Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
“I’m not.”
“Come on. You’re Nate’s best friend.”
“And you’re his brother.” His face remained impassive.
When had he become such a hard-ass? “We were like brothers too. You can’t cut me some slack? It was my mistake. I’m sorry.” His mouth split into a shit-eating grin. “You had me there,” I said.
“Yeah, well, this time. If I cut everyone I knew slack, there’d be lawlessness around here. Now move your truck.” He tipped his hat and went back to his patrol SUV.
I let out a heavy sigh and pulled out of the spot. As I did, I noticed all the people in town who’d witnessed the event. It would be all over town by dinner—Mitchell Bowmen was back in town and had nearly gotten arrested. Because if nothing else were true, they loved to embellish the facts.
As I passed Wyatt and Will, I gave a wave. I couldn’t stop because there was a car behind me. Before I left the square, I watched as Sunshine left the coffee shop. I had been heading home when I spotted the flower shop. I parked because there was something I needed to do.
EIGHT
Sunshine
One of the best places to get the lay of the land was at Java Jitters. If anyone was hiring, I could probably hear about it there. I walked in and got in line. The coffee smelled delicious and almost took my mind off the man who had been on it since the day he’d walked into the farmhouse.
“What are you having, hun?”
I recognized the barista. It was the owner, Jesse. “A caramel macchiato, please.”
Every time I came in, I ordered something new. Last time I’d come in, the girl in front of me had ordered one and it had looked and smelled amazing.
“Coming right up.”
I stepped aside and ran into Joy, the owner of the bakery. “Hey, Sunshine,” she said.
“Hey.” She was one of the first people to talk to me in town. I might have stopped to chat, but she wasn’t alone. “Good seeing you,” I said and shifted to stand to the side.
That was the thing about Mason Creek. I hadn’t been here long, but everyone seemed to be coupling up. As people walked inside, I heard the whispers about Mitchell Bowmen being in town. Gossip sure ran fast in this town.
“Sunshine.”
It was Evie who was holding my coffee. She, too, was now coupled up with a guy named Bo.
“Thanks,” I said, taking my cup and heading for the door.
I hadn’t made it two steps out when someone caught up with me. “Sunshine, right?”
I didn’t recognize the woman, but that meant little in a small town. Everyone knew everyone’s name. “Yes.”
She held out a hand and said in a bubbly voice, “I’m Shaina. New to Mason Creek. I hear you are too.”
I shook her hand, as it was the polite thing to do. “Sunshine, and yes, I am.” I took a sip of my coffee and remained silent. She was likely to give more details about why she’d stopped me.
She had an infectious smile. “Everyone is nice around here, but I’m still an outsider, if you know what I mean. I thought since we’re both in the same boat, we could be friends.”
It was true that everyone I’d met in town had been nice and welcoming. At the same time, most people had grown up in this town and knew each other in ways I didn’t. Plus, I didn’t have many friends.
“I’m up for going to the diner for breakfast if you have the time,” I said.
She grinned. “That sounds great. Someone cooking for me for once.” She laughed to herself as we walked there.
“Same,” I said.
“I heard you worked for the Bowmens. I work at the bed-and-breakfast owned by Emma Faulkner. I cook and clean for the guests. Until checkout time, I have a break.”
It wasn’t a surprise that she knew where I worked. Wren’s Café was only a couple doors down from the coffee shop and next to the bakery, so it didn’t take us long to get there. When we walked in, there were only a few tables open.
“Hey, Ashley,” I said, waving to her where she stood behind the counter.
“I’ll be with you shortly,” she said.
I nodded and took a booth near the front.
Shaina slid in opposite me. “Where are you from?” I asked. She knew more about me than I did about her.
For the first time, her expression dimmed. She looked away when she said, “Down south.”
Most people in town would have dug deeper. For me, I understood the need for secrets. I had my own.
“You?” she asked.
I pointed out the window toward the mountain ridge. As I suspected, she just nodded and didn’t pry.
“When did you get into town?” It was a lowball question that I didn’t think she would have a problem answering.
“About a week ago.” Her head shifted toward the window when she said, “Oh, my goodness.” By the time I looked out the window, I could only see the back of a man heading for the door. “One thing about this town is all the gorgeous men. You work for one of them.” When I raised an eyebrow, she said, “Nate Bowmen. You don’t have to be a longtime resident of this town to know him.”