Adam sat at the dinner table on Sunday night, lost in thought. Around him, his family chattered, but he didn’t pay any attention to what they were saying.

Maybe if he sold more ad space, he could afford a website for the Candle Beach Weekly. Or maybe another bank would give him a loan. That seemed unlikely though, as he’d been turned down for a loan in his home town where everyone knew him. A large national bank wouldn’t take a chance on him. He took a bite of ham off his fork, chewing slowly as he considered his options.

“Adam?” A worried female voice cut through his thoughts.

Adam looked up from his plate to see his mother staring across the table at him with a concerned expression on her face. Had she said something to him?

“I asked you if the potatoes were okay.” She furrowed her brows. “You looked like you were a million miles away.”

He cleared his throat. “Yes, they’re delicious.” He scooped up another forkful and put them into his mouth, smiling for her benefit. Like always, the mashed potatoes were velvety smooth and perfectly seasoned. Unfortunately, today, he’d been so lost in thought that he hadn’t tasted any of it.

Her face softened. “Okay, I was worried, because it didn’t seem like you were enjoying them very much.”

“Mom, he’s fine. Leave him alone,” his sister Sarah said from the far end of the long wooden dining table.

He smiled gratefully at her and whispered, “Thanks.”

“Well, it’s just that he’s been so quiet lately. It’s not like him.” He felt his mother’s eyes scanning his face.

“Grandma, can I have some more ham please?” asked his nine-year-old nephew Charlie.

Adam’s mother smiled and nodded at her oldest grandchild. “Of course, honey.”

He came over to his parent’s house every week for the Rigg family Sunday dinner. When his sister Sarah came back to Candle Beach after teaching in Seattle for a few years, they’d made it a family tradition. His sister Jenny, her two kids—Charlie and Kara, and her husband Rick joined them as well. His mother was overjoyed to extend her table and have her children return home every week, if only for a few hours. And, as an added benefit, he got to enjoy a proper meal once a week, instead of his usual diet of TV dinners and takeout. He reached for the tongs in the Caesar salad.

Jenny turned to him, her eyes twinkling. “You look like you have something on your mind, Adam. What’s going on?”

His mother turned her sharp gaze on him again. “Have you met a new girl?” she asked, excitement evident in her voice.

He sighed. Of course that was the first thing she thought of. She wouldn’t rest until he’d given her more grandchildren.

“No, Mom.” He hesitated, his mind flashing back to Angel in the newspaper office with him. There had been something enchanting about the way she studied each page of the archived papers so carefully, eager for any mention of her family. There had been an instant connection between them—more than just a physical reaction. But he couldn’t tell his mother about her, because she’d be devastated when it didn’t work out. Besides, he didn’t really have time in his life for a romantic relationship right now. Making the newspaper a success for the future was his main priority.

He forced a smile. “Sorry if I seem distracted. I’ve been working hard at the paper. I’m trying to get it online by next year.”

“Ah. That’s wonderful, son.” His father beamed at him before grabbing another slice of ham. “We’re so proud of you. Who would have thought that you’d go from paperboy to owning the whole thing now?”

“Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” Sarah grinned at him. “I’ve been teaching my fourth-graders about journalism and they’re all very excited that my brother owns the newspaper here in town. Would it be possible for us to take a field trip to visit you and see where the magic happens?”

He shrugged. “Sure, that’s fine. Just let me know when you want to come by. I’ll try to make sure I have something exciting going on.” He laughed. “You might want to take a trip to the printing press in Haven Shores. That would probably be the most interesting thing for them to see. Not much goes on in my office except for some writing of articles on the computer.”

“I’m sure they’ll be excited to see an actual newspaper office. Or at the very least, they’ll be thrilled to get out of school for an hour or two. There’s nothing quite like a field trip.”

Charles nodded his head vigorously. “I loved it when we got to go to the aquarium in Haven Shores.”

Jenny smiled. “And remember, honey, you’ve got the beach walk field trip coming up too.”

Charlie beamed. “That will be so cool. Andy said he saw a dead crab last time.”

Kara looked up from the pile of peas she was pushing around her plate. “I want to see a dead crab too. When do I get to go on a field trip?” she whined.

Jenny reached over and pulled her close. “You get to go on field trips with me almost every day. Remember, we went to the grocery store yesterday and that nice man let us see where all the food is stored in the back.”

Kara pouted. “That’s not what I mean. I hate the grocery store. It’s boring. It’s not fair that Charlie gets to do everything and I don’t.”

Jenny patted her daughter on the back. “When you’re older, you’ll get to go on the same field trips.”

Next to her, Kara continued to sulk.

