I VIBRATED with anticipation as Wyatt drove through the streets of Queen’s Cove. Beside me he stretched out, one hand on the wheel and one arm propped on the door. He was wearing a dark green button-up shirt, a step up from the t-shirts and wetsuits I’d seen him in before, and sunglasses perched on his nose. He had swiped some product into his hair.
He was gorgeous. There was something about the way he held himself, like he was so comfortable in his body. Like he knew how hot he was. And maybe he knew how hot I thought he was.
I paused and peered at my reflection in the car’s side mirror. I looked pretty tonight. My hair seemed brighter from the sun. I wore mascara and a brush of highlighter, had rubbed a tinted gloss onto my lips, and I felt pretty. This sparkling dress put a spotlight on me, and a corner of my consciousness wanted to panic, crouch down behind something and hide, but I needed to do the dress justice. Twice, I had tried it on before taking it off, talking myself in and out of wearing it. People would think I was too dressed up. People would wonder where we were going. People would make comments.
I remembered Thérèse’s words to me when she gave me the dress.
What if people look at me? I had asked.
So let them look, she had told me with a shrug.
Tonight, I would let them look.
Besides, Wyatt’s heated gaze when I opened the door made any self-consciousness worth it. The skin on the back of my neck prickled and I smiled at the shops we drove past.
“Where are we going tonight?” I asked.
One side of that cruel mouth hitched with his grin and he wiggled his eyebrows. “It’s a surprise, but first, we have to make a stop.”
He turned down the Main Street toward the bookstore. The green storefront drew my eye immediately.
“Did you forget something there?”
He shook his head and parked in front of the store. “Come on.” He jogged around the car before opening the door and pulling me out. His hands came to my shoulders, he made me face the alley, and my breath caught when I saw it.
“Oh, wow.”
Naya had finished the mural. It was even better than the sketches. I pressed my hand to my mouth, blinking hard.
A story for every soul.
I nodded to myself, swallowing past the lump in my throat, blinking away the tears in my eyes. “Sorry,” I laughed, wiping my eyes. “Don’t know why I get so emotional when I see this thing.”
Wyatt’s arm wrapped around me. “Because it’s a big deal.”
I nodded and we stood there, staring up at it. “Yeah. It is.”
He pressed a kiss to my temple and I closed my eyes, drinking this moment in when everything was right and happy. The mural wouldn’t bring my mom back, but it was as close as I’d ever get.
Wyatt’s warm hand came to my lower back and he gave me a gentle push forward. “Go ahead.” He pulled his phone out. “I want to get a picture of you.”
I skipped over to the mural and craned my neck up at it. My smile reached from ear to ear. I glanced over at Wyatt as he snapped a picture. The phone came to his side and he tilted his head at me.
“Get enough pictures?” I asked with a grin.
“One moment.” His gaze rested on me, memorizing me. “Okay. Yeah.”
I was the luckiest woman in the world, and I’d love Wyatt Rhodes until the day I died.
“I THINK I’m too full to have a drink,” I told Wyatt as he ushered me through the door of the bar.
“Too full, even for champagne?” He shot me a cocky grin and I laughed, turned to find an empty table, and froze.
Every person in the bar stared at me. Jaws were on the floor and beers hovered inches from mouths.
I took a deep breath and pulled myself up to my full height. Thérèse wouldn’t shrink. My mom wouldn’t. Neither would I. Wyatt’s hand came to my lower back and the tension in me eased a notch.
Right. This was fine. It wouldn’t kill me for people to stare.
“Grab a seat and I’ll get us some drinks.” His breath tickled my ear as he murmured the words, and then he dropped a quick kiss on my cheek before giving my butt a playful tap.
Well, if they weren’t staring before, they sure were now.
My face heated but I zeroed in on an empty table off to the side and I took a seat there. My hands itched to pull out my phone and mindlessly scroll but I resisted, clasping them together in my lap and tentatively taking in my surroundings.
