Page 103 of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store

‘What?’

‘Never mind.’

‘All I know,’ Logan went on. ‘Is that he’s serious about you.’

‘But I thought he was leaving.’

‘Apparently his sister has been told to go on bed rest for a few weeks. He’s just going home to help out. If the elaborate plan he’s explaining to your dad is any indication, he’s definitely coming back.’

‘Oh.’

Hazel didn’t know what to do with that information, but she was glad she had it. She’d file it away for later when she had time to process it. She already knew Noah was so much more than she’d initially thought he was, was it so surprising that he could have real feelings for her?

‘Oh, and Jeanie is really sorry for convincing you that Noah was behind the clues. Obviously, your dad didn’t fill us in on this little plan.’

‘I’m not mad at Jeanie.’

‘Okay, good. And don’t be mad at Noah, either.’

‘Yeah, okay.’

‘Or your dads.’

‘Fine.’

‘Or this whole crazy town.’

‘Ugh, I really feel like you of all people should be with me on this one, but fine. I’m not mad at anyone and I’ll try to get past my overdeveloped feelings of embarrassment.’

‘Very good.’

She leaned against him, her oldest friend. ‘Sit with me for another minute?’

‘Of course.’

‘Thanks, Logan.’

‘Happy Birthday, Rainbow.’

‘I will kill you.’

He leaned over and planted a kiss on the top of her head. ‘Love you, too.’

ChapterTwenty-Eight

It was Hazel’s first full day as a thirty-year-old and she was running late. Alex had opened the shop this morning and Hazel wasn’t supposed to be in until noon, which was good considering she’d slept until ten this morning after her big surprise party last night, but she was still behind schedule. Mainly because she’d spent a lot of her morning, in between showering and drinking tea, picking up her phone and then putting it right back down.

No texts from Noah. No calls. And she hadn’t even summoned enough courage to talk to him at her party. If Noah planned on ending things between them, she didn’t want to have that conversation at her party. No one wanted to be dumped on their birthday.

Instead, she’d surrounded herself with her guests and made sure she was never alone with him.

Even when she caught Noah staring at her.

Even when he tried to offer her a ride home.

She didn’t want to hear Noah apologize on her birthday. She didn’t want to spend her party, which did, in the end, turn out to be lots of fun, hearing about how he’d never meant to hurt her and how things had been great while they lasted.

Because, apparently, even though Hazel was a full-grown, thirty-year-old who had finally accepted that she was sexy and fun, she was also a coward. And even though her friends all seemed to think Noah was in it for real, their opinions were not a substitute for hearing it from him. She’d been wrong once with this whole clue thing, she didn’t relish the idea of being wrong again. Not about this, not about Noah’s feelings for her.