A Haven on the Bay - Nicole Ellis Page 0,10

knowing full well that she was still involved with someone else.

He nodded. “Sure. When do you want me to come over? Mondays and Tuesdays are best, since the restaurant’s closed. I’ll be able to help for a full day.”

“I’ll check my calendar and let you know.” Her tone had lightened, and she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet as she spoke. “Thank you so much.” To his surprise, she crossed the short distance between them and wrapped her arms around him.

His heart beat faster. She was so close that the fruity scent of her shampoo tickled his nose. He held his breath, torn between not wanting the embrace to end and an intense desire to run away in fear. He patted her back awkwardly a few times.

She stepped away from him, her face flushed. “Sorry. I got a little carried away. I can't even tell you how much it means to me that you’re willing to help.”

“No worries.” He shot her what he hoped was a breezy smile and crossed to the other side of the car to put some space between them. He swung the ring of keys against his leg as he spoke to her over the roofline. “Give me a call when you figure out when you want to clean the barn.”

“I will.” She waved at him. “Good luck with Lara and everything.”

He watched her walk back to the bakery, her dark hair swinging behind her in a long ponytail as she strode along the sidewalk. He got into the car and sat behind the wheel for a few minutes. Although he’d been saddened by Meg’s decision to leave her job at the Lodge, he’d understood why she’d needed to do so. Plus, her departure had offered the benefit of not having to see her every day and tell himself he didn’t have any feelings for her. Now, by volunteering to help with the barn, he’d put himself in a position where he’d be spending vast amounts of time alone with her. He turned the key in the ignition and the car roared to life.

So much for good intentions.

3

Debbie

“Grandma, would you like some more tea?” Kaya asked, holding a child-sized, pink-and-purple plastic teapot up in the air.

Debbie Briggs pushed a tiny cup that matched the teapot across the table until it rested directly in front of her youngest granddaughter. “Why, thank you,” she said in an exaggerated manner. “I’d love some more tea.” She pointed to the stuffed bunny with mottled white, black, and gray fur perched between the two of them in her own chair. “Do you think Little Bunny would like some too?”

Kaya solemnly regarded her favorite stuffie. “I think she’s had enough for today.” She held her hand up to the side of her mouth, as if to shade it from the rabbit’s view. “Sometimes she has potty accidents if she drinks too much.”

“Ah.” Debbie nodded just as solemnly, pressing her lips together tightly to keep her laughter from spilling out. “I see.”

Kaya poured watered-down tea into Debbie’s cup and carefully slid it back across the table. She set the teapot on a lacy paper doily, looked forlornly at her empty plate, and then up at her grandmother. “Can I please have some more cookies?”

“Sure. Which ones do you want?”

“Uh.” Kaya stared at the remaining cookies on the serving platter, her big blue eyes flickering with indecision. A few of the peanut butter and jelly and tuna salad sandwiches Debbie had made for the party sat on one half of a platter she’d borrowed for the occasion from her own set of wedding china. It wasn’t something she’d serve clients of her catering company, but it suited her and Kaya just fine. The cookies, though, were always her granddaughter’s favorite part of a tea party, no matter what kind she made.

Debbie flashed back to all of the tea parties she’d shared with her three girls when they were young. Kaya was the spitting image of her mother—Debbie’s oldest daughter, Libby—when she was that age. Spending time with Kaya brought back so many good memories, and Debbie hoped someday her younger daughters, Meg and Samantha, would bless her with more grandchildren. That didn’t seem like it would happen anytime soon, but she could still hope.

Kaya fixed her attention back on her grandma. “Can I have a chocolate chip cookie and a lemon bar?”

“Sure, honey.” Debbie plucked the treats from the platter and set it on Kaya’s plastic plate.

“Can Panda have one too?” Kaya