A group of young women sat at the table beside me, sipping drinks and whispering, sending me side glances. My stomach clenched up. Were they whispering about me? I took another deep breath. I wouldn’t wilt. Not tonight. Tonight, I was going to have fun. For me, but also for Wyatt. I didn’t want him to play the role of my mentor or teacher tonight. Tonight, he was my…
Boyfriend?
My stomach fluttered at the thought.
In the bar, I caught the eye of one of the women at the next table before I quickly looked away. They were in their early twenties.
“Your dress is really pretty.” She had long black hair that cascaded down her back in curls.
I glanced over at her. They were all smiling at me.
Another one of them nodded eagerly. “Super pretty. I wish I had the confidence to wear that.”
I gave her a tentative smile. “Oh, I’m not—” I broke off and shifted in my seat. “Are you on vacation?”
“We’re from Seattle.” The third woman sipped her drink and played with the little paper umbrella. “This town is so cool, we love it.”
“You’re so lucky to live here.” The fourth one leaned her chin on her palm and gazed at me with a dreamy expression. “It’s like a TV show.”
“Oh,” I laughed. “Sometimes, I guess. But yes, I’m lucky to live here.”
“Did you grow up here?”
I nodded and told them about the town, about the funny festivals we had and about my bookstore.
“Oh my god, Pemberley Books is your store?” The dark-haired woman’s eyes widened and she gestured to her friend. “Tasha showed us the mural photos. We were going to go see it tomorrow.”
“It’s so cool that you sell romance,” Tasha added quietly. She rolled her eyes at herself. “I mean, I know they’re dumb.”
I held a hand up to stop her. “They’re not dumb, they’re awesome. Things aren’t dumb because women like them.”
The women blinked at me and I realized how forcefully I had said the last part.
“You are so right,” Umbrella Drink said. “It’s like when my coworkers make fun of me for drinking pumpkin spice lattes. Like, just let me like them.”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
Something behind me caught their gazes and their mouths dropped open. I turned as Wyatt set two drinks on the table and slipped into the seat across from me.
“Thanks.” Both of our drinks were pink with salt rims. “What’s this?” I licked the rim and his gaze dropped to my tongue.
“Paloma,” he said, still staring at my mouth. “Grapefruit and tequila.”
“It’s good, thank you.”
Out of the corner of my eye, the table beside me sat very still and stared at each other. I held back my laugh and gestured to them.
“Wyatt, meet my new friends. They’re visiting from Seattle.”
They all turned with big bright smiles and chorused their hellos.
“And I’m Hannah,” I said to them.
They introduced themselves—the dark-haired woman was Shima, Umbrella Drink was Cassidy, and the other two were Harneet and Tasha.
“We saw you at the surf shop yesterday.” Was Harneet blushing? “We booked a lesson for tomorrow.”
Wyatt nodded and smiled at them, listening as they talked while sending me little amused glances.
Movement in the corner of the bar caught my eye. Olivia was setting up a microphone.
“Oh, it’s karaoke night.” I wiggled in my seat and gave Wyatt an excited smile. “My favorite.”
He winked. “I know.”
“They do karaoke here?” Tasha interjected. “Are you freaking serious? I love this place!”
Cassidy clutched her hands together in excitement. “We have to put our names down. Are we doing a group song?”
“Of course we are.” Shima pulled out a paper from her purse. “Start thinking of songs and I’ll grab a pen from the bartender.”
Wyatt turned to me and lifted his eyebrows. “What do you say, bookworm? Is tonight your night?”
I nearly choked on my drink. “No. No, no. I don’t think so.”
He didn’t push it, he just shrugged. “Okay.” His gaze dropped to my mouth, and he reached out and brushed the corner of my mouth with his thumb. I shivered. His gray eyes darkened. He pulled his thumb back and sucked on it. “You had a bit of salt on your lip.”
Maybe we didn’t need to stay for karaoke night. We could go straight home, I could yank this dress off, and Wyatt could rub the part of me that was thrumming between my legs right now until I gasped his name against his chest.
