“Oh, it’s Brenden’s. The booth for the inn is always a big draw. His chef, Addison, has been baking for days to prepare.”

The way they’re both smiling at me now is weird.

“You do a lot for him, don’t you?” Grant asks.

Crap.

“No, I, uh...” That’s exactly the kind of thing Brenden doesn’t want them to think. He wants them to think he’s capable of doing things on his own. Which he is.

“It’s obvious you really care about him,” Elise says.

Oh. Maybe my instinct to help him reveals more about my feelings for him than his capabilities.

“It’s clear how much you care about May too,” she goes on. “And May adores you. She speaks very highly of you. We’re glad Brenden found such a good man.”

Are my ears turning red? They feel hot. I’m not used to people singing my praises.

“I care about them both a lot,” I admit, ducking my head. “But believe me, I’m lucky Brenden even looked my way. He’s so... warm. And charming. He could have anyone he wanted.”

“And he wants you,” Grant says. “So that says something about you.”

Okay, my ears must be red. Probably my cheeks too.

But Brenden doesn’t want me. Not in the way I want him to. He might want my body for now, but he doesn’t want all of me. My anti-social tendencies and general attitude don’t make good boyfriend material.

I’ve just been putting on a nice show for the grandparents.

“So what are you two up to today?” I ask, not so smoothly changing the subject. Both to save myself from further embarrassment, and before any of the town gossips walk by and overhear anything they shouldn’t.

“We’re simply wandering, looking for something to keep us occupied,” Elise tells me. “We passed by the yoga studio, but I’m not sure that’s for us. And the art supply store was doing ceramic painting. It’s such a nice day, though. Seems a shame to spend it inside.”

“Have you checked out Shaw Family Farms?”

She tilts her head questioningly.

“They always have stuff going on over there. You can pick your own fruit, and there’s a small store where they sell all kinds of jams and things.”

Elise turns to Grant. “That sounds familiar.”

He nods. “We’ve been there before. But it’s probably been at least twenty years.”

That doesn’t make sense. “You were here that long ago? Before Brenden and May moved to town?”

When Elise smiles, it’s small, almost sad. “We used to come for family vacations with our daughter.”