Page 96 of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store
‘Weird,’ Alex muttered.
Hazel let out a deep breath and tried to control the erratic swooping of her stomach.
She turned thirty in four days.
And it seemed someone was throwing her a party.
Was it too early to make a birthday wish about the identity of the host?
ChapterTwenty-Six
Hazel’s text came at the perfect moment. Noah was desperately in need of a distraction. He was at the Dream Harbor Public Library attempting to print out the proper forms for a building permit, a historical site designation form, a town petition to run a business from the beach and others that he wasn’t even sure he needed to or not.
He needed help.
He should ask for some.
He was incredibly stubborn in that area so instead he checked his phone.
Got another clue today.
Oh?
Yep.
Noah waited. He tapped his fingers on the table until the older woman across from him started glaring.
‘Sorry,’ he mouthed.
So are you going to tell me what it said?
Typing bubbles appeared and disappeared several times while he waited.
I think it was an invite to a birthday party.
Cool. Can I be your date?
The response was quicker this time.
Sure.
Good. Can’t wait.
More bubbles appeared and disappeared, making him wonder what Hazel was typing and deleting. Was she dreading her birthday as much as he was? Did she expect things to be over between them after the party?
He needed to talk to her.
For real.
He needed to lay it all out there.
But not over text.
Whatever Hazel had been typing and deleting she never sent. A few minutes later he got the details for the day of her birthday and that was it. He was alone again, drowning in paperwork and design plans for the other houses.
It was like school all over again but worse this time. Worse because he’d already screwed up so many times and he just needed this plan to work. Worse because he’d convinced himself he needed this to prove to Hazel that he was worth her time. If Hazel wanted him, he’d be back in Dream Harbor as soon as Rachel was feeling better. If Hazel wanted him, he’d build a million of these tiny houses, paperwork included.
He sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair. He’d rather be working on the houses, hammering and painting and actuallydoingsomething. This was the shit he’d run away from before and somehow he’d ended up back here frustrated by paperwork.
