The Wrong Mr. Right (The Queen's Cove Series #2)(30)

Holden wasn’t interested in Hannah, I was pretty sure. I frowned. I’d talk to him later about that, make sure he knew that it was a practice date. It could be a practice date for both of them.

But Beck. A noise came out of my throat, frustration and disapproval. Beck would be all over Hannah. What if he went too fast? What if he pushed her and she didn’t want to? What if he was selfish?

My fists clenched when I thought about him touching her, his hands on her waist or in her hair. I pictured them tangled together in bed and my jaw tensed.

Wrong. That was all wrong.

The back door of the surf shop opened and she walked out in her denim shorts and striped t-shirt. “I brought something for you.” She blanched at the look on my face. “Jeeze, somebody’s getting hangry.”

I cleared my throat and pushed the thoughts from my head. “Yeah. What did you bring?”

“This is my way of saying thanks for helping me.” She pulled something out of her bag and handed it to me. It was a plastic inflatable book for babies, the kind they read in the bathtub, with words like CAT and DOG and BALL on it.

I raised a skeptical eyebrow at her and she shook with laughter.

“It’s so you can read out on the water in the mornings.” The giggles bubbled out of her and all the weird tension in me melted away.

“You’re such a brat.” I tugged on the end of her ponytail and grinned.

She returned my grin. “I know.”

We smiled at each other for a moment. I had the urge to tell her I was reading Pride and Prejudice. The boring, weird cousin, Mr. Collins, had just visited their home. I read late into the night, laughing to myself as Lizzy maneuvered the awkward conversation with him. For some reason, I held back from telling this to Hannah. I wanted to see how the story ended first.

“Come on,” I said, tilting my head. “Let’s get food.”

On the walk to the food truck, I thought of something. “You’ve got more homework, bookworm.”

Her eyebrows rose and her eyes brightened. “What is it?”

“Round up twenty of your favorite books.”

She paused. “That’s it? I don’t need to run naked down Main Street or something?”

I laughed. “What? I would never make you do that.”

Her shoulder lifted in a shrug and she shot me another smile as we approached the truck. “You’re trying to push me past my comfort zone.”

The idea of other people, people like Beck, seeing Hannah naked was past my comfort zone.

I had something else in mind.

She narrowed her eyes but her mouth twitched upwards. “What are you up to?”

I tugged on the end of her ponytail again. “You’ll see.”





9





Hannah





“Good morning, Liya.” His low voice made my ears perk up as I searched for a book at the back of the store. “Cool earrings.”

“Good morning,” Liya chirped back. Her earrings were two tiny copies of her favorite books—The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. She had a bunch made on Etsy and mixed and matched sometimes. She gasped in delight. “For us?”

“For you,” Wyatt confirmed.

I poked my head around the corner. He held a tray of coffees and a white box with a familiar stamp on it. Beside him, the front desk piled high with books.

I was struggling to narrow my favorites down to twenty. Last I counted, we were at nearly fifty.

My mouth fell open at the sight of the box. “Is that from the bakery?”

He winked at me, and my stomach flipped.

I took the box from him, set it on the counter, and opened it. Two perfect cinnamon buns were inside. I inhaled deeply before groaning with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes, he was watching me with a little smile.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” His gaze skimmed over my face and my stomach flipped again.

Liya stuck her face in the bag and inhaled. “Oh my god. I haven’t had one since April. The tourists snap them up so fast.”

“Thank you,” I told Wyatt.

He shrugged but his mouth slid into a satisfied grin. “No problem. You’re going to need snacks. We’re going on an adventure.”

I hesitated. “What do you mean?”

Instead of elaborating, he pointed at the piles on the desk. “Bookworm, are these the books you’ve picked out?”

I nodded, wincing. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t narrow it down.”

He waved me off. “No problem. Liya, do you have yours?”

“Yep, got them.” She pulled a small stack from a nearby shelf.

Now I was intrigued. What was he up to?

He handed me the coffee and cinnamon buns and picked up a stack of books. “Let’s go.” He proceeded to walk out the front door.

“What? Wyatt? Where are you going?” I called after him, staring as Liya gave an excited squeal and followed.

Outside on the street, the weekly farmer’s market was in full swing. On Saturdays, the main street of Queen’s Cove was open to foot traffic only, and local vendors lined the road with tables. The pizza place, Mateo’s Pizza, was setting up for the lunch rush, the produce vendors had been open since I arrived at work, even the hairstylist set up a chair for people who wanted a quick trim.