Page 102 of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store

‘You know they mean well.’

‘I know.’

‘And they love you.’

‘I know.’

‘The town really showed up in force. I don’t even know half the people in there.’

Hazel huffed a laugh. ‘Well, some are from my Krav Maga class.’

‘Ah! That explains it.’

‘Explains what?’

‘I knew you were stronger lately, pushing me around when I was being an idiot about Jeanie. Like a little ninja.’ He bumped against her again and she smiled. ‘So why are you really out here?’

Hazel let out another sigh, trying to pull together all the reasons she was hiding from her own party. And there were many. One, she didn’t love big parties. Too loud, too crowded, and she never felt like she actually got to spend time with anyone. Two, she was still processing the fact that it was her father who’d left the clues for her, who’d basically orchestrated her summer of fun. Which led to three, the worst part of all, not that she would admit it right now or maybe ever, that this was not in fact Noah’s grand ‘I’m actually in love with you’ gesture. Just the thought of Noah’s confused face right before her party burst through the door was enough to have Hazel’s cheeks heating up all over again.

Logan was quiet, patient, sturdy, while she thought of a way to explain it. In the end all she came up with was, ‘It’s all just so ... embarrassing.’

‘Is it the singing? I’ve always hated the part when everyone sings to you at a birthday party. Everyone staring at you.’ He shuddered at the thought.

Hazel laughed. ‘I know. I remember your sixteenth birthday when you just walked out of the room when Nana brought in the cake.’

Logan huffed. ‘I told her I didn’t want the singing part.’

‘It’s not the singing. I don’t know...’ She shrugged. ‘It’s the fact that the whole town was like, “you know who really needs to get out more? Hazel Kelly. We should leave her a trail of clues to get her out of that bookstore and into the world. Dusty, boring old Hazel.”’

‘Hazel Rainbow Kelly.’ Logan’s voice was serious, stern, like she was in trouble.

‘If you tell Annie my real middle name, I’ll kill you.’

‘I don’t doubt it, but that is not what anyone thinks of you.’

‘I guess,’ she said, although she was not at all convinced. Why wouldn’t people think that? She thought it about herself. Or at least she had before Noah showed her that maybe she was more fun than she realized. It was why she’d followed the damn clues in the first place.

‘Your dad wanted you to have some fun. A birthday scavenger hunt. And this crazy town helped him do it. That’s it. No one thinks you’re boring. Especially not Noah.’

Hazel grimaced. ‘Oh, God. The whole town knows he was helping me, don’t they?’

Logan made a noncommittal noise that Hazel took as a definite yes.

She groaned. ‘That makes it even worse.’

Why did she have to admit to Noah that she thought he’d planned this whole thing right as her damn party walked through the door! If she’d kept her mouth shut for thirty more seconds, he’d never have to know the truth. He’d never have to know that she harbored secret hopes that he’d planned the whole thing. That her secret birthday wish was he had deeper feelings for her than just a summer fling.

‘He likes you.’

‘As a friend. Or a hook-up?’

‘No. No way. Not a friend.’ Logan frowned. ‘Certainly not a hook-up. He’s got it bad for you, Haze. I’ve never seen him like this about anyone before. He’s been different this summer. He’s in there right now talking to your dad about a short-term rental plan he has for those old beach shacks. Like he has a whole business proposal and everything.’

‘Really?’

Logan nodded.

‘Must be that prefrontal cortex firming up.’