Page 48 of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store
‘You gotta let that shit go, Haze.’
She narrowed her eyes at him but there was no heat behind it.
‘There is no room for self-consciousness in HANSOF.’
Her lips tipped into a smile despite her efforts to tamp it down.
‘We are having fun . . . remember?’ he said with a wink and watched in delight as a blush crept up Hazel’s cheeks. She remembered. ‘Speaking of which, did you find any more clues today?’
‘No.’ Hazel’s voice was tight and she cleared it before going on. ‘No clues today.’ He felt the disappointment in her face reflected on his own. ‘Maybe it’s over?’
It couldn’t be over.
He shook his head. ‘Nah, not until your birthday.’ He forced a smile on his face. ‘I’m game to keep going, if you are. I’m sure we can find ways to be adventurous on our own...’
Hazel nodded, the smile blooming wider on her face. ‘Yeah, I’m still in, too.’ She glanced around the nearly empty room ‘I should get going, though.’
‘Hang on, let me just say goodnight to Mac and I’ll walk you home.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yeah, definitely.’ He had no set hours at Mac’s and the other man was usually just grateful for the extra hand. Now that the dinner rush was over, Amber and Isaac, Mac’s other regular server, could handle things fine on their own.
He said goodbye to Mac and settled his tips before meeting Hazel outside. She stood under the streetlight, the soft light gilding her curls. She was wearing her typical work outfit, tan chinos with a tucked-in button-down shirt. The shirt looked soft and loose and he had more than one perverse fantasy of slowly undoing each and every button...
‘Ready?’
Noah cleared his throat. ‘Uh ... yeah. Ready.’ He followed her down Main Street, past The Pumpkin Spice Café, the bookstore, and Annie’s bakery, all closed for the night. They paused briefly in front of the pet shop so Hazel could peek inside at the kitten she wanted but couldn’t have because of her allergies and continued on past the other various restaurants and shops on Main Street.
The town had replaced the modern fluorescent streetlights with ones that looked old-fashioned and filled the center island in the road with flowers. Noah couldn’t identify most of them but he knew in daylight the street was full of late summer color.
A cluster of sunflowers rose particularly high, their giant heads looking almost eerie in the dark.
Hazel’s hand brushed against his and he grabbed it, twining his fingers with hers. She leaned against him, her touch lighting up the side of his body with little pinpricks of starlight. Her soft sigh drifted across his skin.
‘I think I like this time of year,’ she said as they walked.
‘You sound surprised.’
‘I am.’
Noah laughed. The night was cool, the sound of crickets buzzing loudly as they moved toward the more residential side of town with manicured lawns and front gardens. He’d been to her house only once when he dropped her off after Logan’s bonfire.
‘I always liked summer.’
‘Oh, yeah? Why?’
‘No school,’ he said with a laugh. ‘I liked being outside. The winter involved a lot of my mom yelling at me to stop jumping on the furniture and my teachers yelling at me for not paying attention.’
‘Hmm.’
He shrugged. ‘I liked being out on my dad’s boats. So ... summer was it for me.’
‘It’s growing on me, for sure. Even though I still strongly identify as a cozy-season girl.’
He gave her hand a squeeze and she glanced up at him with a quick smile. ‘Sure, cardigans and knit socks and a lot of ... pumpkin-flavored things...’ His voice trailed off and was buried by Hazel’s laugh.
‘Yep, you nailed it. Very cozy.’
