Page 25 of The Hot New Bachelor in Town

“Not all of them, but some of them. Yeah.”

“They seem happy about it?”

“Not at first. With time.”

“What do you think I should do?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” I say. “I’m just a guy passing through.”

“That you are,” she says as she runs her fingers through her hair, gathering it to hang over one shoulder. She gives it a cursory sniff and grunts before letting it fall.

“What?” I ask.

“No matter how much I wash it, I can never get that diner smell to go away,” she says. “Sorry about that.”

I reach out again, gently taking hold of her wrist. “All I can smell is this,” I say, as I pull her hand close and smell her wrist.

“You know, I can lend you the bottle if you really want it,” she jokes.

My nose tingles with the pleasant scent. “Might take you up on that.”

Mika chuckles, then studies me for a moment. “Why did you stay another night, Carter?” she asks.

I release her wrist. She takes it back, settling it in her lap. “It’s like I told you,” I say. “The mechanic needed another day with my car.”

“Right, so you said, but...” Her eyes narrow as her smirk grows. “Fran told Tish that Greg told Monk that your car was fixed this morning. But you told the mechanic you’d get it tomorrow, so… why did you really stay in Small Town another night?”

I fix my jaw, caught. “I guess...” I say, finding the right words. “I wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet, either.”

“To the inn?” she asks. “Or to the town?”

“To you.”

Mika looks down, her cheeks pink. She goes quiet for a moment, reacting to the words. Truthfully, even I’m not sure how to respond to that. I just met this woman. This stranger in a strange town. But I can’t shake the feeling that I was meant to be here, that we were always meant to be here together.

But I’m leaving tomorrow. I have to.

Tonight is all we have left.

When I reach out again, my fingertips gentle against her chin, she looks up and meets my eyes. She tilts her head as I do, staying fixed in place as I lean in and kiss her softly on the lips.

“What are you doing?” she whispers.

I stay close. “Saying goodbye.”

Her eyes shift, a touch of sadness in her gaze. For a moment, I think she might pull away, but as I feel her hand touch mine on her face, she leans in and kisses me back.

9

MIKA

Goodbye.

I tremble beneath Carter’s touch beside the warm fireplace, and in an instant I feel changed.

Different.

There’s a feeling inside of me, one I’ve never felt before with anyone. Like I’m standing at the end of a long and dark tunnel, the exit shining so brightly. All I have to do is walk through it and the rest of my life will begin.

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