Page 25 of The Undercover Billionaire's Baby

“You’re not taking. I’m offering. And I love a good run.”

“I guess you do, chasing me all this way.” Lana managed a dry, shaky laugh. “But I don’t know about all this ‘grand relaunch’ stuff. If I call it that, won’t people expect… fireworks?”

“Not in a bookshop.” I tipped her a wink, and her laughter was real this time.

“Not literal fireworks. You know what I mean. Something besides just the same old bookstore.”

I reached out without thinking and clasped both her hands. “No. You don’t need to change what was working. The relaunch is more about… getting the word out. Not for the locals. They know who you are. But the tourists go home and forget what all’s here, so this is for them. It’s a reminder.”

“We did used to do that,” Lana said. “We’d rent a bazaar stall. Pass out flyers. We had face-painting one year, y’know, for the kids. Not last year, though, because of…” She sighed. “I stopped doing our newsletter. I should’ve kept up with that.”

“Don’t beat yourself up.” I squeezed her hands, then let go. “You needed a break, but you’re back now. You’ve got this.”

“I’ve got this,” she echoed, soft and unsure.

“Say it like you mean it.”

“I’ve got this. I’ve got this.” She spun on her heel and shouted to the ocean. “You hear me? I’ve got this!”

The ocean snatched her left shoe and bore it out on a wave. We both laughed and chased it, and I grabbed it back.

“Got this, too,” I said, and she smiled like a sunrise.

CHAPTER 10

LANA

Isquinted at my laptop, trying to see with fresh eyes. Was my choice of graphics cute, or corny? I couldn’t tell anymore, I’d been staring so long, getting everything perfect, every detail in place.

“How does this look?” I spun my laptop around. Brad pulled it toward him and frowned at the screen.

“I’d make the fonts bigger. Or, no. Make them bold. How big are we printing these?”

I hadn’t thought about that. I’d thought… paper-sized? My head hurt. My eyes hurt. We’d been at this all day, planning the details of our fun run.

“Maybe ease off the color, except the words ‘fun run.’ You want people to see that first, not, not…” He pulled a weird face, trying not to yawn. The yawn broke through anyway, and he covered it with his hand.

“Tired?”

“No, I’m good. Sorry. What you want is?—”

His phone interrupted with a loud bzzzzt. A name flashed up, Dad. Brad got to his feet. “I’d better take this.”

He hurried down the hall and straight to his room, only taking the call as the door closed behind him. I leaned forward a little, then sat back, embarrassed. I’d been trying to eavesdrop, which wasn’t okay. Brad’s family business was his business, not mine. I dug out my earbuds and stuck them in my ears, mostly so Brad wouldn’t think I’d been listening.

It was a while before he came out, and when he did, he looked tired. He flopped down at the table. I took out my earbuds.

“Everything okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Fine.” He leaned back in his chair and frowned out the window. “When’d it get dark out?”

I turned to look, and he was right. The last pink of sunset was fading in the west. I realized I was hungry and let out a groan.

“Whose turn to make dinner?”

Brad massaged his forehead. “Ugh. Mine, I think. Should we just order in?”

I checked my watch. “Hanging Garden stops delivering at eight. At least until next month, when summer hours start.”

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