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“Romeo,” I answered simply, smirking at the way her eyes swelled with my reply. I gestured toward my peace offering. “I have something for him.”

“Oop. I didn’t know you knew him. Hold on.” She pressed a few keys on her keyboard before an answeringpingsounded a few seconds later. “He’ll be right out.”

“Thanks,” I exhaled, turning away from the counter to study the minimalistic aesthetic of the shop.

Wood flutes piped in through hidden speakers, a spotlight table for their herbal remedy of the week and a few shelvesstocked with their signature tea blends, healing balms and smell goods.

“How do you two know each other?” Lottie asked when I spun back around.

“Um we?—”

“She robbed me,” Romeo’s deep voice cut in. He materialized from the back, dressed in all black with an unreadable look on his face.

I pursed my lips and fought an eye roll. “He’s exaggerating.”

“Am I,Goldy?” He cocked his head, a barely there smirk teasing the corner of his mouth. I didn’t know what to make of this playful side of him, so I just gulped. Then the glint of diamonds caught my eye and I moved closer, transfixed by the jewelry adorning his smile.

“You didn’t have that the last time I saw you,” I pointed out.

Romeo didn’t blink. “I told you, you threw off my routine. Forgot to put it in.”

I didn’t miss the way Lottie’s eyes danced between the two of us, questions evident on her face.

“Right. Sorry. I brought a peace offering.” Scooping up the overflowing basket of nectarines, I held it over the counter. I’d even been generous enough to give him the basket with the most fruit.

Instead of taking it right away, he eyed my gift suspiciously.

“Why are you looking at them like that? I’m not the one out here concocting teas that put people in a coma.”

His eyes flickered up to mine and the piercing intensity of his dark orbs made my breath catch.

In the time since he’d walked out front, I’d become too aware of my heartbeat and the blood rushing in my ears.

Getting riled up was the last thing I needed before heading to the bank.

When Romeo continued to stare at me unflinchingly, I placed a hand over my erratic heart and opened and closed my mouth several times.

Got damn it, why did he get to walk around looking like that? I’d never met a man more infuriatingly attractive than the one looking at me right now.

Something about the all black attire against his already inky skin was sending my whole body into a panic.

When the words stuck in my throat saw fit to untangle themselves, I announced, “I’m leaving, see you around.”

Lottie said something to my back, but I was too focused on vacating the premises that I didn’t catch it.

Somehow, I still heard the low rumble of Romeo’s voice when he said, “Let me know the next time she comes in.”

The best thingabout living in Bliss Peak was that every part of it looked like a damn post card. The low hanging clouds hovering over mountain peaks. The grassy slopes. The random animal sightings. All of it was straight out of an outdoor magazine and I wouldn’t even believe a place like this existed if I didn’t witness it every day.

Our house was nestled in a valley, mostly surrounded by trees. But it only took going a quarter mile in either direction to find other homes tucked away like ours. I was biased, but I knew for a fact that ours had the best views all around.

The back of the house faced the lake. The side facing east had the best forest view. And the west had an unobstructed view of the summit. Our deck wrapped around three-fourths of our property, so depending on our moods, we could bask in every picturesque angle.

After customizing everything to our individual tastes, it made sense that we spent most of our time at home. But I was still aware of how much we probably missed out on too.

The balmy, summer breeze flowing in through my open windows was enough to make me keep driving with no destination in mind.

I was only supposed to drive a few laps around the base of the mountain, possibly stop by Rome’s shop to see if he would make it home for dinner, then go home. But on my third lap, a flickering yellow sign with Lucky’s Tavern written on it caught my eye from the other side of the road. Lured by the charm of the small building, I steered my Bronco into the gravel parking lot and studied the restaurant with a frown.