Chapter 12
The coffee shop buzzes with an energy I’ve never experienced before. It’s barely noon, and we’ve already had three times our normal foot traffic. Every few minutes, someone new walks through the door, orders something, and then makes their way over to wherever I’m sitting with my laptop.
I’ve been trying to work from the back office for the past week or so, but Mom and Dad keep finding excuses to drag me out here. They’re absolutely shameless about showing me off to anyone who’ll listen.
“Hazel, dear!” Mrs. Kellerman, the town librarian, approaches my table by the window, clutching a steaming mug of apple cider.
Her silver-blonde hair is pulled back in its usual neat bun, and she’s wearing a thick, oversized cardigan that completely hides her figure.
The shapeless clothing does nothing for her striking green eyes, but she seems to prefer it that way—like she’s deliberately trying to blend into the background.
“I just wanted to thank you again for what you did during the storm. The library’s basement flooded, and without the coordinated emergency response, we would have lost decades of archived town records. ”
“Don’t mention it,” I say awkwardly, minimizing the inventory system code I’ve been working on. Under my breath, I mutter, “Really, don’t.”
But Mrs. Kellerman either doesn’t hear me or chooses to ignore it. “Well, you saved our town’s history. That means everything to us.”
Dad looks up from behind the espresso machine, his face practically glowing with pride. “Business has been incredible today. All because of our girl here.” He gestures toward me with obvious satisfaction. “She’s brought half the county through our doors.”
The recognition feels surreal. In LA, I designed systems that handled millions of users, managed budgets in the tens of millions, but none of it ever felt personal. Here, Mrs. Kellerman is thanking me because the library’s archives survived.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Dad continues, wiping down the counter with obvious contentment. “Your mother’s apple cider donuts are flying off the shelves. We might actually have to start taking reservations for tables.”
Mom appears from the kitchen carrying a tray of fresh pumpkin scones, her cheeks flushed from the heat of the ovens. “I told you having you home would be good for business,” she says with a wink.
The bell above the door chimes, and Sam walks in shaking raindrops from his jacket. The autumn drizzle outside has turned the falling leaves into a carpet of soggy red and gold, but it’s the kind of cozy October day that makes everything feel like a postcard.
“Jesus, it’s a zoo in here,” Sam says, looking around at all the occupied tables. “What happened?”
“Your sister happened,” Dad says proudly. “Half the town’s been in today wanting to meet the woman who came to the rescue during the storm.”
Sam orders his usual—black coffee and whatever pastry Mom tries to force on him—then slides into the chair across from me, grinning. “So how’re you liking all the attention?”
“I hate it,” I whisper, mortified.
He laughs. “Get used to it. You’re famous now.”
He takes a sip of his coffee, then looks at me directly. “So, are you and Luke together now or what?”
“We’re not together,” I correct quickly. “We’re just... starting over.”
Sam raises an eyebrow. “Starting over?”
“Getting to know each other again. Dating, I guess.”
Sam studies my face while he adds sugar to his coffee. “You know what I find interesting? You’re not the type to forgive someone for cheating.” He leans forward, his brown eyes sharp. “So if you’re willing to give Luke another chance, does that mean he didn’t actually cheat on you?”
I glance around to make sure no one’s listening, then lower my voice. “He didn’t cheat. It was all a misunderstanding.”
“What kind of misunderstanding?”
“Brittany set the whole thing up to make it look like something was happening when it wasn’t.”
Sam goes very still. “I never liked her. She’s been obsessed with Luke ever since she found out he was going after his uncle for the properties.”
“Does his uncle still live in town?” I ask.
Sam sneers. “He tried to stay after he got out of prison, but the townspeople were pissed. He ultimately left.” He takes a sip of coffee.
“The fine he had to pay was way more than he could afford. Had to return all the commercial property Luke’s family owned too.
Luke can live comfortably for the rest of his life without having to work. ”
I blink in surprise. “Really? Then why does he work as a firefighter?”
Sam shakes his head. “Maybe he’s an adrenaline junkie. Who knows.” He leans forward with a knowing look. “But if Luke didn’t cheat and you know the truth now, why haven’t you two just gotten together?”
“The history between us is complicated. We both decided it’s better to move slowly this time.”
Sam scoffs. “Sure, that’s why you two ended up in bed together.”
I kick him under the table, hard enough that he yelps and nearly spills his coffee.
