Page 3 of Rumors in Bayberry (The Bayberry, Vermont #3)

Chapter Two

W as he quietly laughing at her?

Irritation pumped through her veins.

Sadie drew in a deep breath. Surely, she was wrong. Wasn’t she?

Determined to obtain an answer, she chanced a quick glance in the man’s direction.

He appeared to be distracted by the food truck’s menu.

She took the opportunity to take a closer look.

She noticed that not only was his dark hair short, but it was also closely-cropped on the sides with slightly longer hair on top.

It looked like some hair product had been utilized.

His nose was straight and prominent. It was offset by his strong jawline. A bit of scruff trailed down to his squared chin and a well-trimmed mustache resided above his upper lip.

Realizing her quick glance had turned into more of a stare, she quickly jerked her gaze back to his eyes. Was that a bit of amusement dancing in his eyes? Ugh! She was so busted.

But in a blink, the glint in his eyes was gone. She was left with nothing but questions. And those were mounting quickly.

Was he new to town? She knew the answer to this one. He was most definitely new to Bayberry, because if she’d seen him before, she wouldn’t have forgotten him. He was quite handsome. And his eyes were intense. It was like they could see straight through her.

What was he doing in town? That one she didn’t have an answer to.

Did he have a significant other? The thought caused her to swallow wrong, and she began to cough. And it wasn’t just a little cough-cough. No. Of course not. This was one of those coughing fits that made her eyes water.

The man looked at her with concern in his eyes. “Are you all right? Can I get you something? Maybe some water?”

She nodded. She was desperate to stop this cough. She was mortified. She took a drink of cold water. It soothed her throat.

When she regained her composure, she said, “Thank you.”

Juan cleared his throat. “Who wants the burger?”

“The lady can have it.” The man’s voice was deep and rich like a dark chocolate truffle.

She shook her head. After he’d been so kind to her just now, he deserved the burger—even if it was her favorite. “The gentleman can have it.” And just to prove her point, she said, “Instead I’ll have a three-bean street taco. Make that two of them.”

“You know”—the stranger stepped closer—“that sounds really good too.”

Sadie arched a brow at him. Was this his attempt to flirt with her? As she looked at him, he looked back at her with those mysterious dark eyes and half-smile. Her heart pitter-pattered in her chest.

She crossed her arms. “And I suppose if I change my order to chile rellenos, you’ll want those too.”

“Well, now that you mentioned it…” He sent her a teasing grin. “Nah. You can have those.”

“Gee. Thanks.” She wasn’t sure what to make of the man.

“So, who gets the bean burger?” Juan looked at them with confusion written all over this tanned face.

At the same time, they spoke and said the other could have it.

Juan let out a laugh. “You two need to take your show on the road.” With a shake of his head, he said, “I’ve got this.”

After Juan moved from the window to prepare their orders, the stranger leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “What do you think that means?”

Sadie shrugged. “I have absolutely no idea.” And then because she couldn’t contain her curiosity, she asked, “Are you visiting someone in town?”

He shook his head, but he declined to elaborate.

Sadie couldn’t let the subject go. Her curiosity had been piqued, and the reporter in her said to press on. “So, you’re just passing through?”

His brows momentarily rose. “Something like that.”

He certainly wasn’t much for giving out information. She wondered what that was all about. Before she could figure out her next question, her phone rang.

She pulled it from her purse and saw it was one of her friends Abby Clark. Sadie was about to excuse herself before walking a few steps away, but she realized she didn’t owe him an explanation. They weren’t friends or even acquaintances. They were just two strangers standing in the same line.

With the phone pressed to her ear, she took a few steps away. “Hey, Abby, what’s up?”

“You know how we were going to have the hayride for the Pumpkin Festival?” After Sadie acknowledged her, Abby said, “Well, Rose’s mother fell and is in the hospital. They are headed out of town and won’t be back for the festival.”

“That’s not good.”

Sadie was on the Pumpkin Festival committee this year.

It wasn’t her idea. When her mother found out they were shorthanded, she’d volunteered Sadie.

Her mother thought it would be good for Sadie to be more involved with the town if she was going to report on the happenings around town.

Sadie knew she could have said no, but she hadn’t.

“I know.” Abby sighed. “People are going to be so disappointed. It’s one of the most popular attractions at the festival. What are we going to do?”

“Does anyone else in town have a wagon?”

“I don’t know.”

“I know. If we can borrow Rose’s wagon, we can find someone else to drive it.”

“I like the way you think. And I have someone in mind. Let me make some calls.”

