The Summer of Us (Mission Cove #1) - Melanie Moreland Page 0,46

that thing. Every meal, no matter what.”

“Hey,” I objected. “You two were busy. I was giving you some time to get to know each other.”

“Uh-huh,” Sunny stated, crossing her arms. I tried not to notice how that pushed her breasts together. Then I tried not to think about how much I used to love to touch them. How soft and full they were in my hands. The way her nipple—

“Linc!”

I blinked. “Sorry?”

Abby chuckled and stood. “Could I put my bag upstairs? Then I think Mr. Hornball and I had best get to work.”

“Hey,” I protested again. They were ganging up on me already.

I loved it.

Sunny rose. “Of course.”

I grabbed the bags from the car and followed them upstairs. Abby looked around, taking the larger of the two bedrooms. When I glared at her, she rolled her eyes, hitting my shoulder as she went past me. “As if you’ll be sleeping in this apartment much,” she muttered. “We both know you’ll be next door.”

I had no objections to that idea, but I would let Sunny make that decision. Catching Sunny’s eye, I winked, loving how her cheeks flushed, as if she was having the same thoughts as Abby.

That made my day.

My phone rang and I answered, watching as Abby and Sunny walked around the apartment. “Ned. What’s up?”

“My blood pressure. I got news one of the permits was rejected.”

I frowned. “Which one?”

“The permit from the town to destroy the house.”

“What? Why the hell would they reject it? They still get their taxes, and something will replace the building. If I don’t tear it down, it will fall into disrepair, because I’m not maintaining that monstrosity. Did you tell them that?”

“I can’t get anyone on the phone. I’ll head down and deal with it.”

I scrubbed my eyes. “No, I’ll go to the town hall and talk to the mayor. I’m sure it’s simply an error.”

“All right. Get back to me.”

“I will.”

I hung up. “I have to go. Abby, stay here and settle in. There are some emails I need you to address, and once I get this sorted, I’ll come back. Maybe we’ll work from here today.”

She nodded. “On it.”

I walked down the steps with Sunny, stopping her before she entered the bakery. I laid my hand on her arm. “Thank you.”

“I like her. She keeps you in line.”

“You know what?”

She grinned, one side of her mouth higher than the other, giving her an impish look. “What, Linc?”

“I like you.” I bent low and brushed my mouth across hers. Then I went back for more, taking her top lip between mine and kissing it, then doing the same to her bottom lip before covering her mouth and kissing her harder. Our tongues stroked together, long, lazy swirls, curling, tasting, and discovering. When I eased back, Sunny’s cheeks were pink, her lips swollen from mine, and her eyes wide.

“I have been wanting to kiss you since I walked into the bakery,” I murmured and bent again for one last kiss.

“Hope it was worth the wait.”

I dropped a kiss to the end of her nose. “It was.” I enfolded her in my arms. “It always will be.”

The empty corridors of the small town hall echoed with my footsteps. I frowned as I glanced around. The place was almost deserted. I had encountered one person on the way to the mayor’s office. Chuckling, I reminded myself this was Mission Cove, not Toronto. They didn’t even open the building until ten, and it was only a few moments past. Nothing big was happening in the town, and it would seem most employees were not yet at their desks. I hadn’t been in the building for a long time, and it hadn’t changed much, the layout the same as I recalled from past visits.

Not long after my mother died, my father would send me on errands, delivering thick manila envelopes to people. Often it was to the mayor. I would ride my bike down the hill, careful to deliver the package to the right person. I was so desperate for my father’s love and approval that I never made a mistake. I was fast and never gave the envelope to anyone but the person who was supposed to get it. I would rush back to the house to tell my father I had completed my task, always hoping for a glimmer of approval. It never came. He remained impassive and uncaring. Still, I tried.

Until the day after a rainstorm, when he gave me an envelope and I