Lunch was the same every day. Call it habit. Call it the life of a military man. Call it the lack of options in a small town. Evan strolled down Main Street toward the Shipwreck. It was a corner café at the end of the block that overlooked the small marina in the cove. As soon as he walked through the door, Anna grinned.

“The regular, Mayor?”

He nodded. “Grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup. Too cold for anything else.”

She grabbed a nubby pencil from behind her ear and scribbled his order on a green and white pad.

“I heard the flotilla’s full this year.” She rang up his order while he waited.

“Yes.” The flotilla was always full, but the Shipwreck was a place for small talk. “Should be a good one.”

“How’s your grandmama?” Anna asked.

Evan frowned. “The same.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Anna boxed up the sandwich and poured the soup into a cylinder with a lid. She stuffed them both in a white paper bag dotted with mistletoe leaves. “Maybe the holidays will give her something to look forward to. I’ll run some cookies over later. Cheer her up.”

“She’d like that.” He paid for his lunch. “Thanks, Anna. See you tomorrow.”

“Sure thing, Mayor.”

He was the youngest mayor in the town’s history. No one ever accused Harpers Point of being particularly progressive, but they had embraced him with open arms when he returned from his last tour of duty. Evan knew he wasn’t going back to the desert, but he had to serve another way. The military had ingrained that much into his soul. So at thirty, he ran for public office and won in a landslide election.

Evan stepped onto the brick sidewalk outside Schooner’s. There was a delivery truck blocking his path to City Hall. A man with a dolly made a path with crates full of milk. Shep’s Market stocked up once a week on the essentials. Reluctantly, Evan crossed the street, passing the hardware store and Bee’s Florals. He tried not to walk on this side of the street when he could avoid it.

As he approached dark window front of The Sweet Spot, he felt a tightening in his chest. Twelve years had passed and he felt the same way every time he saw the scrolling sign swinging over the candy shop doors.

He peered through the frosted glass. The candy shop was dark, but as he took another step he thought he thought he saw movement in the store next door.

“What the fuck is going on?” he muttered.

There had been a recent rash of teenage pranks lately in town. He knew kids were easily bored. He used to be one of them, so he got it. But he didn’t like the idea of someone being in this shop. Evan bristled, worried a few of them had broken in. He noticed the latch was loose on the lock. He pushed the door open and hurried inside.

“Who’s in here?” he barked. “This building is closed.”

Before he had a chance to search the empty room he heard a scream. He looked up just in time as a figure came barreling down from the ladder.

The paper bag fell to the floor with Evan’s soup. He extended his arms as Cami Addison landed in his palms with a gentle thud.

“Whoa! Gotcha.” He had kept whoever this was from hitting the marble floor, but they were about to get an earful about trespassing.

“Cami?” His eyebrows rose as he locked eyes on Cami’s soft gaze. He’d never seen blue eyes like hers. They were dusted with specks of sapphire. There were nights when those blue eyes haunted him.

She wiggled in his hold. Her auburn hair, falling loosely from the messy bun on her head.

“Evan?” she whispered.

He was almost too stunned to place her feet on the floor. She wasn’t the eighteen-year old girl he had loved any more, she was a stunning woman. Her cheeks were flush and her pink lips had never looked more kissable. But he hadn’t forgotten what happened between them. He never would.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Can you? Can you put me down?” she eked. Was it fear or surprise in her eyes?

“Right.” His hands had tucked her protectively to his chest to catch her from the fall. Her body was warm and soft. Something stirred under his ribs he couldn’t describe. He lowered her legs until she was balanced on her boots. He stared, not knowing what question to ask first. He had at least a hundred.

“What were you doing up there?” He pointed to the top of the ladder.

“Trying to replace the lightbulbs. I can’t even see what I’m cleaning. All the lights are out. Nothing works.”

He glanced around. There was a bucket, rags, and wet spots all over the floor.

“Are you doing this by yourself?” he asked.

She nodded. “I guess you didn’t know I was back in town?”

Evan frowned. “I had no idea.” It seemed if Harpers Point’s sweetheart had returned, it would have made the front page of the Point POst. How had he not known? For the first time in his memory, the damn grapevine had failed.

“When did you get back?”

Cami winced. “Last night. Claudine Francis made the arrangements for me.”

At least that explained why she had called his office this morning. Knowing Claudine, she was trying to fix them up. He held in the long string of curse words that popped in his head.

“How long are you staying?”

Her long lashes did something to him. He couldn’t look away, even though he wanted to. He didn’t want to stand here and talk to her like nothing was wrong. Like the last twelve years had never happened.

“I’m back,” she answered.

He huffed. “Right. You just dropped your music career?” He leaned down to collect his soup and sandwich.

Cami bit the inside of her cheek. She used to do that when she was nervous. How did he still remember that?

“More like it dropped me.” Her voice softened. “And anyway, I inherited Aunt Sophie’s properties. The entire building is mine now.”

“Got it. You didn’t have a choice.” He backed up toward the door.

“No, it’s not like that exactly.”

“I guess Claudine could sell it for you.”

“Why would I do that?”

He didn’t want to stand around and catch up with her. Everything between them was over. It had been for a long time. What she did now didn’t matter to him.

“I need to get back to the office.” He tugged on the old brass knob.

“I heard you’re the mayor now.” She offered a smile.

He didn’t want a fucking trip down memory lane. He wanted off this road, wherever it was headed.

“A lot has changed since Cami Addison packed her guitar and left this town.” It came out as a snarl.

“Evan, I—”

“See you around, Cami.”

He let the door slam behind him.