Page 71 of Three Hearts Hideaway

“Maybe I could help with bigger projects?” she ventured. “Accompany you on your travels? You know I have the skills.”

“We can definitely work something out. I’d love that, sweetheart.”

“In the meantime, I’ll make do with Roman’s cooking. Or my own.” She grimaced.

“You can always go to the pub and have Megan whip something up for you,” Logan offered.

“We chatted for a bit when I was there the other day. I’d like to get to know her more.”

“And she’d be lucky to get to know you.” He graced her with a genuine smile, which was a rare sight. A cocky smile? Sure. A smug smirk? Always. But an authentic smile from him made her heart quiver.

She was determined to make friends here. It’d been a while, and she felt awkward and out of practice, but dammit, she was motivated.

Last week, Brittany had thanked her for calling, but said—in the nicest possible way—that she wasn’t interested in re-kindling their friendship. Her rejection had hurt but been understandable.

Layla, on the other hand, was thrilled to hear from her. Contacting her after calling Brittany, and essentially being dumped, was nerve-wracking. But they proceeded to talk for two hours—updating each other on life, love, and everything in between.

Layla wanted to be their first guest at the B&B. She’d booked in for opening weekend while they were on the phone, stating she’d be there with bells on, her new boyfriend in tow. Layla hadn’t lost faith in her, and it filled her with joy. She even wanted to support Ava’s new life in Little Greenfield. It was a good start.

No, a great start.

“He’s here.” Logan motioned out the window to where Roman’s truck pulled up to the curb.

She grabbed Roman’s flat white—slightly better than Logan’s black coffee, but not sweet enough in her opinion—and followed Logan outside.

“What’s all the secrecy about? Why did we need to meet you here and not at home?” Logan asked as he opened the front door for Ava, then climbed in the backseat. “Are you finally giving Ava the bill for her initial eight days at the B&B?”

She snorted. “I think I paid for that in other ways, thank you very much.”

“You mean the sex?” he snickered.

Stretching her arm into the back, she slapped his leg. “I mean the work I’ve put in getting the bed and breakfast ready to open.”

Logan chuckled and slid his legs out of her reach. “So what is it, Banks?”

“It’s a surprise.” Roman’s smile was the biggest she’d ever seen.

“I think we guessed as much,” Ava said, leaning in to kiss him.

Throwing the truck in gear, he headed straight for the B&B. Calling itthe B&Bwas getting old, and the marketing materials she was putting together were useless without a name.

“When Logan gets back, can we sit down and name this place? It can’t be the B&Bforever.”

“Agreed,” Logan said from the backseat. “Or Ava and I could name it right now. Banks is the one that keeps impeding our progress with his pun-derful name ideas.”

Ava mock-gasped at him. “You did not just make a pun about puns.”

He put his palm on his heart. “I apologize. It’ll never happen again.”

Roman shifted in his seat, glancing at her, then Logan, then back at the road. The grin on his face was too large. Too wide. She swore he was about to burst.

She squinted her eyes at him. “Roman…what did you do?”

“I may have, uh, named the bed and breakfast,” he said quietly.

“What?” Logan yelled, lurching forward and poking his face between the front seats. “You did what, you big oaf?”

“I named it.”

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