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E verything was the same.

Every. Damn. Thing.

Harbortown was like the place that time had forgotten, and as Walker Bradshaw drove through the town for the second time today, it felt like he had stepped back in time.

And it made him shudder.

He was back after a dozen years away to take care of some family business.

Well, now it was his business, but he wasn’t ready to deal with it yet.

There was plenty of time for that, but for today, he just wanted to get reacquainted with the town.

It was going to be his home for the next six months, so he figured it was the smart thing to do.

He just wished it all didn’t look so unappealing.

Still, he was committed to the project, had taken the leave of absence from his job, and was going to stick it out no matter how many second thoughts he had.

Pulling up to the Lakeview Inn, he groaned. It looked like it hadn’t been updated in twenty years, but it was the only hotel in town, so…here he was.

Were there other arrangements he could have made? Sure. It just seemed wasteful to look to rent a house when he was only going to need it for a handful of days. Sucking it up at an old and outdated hotel was a minor inconvenience, but again, he’d deal with it.

“If I deal with much more, my head may explode,” he murmured as he climbed out of his truck. The Yucon was a monstrosity of an SUV, but he preferred it to an extended cab pickup. He needed something large and hoped this was going to work when it came time to haul building materials.

Letting out a tired breath, he went and checked in and was given the key to a corner room on the ground floor. All the rooms had exterior entryways, so it felt a little more like a motel to him, but he kept that observation to himself.

“Oh, Mr. Bradshaw?” the woman behind the desk called out when he was halfway across the lobby.

Turning, he smiled. “Yes?”

“I wasn’t sure if you were in town on business or if you’re visiting family, but there’s a big town-wide celebration happening tonight over Main Street!

” she excitedly explained. “All the businesses on the block are open and there’s going to be live music and food trucks along with the Harbor Pub and Lakeview Pizza being open for dining.

If you don’t have anything planned, you should check it out! ”

“What are you celebrating?”

“It’s the annual Tulips and Toboggans Festival,” she said, as if that was a normal thing.

“Tulips and Toboggans? What…?”

“Well, the weather up here can be a bit fickle. Sometimes, even when it’s spring, winter shows back up. We used to have a tulip festival—as in the flowers—but years ago we added the toboggans because Mother Nature kept piling the snow on and delaying our flowers, so…”

“Ah. Got it,” he said, even though it sounded ridiculous.

“It’s within walking distance,” she went on. “Which is lucky for you because the traffic will be crazy. I don’t fuss at anyone who parks in our lot. After all, we’re all like family here in Harbortown.”

All he could do was nod.

“Everyone’s going to be there. You really should go and experience it! Everything kicks off at five and goes until eleven. Hopefully I’ll see you there!”

“I’ll think about it. Thanks,” he said, finally walking out the door. His room was far down at the end of the building, so he decided to drive to it, making it easier to unload his luggage right into his room.

By the time he was done and settled, it was a little after three.

His flight from Texas that morning had been uneventful, and the drive from the airport had been made with ease, and yet he was exhausted.

Like barely keeping his eyes open, exhausted.

The original plan had been to go and at least do a brief exploration of the resort he was here to renovate, but he decided to put that off until tomorrow.

Then he figured he’d grab something to eat in town and enjoy a quiet night in, but now it sounded like that might be a bit complicated.

“Or maybe I’m just being picky because I’m feeling overwhelmed already,” he mumbled, falling back onto the bed. No sooner had his body settled, then he felt himself dozing. “An hour. I’ll just nap for an hour and then figure out what to do about dinner.”

And after a long yawn, he was asleep.

The next time Walker opened his eyes, the room was dark, and he was wildly disoriented. “What the…?” It took a moment for him to realize where he was, and even longer for him to fumble around to turn on a light.

The room looked dingier than he remembered.

There were voices outside and he walked over to the window and peered out through the curtains and saw tons of people heading toward the street. From where he was, it looked like the parking lot was full, and a quick glance at his watch showed it was after six.

“Tulips and Toboggan people, no doubt.” And as much as he would have preferred a quiet meal by himself, his curiosity got the better of him.

It took a few minutes for him to freshen up and feel a little more awake and like himself.

