The Cinnamon Bun Book Store: TikTok Made Me Buy It (Dream Harbor, Book 2)
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store: Chapter 25

‘Let’s review the facts one more time,’ Annie said, her legs stretched out on the couch in Hazel’s office. Jeanie sat at the other end with Casper in her lap. The little cat had taken to visiting the bookstore and Hazel often found him hidden among the stacks of books.

‘Do we have to?’ Hazel was behind her desk, a fresh cup of tea in her hands, courtesy of Jeanie, and a half-eaten muffin from Annie’s in front of her. She’d caved and told her friends everything that happened on Noah’s boat and the weeks leading up to that moment, the one she hadn’t stopped thinking about for the past two days.

The storm, the sex, Noah leaving, all of it had turned into a confusing and nauseating mix of emotions in her gut. It had been so wonderful and then it had been so … not. He hadn’t said he was leaving forever but he also hadn’t said they should continue whatever this was between them.

So now she was stuck in limbo again.

And stuck listening to Annie’s theories about the whole thing.

‘Yes.’

Hazel groaned.

‘Exhibit A.’ Annie held up one finger. ‘Noah has had the hots for you for at least a year.’

‘That’s not an exhibit. It’s conjecture,’ Hazel grumbled, but Annie just stuck her tongue out and continued on.

‘The man has purchased more books in the past year than anyone else in town. There’s your evidence.’

Jeanie gave Hazel a sympathetic look. There was no stopping Annie when she was like this.

‘Exhibit B.’ Another finger in the air. ‘Someone starts ruining your books at the exact time Noah just happens to wander in here and offers to help you.’

‘It didn’t happen exactly like that.’

Annie plowed forward, a third finger up. ‘Exhibit C. He saves your life and then rocks your world on his boat, a boat that was specifically named in the last clue!’

‘Not specifically named.’

‘It’s totally him leaving the clues, Haze, and he totally has a thing for you. Clearly. Obviously! I told you this weeks ago. I mean sometimes you’re so smart and other times . . .’

‘Him having a thing for me is not the same as him being in—’ Hazel caught herself before finishing that very dangerous sentence but it was too late. Annie’s eyes had gone wide and even Jeanie’s dark eyebrows were up to her hairline.

‘Hazel Jasmine Kelly––’

‘Not my middle name.’

‘Are you in love with the sexy fisherman?’

‘No.’

‘Hazel Marjorie Kelly––’

‘Still not my middle name.’

‘You are! You fell in love with him!’

‘I tried not to!’

‘Oh, Hazel.’ Annie shook her head but Jeanie was already jumping to her rescue.

‘I think it’s great, Haze.’

‘You can’t listen to her, she’s blinded by all that big, grumpy farmer love she’s been getting.’

‘Ew.’ Hazel scrunched up her face.

‘I’m not blinded. I just know how amazing it can be,’ Jeanie said between laughs.

Annie harrumphed and slouched back into the couch. Casper took the opportunity to crawl onto her chest. He purred happily as Annie scratched between his ears.

‘You’re the one who said I should go for it,’ Hazel reminded her.

‘I meant, go have wild sex, I explicitly told you not to fall in love.’

‘I tried not to,’ Hazel said again, stuffing more muffin in her mouth. It was good. Pumpkin spice. ‘I just didn’t expect him to be so … thoughtful.’

‘Thoughtful, how?’ Jeanie asked.

‘Thoughtful like he’s just always thinking of me. Of ways to make me happy or make me comfortable or make me…’ Heat rose to her cheeks.

‘Or make you come? Blinded. Blinded by orgasms, the both of you,’ Annie said. Casper hopped down and sauntered out the door as she sat up.

‘Thoughtful is good,’ Jeanie said, and it was nice to have an ally.

‘It is, right?’

‘Of course it is. I think he really likes you, Hazel.’ Jeanie smiled over her mug and maybe they were both blinded by orgasms but it didn’t seem like the worst way to go through life.

‘Everyone likes you.’ Annie frowned.

‘Uh, thanks.’

Annie shook her head, blonde wisps escaping her messy bun. ‘That came out meaner than I meant it. I meant that of course he likes you. Who wouldn’t like you? You’re smart and beautiful and sweet.’

‘Aw, thanks Annie.’

Annie was still scowling. ‘I just… He goes through women fast, Haze. And he’s so young! I mean, is his prefrontal cortex even done developing?’

