Forever Summer - Melody Grace Page 0,8

me,” Mackenzie added. “I met your spinster friend.”

“Who?” Jake asked.

“Miss Evelyn Baxter-Jones,” Mac announced, and Noah’s head snapped around. “Except I just saw her, and she’s definitely not a crotchety old biddy like you said she was,” she continued. “What’s the story?”

Noah cleared his throat. “Oh, yeah. About that …”

He trailed off, getting a sudden flash of Evie last night: cheeks flushed pink, dark hair tumbling, eyes bright in the candlelight.

It was a sight he wasn’t going to forget in a hurry, that was for sure.

He was only doing a favor for his godmother. Debra had sold the Beachcomber Inn for a dollar in some harebrained scheme and then promptly skipped town on a monthslong cruise—leaving Noah to field a dozen emails from the mysterious Ms. Baxter-Jones. He’d decided she must be some tight-lipped spinster with too much time on her hands. After all, who else would care so much about a run-down old bed and breakfast? So he’d dropped by the inn to give her an obligatory welcome and be on his way, but instead, he’d found her dancing in her underwear, half-drunk on a bottle of wine.

She was breathtaking. Beautiful.

And also slightly unhinged.

Maybe it had just been the wine, but Noah had been given the distinct impression she hadn’t known what she was getting herself into, taking on a project like the inn.

“So, she hasn’t turned tail and run?” he asked, trying to sound casual, even as his blood ran hotter at the memory.

“Nope. She’s fixing the place up,” Mac replied.

“Good,” Noah said. “Not that I care,” he added quickly. “Just, you know, Debra asked me to keep an eye on her.”

“Uh huh.” Mac gave him a smirk. “Sure. That’s the only reason you’ll be giving her a second look, I’m sure.”

“Why, is she pretty?” Jake asked.

“Stunning,” Mac replied.

“Single?”

“Seems to be.” Mac grinned. “And she was trying to avoid Noah, which shows the woman has sense.”

Noah swatted her with a menu. “I’m right here!” he pointed out. “And what do you mean, she’s avoiding me?”

Mac arched an eyebrow mischievously. “Now, why would you care about that? You just said you were only doing a favor for Debra.”

He paused. Hadn’t he already decided to keep his distance from Evie? He should be relieved she was doing him the same favor.

“You’re right,” Noah said finally, pulling out his wallet to pay. “I’m not getting mixed up in her renovation drama—I have more important things to think about. Like if there are any of those garlic knots left. And you better throw in a pack of cinnamon twists for the guys,” he added to the cashier.

“Sure,” Mackenzie said with a laugh. “Because rescuing cats and helping old ladies across the road is hungry work!”

She wasn’t wrong about the slower pace of life on the job. As he and Jake headed out to their shift at the firehouse, Noah marveled at the change from his old gig in Nashville. There, they would get callouts to big industrial fires and dangerous late-night blazes, but the speed of things was slower on the Cape, to say the least. His chief had warned him when he took the position. “Most of the time you’ll be waiting around or doing community outreach,” he’d said. “Fundraising, car washes, teaching schoolkids fire safety rules. It’s not exactly the thrill ride most guys sign up for.”

“Sounds perfect to me,” Noah had reassured him—and it was. He’d had enough drama and tension to last a lifetime. Kicking back with pizza and waiting for a call about a lost dog suited him just fine. Especially if it meant he’d get to escape the small-town gossip for a little while. But when they stepped through the doors of the old firehouse, his chief was waiting with a grin.

“We had a visit from one of your admirers,” Pete said, a smirk of amusement on his weathered face. “She left cookies. Seemed real disappointed you weren’t around to thank her for them yourself.”

Noah spotted the half-empty box. “I see you didn’t mind helping yourselves, though.”

“Just lending a hand,” Pete said, brushing crumbs off his beard. “There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team.”

“Thanks for the support.” Noah grinned as he checked the note.

Looking forward to seeing you again. Xo Marisa.

He winced. So much for casual. They’d only been on a couple of dates, but clearly she wanted more. “New girlfriend?” Jake teased as Noah passed the cookies around.

“Not if I can help it.”

“Shame,” Jake said through a mouthful of gingersnap. “These are delicious.”

He was right. But all