by Bria Quinlan
And with that she turned and headed off across the green, still shaking her head at Spence as she went.
"You're not going to let that girl get away, are you?"
Spence turned back when he realized he’d been watching Lyra the entire time she crossed both streets and the green between them.
"You mean, right now?" he asked as Lyra’s door fell shut behind her.
“You really are a Santa-hat-wearing idiot, aren't you?"
"It's this younger generation. They just have no common sense."
"Shortsighted. Can't see what's right in front of them."
"But I can see you have a good heart with how you’re out here giving away cookies."
Purple Hat gave him a hard glance. "How did you get these cookies?"
Spence had been watching the conversation like a tennis match he didn't know who to root for. "I bought them. I swear. Even left money in the tip jar."
Red hat reached up and patted him on the cheek. “Excellent, we’ll spread the word about the bakery. Don't be an idiot." And with that, the two women sauntered off into the gift store probably continuing to judge him.
But they were right about one thing.
He was beginning to think he couldn’t let Lyra get away.
19
“Did you know there’s a vagrant walking the streets of Starlight Harbor, forcing visitors to eat cookies and praise The Sweetest Things?” She tried not to growl into her phone.
Lyra wasn’t sure what she was so angry about, but boy, was she mad.
There he was, out there swaying over women with his appeal and charm to go spend their money in her shop.
Well, it was no better than when men hired hot women in bikinis to stand in front of cars.
Her cookies didn’t need Mr. Hottie Pants pimping them to be worth buying.
“By vagrant, you mean…?” Skye’s voice was way too calm over the phone for this dire situation.
“I mean a person with no local address.”
“Perhaps the one staying with Noah?”
“Is he? Is he staying with Noah? Or was Noah forced to take him in like a house arrest kind of thing?” She could hear the hysteria rising in her voice and didn’t care.
He had to be stopped.
“From what?” Skye asked.
Apparently she’d been having that hysteria out loud.
Darn it.
“From…from…”
“Okay, honey, why don’t you take a deep breath. I’ve got Vi with me—”
“Why do you have Vivian with you?”
“We’re going to lunch.”
“Without me?” Lyra squeaked.
“Um, no. We were on our way to pick up lunch and bring it to you. But if we’d known you’d scheduled a full-blown breakdown for today, we would have been there sooner.”
Lyra glanced out her window. Instead of spotting Skye’s Jeep, she just saw Spence leaning over to let a little kid take a cookie and straighten his Santa hat.
Curse him and his adorableness, that mob boss instigator!
While she glared out the window, the Jeep pulled into view, and Vivian sat in the front seat looking at her like she was insane while Skye answered her walkie.
She kept working on the quiches that would be used for the opening of the party tomorrow and frowned over her counter.
They were out there talking about her. She knew it. This wasn’t paranoia at all.
Vivian said something, and Skye burst out laughing.
See? Laughing at her.
They both slid out of the Jeep and came in, Vivian carrying a large pizza box from the local pub.
“Hey.” Vivian set the pizza down and grabbed some napkins, stopping when she noticed the glare Lyra was giving her. “What’s with the death stare?”
“You’re talking about me.”
Vivian gave her a long look and shook her head, walking back to the pizza.
“One, not everything is about you. I was talking about Tyler’s first crush. But if you see a parallel, that’s all you. Two, I have forty-five minutes, so get your butt over here to discuss this ‘emergency’ of yours before I have to get back to the garage for when Tyler gets out of baseball camp.”
“Right.” Lyra sat down with a huff, still trying to figure out this new angry streak she had. “So, what are you going to do about this vagrant?”
“Lyra, you know—”
“Hi there! It’s us.” The two older ladies with the big hats came into the shop. “Now that your young man is out there clearing your name, we thought we should get here early to do our gift orders.”
“Right,” Purple Hat added. “He’s really working up some business. Such a sweet boy.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Anyway, I’d like to order three boxes of one dozen Christmas cookies. I’m bringing them back to my bingo ladies so they know I thought of them while I was here.”
“She thought of them because she set a reminder in her phone.”
“So, I still thought of them.”
Lyra couldn’t help but smile as she listened to the two women banter. She gave them their option of the holiday, the seaside, or the lighthouse box to put each in, added the orders to her calendar, and rang them up.
“I’m sure you’ll be plenty busy by the time he gets all the way around the square. And we’re telling everyone to ignore those reviews from those bullies.”
“Thank you so much.” Lyra smiled, afraid it might shatter if she didn’t get to decompress soon.
“We’ll see you tomorrow night. I’ll be first in line for that cake!”
When she was finally able to sit down with her girls, Lyra glanced between them, knowing they were coming to the same conclusion she was.
She was nuts.
“What is going on with you?" Vivian stuck a piece of pizza in her mouth, obviously having said everything she needed to.
Skye just sat there, watching her carefully, wondering where this was going. Not at all surprising, since that's how she spent most of her day.
