Page 32 of If We Never Met

But no more. She was moving on. She was getting her act together, and that started at six when she would show Mark Langley two houses. That would get her mother off her back and also give her another chance to talk to Mark. She hadn't dug any deeper into the fire at his house or any other part of his past. After telling Dante the story, she'd realized how far out on a limb she was getting. Hopefully, after spending more time with Mark tonight, she could put some of her doubts to rest.

She looked around the small boutique, which was currently empty. The last shopper had left ten minutes ago after trying on six dresses and not buying anything. But it had been a busy day before that and the racks needed straightening and the two dressing rooms needed to be cleared out. She should have had Daphne do it before she left, but Daphne had just gotten home from college and had a family birthday party to get to. She smiled to herself, knowing she was way too easygoing with the four women who helped out in her store, but aside from Daphne, Connie, her assistant manager, was a middle-aged woman who helped take care of her elderly mother, Pamela was a young mom with two kids under six, and Laurel was a high school senior, whose dreams of a career in fashion were being replaced by dreams of the hot guy with the motorcycle who showed up to take her home after work. She'd known them all for years, and it wasn't always easy to separate being their friend from being their boss.

She straightened as the door opened. She should have switched the sign to Closed. But to her surprise, it wasn't a customer; it was Hannah. She wore denim cut-off shorts and a short-sleeve blouse, and her red hair was swept up in a ponytail.

"You look like summer," she said. "No work today?"

"I switched shifts when I worked Sunday. Today, I went to the beach with my sister and her kids. It was fun and not that crowded."

"How is Kelly doing?"

"Great. She's really a good mother, but she has her hands full, that's for sure." Hannah looked around the shop. "No customers? That's unusual."

"It was busy earlier. I was actually just about to close."

"That's good," Hannah said, an oddly hesitant look in her eyes.

As the silence lengthened between them, she said, "What?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You have something to say. I'm actually surprised you waited this long to say it."

"I was hoping you might call and tell me what's going on."

"There's nothing going on."

Hannah tilted her head to the side. "I saw what I saw, Keira."

"Did you tell anyone else?"

"No. I'm your friend. I can keep your secrets. I know you don't want anyone to know you were kissing Dante DeAngelis. But I am curious, and I am tired of waiting for you to spill, so here I am."

"There's nothing going on. We kissed. It was…amazing. But it was an impulsive moment that won't happen again."

"Why not? Seems like you're both interested."

"He has a girlfriend, and he's only in town for a few weeks. Those are two huge strikes against him."

"Oh. Well, the girlfriend is a problem. The couple of weeks could just be fun. It doesn't have to be something serious."

"I can't get involved with someone who isn't free. I did that once before; it did not end well."

"That guy was lying to you," Hannah reminded her. "You didn't know he was hooking up with his ex-girlfriend."

"Maybe I just didn't see what I didn't want to see. Either way, I learned my lesson. If someone is involved with someone else, he is not involved with me. I don't plan to see Dante again."

"Got it. But it may not be that simple or clear-cut."

"Why not?"

"There's another reason I came by. I was just at the inn, and Lizzie said she's been trying to reach you, but you haven't been picking up your phone."

"I don't usually check my phone when I'm working. Is something wrong?"

"A reporter came by the inn, looking for Dante."

"What does that have to do with me?"

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