Page 53 of Once Upon a Summer Night

“Careful, book man,” Dylan warned. “We don’t need you sneaking out and getting in trouble while the chief is off.”

Chase snorted. The big dogs had far bigger fish to fry than a small-town captain being a short way from the office while on duty.

But Joey nodded in agreement. “He’s got a point, Redding. Hell, if the commish showed up today and saw all the improvements Hannah has made around here in the past week, they might just give her the nod for next chief instead of you.”

Ouch. Seriously?He flipped his buddy off. Joey winked and blew him a kiss back.

“Whatever. They can’t fire me for being a block or two away. Besides, I told you, I’m doing this for Cody, not for me.”

“If that excuse will help you sleep better tonight,” Dylan teased, “then more power to you, Cap. We’ll call if the alarm sounds.”

Chase headed for the door, determined to make it back before anything could possibly go wrong. He knew the guys were just busting his chops, but that comment Joey made about the big dogs giving the station to Hannah instead of him niggled at him. She had done an awful lot for them in the short time she was here. Then again, her only responsibility during that time was doing office work. Heck, he could have done all that if he didn’t have anything else to do.

Couldn’t he have?

He shook the worry from his mind. Joey was just being Joey—no sense in overthinking things. It would be far better to stay focused on his primary objective: getting Hannah to come home for good.

Nowthatwould definitely help him sleep better, every single night.

Chapter Fifteen

Hannah walked intoBrooks Books Wednesday just before one, relieving Aunt Faye’s part-time helper, Savannah. The young woman was a local college student, a little mousy but always wearing a smile on her face. She was the perfect hire for Brooks Books, and Hannah was glad the family had someone available to work when the others needed some time off. No one could work every day of the week without a break and not get completely burned out.

Then again, if she couldn’t find a decent-paying job near Bourbon Falls, she might end up working two jobs to help make ends meet. So far, she’d not found anyone recruiting firefighters within a sixty-mile radius, and spending over an hour on the road getting to and from each shift did not sound appealing. Neither did being that far away from Noah on any given day. That either meant staying in Illinois doing what she loved—even with them overlooking her for the position she’d worked so hard to advocate for—or deviating from her career path. Right now, neither seemed ideal.

Maybe she could talk through her thoughts with Chase when she went to his place tomorrow. Heck, he worked two jobs most of the week nonstop and didn’t seem to get burned out. Then again, he didn’t have a little boy waiting for him at home, either. Hannah had assumed that motherhood wouldn’t be easy, but doing it solo had been far tougher than she’d thought. Having her family here to help had been a complete godsend these past two weeks.

Yes, going back to Kankakee was starting to feel like a major step in the wrong direction. So, while the bookstore was empty of patrons, Hannah was online, scouring for jobs. She was through page seven of twenty on her job search website of choice when the bell over the front door jangled. The murmur of three voices followed.

“Yes, the store is open you nincompoop—can’t you read?”

“Of course, I can read. Why else would I be going to the bookstore?”

“Because you’re just as nosy as the rest of us.”

Hannah smirked; she’d been expecting this visit. Small towns loved gossip, and the newcomers were some of the town’s most influential moderators. It wasn’t long before three older women shuffled into view, one with a poof of white hair, one with short silver hair, and one with a white ponytail. The Sisters, as the town elders had long ago been dubbed. Among them was Mrs. Harper, who had watched her and Chase drive by the other night. Of the three, her eyes shone the brightest today.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” Hannah said. “Anything I can help you find today?”

“Looking for a good romance story,” said Nancy Harrington, her ponytail swishing as they came to a stop before the checkout counter.

“Yeah.” Margaret Harper waggled her brows. “Know of any good ones in the making?”

Hannah wasn’t going to nibble. “Sorry, we only sell completed novels here. But the romance aisle is still the second row from the back, same as always.”

“You know what else is the same as always?” Margaret asked. “You and that Redding boy, thick as thieves again.”

Hannah shrugged. “We’ve been best friends since first grade. Why change a winner?”

“Well, I think it’s sweet,” said Barbara Thompson. “Bet he loves spending time with your son, too.”

“They do adore each other, but he’s not my son quite yet.” Hannah paused, trying to think of a way to word her response that would be as minimally damaging as possible. Lord only knew this conversation would hit the streets the moment they stepped outside. “Still working through the adoption process.”

“Is it true he’s that Simmons girl’s kid?” asked Nancy.

Hannah nodded. “Unplanned and the daddy wouldn’t man up and accept responsibility. But Beth didn’t care, and she was the best mama to him. We both miss her terribly.”

“So, you and her weren’t…you know.” Curiosity twinkled in Margaret’s eyes.

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