The next morning, she retrieved her car from the mechanic and obtained her food and beverage permit from the county offices as soon as they opened. On the way home, she stopped by Garrett’s cottage. She knocked on the front door and a thrill shot through her while she waited for him to answer. Now that she was staying in Candle Beach, the possibility of a relationship with him was suddenly very real. Butterflies rolled and dived, and she put a hand on her stomach hoping to quell them. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she knocked again, but nobody came. She pushed on the unlatched door.

“Hello? Anybody home?” She poked her head in. He was sitting at his computer desk with headphones on, unaware of her presence.

“Hello?” she called again, louder this time. Should she leave? She didn’t want to go, after working up the nerve to come back. He continued to tap away at the keyboard. She turned to leave, but stopped before closing the door. He had offered to help her develop a marketing plan for the bookstore. And this wouldn’t be the first time she’d barged into his house uninvited.

She approached him and tapped on his back. He jolted and whipped his swivel chair around, almost knocking her over in the process. Then he pulled his headphones off.

“Dahlia. What are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought you’d be well on your way to Seattle by now.”

“My plans have changed.” She took a deep breath. “And I’m hoping you meant it when you offered to help me promote the bookstore.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’re staying in Candle Beach?”

“Yes, at least for the time being. I’m trying to make a go of it.”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Did Agnes give you the money you needed?”

“No, I was able to borrow it from someone else,” she said. “So, do you think you can help me? I need to make the best effort I can to have the bookstore succeed.”

“Sure. Let me finish up with what I was doing and we can make a plan of attack.”

He gestured for her to sit on the couch, and she picked up a copy of People magazine and flipped through it while he wrapped up his work on the computer. She wouldn’t have guessed him to be a People magazine reader. The man never failed to surprise her.

She was deep into an article about the newest singing sensation when she felt Garrett’s hand on her left shoulder. His touch zinged through her and her spine straightened. She turned sideways to gaze up at him.

“Are you ready?” he asked. His brown eyes sparkled and his easy smile melted her heart.

“Uuuuh, yes. I am,” she stuttered. What was it about his touch? Get it together, Dahlia, she told herself.

He sat down in the armchair across from her and leaned forward to grab a notepad off the table. “Let’s see. The terms of the will state you need to make the bookstore profitable by the end of twelve months if you decide to sell, correct?”

“Yes,” she said. “So I have about nine months left on the clock. But with the Book Warehouse in Haven Shores now, sales have worsened.”

“So nine months. That’s quite a bit of time to try out some different tactics.” He scribbled on the paper. “I think the first thing you need to do is to increase your presence in the community. From what I’ve noticed about Candle Beach, most of the business owners are involved in town events or local government.”

“So I need to run for mayor?” She laughed at the thought.

“No, no, nothing like that. But you do need to get involved. Have you thought about joining the summer market?”

“Everyone keeps telling me that. Do you really think it would help?”

“It’s very popular with both locals and tourists. It’s an opportunity to get both your name and the bookstore to the front of everyone’s minds.”

“How do you know so much about the town?” she asked. “I’ve been here three months and I know barely anything.”

“I’m a writer.” He shrugged. “I spend a large part of my day observing people and how they react to different situations.”

“So you’re saying I’m going to end up in your next romance novel?”

His face reddened. “I only use characteristics from people I meet. I don’t base full characters on anyone I know in real life.” He cocked his head at her. “Are you going to tell anyone about my nom de plume?”

“Well, I’d considered telling the Ladies of Candle Beach. I’m sure they’d be delighted to spread the news around town that we have a bestselling romance author in residence.” She fought against a smile that threatened to ruin her poker face

His eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”

She laughed. He was fun to mess with. “No, I won’t tell anyone.” She traced an imaginary zipper across her lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”

The rigid line of his shoulders relaxed and he leaned back in the chair, kicking his feet up on the table. “Okay, then. So where were we?” He checked his notes. “Have you considered an online presence for To Be Read? You’re not going to be able to compete on price or inventory with the big box stores, but many people like to support local businesses. You just have to make it easy on them. I think an option to order books online and pick them up in-store would be popular. As a bonus, you won’t need to maintain a large inventory without a guarantee of sales.”

“I could do that.” Her mind chugged through her ever growing to-do list. Now she needed to create a website as well as improve the bookstore itself. “Anything else?”

“How about a promotion for vacationers? I’ve seen the gift baskets they give the tourists who stay in the nightly rentals. You could put a discount coupon in their basket for them to redeem during their stay.”

“I like it.” She took out her phone and typed notes on it. “If I can get the tourists into the store, they’ll be much more likely to buy something.” She sat back on the couch and dropped her phone to the other cushion. “Whew. This is a lot.” She glanced at her watch. “Hey, it’s almost noon. Do you want to have lunch with me? My treat.”

She peeked at him from underneath lowered eyelids. If he rejected her offer, she didn’t want him to see her reaction.

* * *

Garrett considered her offer, but before he could respond, his phone rang. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, frowning when he saw who was calling.

“Hello?” he said.

“Hi, honey. I’m in town and I thought maybe we could get together for lunch.” His mother’s voice sounded tentative.

“You’re here? In Candle Beach?” He cast a glance at Dahlia. He badly wanted to go out with her to lunch, but he hadn’t seen his mother in ages. She tended to drift in and out of his life on a whim. He mouthed “sorry” to Dahlia. She nodded.

“Yes, I’m here. Are you free today? I hear the Bluebonnet Café is wonderful.”

He sighed. “I guess.” His thoughts darkened. It was irritating how she always waltzed in and expected him to drop everything for her. But she was his mother and he hadn’t seen her in a while. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, but they’d never really connected. She’d always been so busy with her own life that she didn’t have time for him.