‘I’m pretty sure that happens by age twenty-five.’

Annie huffed. ‘I just don’t want you to get hurt.’

‘But…’ Jeanie leaned forward, ready to make a counter argument. ‘If he is leaving all these clues, that’s a lot of effort, right? I mean if he’s so good at getting women, why would he go through all this trouble for Hazel?’ Jeanie’s smile grew. ‘Because he’s in love with her,’ she sang, happily.

‘You two are the worst,’ Hazel grumbled but she couldn’t stop her stomach from swooping at Jeanie’s words. Was she right? It was a pretty elaborate plan just to get into her pants. These clues had to indicate a pretty high level of commitment, didn’t they?

Then she remembered the part of their boat adventure she’d been trying to block from her mind. ‘It doesn’t matter anyway because he’s leaving after my birthday.’

‘He’s what?!’ Jeanie’s smile dropped.

‘He told me he’s going back home to help out with the family business.’

Jeanie frowned. ‘For how long?’

‘He didn’t say.’

‘So maybe it’s temporary?’

Hazel glanced at Annie, knowing her best friend would give it to her straight. ‘I mean, I guess it’s possible…’ Annie conceded. ‘He could just be helping out for a few months or something.’

Now she was more confused than ever. If Noah was the person behind the clues then why would he take off afterwards? Did she misunderstand? Was he coming back?

‘I still think it’s him. Who else could it be?’ Jeanie asked.

‘What do I do now, then?’ Hazel slumped back in her seat an odd mix of excitement and disappointment warring for control in her gut. How had her summer fling turned into such a complicated mess? It was almost as if she saw this coming and did absolutely nothing to stop it. In fact, she had dived in head first.

And now here she was, heartsick and confused.

Annie shrugged.

‘He must have planned some way for these clues to end,’ Jeanie said. ‘Some kind of grand finale. And then he’ll proclaim his love for you!’

‘Okay, okay.’ Annie waved a hand like she could shoo away Jeanie’s romantic ideas. Hazel bit down on a smile. ‘Don’t get carried away. This isn’t one of your romance novels. This is Noah we’re talking about.’

‘Says the woman who has watched When Harry Met Sally at least fifty times.’

‘It’s a classic,’ Annie said, but Hazel cut off their debate.

‘You don’t think Noah’s capable of a grand finale?’ She didn’t care about clues or grand finales, but Annie knew what she was really asking. Did she think Noah was capable of being serious about her, about wanting her for real. Would he stick around for her?

‘I don’t know, Haze. But I really hope so.’

‘Me too.’ Noah had already surprised her so much. When she’d recruited him for this two-month adventure, she’d only expected him to be fun and maybe a little reckless. She hadn’t expected him to be so sweet and kind and sexy, well, that’s not true, she knew he was sexy. She hadn’t expected him to light up her world like he did.

She hadn’t expected to learn so much about herself just by being around him.

She hadn’t intended to do the most reckless thing of all. And she certainly hadn’t expected to fall in love.

‘Have faith, ladies,’ Jeanie said, getting up from the couch and stretching her arms over her head.

‘Easy for you to say,’ Annie said.

‘Have you talked to Mac lately?’ Jeanie teased as the two headed out of the office.

‘How dare you?!’

Jeanie’s laugh filtered back to the office. Hazel got up and followed them out to the front of the shop. Alex was behind the register. They had a romance novel in their hands.

‘Hey, Hazel. This book is marked up. What should we do with it?’

Jeanie and Annie simultaneously froze.

‘A clue!’ Jeanie’s eyes were bright with excitement.

The three of them ran to the counter, but Hazel was fast when she wanted to be.

‘I’ll take it!’

Alex assessed them with surprised amusement. ‘Okaaay…’

‘Open it. Open it!’ Jeanie was giddy beside her.

‘You guys are acting weirder than usual,’ Alex said, even as they also leaned over the book. Hazel opened it to the dog-eared page. It was a diary entry and the only highlighted line was the date.

September 28th.

Hazel’s birthday.

In the margins was a note.

Mac’s. 7:00, bring friends.

‘A grand finale,’ Annie breathed.

Jeanie clapped. ‘I told you!’

‘Weird,’ Alex muttered.

Hazel let out a deep breath and tried to control the erratic swooping of her stomach.

She turned thirty in four days.

And it seemed someone was throwing her a party.

Was it too early to make a birthday wish about the identity of the host?