Page 9 of Faking It With the Grumpy Single Dad

I allow my lips to spread into a slow smile.

“I love it,” I tell her.

“Yes!” She punches the air in victory, drawing the attention of several amused patrons nearby. “I knew it!”

I burst out laughing. Forget Aiden—this girl is my new best friend.

“Why blueberry, though?” I muse, taking another sip.

Sabrina, of course, knows the answer. Before she became a bestselling author, she was a celebrated travel blogger. For her, the little details are the spice of life.

“They import them from Maine—blueberries are one of their main exports. And then they make the flavored syrup here in-house.”

“I thought lobster was Maine’s thing.”

“Lobster and blueberries. And potatoes.”

“What does Massachusetts produce, then?”

“Cranberries, maybe? Baked beans were a big thing in the twentieth century, too. That’s why Beantown is one of Boston’s nicknames.”

“Fascinating,” I answer, not an ounce of sarcasm in my tone.

Sabrina snorts. “Anyway, I know you haven’t even been in Mermaid Shores for twenty-four hours, but how do you like it so far?”

“It’s great! It’s really cute. The cottage is adorable.”

“Aiden said you’re starting renovations soon?”

“Oh, yeah. I wasted no time. I had a meeting with a general contractor and an interior designer before I met you here.”

Sabrina blinks at me in surprise, then glances down at her watch. “But it’s only, like, half past ten.”

“What can I say? I’m motivated. Mostly just because I’m really excited to finally be here. I’ve been planning the move for months, and now it’s real.”

She smiles softly, leaning back in her chair. “There’s just something about this town. It calls to you when you least expect it. Then, before you know it, you’re putting down roots and calling it home.”

I open my mouth to reply, but my phone starts buzzing with an incoming call. Before I can even glance at the screen, I have a feeling it’s Percy again.

Lo and behold, I’m right.

I ignore the call and shove my phone deep into the bottom of my purse.

“Was that important?” Sabrina asks. “Because if you need to take a call, I can totally entertain myself for a few minutes.”

“No, don’t worry. It wasn’t important at all.”

Sabrina lets it drop easily, turning her face to soak in the warmth of a shaft of sunlight as the sun shifts higher in the sky.

“Well, anyway, you’ll have no trouble getting to know people here,” Sabrina assures me. “It’s a very tight-knit community. Plus, even though it’s a small town, the dating scene is pretty decent. At least, that’s what I’ve observed. Everyone here seems to be falling in love with each other left and right.”

“Like you and Aiden?”

Pink colors her cheeks. “Absolutely.”

Even though I know I shouldn’t, I lean in closer and ask, “Actually, speaking of tight-knit communities, what do you know about Joe Mansfield?”

Sabrina cocks her head to the side. “Who?”

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