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Adam didn’t look very happy to see her. Maybe this was a mistake, but she’d already made it, so she might as well move on as quickly as possible.

“Sorry to bother you, but I was running to the store, and I just thought I’d ask if you needed anything.

You were so nice to me yesterday, I figured it was the least I could do. ”

He scrubbed a hand across his still unshaven face. “Um, I’m good. Thanks, though.”

She backed toward the steps. “Okay. You have a good day.” She turned and got off his porch with haste. Not so fast that she was running, but clearly, he had been in the middle of something, and she’d interrupted.

The door closed behind her.

She glanced back. Had he said goodbye? She wasn’t sure. Honestly, though, did the man only own sweatpants and T-shirts? She took a breath. He could wear whatever he wanted. Most of America did, and except for her social circle in the city, no one cared.

She needed to be more like the rest of America and less like the fashion-obsessed friends she’d left behind. She’d never fit into a town like this if she didn’t change her attitude. She knew that.

And she did want to fit in. This was her new home and community. Her path to a different life. The life that included a husband and children and a happily ever after.

Was she dreaming too big? She hitched her purse strap higher on her shoulder as she approached her car. She hoped not.

She got in, put her seat belt on, and set her GPS for the closest grocery store, the Shop-n-Save. Since Adam didn’t need anything, she was still going with her original plan. She was going to make him a meal. Poor man probably lived on protein shakes.

Not only did it give her a chance to practice cooking, but it was a neighborly thing to do. And just this morning, one of her favorite food blogs had posted about a sausage and lentil soup that was perfect for hearty eaters.

Adam was a big guy. He’d never stay that size or shape if he wasn’t a hearty eater. Sydney thought it sounded perfect for him. She had dutifully screenshotted the recipe so she could be sure to get all the ingredients when she was at the store.

In addition to all the other things she needed, because other than the coffee and the box of protein bars she’d brought with her, there was no food in the house. Other than Mackie’s food, which would run out, too. That would soon be delivered, but everything else she needed to buy.

She found the store, no problem. She parked, grabbed a cart, and started filling it. The market was great. The store was clean and bright, and unlike grocery shopping in the city, no one seemed to be in any real rush. People were friendly.

The other upside was that she could buy more than she could carry. No need to limit herself, since she had a car.

Her cart was nearly overflowing when she stopped in the frozen foods aisle to check her list. She’d gotten everything and then some. But she kept seeing things she wanted. And the cupboards were bare, so why not?

She finished her shopping, making a trip down the pet aisle to pick up some treats for Mackie, then she checked out.

It was kind of amazing how much more her money bought here than in the city. Another benefit to small-town life, she figured.

She paid and started pushing her cart toward the exit, but she stopped to look at the community bulletin board on her way out. There were professional flyers and little homemade advertisements all mixed together.

Something about it gave her a warm feeling inside.

Someone was selling a car for parts. Someone else was advertising their dog-walking service.

There was a notice about a block-wide yard sale, another about a spaghetti dinner at the Methodist church, and an announcement that a new consignment shop off of Main Street was now accepting items for sale.

An older woman with blue hair stopped next to Sydney, also checking out the board. Sydney glanced at the woman. She was holding a big, white bakery box.

“Someone’s birthday?” Sydney asked.

The woman looked at her, smiling as she shook her head. “No, this is a coconut cream pie. My boyfriend had a craving, so I told him I’d pick one up on my lunch break.” The woman’s eyes narrowed. “You must be new in town.”

Sydney laughed. “I am, but how do you know that?”

The woman shrugged. “Not much gets past me.” She shifted the box to her other hand and stuck her free one out. “I’m Birdie.”

“Hi, Birdie, I’m Sydney. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too. I know you said you’re new, but you look awfully familiar.”

Sydney shrugged one shoulder. She didn’t like talking about her modeling. People made assumptions once they learned about it. “I’ve done some … advertisements. Maybe you saw one of those.”

“Maybe,” Birdie said, but she didn’t look convinced. “What brought you to Nocturne Falls? Not much modeling work here.”

“I’ve retired from that. I came here because I want a simpler life and to live in a place that has a real sense of community.” Sydney pursed her lips. “And maybe meet a nice man.”

Birdie grinned. “Is that right? Well, you’d best get yourself to the bachelor auction tomorrow night then.”

“Bachelor auction?”

Birdie’s gaze shifted back to the bulletin board. She nodded at a flyer up in the corner. “Right there. Tomorrow at the new community center out by the lake. You do not want to miss it. In fact, why don’t you come and sit with me? We can hoot and holler at the boys together.”

