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I felt it in my bones.
As soon as I’d pulled into the parking lot, I knew. The lake air, the breeze off the water, even the ducks. It felt like stepping into a perfectly lived-in sweater.
Some might think I was silly to live my life according to feelings and vibes, but it had never steered me wrong. I knew it when Pierre, my idiot ex-fiancé, cheated on me. I knew when a play was going to bomb. I even knew when a production would be a success.
It wasn’t a question—at least not to me.
Same as I knew me and bean were going to make it.
In Crescent Cove of all places, but we’d fit right in with this baby crazy town.
“Thank God.” Mason urged me over to the other side of the boat so we could see the parking lot.
The ambulance had its lights on, but no siren. It was still enough to draw a crowd. Just as the stupidly hot paramedic jumped out of the back, another contraction came on. This one was even stronger than the others.
“I’ve got you. Let’s keep you in the shade, huh? I swear, it’s gotten hotter in the last few minutes.”
“Hottest part of the day is after noon,” I said weakly as the contraction abated. “Do you see my brother?”
“Not yet.” Mason was scoping out the parking lot, but his strong arms kept me propped up.
I leaned into his chest and the citrusy spice of him soothed something deep inside of me. I shouldn’t be leaning on him. He was a near stranger. Heck, he was going to be my boss. There was no way I wasn’t getting this job.
I might be delusional about it, but the minute we’d bonded over ideas, I’d felt the connection. With this place and with the man.
Mason waved to the paramedics. A sharply attractive woman bolted from the patio and down the steps toward the dock.
He swore.
“What? Is that your girlfriend?”
Even asking that made something shift inside of me—and for once, it wasn’t the baby.
“Definitely not. But she doesn’t know the meaning of cool, calm, and collected.”
“Neither do I.”
He grinned down at me. “Miss Hauser, you definitely have brought drama to my door.”
I shrugged. “That’s what I do. Never boring though.” The lightning bolt of pain returned and he eased me down on the bench seat.
“Okay, let’s try that breathing thing, okay? You are so red.” He pushed my hair back from my face.
“It’s so hot on this boat. You best add in some fans or something.”
“I think you’re right.” His denim blue eyes met mine. “In and slowly out, yeah?”
“What makes you know all this stuff?”
“My brother just had a baby.”
“Your brother, huh?” I laughed and repressed the shout bubbling up in my throat.
“Okay, smart ass. My soon to be sister-in-law. And my brother was never good at homework.”
“You were?” I squeezed his hands and held my breath against the next wave.
“Breathe, Emma.”