Maybe we could finally have sex tonight. Maybe he wouldn’t hold back on me.
I watched him, nodded without a word, gaze locked with his.
He winked at me and I pressed my legs together.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” He leaned forward on his elbows, his voice low. “I’ve been thinking about doing terrible, terrible things to you since you opened the door.”
Oh my god. We were so having sex tonight. My insides somersaulted. His words made my blood thick, turning warmer and slower and more languid.
“Uh huh.” My voice was soft and my thoughts floated in the air around my head. Swooning? I think this was what swooning was. I had always read about it but had never experienced this light-headed, floaty deliriousness like I did with Wyatt. “I would like that.”
A wolfish look came over his features before he took a sip of his drink. “Lots of time for that later, bookworm. For now, you have fun.” He smirked.
I slid my foot so that it rested against his. We watched each other for a moment.
The door of the bar burst open and Miri Yang appeared in the doorway, chest heaving for air like she had run here. Her head whipped around as she surveyed the bar, eyes narrowed, before she spotted us and her eyes widened.
Wyatt shifted and surveyed our two nearly full drinks. “I’m going to get us some more drinks.”
I put my hand out to stop him. “No, Wyatt, don’t leave me here—”
He shot me a teasing glance, walked away, and Miri rushed into his seat.
“Hannah Nielsen, as I live and breathe.”
“You’re breathing really hard. Did you run here?” I raised an eyebrow at her.
She waved my words away with a scoff. “Run? God, no. Someone texted me that it was karaoke night.” She nodded. “Yeah. That.”
I narrowed my eyes at her with suspicion but a grin crept onto my face.
Miri thrived on juicy gossip. It was her life force. And she was here for another hit of the good stuff.
“So.” She gave me a sweet smile but hunger lurked behind her eyes. “I heard you and Wyatt went camping.”
I groaned and put my face in my hands. “Straight to it, huh?”
Her eyes sparkled. “Are you two an item?”
“No. We’re—” I sucked a breath through my teeth, scrambling. “Surfing. He’s teaching me how to surf.”
Somewhere in heaven, my mom laughed at how obvious the lie was.
Miri blinked. “Sweetheart.” Her tone was skeptical.
I squirmed in my chair.
“Miri, please stop interrogating my girlfriend.” Wyatt towered over the table with two new salt-rimmed drinks and a smirk.
Girlfriend? My stomach rolled forward.
“Girlfriend,” she breathed, biting her lip. She stood quickly to give Wyatt his seat. “Girlfriend,” she repeated to herself before glancing between us with delight. “Very well. Carry on.” She turned on her heel and practically skipped over to a table where her husband, Scott, sat.
“You’ve created a monster,” I told Wyatt. “She’s going to be disappointed when you leave.”
My heart stopped as I realized what I said. Wyatt and I stared at each other for a moment, his mouth slightly parted at the acknowledgement of him leaving soon if he placed well at Pacific Rim.
“I mean…” I trailed off. I had nothing.
“I’m going to miss Miri, too,” he said, and the side of his mouth lifted in a sad smile.
My heart clawed up my throat and I heaved in a breath, letting it out as a sigh.
Just as I started to like a guy, he was going to leave.
He put his hand on mine. “I want to talk to you about something.”
My heart lifted. “Okay.”
“Alright, drunks of Queen’s Cove!” Joe crowed into the microphone and a laugh bubbled out of me as the bar patrons cheered. “Are you ready to sing your hearts out?”
Another big cheer, half of it coming from the table of women beside us. A big smile stretched over my face and I glanced over at Wyatt, easing back into his chair and stretching out.
“We’ll talk later.” His eyes sparked with amusement.
“Tonight is not just karaoke night, folks,” Joe continued. “It’s Queen’s Cove’s fourteenth annual karaoke sing-off.” A round of cheers rose up. “As always, the winner gets to take home the terrifying and unhygienic Toilet Paper Princess Patty.” He reached out and Olivia handed him a doll with an unfortunate haircut. The doll’s skirt stretched around a toilet paper roll and it had those unsettling eyes that blinked. “This creepy doll has been in my family’s bathrooms for generations and the winner gets to take care of her until next year’s competition.”
