Planning on Happily Ever After (Sunset Cove #2)

CHAPTER ONE | Holly

CHAPTER ONE

Holly

F inally getting to turn the page of her desk calendar to February caused a small but satisfying feeling to flow through Holly’s body. She exhaled slowly, blowing out the internal slumps of the aforementioned month. A slow smile spread across her face as a buzzing in her veins intensified. Thank god, January is finally over . The first month of the year was also the absolute worst. With the celebrations and gatherings of the holiday season now a distant memory, there is nothing to look forward to but gray skies and cold days.

Holly might’ve felt differently if she had someone to spend those days with. A warm body to snuggle against as they read books or watched movies under a pile of blankets would be heavenly, but even with all the time and effort she put into finding her Mr. Right, she was still single and definitely not loving it. With Valentine’s Day coming up, love was in the air. Holly could only hope some of that love would find its way to her.

At least Holly wasn’t alone in her single status. Her sister Hailey may have found love with a wonderful Frenchman across the street, but her twin brother, Henry was still as miserably single as she was, a fact that made their living arrangement that much better. Henry used his natural caretaker skills to cook them meals and clean the apartment, the twins getting along like two peas in a pod, unless he happened to be gaming online with his friend. Her brother was normally reserved, but whenever there was a game to be won, Henry would talk so loudly Holly could hear him through the walls.

That same brother was currently typing noisily at his computer in their shared office at the back of Baker’s Bakeshop, and while neither Henry nor Holly had any desire to bake as a career, they both still loved being near family and the business that had been their second home since birth. It made sense to Holly that she utilize this place as the base of operations for her wedding planning business until she was successful enough to afford a larger space on her own. After getting her degree in event management and working with the largest event planning firm in Hartford, she was used to having a little more to work with, but as much as she had enjoyed her internship, the closeness and connections that a smaller town provided were more alluring.

Holly loved Sunset Cove, and it was centrally located next to enough larger cities that she had plenty of clients and access to vendors and venues. The business was only half a year old, but she was already doing quite well. It probably helped that her parents were fairly beloved in the local business community, so she did get a good number of referrals and word-of-mouth advertising from their friends. Hopefully, she would continue to reap the benefits of those connections and be able to get her own office someday. As much as she loved being at the bakery, the small space she shared with Henry was cramped, and getting smaller with each passing day.

Henry illustrated her point beautifully by scooting his chair back and bumping right into hers, the jarring movement making her teeth clack together. “Sorry, Holls,” Henry muttered as he adjusted his chair.

Holly scooted her chair back as well. “No worries, Hen.”

‘No worries’ was one of Holly’s go to mantras for life. She always tried to be optimistic and look for the silver lining in every storm cloud. It wasn’t always easy, like when her mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer, but she still tried her best to remain hopeful. Holly had needed to muster all the positive energy she had during that trying time, but she was able to pull it off and keep her family as cheerful as possible.

Holly had taken a break from her college degree and stayed home to help her mom while she was in treatment. She could have taken online courses like her brother, but she wanted to be able to devote herself to being her mom’s personal cheerleader. The chemotherapy was surely what had cured her mom’s cancer, but Holly liked to think that she helped contribute to her recovery, if only by making the treatment a little more bearable. Holly being her mother’s caretaker also allowed her father and sister to keep the bakery up and running to help pay for all of the medical bills. It hadn’t always been easy, but it had been worth it.

A rich, chocolate smell hit Holly’s nose and her mouth watered. She turned her head toward the delicious aroma she’d recognize in her sleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw Hailey at the door, her hands struggling to hold two coffees, a giant cinnamon roll dripping with gooey icing, and a bag of brownies.

“For my favorite twins,” she sang, handing them the delicious bounty. Hailey’s caramel colored hair was up in a bun and her blue apron was stained with red and blue food coloring, a normal look for the avid baker, but the uncharacteristically cheery tone in her voice gave Holly pause.

She glanced at Henry, his disbelief matching her own. The twins were always of a same mind when it came to Hailey and how she used her baked goods to bribe them into doing her bidding, and right now they were on high alert.

