The Wrong Mr. Right (The Queen's Cove Series #2)(17)

We turned back to the street to see my brother Holden staring at us with a frown on his face. “What are you doing here?”

“Good morning, sunshine.”

He frowned deeper. “You’re wearing a shirt and you’re standing outside a bookstore.”

Hannah crossed her arms over her chest. “We’re doing a thing. Holden, do you want to go on a date with me?”

Under the brim of his baseball hat, his eyes widened with alarm. He hadn’t dated anyone in years. His frown deepened and he cleared his throat. “There’s an art exhibit at the gallery next weekend I was going to go to.”

I tilted my head, studying him. Didn’t expect that.

“Oh.” Hannah’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “The Emily Carr one.”

He grunted in acknowledgement and shot me a warning glance. My mouth quirked.

Hannah nodded with a small smile. “Okay.”

“Saturday at two. I’ll buy you food after. Don’t be late.” He turned and walked away, leaving Hannah and I standing on the sidewalks, me shaking with laughter and her with her mouth hanging open.

She stared after Holden before giving me a hesitant glance. “I don’t like Holden like that. What if he gets the wrong idea?”

“I’ll talk to him.”

She groaned. “No, that’s worse. I’ll think of something.”

The bell behind us jangled again and Beck stepped out.

“Hey, Hannah.” He gave her a warm smile and held up a stack of books. “I got lucky today. I got that a book you ordered in for me about medical research.”

Hannah gave him a shy smile. “It’s so funny. Mary Roach is so sharp and witty.”

“And, I’m going to read this Pride and Prejudice you won’t stop talking about.”

I turned to study Hannah. She hadn’t mentioned this book to me.

She chewed her lip, biting back a smile. “I’m so happy you’ve decided to take your life in the right direction.”

I frowned, watching her smile up at him. Her eyes glowed. She was lit from within, talking about this book. Where was the shy, terrified Hannah? She seemed to melt away in Beck’s presence.

“You love this book, huh?” He beamed at her, and there was a spark in his gaze.

She nodded. “It’s my favorite. It’s so… It’s the ultimate romantic comedy.” She gestured at the weathered store sign above us. “There’s a reason the bookstore is named this.” She beamed again. “You’ll see.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. My shoulders tightened.

Beck gave us a quick nod. “I look forward to it. See you later, you two.”

Hannah shot me a side-long glance but I held my hand up to Beck. “Hannah wants to ask you something.”

Her face went red. That made my shoulders even tighter. She didn’t blush with Holden.

“Um…” she started.

“Go on.” I tilted my chin at her, keeping my arms crossed.

Beck glanced between us with narrowed eyes. “What is it?”

Hannah winced at him. “I’m trying a thing. Do you want to go out with me?”

Beck’s gaze flared with interest. “Yes, I do. Is this because I’m reading your favorite book?”

She laughed and there was a weird stab in my stomach. “No, no. Wyatt’s making me ask people out to embarrass me.”

Beck looked impressed. “Good for you.” He glanced at me and did a double take at me before shooting a quick smile at Hannah. “I have to get back to the clinic, but I’ll come chat with you tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Okay. Bye, Beck.”

He waved. “Bye.”

I watched him walk down the street. Beck was tall like me, with a good head of dark hair, nice teeth, and always in a good mood. He was a regular at the gym. He was pleasant to everyone, well-liked around town, and single.

Hannah hummed to herself, glancing up and down the street and rocking on the heels of her sneakers. “One left.”

A weird feeling hit my stomach. I couldn’t explain it, but my mood had soured.

“You’ve done enough. Good job today, bookworm.”

“Oh. Okay.” She shrugged. “That wasn’t so bad, I guess.” She remembered the can of beans in her hand and winced. “Actually, yes, it was.” She tilted her head, passing the can back and forth between her hands. “I do want to see that exhibit at the gallery, though. And Beck is cute.” Her gaze followed him down the street. “Super cute.”

I stepped in the way of her line of sight. “We have another surf lesson tomorrow. Dawn.”

She groaned. “So early.”

I pictured her with messy hair, rolling out of bed and turning off her alarm. “We have to catch those clean waves, bookworm. They’re the easiest to learn on.”

“I’m going to fall off my board again.” Her mouth twisted to the side.

“Undoubtedly.”

“It’s going to suck.”

“Hey.” I nudged her. “You got rejected by half the town today, and you’re still standing.”

Despite the embarrassed flush on her face, she laughed. “Ugh. Please let me forget.” She glanced at the store. “I should go back in. Oh.” She paused. “I’ve been reading about social media marketing. What’s your brand?”