Page 8 of Loving You

“It’s my pleasure.” I grab my purse from their little entrance table and dart out the door.

Finally, I feel like I’m doing something. Like I said, it’s just treats and coffee, but it’ssomething.

Grandma Betty has lived in Lovers long enough now that I know this town like the back of my hand.

I take my time walking so that I can enjoy how green this place gets during the summer months. I love the big trees that line the streets and tower over the houses and the fact that planting flowers in the front yard is basically a requirement. This place could be the backdrop for a Christmas movie in the winter and a great romantic comedy in the summer.

I pass Mrs. Whitaker’s house on the corner of my brother’sstreet and shake my head at her flower beds and white picket fence. She’s outside sweeping the sidewalk to her house. She spots me and waves, so I wave back but don’t stop. I might want to take my time to enjoy this place, but I also know that those babies won’t let Natalie nap for long.

I cross the street and slow my steps as I near Restore and Repair, Miles Asher’s mechanic shop.

He’s alocallocal. Some people have moved here and never left, but he’s part of one of the families where he was born and raised here and never left.

I know that he worked for the previous owner of the shop before he bought it and renamed it. I know that he’s a twin. I know he’s about six years older than me. I know his older brother used to play professional hockey. I know he’s like a walking piece of art. I swear I’ve never seen someone more beautiful than Miles. He’s very gifted at his craft, loves his family, and I know that he does not like me—not one single bit.

Something I didn’t know was that his house is finally done. Last summer, he was still putting finishing touches to it, but wow. That wraparound porch is just screaming at me to grab a book and a tea and relax.

Oh my gosh, and look at the porch swing.

I pull my phone from my purse to take a picture, but then I pause.

Another fact I know about Miles Asher is that, despite me knowing all these things about him, his life is very private, completely the opposite of mine.

I don’t know if it’s a Miles thing or a small-town thing, but I’m not lying when I say that being back in Lovers over the summer is a breath of fresh air. I don’t have to post as much, and I don’t question whether every move I make needs to be online for this brand or that one. In fact, in every contract I’ve signed, Iadd in a clause that gives me June and July free from work. It’s my only guaranteed vacation.

I put my phone back and settle for the mental image of his picture-perfect house instead.

I continue to the bakery, thinking about how my life is so different from those who live here.

When I was in junior high, my parents decided I was old enough to travel with them. That’s been their passion since they were young, and they stopped so that they could have kids, but they couldn’t shake the itch. So, it was time to get back to it.

Tobias stayed with Grandma to finish school with his friends, but I went with our parents. By the time I could drive, I’d been to more countries than I could count. Once, Mom and Dad were telling someone about our time in Italy, and I’d forgotten about the little town we went to. I forgot. That’s how many places I’ve been.

Traveling so much also meant that I didn’t have many friends, so I started a social media page to document my travels and stay connected to all the people I’d met. Now, I have more than a million followers, so snapping pictures and sharing my day-to-day activities feels natural to me.

Don’t ask me who my best friend is, though. I’d have to say my brother, Natalie, or my grandmother. I love them, but sometimes you need a friend who isn’t blood, and I don’t have that. Yeah, I have friends who invite me to travel places with them, but none of them reach out randomly to talk or ask about my day or about my family. Honestly, half of them probably don’t even know I have a brother.

I could make up an entire life and no one would know if I was lying.

Which I did once.

I laugh as I remember that day on the beach last summer and then I laugh harder at the idea of me and Miles Asher dating.

I reach the bakery and can basically drool on command at how amazing it smells when I walk inside.

“Quinn!” Sadie Collins calls out after I walk in. “I heard you were back, but I hadn’t seen you yet.”

She rushes over to give me a hug. Brooke is right behind her.

“I can’t believe it’s already been a year.”

“I was at the signing the other day with my brother and Simon,” I tell her. “I wasn’t there long, though. Jet leg always gets me, but I agree. The fact that it’s been an entire year blows me away.”

No matter how long or short my visits are, Brooke and Sadie always make me feel as though we have been friends since the day we were born.

Aside from my family, these two would actually be my next choice for a bestie.

I think that’s one of the top things I love about small towns. Well, this one in particular. The people, even though they might not love having tourists all year round, will always treat you like family.

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