Sara rolled her eyes. “Literally, half an hour. He’s in town visiting his mom and aunt.”
Rachel reached for the bakery box, but Sara batted her hand away. “Those are for the kids.”
“You didn’t bring an extra for me?”
Sara opened the box a bit, revealing Rachel’s favorite. A vanilla/chocolate swirl with strawberry icing. “Take it.”
“Aww, sis, you’re the best. Now spill the beans, and hurry before Grant comes over here.”
“There’s nothing to spill. Like I said, he’s in town visiting his mom and his aunt.”
Rachel peeled paper from the side of the cupcake. “Uh, huh. So I should completely ignore that tender moment I witnessed between the two of you?”
“Good grief, not you too. I already had Marie Jenkins at the library today trying to set me up with the junior high teacher.”
“I’m not trying to set you up. I’m saying there’s a spark between you and Grant. And you never have sparks with anyone.”
A flush crept up Sara’s cheeks. “That’s…that’s absurd. First of all, there’s no spark.”
“Trust me, sis, no man looks at you the way Grant does without there being a spark.”
Sara wasn’t touching that comment with a ten-foot pole. There was no winning the argument, even if she disagreed. Which she did. “And secondly, even if—and that’s a big if—I was going to date again, Grant Edwards is the last man I would pick.”
Rachel chewed her cupcake and nodded thoughtfully. “Oh yes. An extremely handsome Navy SEAL is every woman’s nightmare.”
She gaped at her sister. “He’s wrong for me in every way. He’s reckless.”
“Reformed. He’s a military man now. The navy doesn’t let them be reckless. Too many rules for that.”
Sara opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. Okay, Rachel had a point. Still…“He runs into dangerous situations.”
“To save lives,” her sister countered. “That makes Grant brave.”
“He’s spontaneous.”
“Adventurous.” Rachel pinned her with a look. “You could use a little adventure in your life. Some fun and a few dates wouldn’t hurt you. There’s no need to wear your widowhood and single-mother status like a shield.” She jutted her chin toward the field. “Don’t look now, but I think Grant has attracted some attention.”
Harmony Phillips stood next to the fence line. Her gaze was locked on Grant like a lion assessing its prey. A former cheerleader, Harmony had married the football star. They had two kids, one of which was Ben’s age, but unfortunately, the golden couple of Hidden Hollows High School didn’t last. The divorce had been finalized last year.
And from the looks of it, Harmony was on the prowl.
Sara suddenly wished she’d purchased an extra cupcake for herself. She dug through her purse for something with chocolate. “Why don’t the town busybodies find her a husband?”
Rachel barked out a laugh. “Do you really think she needs any help?”
No. Harmony was blonde, curvy, and vivacious. The former prom queen never lacked for admirers. Even Grant had dated Harmony for a while their junior year.
Sara yanked out a half-eaten bag of M&Ms from her purse. How long had they been there?
Out on the field, Harmony threw her arms around Grant. A burst of unexpected jealousy shot through Sara. She crumbled the bag of candies in her hand.
What was wrong with her? Grant was sinfully handsome. No doubt he had a trail of women following him wherever he went. He always had, and it’d never bothered Sara one bit before.
Rachel eyed her knowingly and took another bite of her cupcake.
Sara forced herself to loosen her hold on the candy. “I regret buying that cupcake for you now.”
Her sister smirked, taking another bite. “Too late.”
Down below, Grant disentangled himself from Harmony. They shared a few words, and the woman’s laugh carried on the wind. Harmony flipped her hair over her shoulder and placed a hand on Grant’s arm.
Oh, who cared how long the M&Ms had been in her bag? Sara opened them and dumped a bunch in her hand before tossing them into her mouth. She chewed furiously. The candy turned sour when Grant glanced in her direction. He headed up the bleachers, shaking the hands of a few neighbors that had recognized him.
Rachel tapped her arm, handing Sara a bottle of water with the cap already removed. She took a swig and started choking on the chocolate puddle in her throat.
A large hand landed on her back, giving her a solid whap. Sara swallowed. Tears stung her eyes, and she knew her face had to be bright red. Somewhere in the distance, above the roar of embarrassment in her ears and her coughs, she heard Rachel and Grant talking.
“Are you okay?” Grant rubbed Sara’s back.
His touch sent tingles running straight through her. This stupid attraction was extremely unsettling. Sara took another sip of water and swiped her cheeks. “Fine. I’m fine, thanks.”
“Listen, Coach Burns said his assistant is out sick today and asked if I would fill in.”
“That’s very nice of you, Grant.” Rachel handed him the bakery box of cupcakes. “Can you give these to the players once practice is over?”
“Sure thing. See you both after.”
He headed down the bleachers, and Sara couldn’t help but stare. The front of him was amazing, but the rear was something to behold. Grant’s shirt pulled along the muscles of his back. His soft jeans clung to his hips and—
“Oh yes,” Rachel interjected, cutting off Sara’s train of thought. “A hot Navy SEAL who is great with kids. Every. Woman’s. Worst. Nightmare.”
5 Sara
The next day, Sara wished she’d stayed in bed with the covers over her head. A bad morning had morphed into an awful afternoon.
She stopped outside the door leading to the mayor’s office to smooth a wrinkle in her skirt. Being called for an impromptu meeting with Mayor Stewart couldn’t be good, and nerves jittered in her stomach.
She took a deep
