The Cinnamon Bun Book Store: TikTok Made Me Buy It (Dream Harbor, Book 2)
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store: Chapter 4

Noah found Hazel a little bit drunk in the small garden. The air smelled like dirt and woodsmoke. It was full dark now and Hazel was sitting at the edge of the garden holding a half empty bottle of wine.

‘Hey, we got worried about you. Thought you might have been eaten by goats.’

Hazel gazed up at him. ‘It was in the book.’

Maybe she was more drunk than he thought. ‘What was in the book? You sure you’re okay? Want me to get Annie?’

Hazel wrinkled her nose and tugged him down next to her. ‘There was another book.’ She was looking at him like he should know what she was talking about but he definitely didn’t and frankly all he could think about right now was how close she was and how sweet she smelled and that she was wearing shorts which he’d never seen her do and the beautiful, soft skin on her legs, and…

‘Another clue!’ she said, dropping her voice like it was a secret. He wanted to have secrets with Hazel Kelly. ‘I found another book with another clue.’

‘Oh! Right. The book clues.’

‘Yeah.’ She nodded her head and her curls bounced around her shoulders. ‘And it was about eating blueberries and look!’ She flipped up the leaves of a nearby plant and exposed the fresh fruit underneath. ‘Blueberries.’ Her tone was hushed, like these berries held some kind of answers for her.

‘That’s … cool.’ That was an inadequate response but Hazel nodded again and plucked one of the berries.

‘They’re really good, too.’ She brought the fruit to her lips and popped it in her mouth and Noah’s world ground to a halt. The only thing that existed in that moment was Hazel’s mouth and her little sigh of happiness and the fireflies lighting up around her head.

Her eyes closed as she ate the berries and Noah just stared. Anyone that didn’t realize that Hazel was hot as hell had their head up their ass.

‘You want one?’ she asked, her eyes fluttering open again. She picked a few more berries and placed them reverently in his palm.

‘Thanks.’ The word came out strangled and Noah cleared his throat.

‘Here.’ Hazel passed him the wine and he took a long swallow before eating the berries. The combination was tart and sweet and summery.

Hazel smiled at him. His head spun.

‘I think I need your help.’

Anything. ‘Okay.’

She pushed her glasses up her nose. ‘I need help with my summer… I mean… I need help having fun.’

‘You need help having fun?’

‘An adventure.’ She waved her hand around, gesturing to … everything? ‘I want to follow the clues, assuming there will be more, and I want to just … I don’t know… I want to be reckless. I’ve spent my whole life being safe and now I want … adventure, excitement. I want a good story to tell over drinks.’

‘And you want me to help you?’

Hazel shrugged, looking away from him now. ‘It seems like you’d be good at it. At fun, summer adventuring. That’s what you do, right?’

‘Are you … hiring me?’

‘No!’ Hazel’s eyes went wide. ‘No, that’s not what I meant. Sorry, I’m messing this up. I just thought you seemed excited about the clues and you’re just more … I don’t know … interesting than anyone else I know … and I thought you might want to help me. Sorry I shouldn’t have said anything.’

‘Hazel.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Of course I’ll help you.’ Did a part of him wish this help had something to do with anything other than reckless fun? Sure. But Noah recognized his strengths.

‘You will?’

‘Yeah, I’d love to help with your book clues.’

Her eyes lit up. He’d made Hazel Kelly happy.

He didn’t get to savor that thought because her mouth crashed into his before he could register what was happening and oh God, she tasted like berries and wine. A soft groan left his mouth before he could stop it and Hazel leaned deeper into him. Her hands had come to rest on his chest and she twisted her fingers in his shirt, pulling him closer.

And Noah wanted to kiss her. He wanted to do so many things to Hazel Kelly and his mind was filling with all of them and she was sighing against his lips, but Hazel was drunk. And even though she’d just asked him to help her be reckless, he was pretty sure this wasn’t what she meant.

And Noah had no intention of being something Hazel regretted.

‘Haze,’ he whispered. The name felt newly intimate on his tongue. He’d never called her that before, but he’d wanted to.

She yanked back, her eyes huge behind her glasses. ‘Oh God, oh my God. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what is going on with me.’ She tried to stand but her shoes were hanging off her feet and she couldn’t seem to get them back in.

‘Hey.’ He grabbed her hand, keeping her next to him. ‘We’ll just blame it on the blueberries.’

Hazel softened and her mouth tipped into a smile. ‘They are really strong blueberries.’

A surprised laugh burst from Noah. ‘Yeah, they are.’

‘I shouldn’t have done that.’ Her chin was resting on her pulled-up knees now and she directed her words to her bare toes, her shoes forgotten. ‘That’s not what I meant about needing your help.’

‘You don’t need to apologize.’

‘I do!’ Her expression was earnest when she turned to him. ‘That isn’t what I was asking for and I don’t want you to think I was trying to … I don’t know … take advantage of you.’

Noah would have laughed if she didn’t look so sincere and worried. ‘Haze, if you weren’t kinda drunk I woulda kept on kissing you.’

Somehow her eyes widened even further. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Oh. I didn’t … I mean you’re … you.’

‘Right.’

‘And I’m…’

‘Hot.’

Hazel’s laugh burst through the quiet around them. ‘And I’m not your type.’

‘Hot is definitely my type.’

She just shook her head, like she couldn’t possibly believe he was serious. And now he had a new mission. To convince Hazel Kelly she was hot as hell and that he wanted her.

‘So you’ll do the clues with me?’

‘Of course. Who do you think is leaving them?’

She shrugged. ‘Maybe the book club? Although I don’t know why they would, but they’re always up to something. Plus, all the books have been in the romance section, and that’s their usual haunt so … I don’t even really know if the clues are meant for me but I just feel like … I don’t know … like maybe they’ll help.’