Every year, the doll changed hands based on who won the sing-off. The winner had to kiss the doll on the lips in front of everyone, because it was tradition.
“So, Queen’s Cove, I have a question for you,” Joe said. “Are you ready?”
Another round of cheers and applause rose up as Joe waved the doll in the air.
The first singer stepped up and belted out a pitchy version of Seal’s ‘Kiss from a Rose.’ The bar didn’t care that the grocery store owner couldn’t sing. They fed off his enthusiasm, clapping and hollering and cheering him on. They gave the next singer the same warm welcome, and the next. The group of women from the table beside us sang Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’ and got a standing ovation. They returned to their table with bright eyes and flushed cheeks and something sweet and sharp panged in my chest at their happiness.
I thought about Div and his drag show, how fearless and confident he was. How he was afraid but had no regrets.
“I’ll be right back,” I told Wyatt, slipping out of my seat. He brushed my arm as I passed, a brief gesture that sent sparks up my arm and emboldened me further. I exchanged a few words with Joe and returned to my seat.
Wyatt quirked a curious brow and I bit back a smile.
“You’re up to something, bookworm.”
I nodded, smiling wider. “I am. It’s the dress.” I gestured down at it, the sequins catching and reflecting the light. “It makes me bolder.”
“It makes you fucking radiant,” he bit out, a hungry look passing through his eyes.
Girlfriend, he had said. As sweet as it was, it pinched in my chest. Girlfriend until next week? Girlfriend until he got on a plane?
I shoved the thoughts out of my head. Tonight was my night. I could worry tomorrow.
“Folks, it’s time for the last song of the night,” Joe’s voice boomed, “Hannah Nielsen’s singing ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls!”
“Oh, shiiiiit!” a guy I went to high school with called from the back. “Fuck yes! I love that song!”
Wyatt’s eyebrows shot way up with delight. “Yeah?”
I shook my head and took a deep breath. Nerves rattled my ribcage and my hands shook. “Yeah. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready, but I’m going to go for it.”
He winked. “Good girl. I’ll be here.”
As I passed, he pulled me down and gave me a hard kiss in front of everyone. The table of women beside us lost their minds and I flushed with pride. Wyatt was mine, even if it was just for now.
People clapped and beamed at me as I walked up to the microphone.
My heart thudded in my chest. Joe handed me the mic and I stepped into place. People could probably see the sequins flickering with light as my chest pounded against them. I swallowed and my throat went tight. Everyone watched. My gaze snagged on Avery, leaning against the bar. She must have just slipped in. She gave me a wide-eyed, beaming grin and thumbs up and I nodded and sucked in another deep breath.
Holy shit. Everyone was staring at me.
Also, I was a terrible singer. Like, awful.
Holy shit.
“Umm…” I said into the mic. “So I’m going to sing a Spice Girls song. Some of you may know that I like them.”
The bar burst into laughter and I frowned.
“We are aware,” someone said in a dry tone.
Oh. They weren’t laughing at me. I played Spice Girls all the time in the store. Of course they knew I liked them. Right. I let out a light laugh.
At our table, Wyatt was watching with an amused, proud expression.
I wanted to be worthy of his pride, and I also wanted to be worthy of my own pride. My mom flickered into my head, so full of life and joy and passion.
Okay. The smile creeped up my face, into my eyes as they crinkled, and I nodded at the bar. At all these people who knew me, and some new faces, like the group of women.
“Yeah, Hannah! Wooooo!” one of them—Shima, I think—screamed and a bunch of new cheers erupted.
“Okay, so, here goes.” My voice was shaky.
The opening bars of the song played and a rush of fuck it energy whistled through my blood. I had heard this song a thousand times and like every other time, it filled me with excitement, energy, and of course, girl power.
