The Truest Thing - Hart's Boardwalk

“Are you serious?” Dahlia asked.

“Yes.”

“But … but that’s like a thousand bucks’ worth of stuff.”

“Dahlia, why are you trying to talk the girl out of buying your jewelry?” Iris teased.

“Fine, fine. Thank you.” Dahlia held out her hand to me again and I shook it, even though I was sure my skin was the color of a lobster.

“I had a feeling Emery would make a great customer.” Bailey leaned against the table at my side as Dahlia gift wrapped all my selections. “You have a wonderful sense of style.”

“Thanks,” I muttered. I wasn’t very adept at accepting compliments either.

Frustration bubbled inside me at my inability to converse like a normal person. At my inability to feel comfortable in social situations.

I wanted to leave.

I wanted to take my new jewelry and leave so badly, it was a physical pain.

“Hey, Coop!”

I flinched at Bailey’s loud yell and kept my eyes trained on Dahlia as she worked.

Cooper Lawson made me nervous. Not as much as Jack did, but Jack made me nervous in a different way. Bizarrely, I actually liked the way Jack made me feel.

Cooper just made me want to hide behind my bookshelves.

He grimaced every time I blushed, which just made me blush harder out of sheer self-directed frustration.

I made him uncomfortable. He made me uncomfortable. Therefore, I preferred avoiding him.

And his catty little wife.

I did not like how Dana Lawson stared at Jack when she’d interrupted us in my store a few weeks ago. She’d looked at him with the possessiveness of a girlfriend, and that made me uneasy, considering she was his best friend’s wife.

Handing my credit card to Dahlia, I hoped to keep my back to Cooper but hearing his voice grow closer, I knew it would be unforgivably rude for me to do so.

Clasping tightly to the bag now weighed down by my exciting purchases, I stepped to the side of the stall and turned to look at the new additions.

Cooper was holding his nephew Joseph in his arms while his sister Cat stood at his side. I hadn’t been around for the gossip that spread through town when Catriona Lawson got pregnant. Iris told me all about it and what a tough time Cat had dealing with it. She’d been in college and returned home for summer vacation her junior year. Rumor was, she had a one-night stand with a tourist whose name she couldn’t even remember, and nine months later, Joseph “Joey” Cooper Lawson came along.

Watching Cooper dote on his three-year-old nephew was one reason I wished I could act like a normal person around him. Everyone seemed to love the guy, which meant he was probably a wonderful man.

But he was the kind of handsome that flustered me.

Cat shared Cooper’s coloring, and there was no denying the relation. She seemed equally uncomfortable in my presence.

As Bailey took Joey from Cooper’s arms and said something that made him giggle, I felt a rush of envy as the group chatted easily. Like always, I was an outsider.

Then Cat stepped forward and held out her hand. “It’s been awhile. I’m Cat, remember?”

It was nice of her to reintroduce herself, but it was also a terrible reminder that after two years of living in Hartwell, I’d had so few interactions with her.

Trying not to berate myself into an agitated puddle of mush, I shook her hand. “Emery.”

She gave me an uncomfortable smile. “Nice to see you here.”

“Emery just nearly bought out Dahlia’s entire store.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Cooper surprised me by offering a teasing smile.

I wanted to say something funny and cute in response. My brain tripped over itself trying to find the words, and an awkward silence prevailed.

Cooper cleared his throat and reached for Joey, taking him from Bailey’s arms. “Well, we said we’d meet Dana at some stall. She’s got her eye on a purse she likes.”

Everyone said goodbye, including Joey who kept yelling, “Bye, bye, Bail-Bail!” as Cooper carried him away. I felt awful for chasing them off.

I threw Iris a pleading look. Please let me leave.

She patted my arm in sympathy but gave a slight shake of her head and a “you can do this” expression. Iris, Bailey, and Dahlia chatted about the bands that were playing this year, and I tried to look like I was listening when really, I was plotting my escape.

As I glanced from them to the crowds enjoying the festival, my attention snagged on a particular someone.

Someone who made my heart beat fast.

At his height, Jack was easy to spot.

And he was talking to Cooper and holding Joey.

My stomach flipped at the sight of him holding Joey above his head and blowing raspberries on his tummy, making the toddler squeal with delighted laughter. He kicked out his legs, almost catching Jack on the chin.

“Well, if I wasn’t already in love with Tom, I’d be transferring my old crush on Cooper to Jack Devlin right about now,” Bailey said dryly, and I noted her eyes were on Jack too. “That man looks good with a kid in his arms.”