“Angel!” A woman called out while pushing open the swinging door into the kitchen.

Angel looked up from the bread dough she was kneading and eyed her. The woman’s gray hair was pulled tightly back from her face in a bun, giving her expression a pinched look—although on second thought, that may not have had anything to do with the bun.

What did Velma want now? Last time she’d been in here, she’d very rudely informed Angel that they were out of chocolate chip cookies and chided her about proper inventory management. The weekend without her had been blissful. The older woman had worked at the café since before Maggie bought it and had earned weekends off through seniority. Now, it was Monday and she was in for another long week with Velma.

“There’s someone here for you.” She puckered her lips as though she’d just tasted a sour lemon. “I told him you were working but he said he wanted to talk to you about something.”

Someone wanted to talk to her about something?

“A customer?”

“Yes. But he said he needed to speak to you.”

“Okay…” Angel said slowly. If it had been back in L.A., she would have been concerned about a bill collector, but she’d settled all of her mother’s debts before she moved to Candle Beach. She brushed the flour off her hands and wiped the remainder on a dishcloth. She didn’t know many men in town. Who could it be?

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and pushed the door open into the restaurant’s lobby, blinking as the sunlight hit her eyes. There were a few patrons in the lobby, but none that she recognized. Maggie was standing at the counter helping a customer, but she caught Angel’s eye and nodded toward the entry door.

She cupped her hand over her forehead to see better. A man wearing a polo shirt and khakis stepped forward and gave her a friendly smile. He held a white pastry box in his hands.

“Adam. Hey.” She stared at him in confusion. “Did you come here for your daily pastries?”

“I did.” He tipped his head toward the box. “But that wasn’t why I wanted to talk to you. I have a few errands to run today in Haven Shores and I thought maybe I could help you out by going down to the county office to find out about that house you were researching.”

She leaned against the doorframe, unsure of what to think. “Oh.”

He furrowed his brow at her. “Is that okay with you? I knew you’d said that you wouldn’t be able to make it down there in the next few days and it’s no big deal for me to add it on while I’m in Haven Shores.”

She wasn’t sure what to think. Compared to strangers she met back in Los Angeles, the residents of Candle Beach were amazing. Maggie had taken her in as a pastry chef, even without references, and now Adam was going out of his way to do something nice for her. He may have said that it wasn’t a big deal to research the house at the county office, but from her experience at the Department of Motor Vehicles, she had a feeling that any government interaction wouldn’t be a quick task. Her intention had never been to stay in town after she found her family, but the town was starting to grow on her.

“Sure,” she said hesitantly. Her eyes met his. “That’s really nice of you. But I thought you were busy until mid-week.”

He flashed her a heart-melting smile. “I finished up early. Don’t worry. It’s not a problem. I was heading down there anyway and I know how important it is to you to find out about your family.”

She nodded. “It is, thank you.”

He held up his boxed pastry. “Well, I’ve got my goodies for today. I’ll let you know how things go at the county, okay?”

“Okay.” Her heart hammered in her chest. How could she repay him for his help? She didn’t have much in terms of money, but she was a good cook. A plan brewed in her brain.

He started to walk toward the door, but paused when she called out, “Wait!” She rushed toward him, coming to a halt about a foot away. He raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner someday.” Her words came out in a jumble and heat climbed up her neck. She peeked at him, not sure if he’d understood her. He appeared to still be processing her question. “I make a mean lasagna.”

A wide smile filled his face. “I love lasagna.” He narrowed his eyes. “Will there be garlic bread too? Because I can’t make it for dinner if there’s no garlic bread.”

A warmth spread across her body. He was joking with her. “Of course there will be garlic bread. Does tonight work? I’m off at five, so dinner around six-thirty? We can discuss what you find at the county.”

“Yes, sounds good. Hopefully I’ll have good news for you.”

She went back behind the counter and jotted down her address on a piece of paper, then gave it to him.“Here’s my address.”

“Thanks.” He stuffed it in his pocket and then checked his watch. “I’d better get going if I want to catch the county offices open.” He waved and pushed the door open, stepping out onto the sidewalk.

Through the large glass windows, she could see him walking away with a spring in his step. A tentative smile and a ribbon of hope that shot through her body surprised her. He really was a good guy. But was this a date? When she’d thought it up in her head, she’d intended it as a means of thanking him for his help. Somehow, it seemed to have turned into a date.

She pivoted and almost ran into Maggie. By now, the lobby was empty, and her friend stood a few feet away with an amused expression on her face.

“I see you met Adam.” Her eyes danced. “Was he able to help you in your quest to find your family?”

