Page 4 of Return to Lovett Cove
“I need directions into town. I—I don’t remember seeing any signs.”
He threw the tool belt into the back seat of his truck and wiped his face with his t-shirt while she meandered forward. “I might be able to help you out.”
Her shoulders dropped, and the briefest of smiles crossed her face. The quick action smoothed the harsh lines of her jagged cheekbones and eliminated five years from her expression. “Great.” She marched to her car.
“If you drop the trespassing charge.”
She about-faced with a smirk that told him he was on dangerous ground.
Good thing he liked to take risks.
“Fine,” she gritted.
“I’m not done.”
She arched a brow. “You want more?”
He hooked his thumbs in his back belt loops and leaned against his truck like he had all the time in the world.
Because it would likely take that long to get what he wanted from her.
“I wanna hear you say please,” he taunted.
Her expression hardened. Laughter bubbled in his throat, but he forced it down. “Over here.” He beckoned her with a hooked finger.
He watched the internal war play out on her beautiful face. But in the end, she trudged over, slapped him with the fakest smile he’d ever seen, and let the word fall from her glorious mouth.
“Follow me.” He hopped in and started his vehicle while she stood there fuming in embarrassment. When she noticed how quickly he was leaving, she sprinted to her car. He laughed as he watched her yelling—cursing—in his rearview mirror.
CHAPTERTHREE
With a loud growl, Jasmine violently shook behind the wheel. She nearly broke her ankle in her mother’s deathtrap of a house.
And then that guy (wait, what was his name? It didn’t matter.). Of course, he was right there to catch and slime her with his sweaty, perfect body. She could still smell his musk—Eau de Sewer. Rancid. Good thing he stank; it made him that much less gorgeous.What did he say he was doing? Fixing the faucet?
Had her mother made any repairs since buying the inn? After six months, Jasmine had expected the water to be running. Her mother had claimed the renovation would be simple.
No renovation ever is,Jasmine thought with a sigh.
Jasmine followed What’s His Name as he turned onto Main Street. Jasmine’s mouth dropped as the town of Lovett Cove opened before her. On either side of the street were shops decorated in bright colors and old-fashioned hanging signs, restaurants with patrons sitting at outside tables to enjoy the temperate summer air. Jasmine passed a small police station and even saw a church steeple in the background.
What’s His Name lifted a hand in a wave and made a right at the light.Good riddance, she thought as her eyes followed his truck until it turned again and went out of sight. She was left to her quest of finding this real estate agent, R. Scott, and signing the estate papers.
Oh! As soon as she grabbed a cup of coffee from the cute coffee shop she spotted just past the light. Jasmine parked out front and hurried inside, smelling a delightful mix of fresh coffee grounds and rich chocolate. Before she made it to the counter, an older woman with a round face, ruby cheeks, and a head full of wild, grey curls gasped and put her hands over her mouth.
“You! You must be Jasmine Grove. For a second I thought it was Lily coming back to haunt me. You look the spitting image of your mother. I’m sure you get that all the time. Oh!” She slapped her forehead. “Oh, I’m so sorry about your loss, my dear.” The woman rounded the counter and gripped Jasmine in a tight hug. “Sometimes my mouth runs away and I can’t catch it in time. Your mother would’ve haunted me, rest assured. She told me so.” She released Jasmine and grinned. “I’m so happy you’re here! Your mother really wanted you to visit. Said you’d love the place, and I really hope you do.”
“Petunia, would you let her breathe?” said another older woman behind the counter. Her hair was less grey, but her face was more oval-shaped with a sharp nose to match her look.
Petunia laughed. “Oh, where are my manners? I’m Petunia, and the hawk behind me is Candace. Have you figured out why your mother and I got along so well? It’s because we’re named after flowers. She told me she named all her lovely daughters after flowers too. It made us kindred spirits. She showed me pictures of you, that’s how I know you’re lovely, but of course, Lily was gorgeous, so why wouldn’t her daughters be beautiful? And of course you are!”
“Petunia! Breathe! Sweetheart, would you like to order?” Candace asked.
“Oh, yes! We can make any coffee you like, and we have a variety of baked goods. We just put out the afternoon load, so come on in and see.” Petunia hurried behind the glass counter and spread her arms wide. “Anything you like is on the house.”
“That’s kind of you, Petunia, but I don’t mind paying,” Jasmine said, her mind spinning from receiving Petunia’s greeting and having to decide between the rows and rows of delicious sweets before her. She chose tea biscuits with honey and ordered a latte.
Petunia ushered her to a table next to the window with a view of Main Street. As Jasmine savored the warm, buttery biscuits and the freshest honey she’d ever tasted, she wondered how her mother and Petunia would’ve gotten along. Petunia didn’t draw breath, and her mother wasn’t much of a talker.