Sydney laughed. “Okay, it’s a date.”

“Birdie Caruthers. Let’s exchange information.”

They did that with a quick text, confirming on the spot that the info had been received.

“Good,” Birdie said. “You come find me, Sydney. I’ll be saving a seat for you.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will see you tomorrow night.

” Sydney went on her way, smiling as she loaded the bags of groceries into her car.

She didn’t care that Birdie wasn’t her age.

A friend was a friend, and since she wasn’t doing so hot in that department with Adam, there was no way she was turning Birdie down.

A bachelor auction would probably be a lot of fun, although there was no way she’d ever meet a man at something like that. Then again, what did she know about small-town life? Nothing, really.

As soon as she got home and unpacked all the groceries, she got to work making the lentil soup. She followed the recipe exactly. Well, mostly. As she was getting things going, Mackie had to go out, so she quickly dumped the lentils into the pot of broth so they could start cooking.

She took him out to the backyard so he could go to the bathroom and, once again, sniff everything in his path.

Based on the tiny little pee he’d done, she quickly figured out his objective had been getting into the backyard, not a bathroom break.

“Mackie, you stinker. Do you just want to stay out here then?”

He looked at her, practically laughing.

“Fine, but as soon as the soup is done, you’re coming in because you need a bath, mister.”

She left him to roam, smiling as she walked back into the house.

It was nice that he loved his new yard so much.

She checked the recipe to remind herself what was next.

The lentils had to cook for at least an hour.

While that was happening, she needed to slice up the sausage she’d cooked in the same pot earlier.

She got that taken care of, then set it aside to be added back in later. The kitchen was a bit of a disaster. She put things away, stuck dirty dishes and utensils in the dishwasher, then wiped down the counters. Finally, she stood back. That was better.

The soup smelled good with all the carrots and onions and celery. Aromatics, the recipe had called them, and rightfully so. Her stomach rumbled.

“Sure,” she said. “Now that I’ve cleaned up, it’s time to eat.”

She filled her insulated cup with ice water, then made a big salad and took it outside to eat, sitting on the steps that led off the deck. She really needed to get some furniture. Maybe there was a place in town. She should have asked Birdie. That woman seemed to know everything.

She ate while watching Mackie, who alternated between looking for squirrels, rolling around in the grass, and attempting to dig a hole. Every time he started on that, Sydney yelled at him to quit.

It was like he knew he was about to get a bath and wanted to make sure she had to work at getting him clean.

When she finished her salad, she stood, cradling the bowl in her arm while carrying her cup in the other hand. “Come on, Mackie. Let’s go in, baby. You need to get clean.” If she gave him his bath now, by the time she was done with that, the soup would be ready.

She had a nice glass container with a snap-on lid she planned to use to take it next door. She hoped Adam would take it in the spirit it was meant. She was new at this neighboring thing, and she desperately wanted to get it right and be a good neighbor.

Threatened with a bath, Mackie had started doing zoomies around the yard. She shook her head at him and carried her stuff inside. She’d need her hands free to get him now. She put her bowl and fork in the dishwasher, then checked on the soup, giving it a stir.

It smelled great. She turned the heat down a little, then went out to wrangle Mackie. She planned to wash him in the deep tub in her master bath. She’d have to clean it afterwards, but that was just standard operating procedure.

“Mackie, baby, come to Mama,” she said sweetly.

Because he was generally a good boy, after one more loop around the yard, he zipped past her before wheeling around and trotting back to see what she wanted.

She scooped him up. “Gotcha! Bath time, you stinker.”

She carried him into her bathroom, where she closed the door and started the tub filling with warm water. She knotted her hair up, then went to the laundry room to get his shampoo, the big plastic cup she used to rinse him, and a dog towel. At least she’d gotten that much unpacked.

The rest of the house needed a lot of work, but she’d get to that this afternoon for a bit.

The tub had a couple of inches of water in it, which was more than enough. She turned off the water, tested the temperature, then took Mackie’s collar off. “All right. All naked dogs in the tub.”

She picked him up and put him in, using the cup to get him wet, then started shampooing. By the time Mackie was clean, she practically needed a shower herself. Except she had a house to unpack, and there was no reason to shower when she was just going to get sweaty again.

She also really wanted to get the soup over to Adam, and since he obviously didn’t care what he looked like, he probably wasn’t going to care what she looked like either.

She dried herself off as best she could, checked that her mascara wasn’t dripping down her cheeks, then went to pack up his soup.

A few minutes later, she was on his front porch again.