Angel blushed. “He gave me some good pointers and he’s going to do some research for me down at the county offices in Haven Shores.”

“Just good pointers?” Maggie grinned. “I heard you asking him over for dinner.”

“I did. Just as a thank you,” she hurriedly added.

“Of course.” Maggie looked like she was fighting to keep a serious expression on her face. “You know, Adam’s a great guy.” She assessed Angel. “You two would make a nice couple.”

Was Maggie playing matchmaker now?

Her face must have been beet red by this point. “I’m not in Candle Beach to meet men. I invited him to dinner to thank him for helping me.”

“You may not be here to meet someone new, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Ask Dahlia, Gretchen, or myself. Love found each of us in the most unexpected way. Once it finds you, it’s hard to escape.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.” She looked longingly at the door to the kitchen. “I’d better get back to work.”

“Go. But keep what I said in mind.”

“I will. Thanks.” She pushed open the door to the kitchen and returned to her baking.

Later, making the blackberry cobbler for the dinner crowd, she couldn’t help obsessing over her date with Adam that night—if it was a date. She needed to head to the store after work to pick up ingredients for dinner. And her apartment was a mess. She groaned. There wouldn’t be much room for error in the timeline if she didn’t want him to think she was a slob.

And she didn’t want him to think that. She wanted him to like her. It was time she let herself open up to new people and stop being so suspicious of everyone.

* * *

Adam both was and wasn’t looking forward to seeing Angel at dinner. He hadn’t been able to get access to the records in the county office because they’d been closed that day due to budget constraints. It wasn’t his fault, but still—he’d promised her he would get the information. And he would, but he physically couldn’t yet. He wasn’t sure how she’d take that news though and he hated to disappoint her.

At the top of the hill, he stopped and stared at the address Angel had written on the slip of paper. This couldn’t be the right place. He turned away from the house to look out over the ocean. The water was a dark blue-grey color, hardly a contrast to the gray of the sky and the fog that hung over town. He took a deep breath, and then pivoted around to look at the house.

Yes, his first impression had been correct—it was Gretchen’s house. Why had Angel given him the address to Gretchen’s house? Were they roommates? He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but he was going to have to find out.

He climbed the steps of the old Craftsman-style house and knocked on the brightly painted blue door. Nobody answered. He knocked again and then heard footsteps coming through the house. The door opened and Gretchen peered at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Adam, hi. Did we have plans for today?” Her eyes darted behind him as though she were scanning the street to see if she’d accidentally planned a party and should expect more guests.

He cleared his throat. “No, Angel gave me this address.” He looked past Gretchen. “Does she live here?”

Gretchen laughed, a tinkly sound that used to make his heart pound. Now, it just reminded him of the good times they’d had playing together as kids.

“Oh, you’re here for Angel. She lives in the carriage house out back.”

It was all making sense to him now. When he and Gretchen had gone out on that disastrous date the summer before, she had been renting out her house to earn extra money and living in the carriage house on the property. He’d even picked her up there for the date. He shuffled back a few steps.

“Thanks. I’ll go around to the carriage house. Sorry to bother you.”

She opened the door wider. “You can go through the house to the backyard if you’d like.”

“No, that’s okay. I’ll just go through the side yard. My shoes are pretty muddy.” He lifted one shoe up to show her the mud and grass caked on the bottom. Her eyes widened.

“Yikes.” She laughed. “What did you do, walk through a mud puddle?”

“I had to step off into the grass because there was a woman pushing a stroller down the hill and I wanted to make sure she had enough room to pass.” He stared ruefully at his shoes. “It was a little soggier than I’d expected.”

Gretchen nodded, still hovering in the doorway. She eyed him thoughtfully. “How did you meet Angel? Did she come see you about that family matter?”

Did everyone in town know about Angel’s search for her family? He shouldn’t be surprised given how small the town was and how fast gossip spread, but it caused a pang in his heart that she’d told other people about it. That was silly though. She had every right to seek out answers from everyone, even if it hurt his pride thinking that he wasn’t the first resource she’d turn to as the town newspaperman.

Gretchen seemed to catch his concerned expression. “Angel’s a friend of mine. Maggie introduced her to our little group.”

“Ah.” He stuck his hands in his jacket pocket, and then pulled the right hand out to jut his thumb in the direction of the carriage house. “Well, I’d better be getting over there.”

“Have fun.” She grinned at him and then shut the door.

He turned and trotted down the steps, then went through the side garden to the back of the property where the carriage house sat next to an alley. He stared up at it for a moment. Hopefully this will go better than it did with Gretchen last summer.