“Ow! Christ, Hazel!”
“Mind your own business or I’ll disable you next time,” I say sweetly.
“Hazel Brennen!” Mom appears beside our table with a plate of scones, her expression scandalized. “Don’t bully your brother!”
“Tell him to mind his own business then.”
Sam rubs his shin dramatically. “She assaulted me! With intent to cause bodily harm!”
“Oh please,” I roll my eyes. “It was barely a tap.”
“A tap? My leg’s going to be black and blue!”
“Both of you stop it right now,” Mom says firmly, setting down the plate with more force than necessary. “No kicking your brother in my coffee shop.”
“He started it by being nosy about my love life!”
“There’s nothing to be nosy about!” Sam argues. “Everyone in town knows you two are—”
The bell above the door chimes again, cutting off whatever Sam was about to say.
I look up to see a man walking in, his dark blonde hair somehow still perfectly styled despite the drizzle outside.
Even in his work uniform, he looks like he stepped out of a magazine—the kind of guy who probably has women falling all over themselves just to get his attention.
He looks familiar somehow, though I can’t quite place where I’ve seen him.
“Well, well,” he says, his hazel eyes immediately finding me with that natural charm that’s probably gotten him out of more trouble than it should. “If it isn’t the woman of the hour.”
He approaches our table with easy confidence, like he owns every room he walks into. “Mind if I join you? I’m Declan Hayes.”
“No,” Sam says immediately. “Hazel, stay away from this one. He likes to break hearts.” He looks directly at Declan. “Stay away from my sister.”
Declan holds up his hands with a perfect smile. “Relax, Sam. I would never flirt with the Chief’s woman. I like my job too much.”
That’s when it clicks—he’s a firefighter. I’ve seen him with Luke during the chaos of the storm response.
“Luke is fielding calls from the mayor’s office and the county executives,” Declan continues, settling into the chair despite Sam’s protests. “They all want to hire you as an emergency systems consultant.”
I’m taken aback. “Why is Luke deciding for me?”
“He’s not deciding for you,” Declan clarifies quickly. “He’s telling everyone not to bombard you with job offers while you’re trying to relax.”
My heart warms unexpectedly. Luke remembers that I don’t like too much attention. He’s protecting me from the very thing that’s been driving me crazy all morning.
“If they want to offer her a job,” Sam says, “they’d better pay her a whole lot of money to convince her to leave whatever she’s got going on in LA.”
Dad overhears from behind the espresso machine and his face lights up. “She can move back here permanently if she gets the job! Wouldn’t that be wonderful, Linda?”
Mom pokes her head out of the kitchen, beaming. “Oh, that would be perfect! Having you home for good.”
I go quiet, staring down at my laptop screen.
It’s not like I have a job or a condo to go back to anyway.
I’ve been looking for positions, but not very actively, and although I said I’d stay for a month, I haven’t really planned out what comes after.
The idea of staying home isn’t all that bad, actually.
But what if my relationship with Luke doesn’t work out? Everything seems good right now, but what if it’s not going to be as good as I think? What if I’m just getting swept up in the familiarity and comfort of being back?
I feel Sam’s foot nudge mine under the table. When I glance at him, he gives me a subtle shake of his head and mouths, “Don’t overthink.”
He leans forward slightly. “Take your time until you actually get an offer, then consider it. In the meantime, just enjoy what you’re doing.”
Before I can respond, the bell chimes again, and Sophie MacLeod hurries in, shaking orange and red leaves from her auburn hair.
She’s carrying a large portfolio case and looks confident and excited.
Right behind her comes Molly O’Brien, her dark curls escaping from a messy bun and paint smudges on her fingers, glancing around nervously at all the people.
Sophie works at the Autumn Ridge Gazette now, but we went to high school together—she was in my English class and always spoke up first during discussions, the kind of girl who wasn’t afraid to raise her hand.
Molly was a year behind us, the quiet artsy girl who spent lunch periods in the art room and always seemed to have paint under her fingernails, barely speaking unless spoken to directly.
“Hazel!” Sophie calls out confidently, weaving between the crowded tables without hesitation. “Perfect timing. I’ve got the banner designs to show you, and we need to finalize the decoration timeline.”
“There’s only a week left until the festival,” Molly adds quietly, settling into a chair and hunching slightly as she notices all the eyes on our table. “We need to start setting up the main decorations tomorrow if we want everything ready in time.”