Page 12 of Hoax and Kisses
“I wanted a break from the city.” It isn’t a complete lie. Charlee’s documentary has overtaken my thoughts. As if it awakened something in me, and it’s been stirring relentlessly ever since.
“Ah.” Rosie places the bowl in front of me. “The classic city girl in need of a nature escape.”
With a whispered thanks, I take a sip, relishing the warmth already settling around my fingertips. “If I fall for a small-town man next, I’ll be a cliché Hallmark movie.”
“Who knows?” She shrugs. “Pine Falls has a couple of eligible single men.”
“The only guy I’ve met so far almost ran me down and splashed water all over me. Not off to a great start.”
Her eyes dance. “Yeah, we have a few grumpy ones too.”
I tap on my phone screen, zooming in on the photo of the cabin, searching for landmarks that may help me find it. “So what’s the easiest route to get to Oliver’s?”
Rosie looks at my bags, then at me, and grimaces. “I’m sure someone around here can give you a ride. You can’t walk all the way there with those torture devices on your feet while dragging your entire closet behind you.”
Grunting, I drop my head to the counter with a thud. “I really wish I had checked the location beforehand.”
“That would’ve been smart.” Rosie nods to the windows on the right side of the café. “There’s a bookstore just up the street called One Last Chapter. The owner knows Oliver well. She may be able to drive you there.”
I glance up. “Now,that’san idea.”
While Rosie goes back to work, chatting with patrons and refilling coffees, I drink the rest of my cappuccino. Once the bowl is empty, I gather my things.
“Thank you for the warm welcome, Rosie,” I say, leaving a ten-dollar bill on the counter.
“Hope you get to your cabin safe!”
Outside, the rain has slowed to a soft pitter-patter. Loaded down with all my belongings, I step out into it and cross the street.
As I approach the bookstore a few shops down, I take a deep breath. “Please, please, please bring me to my cabin.”
Inside, a woman with long black hair and tattoos swirling around her right arm turns to me, a smile lighting her whole face.
Next to her, a man leans on the counter, his elbows propped up casually. He glances over, curious. But the moment he catches sight of me, the expression falls.
Fantastic.
Of course I’d bump into the guy who almost ran me over.
Chapter Four
MATT
“It’s gonna be an adjustment.” I slump against the counter. “I’ve never taken care of her for this long. I’m scared I’ll mess something up.”
Lola glances up from the register. “You won’t, come on. You and Daphne are so close, and she adores you.”
I rub my beard. “But she’s still a teenage girl who needs extra care, and I’m not all that fluent in that department.”
“You know how to take care of your sister, Matt.” She gives me a pointed look. “You’ve been doing it since she was born.”
“It’s just—”
The door of Lola’s bookstore bursts open, and instinctively, we turn toward the commotion.
Standing in the doorway is the stranger I nearly ran over.
She’s just as beautiful as she was when I rolled by her, despite her wet clothes and the obvious tiredness on her face. All long legs and smooth curves that made me do a double take when I got out of my truck an hour ago. It’s those damn heels—the ones she shouldn’t be wearing in Pine Falls, the ones that define themuscles of her calves perfectly and give her a few more inches—that keep my rapt attention. She’s ridiculously underdressed for this weather, but still, I can’t bring myself to look away.
