“No, dear.” She smiled. “Drive carefully.”
He glanced at his mother’s home. With any luck, she’d agree to go to treatment within the next couple of days, and he’d leave Hidden Hollows.
This time for good.
3 Grant
Late afternoon sunlight glinted off the shops lining Main Street. Not much had changed in Hidden Hollows as far as Grant could tell. The diner, the craft store, and the bakery were all where he remembered them ten years ago. The movie theater had gotten a facelift but retained its original features. Betty’s Hair Hut had changed to Hailey’s Hair Hut.
Small Town, USA. Time moved slower here.
It was comforting and pinching at the same time. Like an old favorite shoe that didn’t fit anymore. Probably because he wasn’t the same. After close to a decade in the military and numerous deployments, Grant barely recognized the reckless, ambitious eighteen-year-old that blasted out of town determined to make his own path in the world.
Now…now he felt every one of his twenty-eight years.
He turned off Main Street and circled around to a side street leading to the library parking lot. The only vehicle in the lot was a Honda Civic. Sara’s? He pulled up next to it, and a smile tugged at his lips. A stuffed goat dangled from a chain on the rearview mirror. Definitely Sara’s vehicle. She’d always had a thing for baby goats. Well, goats in general, but especially baby ones.
He exited the SUV. The temperature was dropping with the sun, but Grant didn’t have a light jacket to ward against the chill. It didn’t matter. He was used to roughing it.
He jogged to the library doors. Locked. He cupped his hands over the glass but couldn’t see much inside. Chances were, Sara was working late since her car was in the parking lot.
The logical thing to do would be to delay seeing her until tomorrow, but Grant was already here. Aunt Suzie’s warning rang in his ears. He didn’t want Sara finding out from someone else he was in town. Besides, when Grant started something, he saw it through to the end.
There was another entrance on Main Street. Maybe those doors were open. Grant jogged on the sidewalk, taking a sharp turn at the corner of the building, and ran smack into someone.
Not someone. A woman. Sara.
She yelped, and a box flew from her hands. It smashed to the asphalt before Grant could catch it. Sara stumbled backward in her high heels, pinwheeling her arms to catch herself before she hit the ground as well, but the weight of the giant purse on her shoulder made it impossible.
His hands shot out, closing around her trim waist. Grant kept his grip firm enough to stop her momentum but was careful not to hurt her. Sara’s hands instinctively landed on his biceps. Her hair flew into her face, a riot of golden curls the same shade as the sun streaking across the desert in the Middle East.
“I’m sorry, Sara. I was hoping to run into you, but not literally. Are you okay?”
She lifted her face, tossing the curls out of her eyes. Sara blinked. And blinked again, as if she was seeing a mirage. “Grant?”
He grinned. “Last time I checked.”
The confusion melted from her expression, and her eyes lit up as her beautiful lips spread into a broad smile. Grant’s breath caught. Man, she was gorgeous. All that hair, a smattering of faint freckles across her nose, and when she smiled…it was like a punch to the solar plexus.
She rose on her tiptoes and hugged him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Welcome home.”
He embraced her back, his heart thumping against his chest so loud Grant was sure Sara could hear it. The scent of her shampoo, or maybe her perfume, curved around him. It was floral and feminine, but not overpowering. She smelled like springtime.
Her hug was meant to be friendly—Sara had never seen him as anything other than a friend—but for half a second, Grant allowed himself to hope for something deeper.
So much for long-forgotten feelings.
Cool your jets, Edwards.
He released Sara, taking a step back. He refused to meet her eyes in case some of his emotions were reflected there. If Sara was anything like her teenage self, she was intuitive, and Grant was out of practice with hiding his attraction.
Instead, his gaze went to the box lying on the ground. The contents were smashed, a variety of colors stark against the black asphalt. “I ruined your…cake?”
“Cupcakes.” She bent to retrieve one, and her purse thumped as it hit the ground. She tossed a cupcake into the damaged box. “Ben has baseball practice tonight, and they were for the teammates.”
“Did you get them from the bakery down the street?” He scooped up the box, glancing at the name across the top. Yep. The sweets were from Born and Bread. “Let me replace them.”
She rose. “No, it’s not necessary—”
“I insist.” He tossed the box in the nearby dumpster. “It’ll give us a chance to catch up anyway. Unless, you’re in a hurry?”
“I have time.” Sara hauled her purse over her shoulder.
Grant’s mouth twitched. “Headed to Siberia?”
She laughed, light and musical, as a flush tinged her cheeks. “You would think so with all the stuff I haul around. No, having a five-year-old means I have several toys in my purse at all times. Along with snacks and a bottle of water.”
“How is Ben?”
“Good. He started kindergarten this year. Loves his teacher.”
Sara started walking, and Grant fell into step beside her. He was careful to keep an appropriate distance between them. “Aunt Suzie mentioned you’re the head librarian now. Congrats. Sara, your grandmother would be so proud.”
“Thanks. It’s been more work than I expected, and there are some challenges, but I’m happy to have a job that carries on Nana’s legacy. When did you get into town?”
“A few hours ago. The first stop was to see my mom and aunt.”
“Of course. They must be thrilled
