Anna watches me take it all in, a small smile on her face. “I know it’s a lot in here.”
“It is, but it’s cute. And obviously, it’s working out for you. Or it’s working out for the store, rather.”
Anna’s small smile shrinks further. “I’ve been working here since I was in high school. I love this place, and the thought of a stranger coming in and selling it for parts makes my stomach turn.”
My eyebrows raise. “Is that the nephew’s plan?”
Anna rolls her eyes. “He hasn’t said that explicitly, but he doesn’t live in town and there’s no way he’s going to relocate to Heart Springs to work in the store. He wouldn’t know the first thing about it.”
“People can learn to run a business, you know. And who knows, maybe this nephew is looking for a change in his life and does want to move here.” Despite trying for so long to get out of this place, I certainly am no longer a stranger to its appeals.
“If we can prove that that’s the case, I’ll happily leave him to take over ownership of the store. But I want to make sure if I’m walking away, I’m leaving her in good hands.”
“Fair enough.” My eyes flit around the room, looking for some kind of office. “Is there somewhere we can go to chat in more detail? I don’t know that I can be of much assistance, but I’ll take a look through whatever paperwork and evidence you’ve gathered.”
Anna leads me to a closet-sized office in the back of the store. There’s barely room for both of us and her tiny desk,but she hands over everything she has. And luckily, she actually has things to hand over. Letters and documented conversations with the former owner of the store, who passed away a few months ago.
“So do you think you can help me?” Anna asks after two hours of shuffling through papers, a tinge of hope in her voice.
I don’t want to let her down, and she does have a good case. It’s going to be tricky because the nephew is family, but his uncle made his intentions pretty clear. Of course, he could have helped everyone out by leaving a will, but the time for that has passed.
“You have a good case, Anna. Have you reached out to Noah Crenshaw at all? He’s actually the town lawyer and he could devote way more time and resources to your case than I could.”
Her nose wrinkles. “I did reach out to him, but he told me my case wasn’t financially worth the time it would take.”
I flash her a sympathetic smile. I’ve delivered the same response many times myself. I open my mouth to reply but Anna cuts me off.
“I can pay you for your time, obviously. I have plenty of money, that isn’t the issue here. I just need someone to fight for me, to help me get what I was promised. I care about this store, and I care about this town. Please, Cam. I need your help.”
Well, fuck.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, hoping I don’t regret this. “All right, Anna. I’ll help you. But I need you to keep in mind that I still have to keep up my hours at the bakery, and I can’t promise you a win here.” I pretty much neverlose when it comes to getting the best deal for my clients, but this isn’t technically my job anymore.
Anna jumps out of her seat, an impressive feat in the tight space. She circles around the desk and throws her arms around my neck. “Oh my gosh, Cam. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
I awkwardly pat her on the back. “I know what it feels like to be invested in a business and I’ll do what I can to help you save yours.”
She leads me back through the store, where she hugs me again. I promise to keep her updated.
I push open the front door of the toy shop and almost have a heart attack as the sound of a thousand quacking ducks explodes around me. I shoot Anna a dirty look over my shoulder, but she just smiles and waves, and how does she listen to that all day long?
The people in this town really are something else.
—
Time passes like some kindof a hazy dream. In the mornings, I work my bakery shifts, though Emma lets me go earlier and earlier each day. She hires two part-time employees who come in to pick up the slack. At first, I hate that these newbies are taking my place, but the more I get to know them, the more I like them. And their presence leaves me with more time to work on Anna’s case, which invigorates and stimulates my brain in a way nothing else in Heart Springs has.
I spend my afternoons organizing our case, and I’m confident we’re going to come out of this victorious. We’re only a few days away from presenting all of our evidenceto the nephew’s team and if they’re smart, they’ll take a look at everything we have and turn tail and run.
The weather outside stays crisp and snowy, and though it’s clearly the holiday season, I still have no idea when Christmas will actually be upon us. Instead, we seem to be trapped in a perpetual snow globe, and Ben and I take full advantage. We spend our time together ice skating, and having snowball fights, and strolling through the winter marketplace that occupies the town square each weekend.
When I let myself sit and really think about it, I realize how content I am here in Heart Springs.
Waking up next to Ben each morning is blissful in itself, then I get to fill my days with people whose company I truly enjoy, doing work I feel truly proud of. I come home each night to a man who loves me and knows exactly how to satisfy me.
I start to forget why I would ever want to leave this place.
I wake up the morning of our big meeting to Ben dotting soft kisses along my shoulder. His hardness is nestled against the curve of my ass, and I instinctively push back against him.
