Lucky turns onto a road that opens us up to a main street with more mountains standing proudly in the distance, and I draw in a steadying breath.
“I can see why you moved back here after nursing school,” I tell him.
He grins again. “Nowhere else I’d rather be.”
He points out various things as we drive down the street—city hall behind us with a statue of a miner that he tells me has quite the history—“Both” being his answer tothe miner or the statue?—and a baked pretzel shop and the hair salon where he says Sabrina’s mom works, a pub and a chiropractor.
“Oh, a bookshop too?” I ask as we pass another shop.
“Yep,” is all he says to that.
Interesting.
Considering Decker’s job is writing books, I would’ve expected him to say a little more about a book store.
I’ll wonder about that later.
“Best Indian restaurant ever right there,” he says, pointing out a place called House of Curry and making it subtly clear that we’re not discussing the book store. “And—no, I’ll save telling you about that for later.”
“Telling me about what?” I ask.
He ignores the question with a grin as he points out an art gallery, and finally, the corner building on the left where a large bee hangs over the door.
Bee & Nugget.
The coffee shop, and our destination.
“I’m not saying it’s the best just because my grandparents ran it ever since my dad was little and it’s almost always been in the family,” he insists while he parks behind the building in a spot between a classic Cadillac convertible that weirdly looks like a bee and a truck that I’m almost positive belongs to Rhys. “It really is the best, and it keeps getting better.”
Exactly what I’d like my entire life to be.
And what I’m nearly at.
I eye the truck once more.
“You see the bee-mobile?” he asks, hooking his thumb at the car on the other side.
“It’s adorable.”
“I helped restore it. We all did.”
“You and Decker and Jack? It’s yours?”
“Us and some friends. And nope, not ours. It’s a communal car for my friends. Long story. Oh, hey, that’s Decker’s truck,” he says, pointing across the lot. He grins at me. “Ready to meet one more of us?”
My heart thumps.
Ready to convince one more of us that you’re worthy of love?
“Absolutely,” I say. “Can’t wait.”
And I hope, on some level, that Decker feels the same.
Guess we’re about to see.
4
SCONES AND SUSPICIONS
