Page 11 of Love Notes

He gave me a wary look.

“Would you be interested in having dinner with me tonight?At your cabin?It’s kind of an apology for yesterday, and maybe we could get to know each other a little better?Just as friends.Not that I’m opposed to—anyway, I bought steaks.”

Ryan raised his eyebrows.“Are you sure you write books?”

“I’m a total wordsmith.Just, mostly on paper.”

That caused a genuine smile.“Uh, I’d like to, except I’m catching up with friends for dinner at Lucy’s Bar.”

“Oh.”My stomach swooped.“Um, maybe tomorrow?”

“You could come,” he said.“If you wanted.They wouldn’t mind.”

“Okay,” I said, before I could second-guess myself.“I’d love to.”

And when he ducked his head shyly again, I was surprised by how much I meant it.

LUCY’S BAR WASon Main Street in Caldwell Crossing.Ryan’s rattling old truck got us there just before sunset.The interior of the bar seemed dark at first, but my eyes adjusted after a moment, and then it felt cozy and warm.It was filled with sports memorabilia and even an old gas pump.Ryan led me through to a corner booth, where a group of guys was already crammed together.

“Hey,” he said.“Everyone, this is Adam.He’s staying at the cabin.Adam, this is Sam, Conor, and Haider.”

“Hi,” I said and gave an awkward little wave.

Everyone shuffled up to give us room.I found myself sitting next to curly-haired Haider, the guy who’d upsold me half the store at Harmony Chocolates earlier, while Ryan sat across from me beside Conor.

“What brings you to Harmony Lake?”Sam asked me as a server appeared with our menus.

After we’d paused to give our drink orders, I said, “I needed a change of scenery, mostly, and I can work from anywhere.So I thought I’d spend a while here.It’s beautiful.”

“No place like it,” Sam said with a smile.

They were a good group.I learned that Conor was a firefighter and that Haider didn’t just work at Harmony Chocolates, he owned the place.

“Where’s Ben?”Ryan asked Sam.

“At his place,” Sam said.“We’re not joined at the hip.”

“Ben is Sam’s new boyfriend, and they’re totally joined at the hip,” Haider said, eyes sparkling.He clutched his chest and said, dramatically, “And to think Ben was almost mine!”

Sam rolled his eyes.

“I don’t think he was almost yours,” Conor said.

“Well, I called dibs,” Haider said.

Ryan snorted.“You can’t call dibs on a person.”

Haider laid his hand on my forearm and gave me the world’s cheekiest grin.“Adam, has anyone called dibs on you yet?”

My gaze shot to Ryan, who was bright red.

“Um, no,” I said.“Ryan’s right.You can’t call dibs on a person.”

Haider lifted his hand, laughing.“Oh, you can, and youshould.It’s so much fun.”

Sam rolled his eyes again, but he was smiling.

“If you want to know about the local area, Sam’s the guy to ask,” Ryan said.“His great-great-something-grandfather built the town.”

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