Page 26 of Love Notes
I lifted my chin for a kiss, and Ryan obliged.And then, before that kiss could turn into something heated, the cat appeared out of nowhere and yowled.
Ryan’s smile broke the kiss.“You got a name for her yet?”he asked as the cat wound herself around our ankles.
“She’s your cat.”
He raised an eyebrow.“I’m not the one who let her in.”
“I’m probably going to get a terrible guest rating, aren’t I?”
“It’s lucky you’re cute,” he said.“You and the cat.”
We broke apart, and I bent down to scoop the cat up.“Dinnertime, miss?”
She yowled again.
I fed the cat and then washed my hands and helped Ryan with dinner prep.We didn’t make anything too fancy, just grilled burgers on the porch and ate them sitting together in the swing, looking out at the trees.
“Whoever built this place made the porch face the wrong way,” I said.“The lake isbehindus.”
“Mmm,” Ryan said, “but if it was facing the other way, the loft wouldn’t have the lake view.So I guess I don’t mind too much.And a back porch is on the list, for sure.Maybe a wraparound.”
Like it was no big deal.
“I definitely want to be in your group for the zombie apocalypse.”
“Huh.And what are you bringing to the team?”
I elbowed him and laughed.“Everyone needs a storyteller, Ryan.A chronicler.Also, I can learn to knit or something too.”
“That’ll work,” he said with a smile.
We pushed ourselves lazily back and forth on the swing, enjoying the slow progression of the dusk into evening.
“Did you get much done today?”Ryan asked at last.“You looked like you were still in the zone when I got home.”
“Oh, it was great!Almost a full chapter, and I had this amazing idea that I’m really excited about.My amateur detective, Alex, the bookstore owner, has spent the last three books butting heads with Beckett, the local deputy, but what if all that previous tension was actually sexual tension and they get together in this book?I mean, a bunch of fans have been shipping them since the start, so I don’t think it’s too much of a leap character-wise.Ugh, now I’m going to second-guess myself about it.Read the first book I gave you and tell me if there’s any chemistry there?”
“Oh, uh, okay.”He cleared his throat and stood up.“Do you want dessert?There might be some ice cream in the freezer?”
“What flavor?”I asked.
He looked down at me, judgingly.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I said.“Any flavor is good.I’d love some!Do you want me to—”
“I got it,” he said, setting my plate on top of his and carrying them inside.
I pushed my toes against the boards of the porch, setting the swing in gentle motion again as I waited for him to come back with ice cream, and thought about how coming to Harmony Lake was feeling like the best thing I’d ever done.
FOUNDERS DAY WASa big deal in Caldwell Crossing.It was an opportunity for all the local small businesses to showcase their products and, for some of them, the difference between surviving another year or not.I spared Haider a thought as I worked to set up my stall, although I had no idea what was going on with Harmony Chocolates right now.Or, more specifically, what was going on with Phillip Brauning and his proposed buyout.That had to be complicated, especially given how Haider obviously felt for the guy.
Main Street was bustling even before Founders Day had officially begun; those of us with stalls had to get organized before people arrived.The people running the food trucks were unloading pallets of drinks and buns and whatever else they had to get ready.I had tables and displays to set up.A polka band was setting up at the band shell in the park next to City Hall.
“Hey, stranger,” Rebecca said, making space on my table for her backpack.“Don’t give me that look.I’ll put everything back how I found it.I was just bringing you some cookies as ongoing payment for sleeping in your workshop.”
I suddenly got very interested in a cheeseboard.“Okay, thanks.”
“I also brought you a coffee,” she said, “since I know it’s going to be a long day.”