“What do you want?” they both asked in unison.

Hailey looked affronted, clutching her hand to her chest. “What? Nothing. Can’t a big sister just drop off a delicious breakfast to her two amazing siblings?”

Hailey’s smile was innocent, but Holly knew better than to trust it. Hailey never hand delivered anything to them while she was at work, always keeping her head down and focusing on her piles of sugar flowers and cake layers. She was obviously buttering them up with baked goods, the only question was what they would be asked in return.

Holly raised an eyebrow. “You can, but you never do. So, what is it you need done, and why do we have to be the ones to do it?” Holly wasn’t opposed to doing her sister a favor, but there was always a chance it involved hauling a large cake somewhere and Holly just didn’t enjoy the pressure of having to deliver it in one piece.

Hailey bit her lower lip. “Well, I only really need one of you to do it, and it’s just delivering a couple of muffins to Sara down at the bookstore. She said she would come get them herself, but she’s got the baby with her and doesn’t want to drag him out in the cold if she doesn’t have to.” She shrugged and gestured to the workstation behind her that was covered in half-frosted cupcakes and a stack of mixing bowls so high it was nearly toppling over. “I would go, but I need to finish two birthday cakes by this afternoon.”

Henry sighed heavily. “You know I would do it, but I have to go to Callahan’s to look at last month’s numbers and the bookstore’s in the opposite direction.” Gathering up his laptop and bag, he slung it over his shoulder with the ease of someone who’d done it every day since he was twenty-one. Henry was an accountant for most of the small businesses in Sunset Cove, a profession that would have bored Holly to tears, but her brother seemed to enjoy. “Sorry, Hales,” Henry added apologetically.

Holly squealed internally, shimming in her seat and clapping. Henry’s loss was her gain. “I’ll go. I don’t have any appointments until this afternoon, so I can bring Sara the muffins and give her baby some snuggles at the same time.” Holly adored babies and couldn’t wait to have some of her own. It was part of the reason she was so determined to date as much as she could. She wanted to find her soul mate so they could start a family sooner rather than later.

Hailey sighed with relief, leaning down to give her a big hug. “Thanks, Holls. You’re the best.”

Henry slid past them, gripping his coffee cup in one hand and holding the giant cinnamon roll Hailey had plied him with in his teeth. “See you later.” A few stray crumbs from the roll fell to the floor as he mumbled, but Henry continued on his way, completely unbothered by it.

Hailey and Holly just stared after him and shook their heads. “Anyway,” Holly started, “Let me grab those muffins so I can deliver them to Sara.” She stood up to leave, but turned around quickly and grabbed the bag of her favorite brownies. Hailey raised her eyebrow at her hand where it clutched the white paper. “For the road,” Holly told her as she grabbed a napkin.

After throwing on her coat and collecting the muffins for Sara, Holly made her way to the front of the bakery, stopping when she saw the group of elderly women who frequented the bakeshop. Mrs. Taylor, Ms. King, and Mrs. Reynolds sat at the corner table, their gray and silver heads huddled together as they spoke in hushed tones. The three women, known to her and her siblings as the Gossiping Grannies, spied her, tentative smiles forming across their weathered faces.

Holly straightened her posture and walked toward the table, preparing herself for another round of negotiations. “Good morning, ladies. Do you have anything for me today?”

The Grannies were notorious matchmakers and were constantly trying to set up just about anyone with one of their many single grandkids. Holly had been out with the grandsons of both Ms. King and Mrs. Reynolds, but she hadn’t made it past date two with either of them. She felt their personalities didn’t match, nor had she felt a strong physical attraction toward either of the men. She wanted to feel that magnetic pull you read about in romance novels and watched in rom-coms, the one where you can’t help thinking about the other person and wanting to be around them all the time, but the two men she had been set up with were a big swing and a miss on that front.

Ms. King looked up at her sympathetically. “Sorry, dear. All of my grandsons are taken at the moment.”

Undeterred by that information, Holly nodded and peered at the other two women who shook their heads. “Sorry. I don’t have anyone for you either, though I did hear that Brian Hardwick is still single.”