"I don't know. I'm really, really angry. But also, really not angry. Like distracted by how adorable everything is. But also angry at it."
Vivian nodded her head. "Yup, I hear you. There's nothing you can do about it."
Skye glanced between them. "Are you sure? Seems like there should be a way out of this.”
"Nope.” Vi shook her head. “I think it's a done deal. She's just going to have to face facts."
“Just have to deal with what?"
Vivian snorted and Skye stuffed another piece of pizza in her mouth, obviously not wanting to be the one to share the bad news.
"Well?"
“I’m not going to dance around this anymore. It ain’t pretty." Vivian put both her hands on the table and leaned forward, meeting Lyra eye to eye. "You're falling for this guy. No way around it."
Lyra collapsed back in her chair.
"No. Absolutely not that."
"The driving halfway across the country—"
“A couple hours."
“To rescue you—"
"Fix what he screwed up.”
“Sticking around to make it better—"
"Because I threatened to sue him." Lyra smirked as she added, "And because I apparently have a bodyguard named Noah."
“The whole almost kissing you in the lighthouse.” Vivian fanned herself. "Very romantic. Only you could get yourself almost kissed in a former prison."
"Jail.” Skye jumped in. "Technically, a prison is—"
"Nobody cares." Vivian shook her head at Skye to shut that down before going on, “Then coming in to help when your teens bailed on you—which, bad form. Just an FYI, Mrs. Proctor goes to the bottom of the oil change list since she always tries to push herself in last minute.”
“Um, thanks?” Lyra was all for girl solidarity, but Vivian actually came at that in very different ways sometimes.
“So, he finds out you’re still getting bombed by the Yelp page—”
; “Which is technically his fault.”
“Which is technically the people’s fault who went on there and killed your rating.”
“Which they wouldn’t do if he hadn’t written that article.”
Vivian sighed, obviously unsure how to phrase this in a way that Lyra would hear, but powered on.
“Lyra, honey, he’d posted that article three times before and no one ever attacked anyone. Not only that, but the town never even heard about it.”
“Are you saying this is my fault? That I brought this on myself? That I deserve it?”
She was ready to stand up and throw her best friends out, but Vivian was shaking her head. “No one deserves to get treated like this. But, and I’m going to agree with Noah on this one, you walked into a situation where you didn’t know the community or culture and broke both of them.”
“Noah said that?” Skye’s brows came down as she glanced between them.
“No. He said she went in without proper intel."
Skye rolled her eyes. "Of course he did."
Both women went back to their pizza, letting Lyra mull.
"I can't be in love with him. I just met him."
"I didn't say you were in love with him." Vivian shook her head, giving Lyra an encouraging smile. “Not everyone we start to fall for do we actually fall in love with. But, this is Starlight Harbor. We’re the capital of finding your soul mate. Think of all those people who've only been here for a weekend to come back for their weddings, anniversaries, to bring their children. It's not a coincidence we’ve gained the slogan Love Happens Here.”
"So what do I do?" Lyra had always expected to find the right guy to fall for, to fall all the way for.
Heck, she’d lived in Starlight Harbor her whole life, and Vivian was right. They saw people fall in love on the turn of a heartbeat nearly every weekend. It was like the air and the water and the magic all came together here, and BAM!
And she'd waited…and waited. But didn't find the guy who made her a mushy mess.
Now that she was a mushy mess, she didn't think she cared for it.
It was very disconcerting.
"He doesn't live here, he has no reason to move here, he nearly bankrupted my business, and there's no way he feels the same."
Skye rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"
"What she’s trying to say," Vivian jumped in with a look at Skye, “is that how do you know he doesn't feel the same?”
Lyra’s mind rushed through it all. Because he hasn’t shown anything beyond a need to fix the mess he created. Because he had had the chance to kiss her and had passed? Because he—
“Okay, stop.” Vivian shook her head.
“What?”
Skye laughed. “Honey, we can all but see the cartoon thought bubbles over your head coming up with everything from he didn’t kiss you to you suspect he might like puppies more than kittens and that suddenly became a deal breaker for you.”
Lyra narrowed her eyes. The puppies-kitten thing was beyond too much even for them.
“I never thought you were a coward.” Vivian took another sip of tea, looking for all the world that she hadn’t just thrown down some fighting words.
“I’m not.” Lyra looked from one friend to the next, the panic subsiding and forming into something different, something new.
She wasn’t going to let a little fear stop her from something that might be the best thing that could happen to her. It’s true, she was afraid. Why didn’t people talk about the absolute terror that came along with the question of love?
“I’m not a coward.” She balled her hands into fists and took a deep breath. “I’m not a coward, I’m a daredevil.”
20
He was out of cookies.
He took the time to go back to The Sweetest Things and check in to see if Lyra had started to get the business he’d been sending her way for the last hour. Hopefully his efforts had been worth the while.
And, he’d managed to only have three of the unfrosted cookies.
