Page 61 of Always Be Mine
“I’m just finalizing some orders for the season.” She waved her arm over the mess. “How are things at your end of the plaza? I heard you have a new addition?”
“A new…” He stumbled over his response. “You mean Lucy?”
Krysta laughed. “I didn’t mean Lucy. But yes. I have heard a lot about her as well. Kane talks about Lucy all the time.”
Of course he does.
Jealousy flared through him. Lucy had mentioned Kane more than once. He tried to put the other man out of his head, especially when it came to thinking about the two of them together. Craig never considered himself a jealous man before, but maybe it was because he’d never had something or someone to be jealous about.
Not that Lucy was his or that he had any right to feel jealous. One kiss between them didn’t give him any claim. Well, onerealkiss.
Still.
“Is that right?” He tried his best to sound casual. “They’ve been spending some time together, then?”
Judging by the look on Krysta’s face, he was failing miserably at the whole casual thing.
“I think they’ve seen each other a few times, yes. It’s good to see that Lucy’s settling into town so easily.”
“It is.” He took a sip of coffee and swallowed the still way-too-hot liquid hard.
“But I wasn’t talking about that addition.” Krysta gave him a wink. “I’m talking about the delicious smell of chocolate coming from your place every day. When are we going to get to sample your new chocolates, Craig? I think you’re holding out on us.”
Happy to have the conversation change tracks, Craig chuckled. “It does smell pretty damn good, doesn’t it?”
Mya hadn’t wasted any time taking over the small kitchen in the back of his shop, whipping up different concoctions, all of which smelled more delectable than the last. But she’d yet to deem any of them worthy enough for taste testing.
“Trust me, Krysta, you’re not the only one who’d like a taste.”
He never would have expected that a chocolatier would be a perfectionist akin to an artist working on her masterpiece, but in only a few short weeks, Craig was getting a crash course in all things chocolate. Except, of course, how they tasted.
“It’s literally all any of us can talk about around here.” Krysta shrugged. “As soon as you’re ready, you let us know. Maybe you can set some aside for locals before the tourists snap up all the good stuff?”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Craig nodded to himself, another idea starting to take shape. “In fact, I’ll talk to Mya about it today. She should be getting close with some of the first confections. Maybe we can do a tasting for some of the other businesses in the community?”
Krysta exaggerated a swoon. “Count me in.”
“Lucy! Watch this!”
Lucy turned her head to see Meri on the swing next to her, pumping her little legs as hard as she could to launch herself farther into the air.
“Look how high I can go!” Meri tipped her head back and let her hair stream out behind her as she sailed through the air.
“You’resohigh!”
“I’msohigh!”
She knew when she was beat. Lucy hopped off her swing to properly watch as Meri all but took flight.
After a moment, she slowed and came back to earth. “That was so fun.”
Lucy laughed. “You were as high as a bird, kiddo. I couldn’t keep up.”
“I went higher than you.” Meri hopped off the swing and grabbed Lucy’s hand. “Didn’t I?”
“You sure did.” Together, they walked through the playground.
“Did you ever go that high before?”
