The annoyance had nothing to do with poor sleep either. Unfortunately, she had slept entirely too well for a woman who spent half the night dreaming about her ex-boyfriend’s lips.
Which felt deeply unacceptable.
A groan slipped out as she buried her face deeper into the pillow, only to freeze seconds later when the faint scent of Blaze’s cologne drifted around her again.
Her eyes flew open.
“Oh my God.”
The whispered horror disappeared into the quiet bedroom.
Because somehow, even after showering, moisturizing, and aggressively attempting emotional recovery, she still smelled faintly like him.
Warm cedarwood. Clean soap. Masculine heat.
Blaze Carter lingered everywhere.
Johanna flopped onto her back dramatically and stared at the ceiling fan turning lazily overhead. This right here was exactly why she avoided emotional nonsense.
One kiss from Braxton Carter and suddenly her entire nervous system had abandoned common sense entirely.
Her phone buzzed against the nightstand.
Then again.
And again.
Johanna narrowed her eyes suspiciously before reaching for it.
MILAN: GIRL.
TASHA: So, when were you gonna tell us Blaze took you to Harbor & Wine for dinner???
LEIGH: Main Street got footage.
NIA: Miss Adele called my auntie this morning.
Johanna closed her eyes slowly.
Sheraton Beach truly operated like a small-town FBI division but with better uniforms.
Another message flashed across the screen.
MAMA: Call me.
That one made her sit upright.
Because if her mother texted before nine in the morning, the gossip had officially escalated to emergency-management levels.
Absolutely wonderful.
Johanna dragged herself out of bed and shuffled toward the kitchen wearing an oversized T-shirt and fitted sleep shorts while pale morning sunlight poured through the apartment windows overlooking Main Street.
Down below, the town already buzzed with life.
Dog walkers moved along the sidewalks bundled in jackets against the February chill. Tourists carried oversized coffees between boutiques while delivery trucks rolled slowly past storefronts preparing for the day.
And somewhere beneath all that movement, people were probably discussing her love life over country ham and scrambled eggs.
