TWO WEEKS LATER, the end of August was bearing down on them and the weather hadn’t let up one bit. Mary had gotten distracted in her cool storeroom that morning, sighing over the fall decorations she wouldn’t be able to put up in her shop window for another month at least. October couldn’t come soon enough for her. She was tired of underboob sweat. She was tired of her summer wardrobe. She was tired of having to eat her weight in fruit popsicles just to make sure she didn’t succumb to heatstroke.

She was also excited about weathering a new season with John. This summer had spanned on for years, it felt like. Though, so had her connection to John. They’d been together only a few weeks, not even a real month yet, but Mary felt like the strength and quality of their relationship was so much more substantial than that. She was anxious for time to catch up with her feelings.

She spent the day in her shop, relishing the air-conditioning and helping customers. Though the end of summer was usually a little slow retail-wise, she’d noticed a surge in customer interest since the break-in. Maybe the way she’d rearranged the shop was catching more eyes off the sidewalk, or maybe people who’d heard about the break-in were stopping by to see how things were going. Either way, Mary’s business was doing well enough that any second she wasn’t with John, she was busy in her shop.

Mary helped a customer choose between two sets of handblown glass tumblers and carefully wrapped and packaged them for him. She was dimly aware that he was an attractive man and that he was probably flirting with her, but her mind was elsewhere as she handed him his purchase and gave him a bright smile.

She noticed that his eyes had strayed to her left hand, a look of confusion on his face as she merrily sent him on his way. With a defeated shrug, he was gone.

When Mary looked over at the door, it was a double take. She was surprised to see John standing off to one side of her shop, just past the entrance, his eyes pinned to her.

Her insides turned to a slow-moving wildfire. She knew that look he was giving her. That was his I-know-what-Mary-looks-like-naked look.

Another customer with a question pulled her attention away, and it was ten more minutes before the shop was empty. Kylie was sorting through inventory in the back room, finally back on a regular work schedule post break-in.

John, hands in pockets, strolled quasi-casually over to her. She leaned across the counter to him, her elbows planted, and accepted a quick-hot sip of a kiss.

“What a lucky woman I am,” she told him easily, almost thoughtlessly. “To have such a broody, handsome boyfriend.”

She froze for a moment, shocked at herself.