Bennett glanced around the temporarily empty Pumpkin Spice Café and then back at his sister, Jeanie. She flashed him her sweetest smile. ‘Please.’
‘I do actually have to work while I’m here, you know,’ he grumbled, but sat down, anyway. He was visiting Dream Harbor for a month, living in his sister’s apartment above the shop while she got settled at her new fiancé’s house, and he was staying to celebrate the holidays. But he did have to work. He’d set things up to work remotely for the next few weeks, which plenty of his other coworkers already did regularly, but Jeanie seemed to think he was on an extended vacation.
‘Just for a few minutes! Jeez, do they not give you coffee breaks at this job of yours?’
‘They do, but it’s the week after Thanksgiving. I have a lot to catch up on.’
‘Right. Computer-y work to do.’
He nearly opened his mouth to explain to his sister for the umpteenth time that he was a software engineer and that he wrote code for multiple online retailers, but he’d given up on that years ago. Probably around the time when she started telling people he was some kind of personal online shopper, for lack of a better explanation. “Computer-y work” was close enough.
‘So what did you do yesterday?’ Jeanie asked, in between sips of her coffee. Her new engagement ring glinted at him from one hand wrapped around her mug. Logan had proposed to her just before Thanksgiving, and Bennett had had to endure the two of them making heart eyes at each other for the entire seven-hour drive back here from Buffalo, where they’d all spent Thanksgiving with their parents. He’d been very thankful to have his own space when they arrived in Dream Harbor and to have a break from the lovebirds.
Logan was a good guy and Bennett was happy for them, but the ring was another little reminder of how epically bad his dating life had been lately. He couldn’t imagine going on a second date with most women he’d met, let alone commit to a lifetime together. Was long-term commitment a thing people even did anymore?
‘Slept in, took the dogs for a walk.’ He shrugged. ‘Nothing much.’
‘Where’d you take the dogs?’
‘The old Christmas-tree farm up on Spruce.’
Jeanie’s eyes widened. ‘Oh.’
‘Yeah, would have been nice if you’d mentioned the new owner.’
‘Sorry! I forgot all about it.’
Bennett leaned back in his chair remembering the woman he’d met in the fields yesterday. The woman who’d simultaneously greeted his dogs with such warmth and affection and frozen him out completely. Who looked like maybe she was in the middle of some kind of crisis but held herself like she was better than him. Who, when he offered her help, had made fun of him instead.
Yeah, he wasn’t a big fan of the new Christmas-tree farm owner. Despite how cute she’d looked all wrapped up in that blanket, and how bright her smile had been when she was petting his dogs.
Ben knew plenty of cute women and cute wasn’t worth the trouble. In fact, all cute had gotten him in the past few months was roped into helping a woman he just met move out of her ex’s apartment while the ex begged for forgiveness from the front porch; a second date with someone he met on a dating app that consisted of a quick drink and then her asking for a ride to the airport, which he gave her because what else was he supposed to do; and three separate women who all disliked dogs, one of whom seemed to have a strong dislike for animals in general. He’d seen her scowl at a bird.
The last thing he needed was another cute woman.
He was done with cute women.
‘Did you run into Kira?’ Jeanie asked, a guilty grimace on her face.
Bennett shook off the grim thoughts floating through his head and refocused on Jeanie. ‘If Kira is the hostile new owner, then yes, I met Kira.’
‘She’s…’ Jeanie paused, tapping her lip as she searched for a kinder word to describe Kira. She didn’t find one. ‘Yeah, she’s sort of hostile, but I think she’s probably got a soft spot somewhere. We just have to find it.’
‘I don’t have to find anything. I have to get back to work,’ he said, rising from his seat. Besides, he already knew what Kira, the hostile Christmas-tree farm owner’s soft spot was. He’d heard her croon sweet words to his dogs, her dark eyes lighting up at the sight of them. If the residents of Dream Harbor wanted to get on her good side, he imagined all they’d have to do is head up there with a basket of puppies and Kira would be putty in their hands.
But he had about zero percent interest in getting involved in town drama, of which he already knew too much, thanks to Jeanie. And even less interest in having Kira in his hands.
Jeanie frowned. ‘You work too much.’
‘Ha,’ Bennett scoffed. ‘Says the woman who runs her own successful business and is here all the time—which I’m very proud of you for, by the way.’
‘Thanks, Ben.’ Jeanie waved away his praise as she stood. ‘Oh! I have a great idea.’ Her eyes lit up in a way Bennett found to be incredibly ominous. ‘You should come to the town meeting tonight!’
‘I’m going to have to pass on local politics, but thanks, anyway.’
‘No, it’s fun. It’s a whole thing and you can meet my friends and then we all go out for drinks after. Please, Ben.’
‘Don’t look at me like that Jean Marie.’
‘Like what?’
Bennett sighed. He had never been very good at saying no, hence the moving services and airport rides he’d provided lately, but his sister made it particularly hard. ‘With those big eyes. You know exactly what you’re doing.’
‘It’ll be fun, I promise. And besides, aren’t you here to spend time with me? The loving sister you abandoned to live all the way on the other side of the country.’
‘Excuse me, you left Buffalo before I did.’ His sister still didn’t know the real reason he’d moved out to San Francisco after college, and he had no plans to fill her in.
Jeanie blinked. ‘Oh, right. I forgot. Whatever, just come, okay? It starts at seven.’
She brushed a quick kiss to his cheek before hurrying back behind the counter just as a group of retired folks in workout gear ambled in through the door.
‘How was your walk today? Chilly out there!’ He heard his sister chatting happily to her customers as he slipped away and up the back staircase to the apartment. He was greeted by three wagging tails and a pile of work to do.
And apparently, tonight he was attending the town meeting.
This wasn’t even close to a vacation, despite what his sister believed.