“Foods up!” Juan slid two plates across the small counter in the window of the food truck.

“Let me know if you need me to do anything.” After Sadie slipped her phone back into her purse, she moved to the truck just in time to bump elbows with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Mysterious.

She glanced at her plate and was surprised to find half of a bean burger on her plate. When she glanced over at Mr. TDM’s plate, she found the other half of her burger. Interesting. In addition, they each had three bean street tacos. Her stomach rumbled its approval.

She glanced up at Juan. “How much do I owe you?” When Juan named a price, Sadie glanced at the menu. “But that’s the price for street tacos. What about the burger?”

Juan grinned at her. “It’s on the house for the entertainment.”

After she paid, she moved to the nearby picnic table and sat down. It was a warm evening, probably one of the last few before old man winter huffed and puffed.

“Mind if I sit down?”

She glanced up to find Mr. TDM standing there with his plate and drink in hand. Her first thought was to turn him down, but that wasn’t the Bayberry way. This town was known to be warm and welcoming. Who was she to tarnish the town’s stellar reputation?

She set aside her half of the burger and gestured to the rest of the table. “Help yourself.”

Instead of him sitting at the other end of the table, he chose to sit across the table from her.

She hadn’t been expecting that. At first, he didn’t say anything.

He picked up his half of the burger and took a bite.

She did the same. All the while, she was very aware of his presence.

In fact, when she finished the sandwich, she realized she hadn’t even noticed tasting it.

“Are you from Bayberry?” he asked.

She choked on her sip of cola. It went down the wrong way. She patted her chest as she struggled not to continue to cough. Not this again.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to catch you off guard.”

As her coughing slowed, she took a sip of her drink. The cool liquid soothed the itch in the back of her throat.

She shook her head as heat rushed to her cheeks. “It’s allergies.” She did have them. “It happens this time of the year.” She paused to remember what he’d asked her before she embarrassed herself. And then it came to her. “Yes, I live in Bayberry. You couldn’t find a nicer town anywhere.”

His eyes widened. “You must really love it here.”

“I do.” Her gaze met his, and the heat in her cheeks intensified. Needing to take the attention away from herself, she asked, “Is this your first time in Bayberry?”

He nodded before taking a bite of a taco. After swallowing, he said, “Do many tourists come through here?”

She nodded. “It’s more like they stop here on their way to somewhere else. Once they check things out, a lot of people return.”

“That’s good to know. What should I see while I’m here?”

She paused to give it some thought. “You should take the tour of the Bayberry Candle Company. If you want coffee, the Steaming Brew has the best. If you’re into chocolate, Totally Chocolate has the best. Next to it is Wrights’ Eatery.

They have great food. So does Mel’s Grille.

They make the best salads and sandwiches. ”

He smiled at her. A genuine smile, not one of those half-smiles. And when he did, she noticed the twinkle in his eyes. It made her stomach flutter.

“I might have to stay longer than I expected in order to take it all in,” he said.

“Oh. That was just the beginning. There’s more to Bayberry.”

He nodded. “Thanks for the recommendations.” When he got to his feet, she noticed he’d already finished his meal. He sent her another smile. “And thanks for the suggestions for dinner. I’ll be seeing you.”

By the time she collected her thoughts and opened her mouth to say something else, he was already walking away. It was only then that she realized she hadn’t even gotten his name. She sighed.

She told herself it was for the best. He would soon be moving on. So would she. It wouldn’t be long until she would be off chasing her next story.

Her thoughts turned to her father’s return to the newspaper.

Even though she’d surprised herself by enjoying her time working at the paper and dragging it kicking and screaming into the modern age, if her father was going to undo everything she’d established while he was away recuperating, she had no choice but to leave.

His antiquated ways were sure to kill off the paper in short order.

However, leaving wouldn’t be as quick and simple as she wished. She didn’t have a plum assignment awaiting her. In fact, she didn’t have any assignment, because she hadn’t called her editor.

Maybe she’d let herself get too comfortable working at the Bayberry Gazette . It hadn’t been her intention when she first stepped into the role. She’d told herself repeatedly that working for her family’s paper was only temporary.

But as the weeks turned into months, she’d unknowingly let down her guard and gotten comfortable.

She’d gotten reacquainted with the residents.

Now any time she walked down the street, she not only offered greetings, but she also knew who was having a baby, who was on vacation, and who had been sick.

Bayberry was growing, thanks to the expansion of the candle factory, but it was still small enough to know most everyone.