gave her an understanding smile. “Running a toy store isn’t as easy as it looks, so you’re forgiven.”
Lauren congratulated herself on evading the real reason she was so distracted. She hadn’t told anyone why she left New York in such a hurry, and she wanted to keep it that way as long as humanly possible. Maybe forever.
When her text alert chimed, she glanced down to find a message from her mother.
Have a great day, sweetie—xo.
After texting back u 2, Lauren swiveled to look over at Julia. “I love my parents, but I wish they could remember I’m twenty-eight years old.”
Julia laughed. “My parents used to be like that, too.”
“How’d you get them to stop?”
“I came here and started my own business. Then I met Nick, and you know the rest.”
Her dreamy smile clearly said she’d found someone to love for the rest of her life, and Lauren was ashamed to admit she was envious. Not that she begrudged Julia her happiness, but she wanted some of it for herself. Sadly, she was further from it now than she’d ever been. Personally and professionally, her life was in pieces, and she had no idea how to put it back together.
Shoving her negative attitude aside, she focused on Julia. They’d known each other since college, and she was the kind of friend who didn’t ask Lauren why she needed to run away. Instead, she’d opened up her home and offered Lauren a job for as long as she wanted it.
“When you first sent me pictures of this place last summer,” she said while she opened a box holding a fleet of cars and trucks, “I thought you were nuts to move up here so far from civilization. Now I see why you like it so much.”
“It’s out of the way, that’s for sure, but that’s what I like most about it.” Looking away from the computer screen, she added a warm smile. “It’s been so much fun having you here. How long has it been?”
After a moment, Lauren replied, “Five years ago, Mom and I met you and your mother in Paris for Fashion Week.”
“Oh, I remember that. I still have the clothes I bought on that trip. They’re a little outdated, but they’re so beautiful I don’t have the heart to get rid of them.”
“If you just wait a few years, they’ll come back in style.”
They both laughed, and Julia said, “I should get in touch with this supplier to make sure the bunnies I actually ordered are on their way. I have the number in my office, so I’ll call from there. Can you handle customers alone for a few minutes?”
“Sure,” Lauren responded with more confidence than she felt. Then again, she thought, as she carried the box over to restock the vehicles section, these days she pretty much did everything with more bravado than she felt. When the rug got yanked out from under your life, you kept going as best you could.
The bells along the top of the entry door jingled, and she called out, “Be with you in a minute!”
“Take your time. I’m not in a hurry.”
The words weren’t the least bit threatening, but the unfamiliar male voice froze her midstep. Although her brain knew perfectly well she was protected behind the tall shelves, her heart thudded to a stop, and icy fear slithered up her spine. Pulling in a ragged breath, she reminded herself that no one but her parents knew she was in Northern Maine with Julia.
You’re safe now, a tiny voice in her mind whispered. Closing her eyes, she took another, calmer breath and braced herself to face her very first customer. She plastered a smile on her face and walked out from behind the shelves. “May I help you?”
He flashed her a bright grin that made her feel as if he’d been waiting all morning to meet her. “You must be Julia’s friend Lauren, from New York City. Last time I was in, she told me you were coming to help out with the shop.” Offering his hand, he added, “I’m Ben Thomas. Welcome to Holiday Harbor.”
The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place it. Dressed in washed-out jeans and work boots, he stood a full head taller than her, and Lauren had to tilt her head up to get a full view of him. With windblown blond hair and a ruddy complexion, he looked like he’d just stepped off one of the fishing boats docked down at the wharf. Then it occurred to her where she knew that name from, and she looked down at the top of the antique glass-front case Julia used as a checkout stand. Like the rest of the wood in the shop, from display racks to molding, it was a rich, dark walnut, obviously hand-carved with care a long time ago.
A shiny brass nameplate mounted near the front of the cabinet read “Restored with pride by Ben Thomas,” and she tapped it with her fingertip. “Is this you?”
“Yeah. When Julia was gutting this place, we found it upstairs in a corner, in a dozen pieces and covered with—well, you get the picture.”
He smiled again, and she couldn’t help noticing that the faded blue T-shirt he wore paled in comparison to his eyes. The color of a flawless summer sky, they made her think of sunshine. There hadn’t been much of that for her recently, and even though she’d just met him, she sensed herself being drawn to the warmth he projected. As the pause continued, she realized he was expecting some kind of response from her.
Nodding, she said, “I think so.”
“Anyway, she had a vision for this place, wanted to restore it to the way it used to be. It was built as a general store, and I dug up old blueprints and photos to make sure we got it right. I thought using the original counter would be a nice way to keep the old character in her new shop. It took a while, and when I was done, she insisted I get credit for it. Thanks to her, I’ve gotten some jobs restoring antiques for other folks in town.”
A man who saw value in old, broken-down things and enjoyed resurrecting them, she thought with a little smile. It was quite a departure from the bulldoze-the-past mentality so many people had these days. “So you’re not just a contractor. You’re a craftsman.”
“I’d like to be. There’s tons of old places along the East Coast that need to be saved. Bringing them back to life would be the best job ever.”
“Why don’t you do it?”
Annoyance clouded his expression, but blew away as quickly as it had surfaced. “Thomas and Sons is just me and my dad these days. Kitchens and roofs aren’t my idea of exciting, but they pay the bills. Without me—”
He shrugged, but she got the drift. He was staying here, forgoing his own dreams to help his father. It was a sweet, considerate thing to do, and she smiled in spite of herself. “That’s really great of you, staying to make sure his business keeps running well.”
“That’s what family’s all about, but thanks.”
His gaze warmed with the kind of male admiration she used to crave, but now it sent her skittering back from the counter. Lauren had learned the hard way that people weren’t always what they seem. Sometimes their true natures were buried beneath layers of deception, and by the time you dug deep enough to discover the truth, it was almost impossible to claw your way back out.
Determined not to repeat her mistakes, Lauren resolved to be pleasant to Ben but keep a respectable distance. “So, what can I help you with?”
Either he didn’t notice her sudden backpedaling routine, or he didn’t care. Whatever the reason, he sailed along without skipping a beat. “Julia called to say the puzzles I ordered for my niece’s birthday are here. I came to add a card so she can ship them to Detroit for me.”
“Ben!” Hurrying out front, Julia set the phone on the counter near the register and embraced him with enthusiasm. “I haven’t seen you in ages. How are things?”
“Fine. How ’bout you?”
“Crazy, with Easter next week and the wedding a month away.” Laughing as if chaos was her normal mode, she added,