Page 49 of Serenity Harbor

“Never? You’ve never had a live-in relationship?” She looked shocked, making him wish he hadn’t said anything. “And according to the generally reliable Haven Point grapevine, you haven’t dated in the two months you’ve been in town.”

He could feel his face heat and wasn’t sure how to feel at the idea of somebody gossiping to Katrina about him. The women in this town were a formidable lot, with more influence than Caine Tech—contrary to what Aidan and Ben might think.

The first few weeks after he came to Haven Point, he had tried to get a feel for his new town by hitting up the local watering hole, going to a couple of outdoor summer concerts at the park, eating with Aidan and Ben and their wives at the favorite local restaurant, Serrano’s.

That had all ended abruptly the moment he found out about Milo. Since then, his life had completely shifted, and his brother and work had filled up all his free time.

“Yeah. I’ve been a little busy.”

“You should make time. You’re not getting any younger, you know.”

“I’m not quite ancient yet,” he protested.

“What you need, Mr. Callahan, is a wife.”

Okay. That was random. He blinked away his shock and gave her a long look. “Do tell.”

“I’m just saying. That might seem old-fashioned in this day and age, but your situation has changed. Now you have Milo to think about.”

“As I’m well aware.”

“Hired help like me is fine, but Milo will need a solid, steady mother figure in his life. Yang to your yin. There are some fantastic prospects right under your nose here in Haven Point. If you want, I could make you a list.”

“A list,” he said faintly. “Of possible wives. So I can provide a mother figure to my younger brother.”

“Possible women todate,” she corrected. “From there, who knows?”

She wanted to offer him a list of other women, when all he could think about right now was pressing her against those kitchen cabinets and tasting that mouth that had been tantalizing him since they met.

“At the top of that list,” she went on, “I would put my friend Sam. Samantha Fremont. She’s funny and smart and kindhearted, not to mention absolutely lovely.”

“She is,” he agreed.

“And she runs a moderately successful boutique in Haven Point, which is good. You’re going to want a potential wife who has her own interests, especially if you plan to continue the kind of crazy schedule you’ve worked this week.”

“This week is an anomaly. But I see what you’re saying.”

He pictured Samantha Fremont, the pretty redhead he had met at Snow Angel Cove and then seen a few times around town—including that first day with Katrina, he remembered. She seemed nice enough...but she didn’t make his heart race like he’d just run full tilt up a mountain trail and now stood on the precipice of something he couldn’t name.

“Another possibility you could consider asking out is my friend Julia Winston, who works at the library. She’s a bit older than Sam and me and also kind of on the quiet side—I know, cliché, right? A quiet librarian—but she’s absolutely lovely.”

“We’ve met. Long brown hair, right?”

“That’s her. She is one of the most caring people you will ever meet, and she’s fantastic with children. Milo really warmed up to her when we stopped in for story hour a few days ago.”

“That’s nice, but—”

She cut him off. “Oh, and I can’t forget Megan Hamilton. She’s the owner of the newly remodeled Haven Point Inn, and she’s an incredibly gifted artist as well, not to mention beautiful enough to be a model. Make sure you add her to your list.”

“Okay, while I appreciate the thought, I’m not making a list. Don’t you think I have enough on my plate without adding a girlfriend into the mix? A new house, a new job, Milo? When am I supposed to find time to date?”

“If it’s a priority, you make time.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What about you? You’re trying to adopt a kid. Don’t you think Gabi deserves to have a father? Maybe you should make a list of your own.”

“That’s different.”

“How is it different? Because I have a Y chromosome?”

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