Page 35 of The Cinnamon Bun Book Store

‘Hm. Yeah, I guess so.’ Would Annie leave her a scavenger hunt of clues? Maybe. But Annie was also terrible at keeping secrets. ‘I just don’t think she could pull it off without me knowing.’

‘Okay, what about your dads?’

Hazel paused, considering that idea, too. ‘Neither of them have been in the shop in a while.’

‘So who do you think is doing it, then?’ Noah asked, folding up his empty sandwich wrapper and tucking it back in the cooler.

‘I don’t know. I thought maybe it could be Alex. They have the access but not the motive.’

Noah laughed. ‘The motive, huh? This is getting serious.’

Hazel threw her balled-up sandwich wrapper at his head, but he caught it before it hit him. ‘Of course it’s serious.’

‘Right, very serious,’ he said with a teasing smile. He pulled out a bag of chips and Hazel was really starting to like this whole beach picnic situation.

‘Well, whoever it is, this clue wasn’t the worst idea.’

Noah’s shoulder bumped lightly against hers. ‘Phew. I’d hate for your beach day to be the worst.’

She let herself lean into his body. Definitely not the worst. When she did figure out who left the clues, she’d have to remember to thank them.

They finished eating with no further attack from the local shorebirds. Hazel dug her toes into the sand beyond the blanket and let the sun warm her face. A cool breeze came in off the water and made the day comfortable instead of hot and Hazel could almost feel fall heading her way.

Change was coming soon.

Hazel breathed in the briny air and felt just the tiniest bit unstuck. Here she was, on the beach in the middle of a Tuesday with a pocket full of treasure. Not a bad HANSOF day.

‘Hey, did you read that book? The one with the beach clue?’ she asked.

Noah grinned up at her from where he was now laid out on the blanket. The giant hat was covering his eyes and he didn’t bother to move it so Hazel was free to watch his mouth as he spoke. It was a good mouth. Soft and sweet. Quick to smile. Hazel had become quite fond of it. In a casual way of course.

‘I sure did.’

‘And?’

‘And it was a good one.’ His smile grew. ‘Very educational, just as I thought it would be.’

It was good the top half of his face was still covered so he couldn’t see Hazel’s face turn pink, as she was sure it was. She shouldn’t have brought up the book but before she could admonish herself for that, Noah tugged her down beside him.

‘Now we nap,’ he murmured, his deep voice doing things to her that were not at all sleep-inducing. ‘Beach naps are the best naps.’

It was impossible to argue with that, so Hazel closed her eyes and let Noah’s breathing and the sound of the waves lull her to sleep.

ChapterEleven

Hazel was stretched out on the blanket beside him, her head resting on her crossed arms. She had her hood up and she looked like a little sea creature peeking out of its shell. Noah was on his side facing her and he found himself cataloging all the delicate features of her face. She’d taken her glasses off and he could see that the warm brown of her eyes contained a silver ring around the pupil. He didn’t know of any other time he’d noticed a woman’s eyes, beyond light or dark, interested or not.

Her curls spilled from her hood and framed her round face. Her mouth ... well, he couldn’t look at her mouth for too long without wanting to cover it with his, but it was soft and relaxed at the moment, a small tip up at the corners. She looked happy, peaceful.

‘Tell me something no one else knows,’ she said now, the late afternoon sun slanting across her face. They’d dozed for a little while and waking up next to a drowsy and warm Hazel was something Noah liked a little too much.

‘I hate pickles.’

Hazel scrunched up her nose, not satisfied with his answer. ‘No, something real. A secret.’

A secret?I like you way more than I should, Hazel Kelly.How was that for a secret?

‘Only if I get one of your secrets in return.’