Page 9 of Charming the Cowboy
Especially because he sort of internally used that same excuse whenever he went drinking at the Seaglass or went to grab a bite at the Salty Dog.
Supporting local business.
He sighed and walked across the street and onto the little path that led to the alcove where The Water Witch was situated. It was back behind the other buildings on Main Street, a little semicircle of buildings, The Water Witch, a real estate office, and an ice cream shop. There were tables out in the center courtyard.
Eliana’s shop was almost hidden, and yet, it never seemed to be hurting for business.
He pushed the door open and immediately felt out of place. The shop was an explosion of color and sparkle. Of a dizzyingsort of well-ordered chaos that was difficult to explain if you weren’t standing in the middle of it.
His whole life was comprised of things that you could see, touch, and ground yourself in. Eliana was on another planet. And so was her shop.
“Just one second.”
He heard her voice coming from the back room.
He turned and looked at the space, then walked over to the section that was entirely decked out in purple. There was a book there at the center.Love Spells for Lovelorn Witches. He put his hand on it and then heard her footsteps behind him. He dropped his hand like he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to.
“That’s a good one,” she said as she emerged from the back, copper hair caught in a ponytail.
She was wearing an orange sweater with a black cat on it, the knit clinging to her curves. He did his best not to linger on that.
He cleared his throat. “Good to know.”
“Do you want to go to the Salty Dog?”
“Sure. I’m always up for whatever it is that Noah is cooking.”
She grinned. “Definitely.”
Noah had come to town a few years ago, an ex-Marine who’d opened the café that was entirely veteran-run. Cooper had a lot of respect for the guy, but he was definitely an acquired taste. Not the friendliest person in town, that was for sure. But the way that Eliana agreed quickly made him wonder if she…
Well, he had it on good authority, from his sister, that Noah wasa snack.
Maybe Eliana agreed.
Apparently, it was all right to be grumpy and stern when you were a hulking former military man.
He had asked Lindsay one time why that wouldn’t be true for him, and she said it was because he was her brother and that wasgross. He said he obviously hadn’t meant her, he meant other women, and she’d just made retching noises and clutched her stomach.
So, no help there.
They meandered up the street to the pristine, utilitarian diner run with expert precision by the crew.
It had been dilapidated when Noah had arrived in town, and now it was military grade in its cleanliness. And when they walked in, it was packed.
They managed to get a booth in the corner, and they both ordered quickly. Eliana got chicken strips and sweet potato fries, while he got a cheeseburger.
“Thank you for your help. I have secured your beer being served at three different locations during the festivities this month.”
“Great. Just give me quantities and I’ll make sure to provide them.”
“I can do that.”
She picked up her phone and speedily typed in a text message.
“I have a feeling Lenora will get back to me directly.”
“And how do you do that exactly?”
