Time After Time (Sweetbriar Cove #14) - Melody Grace Page 0,6

the place turned into a greenhouse every day around sunset. Another evening like this, and he’d be risking serious heatstroke. So, he grabbed his keys and headed out, driving the winding road back along the shoreline and up towards the town square.

And with every mile, his tension seemed to ease, just a little.

It was hard to believe, but Sweetbriar Cove hadn’t changed in twenty years. Sure, some of the stores had turned over, and the little shop that used to sell brass antiques now did a roaring trade in hand-made pottery, but driving the leafy streets, Aidan could have been seventeen all over again, heading to get an ice-cream cone with his siblings and play Frisbee on the town green. He’d figured things would have emptied out now that summer was done, but the place was still full of life: decked out for some kind of festival, with scarlet ticker-tape on every lamp-post and banners by the town hall. And were those…?

Yup, a giant bunch of paper-mâché cranberries balanced on top of the gazebo.

Aidan had to smile. He shouldn’t have been surprised. They loved their celebrations here. Clambakes, and jam-fests, and the big blow-out Halloween bash every year. He even remembered some kind of parade, back when he was a teen, with Stella Hartley in pride of position on the biggest float around: the Lobster Queen of Sweetbriar Cove.

He tried to imagine her up there now, waving regally with a smile on her face. Somehow, he couldn’t picture it. Not with those muddy work boots and fraying jeans. Wherever life had taken her these past fifteen years, she was a long way from that perfect pageant girl...

And she was more breathtaking than ever.

Aidan couldn’t help flashing back to their unexpected encounter over the summer. The taste of her mouth, tart as cherry; the feel of her body, hot in his arms. It had been so random, he sometimes wondered if he’d imagined the entire thing: conjured up out of an innocent nostalgia. But there had been nothing innocent about her searching, hot mouth pressing closer, making him forget everything but the pounding of his heartbeat, dizzy with lust—

Aidan shook his head, stopping that particular memory in its tracks. He wasn’t here to get embroiled in more drama, he reminded himself: His life was in enough of a mess already. And judging by Stella’s frosty greeting, she was in no hurry to get reacquainted, either. No, he was here to fix what was broken, not to make any more mistakes.

Which reminded him…

Aidan picked up some groceries, and then detoured to the hardware store. Hank was behind the counter, shooting the breeze like he always did, and he greeted Aidan with a smile. “I didn’t know you were back in town,” he said, welcoming. “Your grandpa Earl was in here just this morning, and he didn’t say a word.”

“He doesn’t know,” Aidan said quickly. “It’s, um, a surprise.”

“Then I won’t give the game away.” Hank winked. “Anything you’re looking for?”

Aidan glanced towards the tool section, but who was he kidding? His brother, Jackson, was the mechanic of the family. “My air conditioning is out,” he admitted. “I don’t suppose you know anyone reliable to come fix it?”

“Sure, I know someone.” Hank nodded. “They’re usually booked up pretty solid, though.”

“I’ll pay double if he can come tonight.” Aidan said immediately. “Triple,” he added, thinking of another night sweltering in that house.

“I’ll see what I can do. And tell your grandpa I’ll see him at bridge club on Sunday!”

Aidan scribbled down his address and headed home, but he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of guilt over his lie. The truth was, there was no big surprise coming.

None of his family even knew he was back in Sweetbriar Cove.

He hadn’t planned it this way. He’d meant to call Earl, and drop by to say ‘hi’ to his brothers, but every time he picked up his phone, something always seemed to hold him back. They’d want to know what he was doing here, and how long he planned on staying, but Aidan wasn’t ready to have that conversation just yet. As far as they knew, he was still living the high-life back in New York City.

How was he supposed to tell them he’d taken the biggest gamble of all... and it hadn’t paid off?

It was supposed to be the triumph of his career. A complicated currency trading bet, that he was certain would come through in a big way. It was a risk, sure, but risk