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“As tempting as that is, I can’t stay long. Just wanted to drop off some supplies and see if you needed anything else from the store.”
“You’re an angel. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” A surge of gratitude filled me. Alex had been so good to me the past couple of days, and I finally felt optimistic about my new life here. That I could have friends and a community of people to share my life with.
“That’s what friends are for.” Alex squeezed my hand. “The town’s been asking about you too. Of course anything that happens in Moon Harbor is immediate fodder for the town gossips. But the truth is, this town loves and takes care of their own.”
Alex smiled, her eyes softening. “When Sam and I got married here, the whole town came together to celebrate with us. Our reception at the Harbor View was huge, spilling out onto the promenade. The mayor even gave a speech, and we danced the night away under strings of twinkle lights.”
Her words painted a picture in my mind, filling me with a sense of love and community. I could imagine the quaint storefronts lit up, friends and neighbors mingling together, laughter and music in the air. It sounded utterly magical and perfect.
A wistful sigh escaped me. “It sounds wonderful. I can see why you love it here so much.”
“It was wonderful, but to be honest, it was also really overwhelming. I didn’t grow up around all this. I never had much sense of community. So while it is amazing, it can also be an adjustment. And I wanted to let you know, it’s okay to need some space.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. It will be an adjustment for me too.”
“Everyone is concerned or curious, or both. But I’ve managed to hold them off from showing up here randomly. And Bobby Hennessy had some words with people too. He really loves you.”
“Bobby is so kind. I’d like to meet everyone soon. I just feel so…blah,” I said with a sigh. As much as I loved my little cottage, I missed the bustle of downtown and walking along the shore. I hadn’t been able to settle in and meet anyone, too focused on the clinic and getting it in shape for the opening. I couldn’t wait to get back to it.
“I know.” She patted my knee. “Soon. And we’ll all be there to help you celebrate the clinic’s grand reopening. It’ll be amazing. Sawyer told me he stopped by and fixed all the lighting that had been out. Something about making sure you didn’t climb on any more ladders,” she said with a wry smile.
“I didn’t know that,” I said, imagining Sawyer on the ladder himself. Why would he have gone to all that trouble? I wanted to think it was because he felt as drawn to me as I did to him, but I refused to go there. He was just being neighborly.
But then my mind wondered what he was doing at the bar, and if any attractive women had caught his eye tonight. The thought sparked an unwelcome pang of jealousy. Why was I so interested in Sawyer Banks’s love life? It was absolutely none of my business.
It was his kindness that had first drawn me in, the way he’d cared for me and continued to check in on me during my recovery. The way he didn’t make me feel embarrassed over throwing up in front of him. His wry humor and naughty teasing. But it was more than that now. I couldn’t stop picturing his warm honey-brown eyes, the curve of his lips when he smiled or the way his shoulders filled out his t-shirts. My mind was consumed with Sawyer content, day and night.
I shook my head, trying to clear the image. Sawyer wasn’t the settling down type. I’d wager everyone in Moon Harbor knew that. If I let myself fall for his charms, I’d only end up with a broken heart.
“You’re awfully quiet. Everything okay?”
Alex’s question jerked me from my reverie. “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just lost in my thoughts I guess.”
Alex cocked her head, eyeing me with concern. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain charming bartender, would it?”
Heat flooded my cheeks. So I hadn’t been as subtle as I thought. Trust Alex to notice right away. She knew me too well already.
I ducked my head, fiddling with the edge of the blanket. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh come on, Hannah. He’s hot and he’s lavishing you with attention. You’d be blind not to notice.”
I grimaced. “Is it that obvious?”
Alex laughed.
She had me there. I sighed, resigned to the truth. “Okay, fine. I admit I’m...intrigued by Sawyer. But the doesn’t seem like the settling down type. I don’t want to end up as another notch on his bedpost.”
“I understand your concern, but don’t be too quick to judge him.” Alex patted my knee. “Sawyer’s a good guy under all that charm and bravado. He hasn’t dated anyone in the time I’ve known him, but that doesn’t mean he’s not capable of real commitment.”
“I suppose.”
“Besides, I have an intuition that the intrigue is mutual.”
“Really? Why do you say that?”
“Well, besides the whole fixing your business thing, he has not stopped texting about you. All day long, Hannah. ‘Is she okay? Does she need something to eat? Has she lost her balance again?’”
“He’s just concerned. Probably on behalf of Bobby, I hear from him nonstop.”
