The Cinnamon Bun Book Store: TikTok Made Me Buy It (Dream Harbor, Book 2)
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store: Chapter 21

The bookstore smelled like cinnamon, butter, and vanilla icing. It was Sunday. Cinnamon-bun day and the place was bustling. The weather had turned gray and rainy, forcing an abrupt end to the short-lived summer heat, and now suddenly the town was more than happy to be inside sipping their coffee from Jeanie’s and pulling apart cinnamon buns while they searched for their next read.

Hazel tried not to worry about sticky fingers on her books. She’d warned Melinda that having a gooey, frosting-covered treat in here every week might have unintended consequences like ruined merchandise, but her boss was having none of it.

Melinda wanted cinnamon buns. So Melinda got cinnamon buns. Hazel had worked out a deal with Annie for a weekly limited order of fresh cinnamon buns and the town flocked to the bookstore to get their hands on one.

She had to admit, it had been good for business. Most people left with a sugar high and a book. Plus, the store smelled amazing. And Annie had already slipped her a warm bun under the counter to snack on between customers.

‘Hey, Hazel.’ Logan had a to-go bag of cinnamon-y goodness in one hand and the latest book in the romance series Jeanie was working her way through in the other.

‘Hey. Is Jeanie swamped this morning?’

‘Oh, yeah, but she needs her cinnamon-bun fix.’ He held up the bag with a small smile. He looked happy, her friend. It was like he was the same old Logan but with a new shine. It was nice. She was glad he found Jeanie. Or she found him, as the case may be.

‘So, Annie mentioned something about book clues…’

Hazel rolled her eyes. No secrets in this town. But she didn’t really care if Logan knew. Of all people she knew he wouldn’t say anything to anyone. He glanced behind him, but there was no line at the register. Everyone was gathered around the table they’d set up in the back for the cinnamon buns. Alex and Lyndsay were manning it this morning. Hazel glanced over to her fellow employees and found the last tray of buns was nearly empty.

‘Yeah, it was strange, but I haven’t seen one in over a week, so … I guess it’s over. Whatever it was.’ She tried to keep the disappointment from her voice but the way Logan’s brows rose, she knew she wasn’t pulling it off.

‘And … Noah?’

‘What about him?’

Logan cleared his throat, shifting on his feet. ‘I just wanted to make sure … I mean … did he…?’

‘Ruin me for the marriage mart? I think you’re reading too many Regency-romance novels, Logan.’

Logan scowled and she couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t know what was going on with Noah. She hadn’t seen him since their sort of fight at his house. After maybe she’d called him out on his bullshit one too many times.

If Noah had been the one leaving the clues, he’d stopped. And if he hadn’t been the one leaving them, no one else was, either, and she couldn’t seem to fabricate another way to see him. So she hadn’t. For a week. And she was perfectly happy to pretend that was fine with her.

‘That’s not what I meant. I just wanted to make sure you’re … okay.’

She smiled at him, her sweet old friend who just wanted to look out for her. ‘I’m fine, thank you.’

He nodded, relief evident in his posture. ‘Okay, good.’

‘Nine ninety-five.’

‘What?’

‘For the book.’

‘Right, sorry.’

He tapped his card and Hazel emailed his receipt. ‘Happy reading,’ she said with a grin only to be met by Logan’s scowl.

‘It’s not for me.’

‘Oh, don’t pretend you don’t read them when Jeanie’s not looking.’

The blush that rose above Logan’s beard told her she was spot on. ‘They’re very informative.’

Hazel laughed. ‘I bet.’

‘See you later, Haze.’

‘Bye. Tell Jeanie to stop in after closing. Oh, and is Bennett coming to visit?’

Logan paused on his way out the door. ‘Yep. He’s going to stay above the café.’ Logan’s smile grew. ‘And Jeanie’s going to stay with me.’

‘And that ring Nana gave you?’

Her best friend was nearly grinning now. ‘On her finger by the end of the year.’

‘How very cocky of you.’

He shrugged. ‘When you know, you know.’

Hazel nodded as he pushed open the door and left with a wave. When you know, you know.

What did Hazel know? Well, at the moment, she knew she was happy for rainy days and ooey-gooey breakfast treats. She knew that she did love working here, even when sometimes she thought she didn’t.

She knew that she was sexy. That was new. And she liked it.

