AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She slammed the drawer shut and went back downstairs. Though she’d come to know a lot about Hunter over the past few days, she didn’t know nearly everything about him. And there was no question that she would be deeply, irrevocably disappointed if the report contained evidence of wrongdoing.
The problem was—she’d be far more disappointed inherselfrather than him. She’d never forgive herself if she were so wrong about a man again.
But she wasn’t wrong about Hunter. The truth was a little glow right in the center of her being. Her trust in him had taken shape the moment she’d climbed through the window into his room. Both the first and second times. God knew falling asleep in his arms had solidified everything she’d believed about him.
She locked the front door, flipped the sign toClosed, and started cleaning up the café. As she finished feeding the cats, a knock sounded on the window. From the sidewalk, Hunter lifted a hand to her, his beautiful mouth curved with a smile and his dark hair flopping over his forehead.
Pleasure swirled through her. She didn’t fully understand all her motivations behind wanting to show him around Bliss Cove—though she acknowledged a tiny dream that he would fall in love with the town and ease up on his plan to buy Mariposa Street.
However, she no longer lived in a world of dreams, and not for an instant did she think Hunter would back away from his goal. In some way, she might even be a little disappointed if he did. She’d been drawn to him partly because of his steadfast resolve, and she was proud of herself for holding her ground against such determination.
Not a coincidence.
It was crazy, yes, but what if Destiny had been right? What if this was meant to be a step on Aria’s path back to trusting herself? Even before Steve, she’d been on shaky ground in that department, owing to all her stops-and-starts and her failures. Steve had just chipped away at what little faith in herself she’d had left.
But in some strange twist of fate, Hunter—of all people—had unknowingly bolstered her confidence. She’d trusted her instincts about him, stood up to him, let herself indulge in her attraction to him.
She’d launched a petition and fundraising drive to counter his proposal, and she was managing not to be intimidated by his money and power. She would work her ass off to get ready for their debate—and on some level, she suspected that he wanted her to do well. He wanted to win, of course, but he liked a good challenge.
As it turned out, so did she.
She unfastened her apron and tossed it into the laundry bin before hurrying to the front door.
“Hi.” She stepped aside, taking an unnecessarily deep breath as he entered the café, just so that she could inhale his delicious scent.
“Hi.” He held up a covered plate of sugar cookies. “Mrs. Higgins insisted I take these back to my room after teatime. She needs to rename her place the Sugar Rush Inn.”
Aria smiled and took the plate, setting it on the counter. “Let’s save them for later, so we can make the most of the light.”
She picked up her bag and keys, ensuring all the doors were locked before they walked back out to Mariposa. The old streetlamps began to glow, and reddish light shone on the building façades.
“I heard that Gus over at the Vitaphone has a few cats of his own.” Hunter nodded toward the movie theater.
“Yes, he’s had a number of cats over the years, all from the Rescue House.” Aria gazed at the old marquee. “He always goes onstage to introduce the movies himself, whether it’s a classic or a new blockbuster. After telling the audience about the movie, he opens a can of cat food at the microphone. At the sound, his three cats come running down the aisle to the stage. One of them, Daisy, actually balances on the stair railing. It wouldn’t be movie night at the Vitaphone if Gus’s cats didn’t put on a dinner show first.”
“I might need to see that.”
“I’d like for you to see it.” She glanced at him. “You asked me last night why I opened the café here on Mariposa Street.”
“You didn’t answer.”
“Because of things like that,” Aria explained. “And because of what this district has stood for throughout history. The Hotel Casa Grande was the first hotel in all of Bliss Cove. The grocery store was built in the 1920s by a man whose father started the Bliss Cove Fishing Company.”
She waved a hand to the opposite row of shops. “The thrift store is on a plot of land that once belonged to a woman named Nellie Paxton-Smith, who owned acres of orchard fields farther inland. After her husband died and left her the Mariposa plot, she constructed that building for commercial space and used it as a fruit stand to sell the oranges and pomegranates she grew.”
“I’ve never denied the history of the district,” Hunter said. “But the town could have worked to preserve it years ago.”
“I know.” Aria folded her arms around her waist. “Now it would be much more expensive to renovate. That’s why everyone has chosen to forget about it, for the most part.”
She felt his gaze on her. “Except for you.”
“I’m not a crusader.” Shame bubbled in Aria’s chest. “I hadn’t even thought about Mariposa in ages until the Sterling House came up for sale. Then I started remembering what it used to be like. It wasn’t in great shape even when I was a kid, but my father used to love it here. Whenever we went to the beach, he’d make a point of detouring through Mariposa just so he could tell us about the history and the architecture. Of course, I was bored silly, but eventually I learned to appreciate his love for the area. Now I love it too. I think I always have. I just didn’t know it at the time.”
He was silent. She felt his regard like the graze of his hand against hers. Like the first time he’d touched her.
“Come on.” She started toward her van parked in the alley. “I still won’t tell you the Mariposa Street secret, but Bliss Cove has a few other secrets I can share.”
“What about you?” His low, quiet question rubbed against her skin.
