She had no idea what to say to that. Before she could respond, Hazel asked Mike about some history trivia for a school project she was working on. He turned to her and joked that he was not old enough to be the town historian, but of course, he knew the answer. He explained at length that the Hilman House in Rendezvous Falls had two front doors because it was owned by two sisters who’d had a falling out in the early 1900s. They’d inherited the house together, but divided it right down the middle after their feud, keeping everything identical on either side.

When he finished, he told Hazel she’d dropped ice cream on her shirt. When she looked down, he bopped her nose with his finger. He’d been doing that joke for years, and Hazel laughed just like she had every other time he did it. Zoey hoped her daughter would hold on to that childish delight in things, even as she moved into teenhood. And she hoped Hazel would always have just Mike in her life to make her laugh so hard she snorted, like she was doing right now. Everyone needed a pal like that.

I wasn’t saying it as a friend...

There’s a good chance your platonic friend may be thinking differently...

Her plastic spoon fell into her bowl, but Mike and Hazel were too busy stealing each other’s ice cream to notice. Had Mason been right about Mike? Was he looking for more than friendship? Her pulse quickened. What would that be like? She studied his profile. It’s not as if she’d never noticed how good-looking he was—tall and lean, with that chestnut hair that never wanted to behave and those chestnut eyes that shone with happiness when he was with her. That mouth, with the lips that would surely feel strong and warm on hers... She stabbed at her sundae with her spoon, banishing that thought.

What about their friendship? She felt a quick surge of panic. She couldn’t afford to lose his friendship. Not now. Hopefully not ever. And if they did kiss or...anything...then their friendship would be forever changed. Maybe it would be worth the risk, but what if it wasn’t? They’d always laughed that they were living proof that men and women really could be platonic friends. Why mess with something that special?

Besides, she was just speculating on his feelings. Even if he did feel differently toward her, he hadn’t acted on it. Hadn’t talked about it. Maybe he’d already decided it wouldn’t be worth the risk to their friendship. Maybe she’d imagined it all. Just because she was all made up and put together, that didn’t mean Mike McKinnon was going to suddenly swoon over her. She wouldn’t want him to.