Page 11 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

"I never left," he said, emphasizing the 'I' as if to drive home which of them had been the one to run. But he still smiled, and it seemed genuine, so she wasn't sure if it was a rebuke or just a statement of fact. He gestured at the building. "What's all this?"

"I bought it," she blurted out, unable to completely hide the pride in her tone. "I'm going to reopen the coffee shop."

Something flashed in his eyes—surprise, maybe even admiration. "No kidding? That's... that's great, June-bug."

The old nickname slipped between them, intimate and dangerous. His gaze swept over her, and she felt the heat of it like a physical touch. For a moment, the years fell away, and she remembered how it felt to be the center of his universe.

"You know," he drawled, his eyes traveling back to the store front. He narrowed them in speculation. "I could help," he said, gesturing at the building. "With the renovations. I'm with J&J Contractors and we do good work. We're the best if you want things done right."

Juno was shaking her head. "I'm on a tight budget, Alex. The place passed inspection for the purchase, so most of what I need to do is cosmetic." She lifted one arm and flexed it, then glanced at his bulging biceps and felt ridiculous. But she forged on, hoping he couldn't tell that her cheeks were growing warm. "I'm doing as much of the work as I can myself. If and when I need help, I've got some favors to call in." It wasn't exactly true, but she'd reconnected with Claire Maitland and Liz Needham since returning to Autumn Lake, and both women were over the moon about her plans and had offered to help in any way they could. Liz worked for the local water and sewer company, but she had a plumbing background and had already promised to come in and help with hooking up water lines and filtration systems, and Claire had offered to make window treatments and table cloths and custom aprons for Juno and her staff.

Alex nodded. "Sure, right." Then he flexed, too. Was he mocking her? "I do side jobs. John is cool with it as long as it doesn't take money out of his pocket. I could give you the 'friend' rate."

Hope flickered, treacherous and bright. Maybe he'd changed. Maybe they could—

"Alex! There you are!" A woman burst out of the boating supplies shop and sashayed down the sidewalk. She slipped her arm through his with practiced familiarity—tall, brunette ponytail, with a shockingly bright smile and a white summer dress that showed miles of tanned leg. "You disappeared on me. You promised to help me choose fabric samples for the boat cushions," she pouted, barely acknowledging Juno's presence with a quick glance.

"Anastacia, this is Juno, an old friend," Alex said, not bothering to try to extract his arm from her clutches. "Juno, Anastacia's family has a summer place across the lake."

The woman didn't even smile as her gaze raked up and down Juno, taking in the pale blue Oxford she wore tucked into simple black pants. "Hi," she said, already turning her attention back to Alex. "We need to hurry if we're going to make it back for sunset cocktails."

"We won't be late, babe." The endearment rolled off his tongue with casual ease. "And even if we are, no one will notice."

"Of course, they'll notice." Anastacia insisted.

"And then you'll have everyone's attention, which is just the way you like it," Alex countered, his voice calm and soothing. It seemed to be working; the woman reminded Juno of a cat, the way she practically curled into his side as he spoke. She didn't even seem to notice Alex's irony at her expense.

"You two obviously have some place to be," she interjected, her stomach tight. "And I need to get to work." She made a shooing gesture. "Off with you, now."

Alex shot her an apologetic shrug. "Welcome home. I'll stop by later, maybe we can catch up properly."

"I'm going to be pretty busy for a while," she said with a shake of her head. "And it looks like you are, too."

Ugh. Why had she dropped that last line? The last thing she wanted was for him to think she cared what he did or who with.

Alex grinned. "Yeah, well, I have a well-stocked toolbelt, and I know where you work, June-bug."

Her expression hardened. "Please don't call me that. I'm Juno to my friends. Or you can call me Juniper." To Anastacia, she said, "Nice to meet you, Anastacia. I hope you enjoy your summer here in Autumn Lake."

"Oh, I will," Anastacia cooed, her simpering making Juno clench her jaw in distaste. Then she pushed open the door to her shop, glad she'd already unlocked it, and ducked inside the shadowy interior.

With her back to the cool glass door, Juno felt something harden inside her. The whispers she'd heard around town were true. Alex Frampton had become the summer entertainment for bored vacation women—charming, available, no strings attached.

At least now she knew. Whatever they'd had was long gone, just like the girl she'd been. She was here to build a future, not revisit the past.

And she didn't need Alex Frampton's help to do it.

PresentDay…

"Earth to Juno." Claire was waving a hand in front of her face. "Where'd you go just now?"

Juno blinked, the memory fading. "Nowhere important."

Claire's eyes softened with understanding. "So tell me how Alex is doing. I heard he's got a broken—"

"He didn't break anything," Juno snipped, cutting her off, followed by a flood of remorse. "Sorry. The gossip in this town is alive and well."

Claire nodded slowly. "It is, yes. But I don't think it's malicious, Juno. People just want to know that their hero is okay."

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