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“Barney Fife, right? Have you run into him?”
“Not yet.” He wasn’t about to tell herwhohe’d run into. He couldn’t imagine two more opposite women than Juliette and Aria. “I gotta go, Juliette. I’ll get back to you later today about the drawings.”
Leaving his phone on the desk, he headed outside into the early morning air. After jogging the length of Starfish Avenue, he turned left and approached Mariposa Street. The district was an unfortunate blight in a perfect location. Every building would have to go. The plan was to construct the multi-level parking structure and build the complex out west toward the ocean.
Juliette had been right. It was a jewel—even if it was still a relatively small addition to the company portfolio. It was standard operating procedure for Imperial to keep plans under wraps until finances and contracts were secured, but there had to be a bigger picture for the Pacific Coast. Hunter made a mental note to ask Bruce again the next time they spoke.
He passed Meow and Then. The café was shuttered and dark, but a light glowed in a window on the second story.
Against his better judgement, Hunter stopped. A woman’s silhouette passed in front of the window. Though he’d seen her in person exactly twice, he’d have known Aria’s figure anywhere.
His heart was beating as if he’d just finished a five-mile run. That made no sense. His recovery heartrate was exceptional. It should have normalized within seconds of his slowing to a walk.
She sat down at a table in another window and lifted a coffee cup to her mouth.
Did she live here?
Unease twisted in his gut. Whatever old “charm” the district had, the state of disrepair combined with the surrounding vacant lots and forest…it couldn’t be safe. Especially for a young woman living alone.
All the more reason she should sell. With the money Imperial was offering, she’d be able to afford moving to a nicer neighborhood. She could even have her own place in an apartment building instead of living above her café.
An overhead light shone on her face. Even from a distance, he saw the elegant lines of her profile. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
What the hell was wrong with his heartbeat?
“Honey, you define the wordlonging.”
Hunter turned. Destiny, the new-age shop owner whom he’d met briefly yesterday, was approaching her store with a takeout coffee.
“Excuse me?” Hunter said.
“Longing.” Tossing the dangling end of a multicolored scarf over her shoulder, she stopped at the door of Moonbeams. “It’s a yearning or a hunger for something or someone.”
“I know whatlongingmeans.” He’d gotten the sense that Destiny was something of a wingnut with her “energy crystals” and “intuitive readings,” but she hadn’t been opposed to the Imperial proposal. So he intended to stay on her good side.
“Every so often, I can read a person’s energy, especially when it’s as intense as yours.” Destiny pulled a large keyring out of her flowered bag. “Usually that indicates a supreme imbalance in your psyche or a search for your One True Love.”
Hunter managed not to roll his eyes. “Good to know.”
“She told me you helped her rescue Porkchop.” Destiny’s lips curved. “It was no coincidence that you happened to be there right when she needed you.”
Aria had told her friend about their cat chase? Interesting.
Destiny glanced at Aria’s window. “She know you’re watching her?”
“I’m not watching her. I was out for a run—” he indicated his fitness tracker, “—and I saw her light on. How long have you known her?”
“Since she was a teenager.” Destiny pushed open her shop door. “She opened the café and turned the second floor into her living space about three months ago, after she moved back to Bliss Cove.”
“Where was she before that?”
“Not my story to tell, honey.”
“What is your story to tell?”
“About Aria?” She eyed him speculatively. “She puts her whole heart into everything she does. She has more backbone than she knows. And I’ll tell you two extremely important things about her.”
Every part of him went on alert. “What?”
