“Not me personally. No.” I fumbled with my wallet and pulled out a ten-dollar bill. “I just thought an ice-cream shop would be a great space for a town gathering. Who doesn’t love ice cream?” I grimaced. Substitute “ice cream” with “day drinking,” and you’d get the same speech I gave at Brothers.

“I thought you were a journalist writing a story about Pleasant Hollow.” The woman’s hands were now on her hips, and her eyes were shooting daggers at me.

“I am. I just thought Pleasant Hollow could benefit from more togetherness, especially with the new condos going up.”

She thrust my change and a bag with Finn’s ice cream into my hand. “Unless you plan to share how exactly you’d benefit by my holding these events, I think you should leave.”

The hostility was unexpected. Doreen and the cousins had at least humored me before stomping on my ideas like they were the butt of a lit cigarette.

I brought a shaky hand to my forehead. “Fine. In my story, Pleasant Hollow is supposed to be the sort of town where everyone knows each other and people do things together. And no one does anything here!”

I stopped and stared down at my feet. My heart pounded like there was a marching band in my chest. When all else failed, the truth could set me free, but the truth was I sounded like I’d lost my mind. Who was I to tell her how to run her store or to tell this town how to be better? I had no right to manipulate Pleasant Hollow for the purposes of a story. Finn had been too kind when he said my plan was ambitious. It was absurd and desperate. Worst of all, it had failed.

When it dawned on me that the shopkeeper hadn’t uttered any sort of response to my outburst, I slowly raised my head, afraid I’d be peering straight into the barrel of a shotgun. Thankfully, I was met with an expression of distaste and distrust, but no weapon. But that didn’t mean she hadn’t alerted the police or the town shrink when I wasn’t looking. It was time to go.

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” With that, I ran out of the store and back to the B&B.

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

I knocked twice and waited. Please be here. I had my hand poised to knock again when the door opened.

Finn grinned. “Hi there.” His face dropped. “What’s wrong? Things didn’t go well at your last stop?”

I pushed my way into his room. “I don’t want to talk about it.” I didn’t want to talk at all.

“How can I help?”

When I turned around, he was right there in front of me. Close enough to kiss. Too close not to kiss.

So I did.