At the door, he glanced in and saw her rushing from one order to the next, a line of four small groups at the counter.
She’d never make the schedule for the engagement party tomorrow. Not without his help. Maybe he’d overdone it?
He swung through the door, focused on helping her. It seemed like a small dragon to slay, but still—everyone’s dragon is different.
“I’m back.” He came around the counter, grabbing a red apron to match the hat he was still wearing. “Sorry I was gone so long.”
“Right.” She flashed him a smile. “Cookie emergency.”
She nodded at the sink, a reminder for the non-baker to wash his hands before he got to work.
“Take off, baker girl. I’ve got this.”
He tried not to grin too much as he took over the counter.
“Merry Christmas, ladies. What delicious thing can I get you today?”
While she worked in the kitchen, he bantered with the guests, asking where they were from, about their visit, all the things that made them feel welcome.
It was as if he’d been here forever—and only a minute.
He closed his eyes for a second and tried to picture his life back in New York. It wasn’t a bad life. He had guys he played softball with every Saturday, his parents had been nearby before they retired, he dated off and on but nothing serious.
Most of his college friends were still down in the city and were beginning to drift to occasional Facebook posts and invites to weddings.
Like he said, not a bad life.
But not an inspiring one, either. Not one he’d fight to keep.
He smiled as another family came in with small children.
“Merry Christmas!” He leaned, watching them pick their treat while the parents talked about their plans for the weekend.
Apparently they were in town for the man’s brother’s return from overseas. He was showing up tomorrow, and they had the two cottages he’d loved so much down by the water.
“Great view, right?” Spence asked.
“Amazing. We can’t get over how cute this place is.” He leaned against the counter as his wife wandered around looking at all the cute bakery-themed things Lyra had decorated the shop with. “I was expecting something really tacky, you know?”
Spence felt himself tighten, trying not to show annoyance before he realized he was this guy. Making assumptions about super cute towns without having seen them.
No wonder he’d failed to become a travel journalist. It wasn’t that he’d gotten himself locked in and in debt—although that certainly didn’t help him get where he’d wanted to be. Somewhere along the line he’d forgotten why he was passionate about travel and journalism, let alone the combination of the two.
He hadn’t felt that way in Starlight Harbor.
He’d been refreshed and excited about everything. Everywhere he looked was a potential article.
Had his single-mindedness gotten attached to the wrong path?
Or was it Lyra? Was she the thing that reignited his passion and had him dying to write again?
All he knew was he had to get Roadside Adventures back on track so he could sell it and move on. Hopefully he’d get himself as far out of debt as possible. Maybe he could find a way to home base here. He probably didn’t even need that much of a storage unit. The stuff back at his place was feeling more and more like an anchor instead of a home.
Also, no offense IKEA and Walmart, but they’d be there with dressers and side tables when he needed them again.
He shook his head as he did a loop around the café, wiping the tables down and clearing off the bus tray full of used cups and plates.
It all hinged on being able to sell the website. He’d put nearly a decade into this thing and he needed to get ahead of his bills enough to be able to eat.
But, this opportunity to write about something really great, to show people there was more to short-term vacation spots—it was an amazing idea.
There was so mu
ch here in the US people overlooked and he had the chance to make the best disregarded places really shine.
Sure, he loved going on safari as much as the next guy. But there were people focused on sharing those stories and making sure those places had the attention they needed.
Most Americans would never see them. But he was shocked how many people didn’t know what was in their own backyard. Almost literally sometimes.
There was something about the idea of spotlighting those that made his brain kick into overdrive.
Lyra brushed her hands down her apron and looked over the empty case.
“We might as well close. You’ve sold everything and then some.” She did a sweep of the room as he wiped down the tables. “I’m not sure how you got that many to-go orders for the end of the weekend. I’ll be up Saturday night.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that.”
Of course he didn’t. He was too focused on making up for the lost sales. But she’d been working the back by herself all day.
He needed to get past the obvious numbers. Total rookie mistake.
Kind of like assuming Starlight Harbor was a Tiny Tacky Town.
“What can I do to help?” he asked as he finished the tables and grabbed the broom.
"Actually," she came around the counter as she took off her apron. "It's kind of a blessing in disguise. I never get to go to the Christmas parade."
Spence’s head came up, surprised at the news.
"There's a parade?"
That definitely would have gotten his attention. He wasn’t a parade addict or anything, but he never understood people who didn’t enjoy a good parade.
"Yup. Thursday evenings every time we have a Christmas."
He wasn't trying to get excited. It was just happening naturally.
"So… Is there a Santa Claus?"
She shook her head as much out of obvious frustration as amusement. "You really did absolutely no research on Starlight Harbor, did you?”
It was getting more than just obvious. It was getting embarrassing.
"I think we can all admit I saw Christmas year round and kicked into high stupidity gear. Let's just accept that as a given and move on. Tell me about the Santa parade."