And after slipping on a jacket and grabbing his room key, he joined the throngs of people heading toward Main Street.

The air was crisp, and he could hear music in the distance, and within minutes, he turned the corner and stepping onto the brightly lit street.

There were people everywhere; the music and laughter surrounded him, and it was hard to remain indifferent.

He walked past booths filled with flowers and various arts and crafts vendors.

He could smell a variety of foods, and his stomach rumbled, demanding attention.

There was a hot dog truck, a hot wings truck, another that served tomato pies, and the last one in this section served assorted cronuts.

While they all sounded fine, none were really what he was looking for in terms of dinner.

So he wandered down another block and came to a line to get into the Harbor Pub.

There was a sandwich board listing tonight’s specials—gourmet burgers and sandwiches, mostly—but they all sounded good to him.

There was a group of women standing in front of him and he was curious if maybe they knew how long the wait was or if he needed to put his name on some sort of list. But before he could ask, he overheard their conversation.

“Do we really want to wait thirty minutes?” one of them asked. “I mean, I was totally in the mood for wings. And the line at the truck wasn’t long at all!”

“I don’t want wings,” another commented. “But I would kill for some pizza. We can head down the block and just go to Lakeview’s. They’ve got a ton of outdoor seating. Plus, my cousin’s working there tonight. I’ll bet he can get us seated fast!”

“You guys,” the third one chimed in, “I have been dreaming about a bacon cheeseburger all day! And fries! I definitely need the fries!”

“So, what are we supposed to do? No matter what we choose,” number one reasoned, “someone’s going to be disappointed!”

Two more women joined them and asked what the plan was, and Walker had to admit, he was curious about how this was all going to play out and who was going to get their way.

“I don’t want to wait on this line, but Harlow does,” number one told the newcomers. “I’d rather go and get wings, but Gwen wants pizza.”

“Ooo…I could go for wings,” one of the new girls said.

“And I was in the mood for pizza,” the other new girl added.

“Oh, so then I’m the only one who wants to eat at the pub?” the one girl—Harlow?—asked the group.

“You can get a burger anytime. Just pick which one would be your second choice—wings or pizza?” someone suggested.

But clearly Harlow wasn’t having any of it.

“You guys should go and get what you want, and we’ll meet up a little later,” Harlow said stiffly. “I’m waiting on the line.”

Which was moving because it looked like a lot of people were leaving it. Walker kind of hoped that meant he’d be inside and eating soon too.

“Harlow, come on! You can’t just eat alone!” one friend argued.

“It’s really not a big deal,” she assured them. “And besides, who says I’m going to eat alone, huh? Maybe I’ll meet up with someone and…”

She glanced over her shoulder and Walker was met with the biggest, brownest eyes he’d ever seen. He tried not to smile, but failed.

When she smiled back, Walker smoothly said, “I was going to eat by myself, but I’d be more than happy to join you.”

Her smile grew before she faced her friends and shrugged. “See? Problem solved! You guys go and get what you want, and I’ll see you later!”

The entire group eyed him warily while murmuring about whether Harlow felt safe eating with a stranger, but she put everyone at ease and eventually they all walked away.

When they were alone, she faced him, suddenly looking a bit shy. “I appreciate you stepping up like that.”

“Well, it sounded like you were the only one who was going to have to compromise, and that didn’t seem fair.”

“I know, right?” She laughed softly. “Anyway, I’m not going to hold you to joining me for dinner. I’m sure you don’t want to eat with a stranger.”

He shrugged. “Like I said, I was here all by myself and planned on eating alone, but…” Another shrug. “I wouldn’t mind the company.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he assured her before holding out his hand. “I’m Walker.”

She placed her hand in his. “I’m Harlow. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” He looked around. “So this is the Tulips and Toboggan Festival, huh?”

“Yup. Is this your first time?”

“It is. I just got into town today and found out about it. It was either come to the festival or not be able to drive across town,” he teased.

“Yeah, it really takes up the entire downtown area.” She studied him for a moment. “So what brings you to Harbortown?”

“I’m here on some business, but it’s pretty boring stuff and I’m trying to put off thinking about it until it’s absolutely necessary.”

She nodded. “I totally understand.”

“What about you? Do you live around here or are you just here for the festival?”