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He slapped his hand on the menu board, which listed over thirty flavors of cotton candy, including bubblegum, caramel, mango, and peach. Brooke requested a strawberry cone, and Sam—remarking that he’d never heard of it—chose habanero pepper.
Dan treated them to an elaborate demonstration of how they made and spun the cotton candy before handing over two large cones of light, airy fluff. After paying and thanking them, Brooke and Sam walked toward the beach while plucking at the spun sugar.
“How is it?” Brooke ate a bite, enjoying how the sweet floss melted in her mouth.
“Not bad, actually.” Sam tore off a large piece and ate it. “Sweet and spicy at the same time. Just like you.”
Brooke smiled. “That might have earned you an extra credit point.”
“I’ll take whatever I can get.” He tilted his head back toward the food truck. “They have a great story.”
“Yes, they do. Sugar Spun Love.” The phrase tickled the back of her mind. It was a feeling she hadn’t felt in so long that she’d almost forgotten it.
The tiny, flickering flame of inspiration.
“Remember when I told you I know a lot of people who have lifelong love stories?” she asked Sam. “Mary and Dan are one of them. Not many couples could take a leap of faith like that and make it work. Plus, they’re still so steadfastly in love with each other. I’m sure they’ve had rough times, too…how could they not?…but you only have to look at them to see how happy they are.”
“So does buying the truck count as a BRG?” He ate another piece of cotton candy.
“A BRG for their relationship, yes. They literally drove off into the sunset together. They’re still driving. They have a framed quote on the inside of the truck, right above the cotton candy machine.‘In life, it’s not where you go. It’s who you travel with.’Which is so true, except if you’re traveling alone. Oh, dear.” She winced. “I didn’t mean you, specifically.”
He chuckled and indicated a park bench where they could sit down and finish eating. “It’s the truth. I traveled alone most of the time.”
Brooke, on the other hand, couldn’t really remember a time when she’d been completely alone. Her attempt at solitude in the cabin had been thwarted in ways she couldn’t have imagined.
“You’ve been all over the world?” she asked.
“More or less.” He extended his cone in invitation, and Brooke plucked off a tuft.
“How does Bliss Cove compare to the rest of the world?” She ate the spicy-sweet bite.
He was silent for a moment before he said, “One of the first things I did when I moved here was visit the Mousehole for artichoke soup.”
“We are famous for that soup.”
“I remembered reading about it on a food website or something.” Sam gazed out at the dark ocean. “So I was sitting at the bar when suddenly I heard a woman laugh. It was like Christmas bells. It was the sound that light would make. I turned and saw this incredibly beautiful brunette sitting in a booth by the fireplace, laughing at something her friend was saying.
“For a minute, all I could do was stare at her. My heart was about to pound out of my chest. Then, to my amazement, she looked right at me. It felt like she’d reserved that smile just for me. In that instant, I thought Bliss Cove had to be one of the best damned places in the world.”
Brooke almost couldn’t breathe past the astonishment filling her chest. “Wow.”
“Turns out I was right.”
“You’re a stealth attack, Sam Donovan.” She wiped her sticky fingers on a napkin and tapped him on the nose. “All scowling, no romance…and then you toss out something likethat. Did I really look at you?”
“You did.” He finished off the last of the cotton candy and tossed the paper cone into a trash can. “And the first time you walked into Title Wave…to ask me if you could write a story about the bookstore…I remembered you. Hard.”
“I can’t tell you how much I want to kiss you right now.”
A grin flashed across his face. “Show me.”
“I will.” She gave him what she hoped was a sultry look from beneath her lashes.
It appeared to work because he leaned toward her in anticipation. She put her hand on his chest.
“Later,” she said.
He frowned. “How much later?”
Lowering her voice to a throaty purr, she said, “After you…”
“What?” His eyes darkened.
“…highlight each plot point of John and Patricia’s romance.”
“Ruthless.” With a sigh, he gave her a quick, intense kiss. “Good thing I like you that way.”