Ha! There was no way Holly was dating Brian Hardwick. He was Hailey’s ex-boyfriend and a jerk to boot. If these women thought he was an option for her, the dating pool must be shallower than she thought. “Yea, thanks for that tidbit, but I’m going to pass.”

Mrs. Taylor inspected her with narrowed eyes that made her already gaunt face look even more severe. “Are you sure your standards aren’t too high?” She looked deep into Holly’s eyes and it felt like the woman was trying to peer into her soul. Or curse her. Either way, it was making Holly uncomfortable and she shuffled back a step. “You know what they say, if you don’t think there is a problem, maybe you are the problem.”

Ouch . What was probably meant as friendly advice hit Holly square in the chest. “Thanks for your guidance,” she said through a pained smile. What she had hoped would be an exchange of information to bolster her dating prospects only served to remind her how dire her situation was. “I need to go deliver some muffins. Have a nice day, ladies.”

Holly hightailed it out of the bakery and steered herself toward Treat Yo’ Shelf, shaking her head at what Mrs. Taylor had suggested. Her standards weren’t too high. She just wanted to meet someone who had the same cheery outlook on life she did and that she felt an inexplicable pull toward, someone she wouldn’t want to live without. That wasn’t too much to ask. At least, that’s what Holly kept telling herself the entire trip to the bookstore.

Twenty minutes later, after having successfully delivered the muffins and inhaled as much sweet baby smell as she could, Holly munched on her brownies while giving herself a mental pep talk. Knowing exactly what she wanted was a good thing, and if someone didn’t meet those requirements, it was better not to waste either of their time by pretending otherwise. Relationships shouldn’t be forced, and she shouldn’t have to settle.

Of course, Holly wouldn’t know much about relationships since she never got past date two with anyone, so maybe she did need to revisit her requirements a little. She exhaled slowly to expel all the negative thoughts. It was too nice a day to get caught up in what was lacking in her life, so Holly took in the view around her as she strolled along the sidewalk.

The day was surprisingly clear and temperate for this first day in February, and Holly took the unprecedented warmth as a sign that good things were coming her way. Hopefully, one of them would be love. She spotted a few good-looking men across the street and smiled at them, wiggling her fingers in hello. Maybe her future husband was out there and she would bump into him at any moment.

Holly sighed dreamily at the thought and took another bite of her brownie, enjoying the rich, dark chocolate flavor that burst on her tongue as she chewed. She was so enraptured with the idea of meeting the man of her dreams and the soft, gooey texture of the brownie that she didn’t see the person barreling toward her until she ran smack into him.

“Oof,” she grunted before stumbling backward.

Holly swayed on her feet but didn’t fall. Two strong hands gripped her arms tightly, steadying her. Her eyes slowly focused on the hands that held her, the veins and tendons popping up from underneath the skin somehow adding to the protected feeling that was currently washing over her. The hands felt powerful, yet she got the distinct impression they could be gentle as well. As Holly reveled in the feel of someone holding her like she was something precious, she moved her gaze up and along the line of the arms the magnificent hands were connected to. Her eyes passed over biceps that strained the fabric of the coat they were trapped in and athletic looking shoulders that had clearly seen a bench press a time or twelve. Finally, her eyes settled on what had to be the most handsome face Holly had ever seen.

Holly’s attacker turned savior boasted a square jaw that was lined with maybe a days’ worth of stubble, her skin itching to feel it scrape against her cheek. A straight nose that pointed down to a pair of full lips, and short, light brown hair that was perfectly styled completed the attractive stranger. There was so much beauty for her to gaze upon, but it was his eyes that had Holly mesmerized. Gray as the sky during a thunderstorm with tiny flecks of silver like mini bolts of lightning sprinkled throughout. There was so much turmoil in those eyes, but Holly felt nothing but safety and comfort. If his eyes were the storm, his body was the port, strong and steady, though the longer she stared into the torrid gray depths, the more her own internal emotions started to churn.

