Of course, he couldn’t live forever in an RV. He’d need bigger quarters in TC, especially if he ended up relocating here permanently—an appealing possibility with Hannah in the mix.
Who’da thunk it? Me, city boy to my bones, happy in a Podunk beach town?
His head filled with sunny daydreams, he trotted kitty-corner across the street to TheBeacon’s office. Just like every other building on Main Street, his own excepted, Hannah’s was decked out for Saint Patrick’s Day with glittering green tinsel garlands crisscrossing the front windows and paper shamrocks taped to the glass.
Funny, he’d been crushing so hard on Hannah, but he’d yet to visit her workplace. It reminded him of a 1970s newsroom movie set, with its worn black and white tile floor, old-school metal desks, and olive-green partitions covered with photo calendars and sticky notes.
The attractive, sixty-something woman with Hannah’s bright eyes and thick, wavy hair stood to greet him, wincing as she pushed to her feet. “About time, darling.” The strong family resemblance extended to the warm smile she gave him. “I’m Linda Leone, Hannah’s mom.”
Not content with a handshake, she pulled Xander into a tight, squishy hug. “I’m so sorry about your loss. Your uncle was well loved. We’re all glad to know you’ll be continuing in his footsteps.”
Guilt pinged behind Xander’s forehead. Had Hannah led her mom to believe he’d be hawking alien schlock? Or did she just assume, like all her fellow Trappers Cove-ians? He would disabuse them of that notion soon enough. And despite their sweet, stubborn attachment to Gus’s little green visitors, they’d come to appreciate his new, improved, classed-up shop when it brought even more shoppers to Main Street.
“Delighted to meet you, Ms. Leone.”
“Oh bosh. It’s Linda.” She gave him a quick once-over. “You’re the spitting image of your uncle when he was your age. I was married back then, but all us young women envied Marty her handsome husband.” She chuckled. “Hell, that went for the older gals too.”
Xander smiled on the outside but winced inwardly. If this was how Gus looked at almost forty, did that mean he’d end up a pot-bellied, flush-faced oldster like his uncle? Because if Hannah aged as attractively as her mother, he’d need to stay on top of his game.
“So, I hear you’ve got big plans for the new and improved Souvenir Planet.” Linda smiled expectantly.
He chuckled. “Like mother, like daughter. As I told Hannah, I’ll share my plans when I’m ready and not until then.”
Still smiling, she shrugged. “Can’t blame a reporter for trying.”
“Xander, there you are.” Hannah bustled out from behind one of the room dividers, hair rumpled, blouse askew, a smudge of black across her cheek. “Sorry, had to wrestle a paper jam.”
Heat licked his skin at the sight of her, beautifully mussed, as if she’d just emerged from his bed—exactly where he wanted her right now.
He sucked in a deep breath and forced a casual smile. “You print the newspaper here?”
“No, we use a printer in Pacific Shores, but we still need the copy machine, and it seems to be possessed by demons at the moment.”
Mrs. Leone gestured to her cheek. “Darling, you’ve got toner—”
“Ugh.” Hannah snatched a tissue from a box on her mother’s desk and scrubbed at the spot. “That’s me, always professional.” She stood patiently as her mother straightened her blouse, then pecked her mom’s forehead, shrugged into her blazer, and grabbed her camera. “All set. Ready for a little adventure?”
Xander cocked his arm. “Where are we going?”
He admired her unconscious grace as she slid her arm through his, like they’d been moving in tandem all their lives. “Farmer’s market first. It’s opening day after the winter hiatus. Then I’ve got a surprise for you before lunch, if you have time.”
“Sea Dragon?” Mrs. Leone called after them.
“Yup. Want your usual?”
“Please and thank you. Have fun, you two. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Her laughter tinkled with merriment. “And there’s not much I wouldn’t do at your age.”
Hannah tugged him out the door and away from her mother’s teasing. “Sorry. Mom worries about me ending up alone like her. Makes her a little too eager to see me paired up.”
“I don’t mind. She’s sweet. Also pretty and sharp as tacks, just like her daughter.” He spun her around and smooched her lips. He liked kissing her in public, claiming her for everyone to see. And judging by her glowing smile, she didn’t mind being claimed.
“So, farmer’s market, huh?” He slung his arm over her shoulders as they walked.
“Yup. First of the season is always extra fun.”
“You know what’d be even more fun?” He waggled his eyebrows.
Hannah bumped him with her hip. “This is my job, Xander.” But her grin and flushed cheeks proved her thoughts were just as dirty as his.
