Page 64 of In This Moment

“Just dandy.” She straightened, eyes wide. “I adore your new Health Column in the Gazette. I’ve learned a lot and it’s very helpful. Oh, and the Town Beat, too. It’s so nice not having to look up activities on ten different sites. And the Recipes addition? I tried one at home the other day. Delicious!”

Rebecca eyed Graham with a told-you-so lift of her brows.

“Thank you.” He cleared his throat.

“What can I get for y’all?”

“I’m gonna need three million croissants and a caramel cappuccino.” Rebecca glanced at Graham. “What would you like?”

Laughing, he shook his head. “She means two croissants, and I’ll take an espresso, please.”

He shoved her behind him, blocking the counter when she tried to pay, and dug his wallet out of his back pocket.

She pouted. “I really did mean three million. Candy’s croissants are the best thing you ever put in your mouth.”

He muttered something under his breath she couldn’t decipher, but she’d bet it was naughty.

Amused by their display, Candy grinned as she rang up the order. “Sweet as you can be.”

“You take that back.” Rebecca huffed. “You’ll ruin my reputation.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” Candy handed Graham a bag with the croissants, then turned to fill the coffee order. After a minute, she passed Rebecca the cups. “Have a blessed day.”

“You, too.” Rebecca nudged her chin toward the door. “Eat outside?”

“Sure.”

They walked and ate, while he muttered sounds of appreciation.

“Damn, these are good.”

“Right? I tried to tell you. Should’ve gotten three million.”

He laughed, tossing his garbage in a can by the curb as they passed.

Winter pansies in the flower boxes along the cobblestone road next to the cast-iron old world lampposts had been replaced by begonias and violas, adding splashes of red, purple, yellow, and white from the blooms. Pink cherry blossom trees had already dropped, scattering petals on the sidewalk. Green leaves budded on the branches in their place. Varying food scents mingled with late spring caught the breeze. Even the hummingbirds had made their way back, sipping from feeders under a few awnings. Busy little things that buzzed like bees, yet twice as anxious. They were entertaining to watch.

Gammy used to have a feeder. Rebecca would have to look for it in the shed later. And maybe do something about Gammy’s decrepit tiered garden boxes in the backyard that had gone unattended for too long.

“If all I need to do is feed you croissants and cappuccino to get you to smile, I’ll do it daily.”

The adorable man. “The company isn’t bad, either. Or the morning wakeup activities.”

They came to the end of the Square, not far from the library, and he wrapped an arm around her waist until she was snug against him. “Gonna have to agree with you.” His gaze swept across her face, his smile fading. “Are you happy? Right now, I mean. With us? In Vallantine?”

Unsure where his question had originated, she brushed her thumb across his lower lip. “I’m quite happy.” She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Are you?” He’d asked for a reason, and she had to wonder if it was because he wasn’t happy. Or satisfied. Or content…

“Very.” He inhaled, and even that seemed measured. “For the first time in a long while, I think I’m actually happy.”

“Relocation can take time to acclimate.” In her case, she never had adjusted to Boston. She’d stuck it out way too long.

A slight shake of his head, and he glanced over her shoulder, his expression distant. “It’s not only the move down here. Whatever success I had at my old job seemed trite with no one to share it with. I was just another reporter bringing them stories, until one of those articles created problems. Then, I was dispensable. My relationships, too. Not my family, but in my love life. It just… I don’t know. Feels different.”

Accomplishments and successes mean so much more with a supportive tribe encouraging you. Same for when you’re down on your luck and everything goes wrong. The people around you matter. But what she thought he was getting at was that perhaps he was starting to see Vallantine and the townsfolk as home. No matter how far she’d traveled or ventured, this was always home to her.

She smiled. “Different isn’t necessarily bad.”

One corner of his lips curved in a half-assed smile. “No, it sure isn’t.”

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