for battle, and Eva welcomed it because she was just as pissed off as he seemed to be.

  Leaning back to rest against her desk with arms crossed, Eva glared back at Mac. “You care to explain what you think I did to break your trust?”

  Mac’s arm shot out as he pointed in the direction of the customers. “You ran your mouth to those three old birds who seem to be involved in everyone’s business around here.”