Page 12 of The Candlemaker

Wow, Frankie. Smooth.

“Sorry.” I shook my head and tucked my arms across my chest. “I thought Lou was giving you a tour today.”She was giving him a tour, and somehow he’d ended up here.If she’d done that on purpose…I inhaled deeply.

“She did, but I didn’t want to monopolize her whole day,” he said, his mouth tipping on one side as he stopped and examined the main display I had set up on a round table just insidethe door; it featured a few extras of the seaside scent I’d crafted for Max.

“You definitely could have. She works too much.” My weak laugh cracked when he picked up one of those seaside-scented candles, his hand big enough to almost completely wrap around the jar.

Good grief.

His eyes flicked to mine. “I managed to secure dinner with her, so I figured I’d quit while I was ahead.”

Dinner. They were going to dinner.

I should be thrilled—elated that she’d agreed to spend more time with him. This was exactly what I was hoping for. So then why didn’t it feel like what I wanted?

“Oh, good. I’m sure she recommended a great place, too.”

“Brazos,” he replied.

“Mmm. They have the best steaks.” Brazos Steakhouse was a newer establishment in between Friendship and Stonebar Harbor—and by newer, I meant it opened about fifteen years ago. But that was how it went around here—almost every business had been open for generations, passed down through families.

“That’s what she said.” He looked back at the candle and then glanced around my store. The walls were stacked with shelves Jamie had built for me, and they were all filled with my candles. Scents of every variety and strength, and they changed all the time. That was my favorite part about the Candle Cabin—every week the candles I made changed.

New mixes. New scents. There was always something different to find here, from one day to the next.

“Your sister said you make all of these yourself.”

“I do.” My chin lifted, and my chest swelled with pride. I’d come a long way from making candles in Mom’s basement.

“Very impressive,” he husked, and the sound lit a flame right in the center of me.

No.

Absolutely no.

“So, what sights in our lovely town did my sister take you to see?” I redirected the conversation back to Lou like she was the lighthouse in the middle of whatever revolt of nature was happening inside me.

It was a single compliment. Genuine. Not over the top. Not attached to strings. And still, it made something flutter in my chest that should definitely not be fluttering.

“She showed me the beach first.”

“Of course.” My eyes darted around, searching for anything to focus on except the way Chandler moved lazily around the room. Even compared to Jamie, who was one of the biggest men I’d ever met, this man’s presence invaded the space the way my brother’s never had. I cleared my throat. “The morning is one of the best times to go. Not too crowded.”

“There was no one there. It was…”

“Peaceful,” I offered, and he finished at the same time.

His dark eyes caught mine, and I quickly turned away, busying myself with arranging the candles on the nearest display, making sure all the labels were facing forward.

“She pointed out the lighthouse from there. Mentioned your brother lives in it…”

I didn’t trust myself to say anything this time, instead only allowing my head to bob while I shuffled the candles around.

“We walked some path along the coastline for a little while and then wove back to the street a different way.”

“Lou is the expert on Friendship. She knows all the best and most of the secret spots around town.” And that was why that inn needed to be hers. She loved sharing every inch of thistown with anyone who came through—loved making people feel like they were at home here.

“Most of the secret spots?” I hadn’t appreciated how nice his brows were until now—until one lifted in my direction, and I made a concerted effort to avoid it.

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