Read Redemption Bay (Haven Point Book 2) (Contemporary Romance) for Free Online Page B

Thanks.”
    “If you need a hand off-loading from your trailer, my grandson Jake works at the marina,” Paul said. “Don’t let the earring fool you. He’ll treat your Delphine like a newborn babe.”
    Just once, she wished the residents of Haven Point weren’t so darn nice. This man had single-handedly turned a thriving community into a shadow of itself—but here was Ed, who had been directly impacted by Ben’s overnight decision to close the boatworks, giving him tips on the Delphine, for crying out loud, and Paul offering up his grandson’s help.
    Was she the only one willing to fight the good fight?
    “As I recall,” Ben said, “Serrano’s was always the best place in town for breakfast. Is that still the case?”
    “Sure enough,” Archie answered.
    “Try the Western omelet,” Paul said. “You can’t go wrong.”
    “I never met a Serrano’s pancake I didn’t like,” Archie said.
    Ben smiled. “Both sound good.”
    “Why don’t you take a seat at the bar and you can see for yourself?” Barbara said.
    “I prefer a table if you’ve got one free.”
    “Sure. I can swing that. Looks like a nice one just opened up by the front window. Just over there.”
    “I see it.”
    McKenzie glared at her friend. She would have thought Barbara, at least, would be on her side. Why give the man the best table in the house?
    “Menus are at the table and I’ll bring coffee in a minute.”
    “Thank you. Mayor Shaw. Can you join me for a moment? I need a quick word.”
    She could think of several words she would be happy to give him, free of charge, but she forced herself to remain calm.
    Out the window, she could see Rika, who looked perfectly content, flopped onto her belly in a small patch of sunlight, watching the cars go past on Lake Street. “I’m in a rush, but I can spare a moment.”
    She followed him to the booth, trying not to notice the broad shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist. It seemed wrong, somehow. He was a tech geek businessman, right? He ought to be pale, hunched over and asthmatic, not brimming with tanned athletic grace.
    An image popped into her mind of him that morning on his terrace wearing only those jeans, masculine and relaxed. She swallowed hard. She really needed to get out more. Her friends were always trying to set her up with a grandson here, a cousin there. Maybe she needed to stop fighting the would-be matchmakers and give in, once in a while.
    She slid into the booth across from him, noting the lovely view of the lake and the mountains from here. She never got tired of looking at those calming blue waters.
    “You’re an early riser,” he said.
    She felt that heat rising on her features again and was grateful again he couldn’t see her discomfort. “Wasting a beautiful June morning here is nothing short of criminal, as far as I’m concerned.”
    His mouth twitched a little. When he didn’t quite make it into a full-fledged smile, she told herself the little clutch in her stomach couldn’t possibly be disappointment. “Have you made a law against that, Mayor?”
    “Not yet. I’ll add it to the next town council agenda.” She refused to be drawn to him. Everyone else might roll over like Rika for a good long belly scratch, but not her.
    “I have to go open my store,” she said shortly. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
    “You want to know why I’m back in Haven Point. I thought about it overnight and decided it’s only fair to tell you.”
    Ah. Finally. “I agree. We have the right to know, especially if you’ve come to town to figure out some other way to drive our economy into the ground.”
    He frowned. “I’m beginning to find that accusation and your hostile attitude more than a little tiresome.”
    “I’m so sorry,” she said with a forced sweetness that made her teeth ache as if she’d just eaten an entire bag of that taffy she was thinking about earlier. “I guess something about you brings out the worst in me.”
Could be the