Page 37 of Once Upon a Summer Night

Mia laughed. “Yeah, that was my experience, too. But, again, totally worth the effort.”

“Thanks, Sis. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. And of course, if you need babysitters so the grown-ups can have more time for those unplanned adventures, just say the word.”

Unplanned adventures? A small thrill raced through Hannah at the thought, followed by a moment of panic about where those adventures could lead.Baby steps. We’re going with the flow, remember?

The front door opened behind them. To Hannah’s surprise, Chase strode in. And was it her, or did he look more handsome than usual in his Bourbon Falls FD uniform? His grin widened at the sight of her.

“Well, if it isn’t two of my favorite ladies.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” she asked.

“I am.” He winked. “The guys are out in the truck. We’re just on our way back from a canceled run. Figured we could swing by and borrow book two in that series by T.G. something you recommended, Mia. Cody devoured the first one.”

“T.G.Wolff,” Mia corrected as she grabbed a thick paperback from her large kitchen island countertop. “And if he enjoyed book one, then he’s going to love book two. I asked Aunt Faye to start stocking this author in the bookstore, the complete series should be here midweek.”

“Sweet.” He scanned the back cover and nodded. “Cody handed over book one this morning, gonna start on it tonight.”

“You know our trade-in policy,” Mia said with a grin. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a new nephew to check on.”

Good lord, could her grin have been any more telling?

“Walk me to the door?” Chase asked, his hand brushing against hers.

“Sure.” She threaded her fingers through his and let him lead her around the corner and out of view from the others.

“You know you can’t get anything past your oldest sister, right?” he said softly.

“I’m beginning to remember that. I was barely in the door before the interrogation began.”

“They’re all going to figure it out eventually. Unless you’ve changed your mind. Then I can help snub the rumors before they start.”

God bless Chase, he was doing the gentleman’s thing and offering her a chance to back out. And though she still had plenty of worries about deviating from their besties-only status, deep down she knew her feelings for him went beyond that and probably always would.

“I haven’t, it’s just…” She looked to the front window. “It’s me. I’m worried about how this will change things between us. I just got you back, you know? And we live two and a half hours apart.”

“Look at you, being all responsible and stuff.” At her grimace, Chase chuckled and took both her hands in his. “Listen, I made a promise to you last night that I intend to keep: however this turns out, you are not going to lose me, okay? So, if you’re feeling the spark between us that I am, let’s just see where it goes. Besides, now that you and your dad are getting along and you’re not dying to escape, maybe you’ll come to see just how amazing this town can be for you and Noah. Because, honestly? I can’t think of a more supportive community to raise your boy in.”

She stared into his eyes, so full of hope and sincerity, and felt her resistance start to crumble. If Chase was so in love with this town, why couldn’t she be, too?

“Okay,” she whispered, a grin tugging at her lips.

“Yeah?”

At her nod, he pulled her in for a quick kiss. The moment their lips separated, she looked to the window to see if anyone was watching. Crap, was that Mrs. Harper waving at them from her neighboring front yard? Chase reached up and turned her face back to his.

“Yes, the word is going to get out.”

“But what about work? Or worse, what about mydad?”

“This town already knows we have history, which means work does, too. Besides, do you really see your dad firing either one of us?”

Her gaze slid from his. “Well, no…”

“Exactly. But if you’re worried about the rumors, then I have a simple fix.”

Hannah gave him a wary look. “Which is?”

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