She nuzzled the crook of his neck. “And they taught me to accept change.” Her hands tunneled beneath his shirt to stroke his back. “Actually, no. You get the credit for that. You showed me I can let go of the past without losing myself. So thank you, my sexy spaceman.”
“Anytime, beauty.” He pecked her nose. “Now, let’s hang this guy up before the horde arrives.”
Good thing he’d already installed a hook while she was at work, because a procession was heading their way, headed by Zora, dressed for the occasion in a purple caftan and matching turban.
“What the—?”
Hannah grinned. “That’s my surprise to you. Zora’s leading a house blessing.”
Xander threw his head back and laughed. “Of course she is.” He waved. “Welcome, friends.”
The crowd filled their sandy front yard, unavoidable when you lived this close to the beach, and overflowed onto the sidewalk. Standing beside her aunt, Gemma Moore held a large thermos and a stack of paper cups. Jesse del Toro, her boyfriend, carried a backpack that jingled when he shifted it to one shoulder.
Xander instantly understood Jesse’s sympathetic grin and half-shrug. Life in Trappers Cove came with a brimming side dish of woo-woo, and that was fine by him.
Zora spread her arms wide in greeting. “A long-delayed congratulations to the happy couple. Xander, we are so glad to welcome you into our family.”
“Hear, hear,” Garrett called from the sidewalk. Hannah’s friend Daphne elbowed him.
Under Zora’s direction, Jesse passed out a collection of bells to their guests: little brass bells he recognized from Zora’s shop, Christmas jingle bells, and a few old-timey school bells with wooden handles. Gemma filled paper cups and handed them around.
“Consecrated salt water,” she explained, “to clean away any residual bad vibes. Works as well as smudging, and it won’t set off your smoke alarms.”
Hannah gave Xander a sheepish smile. “You don’t mind, do you? This house has been rented out to God knows who, so I figured a spiritual cleaning was in order.”
“Mind?” He squeezed her in a side hug. “I love the idea. What do we do, Zora?”
‘A joyful noise’ was the perfect description of what happened next. The old hippie mama led a merry procession through the house, bells clanging and jingling, salty water sprinkling into every corner and cranny, until she pronounced their new home cleansed.
Afterward, everyone filed through the kitchen to load up their plates with Xander’s moussaka, Hannah’s Greek salad, and dozens of other dishes their guests had brought to share. Garrett served up a giant sheet cake decorated with—of course—little green aliens.
“Who knew these little buggers were so tasty?” Xander joked, wiping green frosting from his chin.
“You’re tasty,” Hannah whispered, nuzzling his neck.
“Hey, now.” He gave her butt a squeeze. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”
“Oh, we’ll both finish. I promise you that.” She smooched his cheek. “Mega happy ending.” And off she trotted to giggle with Daphne as they set up the next event: his first and probably only book signing.
Who’da thunk it? Xander Ioannis Anagnos, a published author. He and Hannah had dreamed up the idea for a children’s book one starlight night over post-sex wine and snacks. Giggling, they’d sketched out a story about a boy named Gus who made friends with visiting aliens and went for a ride in their spaceship. No one believed the kid, but he learned not to care what others thought. Daphne helped them find an illustrator and a local printer, and voilà! Their picture book was born.
“Book time,” Daphne sang out and plunked down a carton of slim volumes. “Get your copy signed by the authors.”
He took his seat beside Hannah and uncapped a green Sharpie. “Did you ever imagine yourself doing this?”
“Nope.” She scribbled her signature on the title page, then passed the book to him. “Is there aNew York Timesbestseller list for picture books?”
He laughed as he scrawled his signature below hers. “That’s my Hannah, always shooting for the stars.”
When the line died down, Daphne plopped onto the bench between them. “Thanks, you two. You’ve given my bottom line a nice boost.”
“Thankyou,” Hannah insisted.
“Don’t mention it.” She pecked her friend’s cheek. “I love supporting local authors. Speaking of…” She pulled a sour face. “I sent your interview request to Finn Abrams, but he turned us down. You’d think an author whose fictional town looks so much like Trappers Cove could spare theBeacona few minutes, but noooo. He’s such a snot.” She wrapped a long arm around each of them and squeezed. “Not like my two favorite kid lit authors. You’re the cutest couple in TC, and I’m so glad you got together. Hey, I’m gonna get more cake. You want some?”
“None for me, thanks.” Xander patted his overstuffed belly.
Hannah shook her head, so Daphne left them for a moment of sweet peace.