Page 45 of A Whisper of Summer Magic

He smiled. “Oops.” He touched her blouse where it now clung to her chest. “I was helping wash the big rig.” He smiled like it was adorable that she now would be heading into work wet, looking like she’d spilled something on herself—never out of the realm of possibility. “Guess I was a little too enthusiastic with the water.”

Meghan tried to snatch back the bear claw.

“Don’t worry.” He broke it in half. “I like to share, but you already know that about me.”

She hummed an assent and handed him her latte just to shut him up and get out of there. “Just how you like it,” she said. “Bye-bye, Trina.”

She escaped, Jackson so close behind she could feel him.

“What was that all about?” He faced her on the sidewalk outside the bakery.

“Female demon.”

He laughed, and the sound wound around her chest. She supposed she deserved to lose half her bear claw for upsetting—maybe upsetting—Jackson earlier.

He bit into the bear claw.

“We missed you at dinner,” she said, cringing a little at her honesty. “Jessica said she’d invited you.”

“But not you.” He chewed thoughtfully. “Who missed me, we or you?”

She was about to saywe—it had been all of her sisters wishing he’d joined them, but that wasn’t what he was looking for. But was she ready to step out on that limb?

“What are we doing here, Meghan?” His voice was low, a hint of gravel that warmed her in places it shouldn’t.

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

“What do you want?”

“I don’t know.”

But it felt like a lie.

He leaned into her space, heedless of the morning traffic—cars and pedestrians—surrounding them while they faced off on the sidewalk. “Do you have the courage to find out?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted.

“Not good enough.”

“All I got right now.”

“Liar,” He breathed near her ear, and she wondered ifliarwas worse thancoward, when she’d considered herself neither before him.

Chills shivered down her spine as she felt his lips trail along her ear. Who would have ever guessed that that would be an erogenous zone for her?

“I want more, Meghan, a lot more.”

She stared at him, wanting… so much she couldn’t even name it, and yet not able to take that next step because… because… so many feelings interrupted, confusing her. She needed clarity. Time to think. Time to reason. Process.

“You need to get out of that big brain of yours. Logic isn’t the answer to everything.”

“It is for me.”

She had the feeling she’d disappointed him.

“My.” Trina pushed the door open and stepped between them. “You’re still here,” she said. “I was trying to be polite and wait, but I must get to the thrift store for a meeting with some new volunteers.” She looked at Meghan. “Since you’ve downgraded your career, perhaps you’ll have time now to carry on the Maye legacy. I know Grandma Millie was hoping all of her girls would be stepping up to helm community projects.”

Meghan wanted to tell Trina to stuff it, but of course she didn’t, because she wasn’t wrong. Grandma Millie had dedicated her life to her family and her community, and now as local business owners, and career-oriented women, she knew that she and her sisters would need to also commit to worthy causes in their community, but it should be intentional—not just following their parents or Grandma Millie blindly. Wasn’t that part of being an adult?

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