Noah still didn’t really know what she meant but he nodded like he did and pulled his knees up to his chest. He rested his forearms across them and looked out over the plants. Besides the blueberry bushes there were strawberry plants too, but the fruit had already been picked earlier in the summer. This must be where Henry’s famous strawberry jam came from. For a minute, Noah worried the old man might come out and yell at them. Something about sitting outside in the dark with a cute girl and a possibly stolen bottle of wine made him feel sixteen again.

‘I’m about to turn thirty.’ Hazel’s voice was quiet in the darkness, nearly drowned out by the chorus of crickets chirping around them. ‘Well, in two months I am.’

‘I’ll be sure to get you a gift.’

She huffed a little laugh before going on. ‘I feel like I forgot to do my twenties. Like I didn’t fully live them, or something. I feel … stuck.’

‘And the clues are going to unstick you?’

Hazel’s breathy laugh sent a little thrill down Noah’s spine.

‘It sounds stupid.’

‘Not stupid.’

‘I just want to have a fun summer. What’s left of it anyway.’

‘Well, you hired the right guy.’

‘I’m not paying you.’

Noah laughed. ‘Good. That would make me feel dirty.’

Hazel smacked his arm, tipping into him slightly before righting herself. ‘Wait, how old are you?’ she asked, like this was suddenly very important. He liked tipsy Hazel. She was more honest. And looked at him less like she didn’t understand what planet he was from and more like she wanted to kiss him again.

He liked that a lot.

‘Twenty-five.’

She groaned, covering her face with her hands. ‘Noooo…’

‘No?’

‘No, you cannot be twenty-five! God, now I’m a lecherous old lady!’

‘If lecherous means you want to get in my pants, I’m totally fine with it.’

Another playful smack, another delicious Hazel giggle.

‘And almost thirty is not old.’

‘It’s a lot older than twenty-five. And if you ask most of my friends they’d tell you I act more like I’m seventy.’

‘Your friends? Logan talks to animals, Jeanie can’t decide if she lives here or in her own apartment, and Annie is engaged in a one-sided feud with the owner of the only good bar in town. These friends should not be telling you how to behave, Haze.’

She was laughing again, doubling over with giggles now, her hair falling into her face. ‘What I want to know,’ she said, between gasping breaths, ‘is do the animals talk back?’

Noah took another swig of wine. ‘Oh God, I hope not.’

‘I love them, though,’ she said, her giggles petering out.

‘Of course you do. I just meant, don’t let them dictate how you think about yourself.’

‘Very wise for someone so young.’

Noah huffed and nearly protested but Hazel was leaning into him now, the side of her body pressed against the side of his and he couldn’t form sentences or complete thoughts so he just took another sip of wine and then passed her the bottle.

She took a sip too and sighed. Her head was nearly on his shoulder, her soft curls brushing against his chin.

‘What’s this one from?’ Her finger traced lightly over the tattoo of a scorpion on the inside of his forearm. Noah shivered.

‘Senior year of high school. Thought it would look cool and impress a girl.’

‘Did it?’ The question was soft and sleepy. Her finger was still tracing his arm and Noah had to force his brain to think.

‘Look cool? Not really. Impress the girl? Yes.’

Hazel’s small puff of laughter skated over his arm. ‘I bet you always impress the girl.’

Noah cleared his throat. ‘Some of them.’

‘Where do you get these? I’ve always wondered.’ Her fingers ran over the colorful braided bracelets he wore on his wrist. Friendship bracelets, the kind girls make at summer camp.

‘My nieces make them for me and send them in the mail.’

‘And you wear them.’

‘They require photographic evidence of me wearing them at all times.’

Another quiet laugh. ‘You’re a good uncle.’

He would have shrugged but he didn’t want to do anything to dislodge Hazel’s head from where it was now resting on his shoulder. He was actually a pretty crappy uncle, avoiding going home as much as possible, but he didn’t want to tell Hazel that, either. He wanted her to think he was a good uncle. And wise beyond his years. And really anything other than just a reckless, fun time.

But if reckless fun was what she needed, then that was what he’d give her. Anything to spend more time with her.

‘There you two are! We thought you left.’ Annie’s voice cut through the silence and sent Hazel careening away from him. She would have tipped over if he hadn’t caught her elbow and held her upright.

‘Or got murdered,’ Jeanie added, following behind her with a flashlight.

‘No one is going to get murdered here.’ Logan pulled up the rear, a small black cat snuggled in his arms. Where the hell had that thing come from? It was like the man attracted strays.

‘It’s just so dark out here. We’d never see it coming.’ Jeanie shone the light across the strawberry patch, lighting up the incriminating scene of Hazel and the wine and Noah beside her. Jeanie’s eyebrows rose.

‘Whatcha guys doing?’

‘Eating berries,’ Hazel said, shielding her eyes from the light.

‘You and Noah were just sitting here in the dark, eating berries?’ Annie said ‘eating berries’ like it was the most absurd thing she could imagine.

‘Yep. That’s what we were doing.’ Noah stood and held a hand out to Hazel, who took it and let herself be hauled up. She brushed the dirt off her butt and faced her friends.

‘Sorry I drank all your wine.’ She handed Logan the empty bottle on her way past, weaving dangerously in the dark.

‘I’ll drive her home.’ Noah followed her toward the driveway, ignoring the surprised and curious faces of their friends.

‘To her home! Not yours!’ Annie called after him and he waved her off. He stopped that kiss in the field, didn’t he? He would never take advantage of Hazel, or any other woman for that matter, but he was more than excited to start their adventure together.

By the end, she’d be kissing him with no wine required.