Her thoughts wandered back to that interlude in the supply closet, and that day on the beach, and that kiss in the blueberry patch. But this time, instead of thinking about Noah, she thought about how brave she’d been, how passionate she’d been, how she’d taken the lead.

The realization she’d had the night of the town meeting rang even more true in the days after it. She didn’t need a new life or to be a new person. She just needed to look at herself, at her life, in a new light.

In the romantic glow of some dusty old Christmas trees, or the late afternoon light of an empty beach, or the blinking lights of the Ferris wheel, Hazel was fun. And interesting. And maybe Noah had been by her side when she’d realized it and maybe he’d brought it out in her, convinced her that she was desirable, but Hazel could hold onto all of that even if she and Noah ended right now.

With her birthday only two weeks away, Hazel felt like she was finally ready to embrace thirty. It was just a number after all.

But even as she felt and believed it, she couldn’t keep her gaze away from the romance section and the books lined up neatly on the shelves. Just in case. Because even though she knew she could be interesting and sexy without Noah, she also knew how much fun things were with him by her side. And she couldn’t help but want a little bit more time with him.

Or a lot more time.

She tore off another piece of cinnamon bun and stuffed it in her mouth before Kaori made her way to the counter, letting the sugar spike through her bloodstream.

‘Good morning, Hazel,’ she chirped.

‘Good morning. Did you replace everything you needed?’

‘I sure did!’ Kaori lowered the stack of books in her arms onto the counter. ‘Couldn’t help myself. Too many good ones this week!’

‘Well, I’ve been taking your suggestions into account.’

‘I can tell. And the Dream Harbor Book Club thanks you.’ Kaori tucked one side of her sleek bob behind her ear with a smile. ‘Oh, but I don’t want this one.’ She pulled the top book off the stack. ‘It’s damaged.’

Hazel’s heart stuttered in her chest as she glanced down at the book. A page at the center of the book had been turned down in the corner. When she looked up, Kaori winked at her.

‘Did you … do that?’

The woman put a hand to her heart like she was highly offended. ‘I would never!’

Hazel huffed. ‘Well, then who did?’ She stuffed the book under the counter beside her breakfast. She would deal with it later.

Kaori shrugged, glancing around the crowded store. Alex and Lyndsay were packing up the trays and paper bags, a sign proclaiming the buns as ‘sold out’ now hung on the front of the table. ‘Could have been anyone. I think most of the town was in here today.’

Hazel frowned. Most of the town except a certain red-headed fisherman.

‘Who do you think is doing it?’ Kaori asked, leaning forward conspiratorially.

Hazel focused on scanning the stack of books and piling them into Kaori’s bag. ‘I don’t know. But it needs to stop. They are ruining my stock.’

‘Mmm-hmm.’ Kaori agreed, lips pursed. ‘It’s kind of a fun little mystery, though.’

‘It’s criminal.’

A small laugh escaped Kaori’s lips before she regained her serious expression. ‘So true.’

Hazel narrowed her eyes at the book club president. This woman knew more than she was letting on, which meant everyone knew more than they were letting on, which meant Hazel was once again on the outside of an inside joke. She hated that feeling.

‘Don’t worry, Hazel,’ Kaori cut into her thoughts. ‘I’m sure it’s all in good fun.’

‘I’m sure.’

‘See you on Wednesday!’ Kaori slung her bag of books over her shoulder.

‘Bye. Thanks for shopping!’ Hazel barely remembered to be professional in her goodbye, too caught up in the new clue beneath her counter and who left it and why, and if this meant she could text Noah again…

She’d promised to let him know if she found another clue.

Hazel didn’t break promises.

The crowd thinned out significantly once the baked goods were gone and Hazel took the opportunity to peek at the book. Maybe this time the highlighted sentence would make it obvious. Maybe the perpetrator was ready to come clean.

The ship cut through the waves, tossing Arabella’s curls around her face. Salt spray misted her face, and the wind whipped around her skirts. She felt like she was flying.

Well, damn.

She looked up from the page, half expecting to replace Noah grinning at her, but the store was suspiciously devoid of smiling fishermen. She supposed he could have recruited someone else to leave the clues. Someone like a certain busybody book-club president. Or maybe even his best friend, Logan?

As she stood with the book in her hand, her stomach already swooping with the thrill of seeing Noah again, Hazel found that she didn’t care how this clue got here, but only that it was here.

She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her HANSOF partner and just hoped he was still up for a few more adventures.