Adam’s father set down the glass of water he’d been sipping. “How are things going down at the newspaper office? There hasn’t been much excitement around town in the last couple of months.”

“No, but enough to keep me busy,” Adam said. “I’m working on a piece about the logging industry. Also, Oceanview Estates is finished now and people are starting to move in. I’d like to do a feature on some of our new town residents. Oh, and Maggie Price is going to open the new Sorensen Farm event center next month, just in time for the Sweethearts’ Dance on Valentine’s Day.”

He turned to his sister Sarah. It was time to get the spotlight off of him. “Are you planning on going to the Sweethearts’ Dance? Maybe with that teacher you couldn’t stop talking about last Sunday?”

She blushed. “I don’t think so. It turns out he has a girlfriend in Tacoma.”

Jenny frowned. “I’m sorry, Sarah. He sounded like a nice guy. I wish you could be as happy as I am with Rick.” She looked lovingly into her husband’s eyes and he leaned down to kiss her.

“Eww. Gross,” Charlie said under his breath.

Sarah shrugged. “It’s okay, I don’t really have time to be dating anyway. Teaching keeps me pretty busy.”

She turned to their mother. “Hey Mom, how’s it going down at the library? How did the latest book sale go?”

Their mom launched into a long explanation about how much money the latest book sale had raised for the Friends of the Library. Sarah and Adam gave collective sighs of relief that their lives were no longer under the microscope.

Adam shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth as his mother spoke. Charlie and Kara squabbled, kicking each other under the table and causing the table to shake.

“Stop it!” Kara screamed.

“No, you stop it,” Charlie grumbled. “I’m trying to eat.”

Jenny gave them both the evil eye, and Charlie shoved a spoonful of peas into his mouth, the picture of innocence.

Adam smiled to himself. He loved Jenny’s kids, but sometimes he didn’t know how she managed to deal with them on a daily basis. He had enough problems developing a relationship with one woman—he couldn’t imagine being married to someone and raising two little humans of his own. He cast a glance at Kara, who gave him a cherubic smile.

Okay, she was cute. Maybe he would want kids someday, but it didn’t seem like that was in the cards for him. He had his work at the newspaper, and that was all he had time for. If he wanted to make the Candle Beach Weekly successful, he needed to put all of his energy into doing that.

An image of Angel came into his head again, but he pushed it away. No, he didn’t have time for any type of romantic entanglement. He’d helped her figure out the next step in finding her family, but that was the end of it. Maybe he’d see her at the café again and maybe not. A curious sensation jabbed at his heart at the thought of not seeing her again. He shook his head. He was being ridiculous. He’d only seen her twice. That wasn’t enough time for someone to get under his skin.

After dating a girl for four years in college and then having her tell him that she’d never truly been in love with him, he’d come to the conclusion that he wasn’t cut out for a long-term relationship. He’d thought maybe his childhood friend Gretchen, the stereotypical girl next door, might be an exception. However, Gretchen had fallen in love with Parker and dashed any such hopes.

No, he was genuinely happy for Jenny and Rick, but he just wasn’t cut out for romance. He eyed his mother. She had left the table to carry some dishes into the kitchen and returned with a carrot cake. His mouth watered at the sight of the gooey frosting and the thought of eating the sugary treat. He’d already had donuts for breakfast and a piece of pie after lunch. It may be time to curb his sugar addiction. He stared at the cake again. Nah. As addictions go, sugar wasn’t as bad as some.

“I tried out a new recipe for carrot cake. This one has more cream cheese than the one I tried a few months ago. I hope you like it.” His mother set it down on the table and sliced into the cake, giving each family member a piece.

He bit into the raisin-studded cake, feeling a little guilty about not telling his mother about Angel, even if it turned out to be nothing. He knew she wanted him to settle down with a nice girl and give her a few more grandchildren to spoil rotten. But she had Jenny’s kids, and there was also his sister Sarah to produce grandchildren. Although Sarah wasn’t doing a great job of getting married or having kids herself. From what he’d observed, she was more of a lone wolf than him.

He finished his dessert, then wiped his mouth and pushed his chair away from the table. Standing up, he picked up his plate and carried it into the kitchen.

He returned to the dining room and kissed his mother’s cheek. “I’ve got to get home. I’m working on a big story.” He needed to make some progress on his research if he wanted to be prepared for his meeting with John Nichols.

“Oh.” Her face fell. “I was hoping we could all play a game together. It’s been a while since we last played Pictionary.”

He hugged her, and then waved at the rest of the family. “Next time, I promise.”

She nodded, but he felt her eyes glued to his back as he left.