Because as the judges were allowed in the building to start their judging, Hannah had to make sure everything was arranged outside for the jelly bean relay. What he had to say to her would have to wait…for now.

Chapter Twenty-three

The day was moving along quickly.

Perhaps too quickly.

For the most part, Hannah had loved the day. She frowned as she recalled the run-in with Agnes, but she refused to let that woman ruin this day. As Hannah glanced around at all of the people enjoying themselves, the smile tugged at her lips.

After the egg-decorating contest, they’d paused for lunch. The main part of the meal was catered by Hamming It Up Deli while the sides and desserts were all covered dishes prepared by the townsfolk. It was quite a delicious array of food.

But as good as it looked, Hannah only nibbled here and there. Her stomach was tied up in knots. She told herself it was the stress over finishing the bakery, but the truth was she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Ethan.

Her gaze settled on him as he spoke with his parents. He was so handsome. A dreamy sigh escaped her lips. He was nothing like her ex. Sure he might have gotten excited at the estate sale and overstepped, but once they’d talked it out, he respected her position and she realized his action had been well-intended.

She’d explained to Ethan that she needed to have a say in things and not be taken care of. He’d heard her. In fact, he consulted her a lot about the bakery—even about some of the minor things she didn’t care so much about, like width of the trim work.

And somewhere along the way, he’d crept past the wall of her heart. All of the excuses she’d come up with to keep him at arm’s length were failing her now. Because he’d shown her that he was someone she could count on—someone who saw her as an equal.

“A penny for your thoughts,” Josie said.

“A penny? Seriously?” Hannah dramatically rolled her eyes. “With inflation, I wouldn’t give away one thought for anything less than a dollar.” And then she sent Josie a playful smile.

“Well, you certainly are in a good mood.”

“You know what? I am.”

“And I know what, or should I say who, has you in such a good mood.” Josie sent her a knowing look.

“I wasn’t thinking about Ethan.” But the heat warming her cheeks was a dead giveaway.

“Are you going to tell him how you feel?”

Hannah shook her head. “There’s nothing to tell.”

“I don’t even think you believe that.”

“But he’s leaving at the end of this weekend—”

“Maybe not. Maybe he just needs a reason to stay.” And without another word, Josie walked away.

It wasn’t the first time she’d heard that advice. Were Josie and Lily comparing notes? Or was it what they’d each observed? And were they right?

If she told him how she felt, would he stay? He certainly seemed happy in Bluestar. The island was one of those places where it was easy to fit in.