When he hung up the phone, his mood had soured. “I’m sorry, I can’t do lunch today. Something’s come up. Maybe some other time?”

Dahlia’s face had fallen, but she said, “Okay, no problem. Thank you for all your help.” She rose from the couch and gathered her belongings.

He wanted to tell her to stay, to call back his mother and tell her he couldn’t meet her, but he couldn’t make the words come out of his mouth. He walked her to the door instead.

“You’re welcome.” He closed the door behind her.

* * *

Ever since they’d kissed, Dahlia had thought Garrett might be interested in a relationship, but he hadn’t pursued it further. Now that she was planning to stay in town, she intended to take matters into her own hands. He’d looked as though he was about to say yes to her lunch invitation until he’d received the mysterious phone call. After that, he’d been distant and she hadn’t known how to respond. Next time she saw him, she’d try again.

She called Adam at the newspaper office and found out from him that the Chamber of Commerce had the forms to fill out to join the summer market. When she got there, she was greeted by a friendly volunteer, who promptly handed her the forms.

“The deadline for this weekend passed yesterday, but you can request an exception. The contact for exceptions is on the bottom of the second page,” the middle-aged woman said.

Dahlia thanked her and left the office. When she got back to the bookstore, she sat down at the desk to fill out the forms. She wanted to have a booth at the coming weekend’s market so she looked at the second page for the person to ask for an exception.

Well, okay, this wasn’t going to happen. She flung the paperwork on the desk and buried her head in her hands.

The contact was Agnes. There was no way Agnes would make any special exceptions for her.

But then she remembered what she had told her mother about making an effort to surmount obstacles. She picked up her phone and placed the call to Agnes.

“Hi Agnes.” She hadn’t told her yet that she planned to stay in town. How would she take the news?

“Dahlia,” Agnes said. “I’m surprised to hear from you. What can I do for you?” She was surprisingly pleasant, and it gave Dahlia hope.

She took a deep breath and plunged in. “I’m staying in Candle Beach. I think I’m the best person to manage the bookstore and Ruth wanted me to be here.” She paused. “As such, I’d like to join the summer market to promote the bookstore. And I’d like to start this weekend.”

“I’m sorry, the deadline for that has already passed. You’ll need to wait another week,” Agnes said.

She mentally counted to ten before responding. “But that’s almost two weeks away. I need to get started now. What can I do to make that happen?”

“I’m sorry,” Agnes said again. “I’m not able to make an exception.”

“Not able, or not willing?” she asked, her temper flaring.

“Have a good day, dear.” Agnes disconnected the call.

Dahlia stared at her phone, tempted to throw it across the room. It seemed like every time she made an effort, Agnes was always there to throw a wrench in her plans.

Usually, she would have given up and moved on to the next thing. But this time was different. She was tired of Agnes pushing her around. She got up and stormed out of the bookstore.

* * *

Dahlia pushed open the glass door to the newspaper office. Good, Adam was in.

He circled a selection of text on a document and then put down his red pen. He smiled at her and removed his reading glasses.

“Hi.” She sat down across from him at his desk. “Are you always here?”

“No, not always,” he said. “Sometimes I sleep at home.” His eyes twinkled at his joke, but from what she’d observed, it was close to the truth. “What can I help you with?”

“How’d you know I needed something?”

“You look like you’re about to explode,” he said. He offered her a maple bacon donut and a cup of coffee. “These will help.”

“Thanks.” She hadn’t had anything to eat yet that day. After leaving Garrett’s house, she’d gone straight to the Chamber of Commerce and then come to the newspaper office. She bit into the donut and the salty-sweet flavor filled her mouth, and for a moment, erased all of her troubles. “I want To Be Read to have a booth at the summer market.”

“So you’ve decided to stay in town?” he asked, regarding her shrewdly.

“You already knew, didn’t you?”

“News travels fast.” He shrugged. “Sometimes I wonder why I bother to put out a weekly newspaper. Most things are old news by the time the paper goes out.”

She smiled. “Only the really juicy gossip. I don’t think the Ladies care much about real news.”

“True,” he said. “So what can I do to help? Did you already sign up for a booth?”

“That’s the problem. I want to start as soon as possible, but the deadline for next weekend’s market was yesterday. I tried to get an exception, but the person in charge of that is Agnes Barnes, and she refused.”

Adam laughed. “So you need me to pull some strings?” He bit into a maple bar of his own while waiting for her response. A few crumbs stuck on his lips and he brushed them off with the back of his hand.

“Would you?” She had hoped he’d offer, but she wasn’t sure he would. By the end of her first year owning the bookstore, she’d owe favors to half the town.

“No problem.” He turned around and picked up the phone from the other side of his L-shaped desk.

“Hey Kirk,” he said. “How are you and the family?” He covered the phone and smiled at Dahlia, nodding his head as the man on the other end chattered on and on.

“Say, I was wondering if you could possibly approve Dahlia Winters for a booth at the summer market? She was hoping to get To Be Read on the docket for next week, but she’s having some trouble with Agnes.” He laughed. “Yeah, she’s staying in town. So she’s all set for next Saturday?” He nodded again. “Thanks so much Kirk. Let me know if you need anything.” He hung up the phone and held up his hands.

“It’s taken care of. All you need to do is submit the paperwork directly to the Chamber of Commerce and Kirk will stamp it himself.”

“Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you.” She went around the desk and leaned down to hug him.

He awkwardly patted her back. “No problem.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked.

“Well, you’re friends with Gretchen Roberts, right?”

She nodded. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

“Can you put in a good word with her for me?” He looked hopeful.

“I will.” She turned to leave. “Thank you again. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

She exited the office and did a little jump in the air. Finally, something was going right for her.