For the first time in a long while, the heat of a blush hit Gabe’s face. He handed Caleb the bottle of champagne. “Hold this and come with me. You can distract Mabel while I find somewhere to talk to Natalie.”
“I knew there was a reason I came here,” Caleb said dryly. “But you owe me. Mabel wants me to coordinate a laser light show. I’ve been dodging her phone calls for the last two weeks.”
“Just tell her you can’t do it.”
“Yeah, right,” Caleb muttered as they maneuvered across the room. “Have you ever tried saying no to Mabel?”
Caleb had a point. “Tell her you’ll think about it.”
“That’s really going to work.”
Natalie looked across the store.
The air rushed out of Gabe’s lungs. God, she was stunning. As she walked toward him, everything in the store became background noise and movement. The edge of the cliff was fast approaching and he was ready to jump.
He frowned when he saw the sling around her arm.
Caleb slapped him on the shoulder. “Looks like I won’t need to run interference for you. Good luck.”
Natalie said hello to Caleb before turning her sparkling blue eyes on him.
“Is your arm all right?” He could have kicked himself. Of all the things he might have said, that was the least romantic thing he could have come up with.
Natalie smiled. “My arm is fine. The sling helps to stop people from bumping into me. Why are you here?” Color stained her cheeks. “Not that it isn’t great to see you, because it is. It’s just that you weren’t—”
Gabe leaned forward and kissed her. God, he’d missed having her close. Her arm wrapped around his shoulder, messing with his hair. He could have stood here for hours, kissing her senseless.
“Hey, Romeo,” Caleb hissed. “You’re creating a stir amongst the moms waiting to buy their candy.”
Gabe’s lips froze against Natalie’s mouth. He felt the curve of her smile, the movement of air as she laughed against his lips. He sighed. “We’ve done it again, haven’t we?”
She stepped away from him and grinned. “You could say that.”
* * *
The openingof Brooke’s candy store had been a huge success. By the time the doors closed at five o’clock, the shelves were empty and Brooke was stressing about making more candy for Monday.
Natalie couldn’t stop smiling as she sat beside Gabe. They were driving back to the cottage, catching up on four days of not seeing each other. She turned sideways, soaking in everything that was special about him. “Did I tell you that mom is moving back to Sapphire Bay?”
He nodded. “You did. Do you think she’ll be able to find a job?”
“She already has. Brooke was so impressed with how quickly she learned to make fudge, that she’s offered her a job in her kitchen. She starts in four weeks.”
“Wow. That was fast.”
“That’s mom for you. When she makes up her mind about something, nothing stops her.”
Gabe laughed. “That sounds like someone else I know.”
“I guess I’m definitely a chip off the old block.” As they turned onto Bluewater Road, Natalie sighed. She loved the cottage, the sense of peace she felt when she arrived home.
“Are you getting more sleep?” Gabe asked.
She knew he was worried about her. It was bad enough trying to sleep with a sore arm. It was worse when the person who’d shot her kept haunting her dreams. “More than I was before you left. I don’t know whether it’s the lavender oil that mom sprinkled in my room or the chamomile tea I’ve been drinking, but something’s working. What about you?”
“I slept for five hours last night without sleeping tablets.”
“That’s fantastic.” After she’d been shot, Gabe’s doctor had prescribed sleeping tablets to help manage his PTSD. He hated taking them, but at least he was able to think clearly when he was awake.