Holly wasn’t really aware of how much time was passing, just that she could stay and look into those eyes forever, not thinking, just feeling . It was as though all thoughts unrelated to this man and her body’s visceral reaction to him somehow fled her mind. Maybe this was the man she was hoping would find her. They literally ran into one another and that had to be some kind of sign. Right? Holly didn’t put much stock into fate or destiny, but it was hard not to become a believer when she had just been thinking about love and a gorgeous man that had made her feel so much without saying a word ran right into her.

Holly was still staring at him, most likely with a dopey grin on her face when she noticed his brows were furrowed, the two lines carved between his eyes deepening with each passing second. The sudden urge to reach her thumb up to his forehead and smooth them out was strong, but she refrained, not wanting to break the wonderful tableau she had found herself trapped in. Clearly disagreeing with her own thoughts on the matter, the man dropped his hands from her arms and stepped back, taking his warmth and the spicy scent of his cologne right along with him. Holly missed both immediately and wondered how she could convince him to hold her for a little longer if only so she could take another hit of his intoxicating scent.

The stranger cleared his throat, lines bracketing the mouth that had pulled into a frown. “You should really watch where you’re going,” he growled at her, his voice rough and deep.

Holly didn’t register what he said immediately, too focused on the tingles his gravelly voice sent up and down her spine. Addled, she nodded along in agreement with his statement, ready to go along with anything he said like a lamb following a wolf, eager to be devoured.

Once she finally did catch up on their conversation, she shook her head at both him and her own ludicrous behavior. “Wait, what? I’m sorry if I wasn’t paying as much attention to what I was doing, but you were also walking crazy fast, so I would say the fault is mutual. But hey, no worries.” She reached into the bag of brownies she’d managed to cling to. Of course, Holly would almost fall to the ground during a simple stroll, but god forbid she lose her baked goods in the process. After rummaging through her dwindled stock, she nabbed a brownie and presented the peace offering to the stranger in front of her, a wide smile pulling across her face. “Brownie?”

The man’s brows furrowed deeper than Holly thought humanly possible, the lines now twin canyons between his eyes as a full-on scowl spread across his face. “I don’t do sweets,” he grumbled at her.

Holly had a hard time believing that and called upon her powers of persuasion. “Really? That’s a shame because these are the best brownies ever. My sister makes them and they are just the right amount of fudgy.” Holly took a bite of the brownie and licked her lips, not wanting to waste a single crumb. The man continued to stare, inspecting her as she chewed and swallowed, like she was an alien from another planet. His obvious displeasure rankled her, especially after she’d had such a strong reaction, or thought she had at least, but Holly shook it off as she did everything else that didn’t serve her sunny disposition. “Are you sure you don’t want one? They might help with the whole grumpy thing you’ve got going on right now.”

“I’m not grumpy,” he barked at her. The man pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Holly wondered if his own unpleasant personality was giving him a migraine. “Look, just watch where you’re going, okay?” Brushing past her without so much as a goodbye, he stalked off to get to wherever he was going to before they had a moment.

Well, it could have been a moment. Holly started walking back toward the bakery, reflecting on what could have been the most adorable meet-cute if he hadn’t been such a sourpuss. She could never be with someone so cantankerous anyway, especially one that didn’t eat sweets. Sharing desserts was her family’s love language and her father would disown her if she was with someone who wouldn’t eat anything from their bakeshop. She wondered if Mr. Grouchy-Man would eat a zucchini muffin. It has a vegetable in it, so it’s practically a health food and he definitely had the build of someone who would be into that sort of thing.

Holly chuckled to herself, but shook her head to try and dispel any thoughts of the strange man. Why was she still thinking about him anyway? He clearly didn’t feel the same spark of attraction she had, which was too bad because he really was incredibly good looking and the air had seemed filled with the potential for something great. Oh well. It was probably the lingering effect of cuddling with Sara’s baby and thinking about love that had put her in that mindset, but her time was better spent focusing on the possibilities in front of her, not the grump that was now firmly in her rearview. Determined as she was to move past it, Holly found herself taking a quick look back over her shoulder to catch one last glimpse of him, still pondering what might have been.