I began singing with the music, not even needing to look at the screen with the lyrics. I knew this song by heart. The lyrics flowed out of my mouth. My head bobbed with the beat. I took a few steps. I made eye contact with people and they cheered me on. I was worthy of wearing this dress up here. I was good enough. I was fun enough. I had a terrible singing voice but people cheered and clapped. Olivia turned up the volume so loud, the roof was going to blow off the place. When I held the mic out for one of the later choruses, half the bar sang with me. My face hurt from smiling.
I was doing it. I was that hot girl, confident and carefree.
My gaze returned to Wyatt, leaning forward, chin on his palm, watching me with a look of pure adoration. My heart somersaulted.
I finished the song and the place exploded. I winced from the noise but couldn’t stop laughing and grinning. My heart raced in my chest, my hands shook, and I waited for the embarrassment to set in, but it never showed up.
If my mom were here, she’d be on her feet, laughing with me.
The group of women beside our table screamed their heads off.
Joe took the mic from me and I stepped off the stage, high-fiving people along the way back to my chair.
“Give it up for one of our own, Hannah!”
Another round of cheers rose up.
“Alright, folks, Hannah was the last singer for tonight.” His voice boomed across the sound system and everyone fell quiet. I reached the table and Wyatt pulled me into his arms.
“You did it, bookworm,” he whispered into my hair.
I nodded and grinned into his chest. He didn’t let go, so I shifted to see the stage while leaning against his warmth.
“We judge the karaoke championship against a rigorous set of criteria,” Joe continued, “including song choice, dance moves, and overall stage presence.” He paused for effect. “The winner of the Queen’s Cove karaoke sing-off is… Hannah Nielsen!”
Another explosion of cheers. Over at the bar, Olivia rang the loud bell and the clanging only revved everyone up more. Wyatt squeezed me and laughed with me before he pressed a hard kiss to my mouth.
“Go on.” He tilted his chin to the stage.
“Yeah, Hannah!” The women beside us were chanting, clapping and beaming. “You killed it!”
I walked back up to the stage and accepted the terrifying toilet paper doll from Joe before turning to the crowd and holding it up high in the air to show them.
“You know what to do, Hannah,” he said into the mic and everyone laughed. “Toilet Paper Princess Patty awaits.”
I made a kissy face and held the doll up to my mouth as Olivia snapped an instant photo. A flash went off the second the doll’s plastic mouth touched mine and I blinked.
“She’s yours for the year. Don’t lose her, please.”
I shook my head at him. “I won’t. I’ll keep her in the bookstore behind a case.”
Back at my table, I slipped into my seat as Miri appeared.
“Hannah! Look at you.” She wrapped me in a tight hug. “I don’t even know who you are anymore.”
My throat choked with happiness. I couldn’t stop smiling. Wyatt watched me with an amused grin.
“Huddle up,” Miri directed, gesturing between Wyatt and me. “I want to get a photo of you two.”
Wyatt grabbed my hand and pulled me into his lap. His arms wrapped around me from behind and he pressed another kiss to my temple. Miri took a few shots on her phone before pausing to admire them. She put a hand to her chest with a wistful expression before she returned to her table.
I moved to stand up but Wyatt held me firm.
“Oh my god, you were amazing!” Shima yelled. Empty glasses littered their table and their faces were flushed. They all nodded with enthusiasm.
I beamed back at them. “It was fun.”
I didn’t know what I was so worried about, singing karaoke. No one had cared if I couldn’t sing. Karaoke was about looking stupid and loving it. I sighed and settled further into Wyatt’s chest.
People came up to say hello to us, to congratulate us and chat about my store or Wyatt’s surf shop. At one point, I yawned, and Wyatt squeezed my arm.
“You want to go home?”
I nodded. Home. When he said it like that, it hit me right in the heart. Wyatt’s house was home and I had been there a week. How could I go back to my place now?
Something passed through our gaze. The green of his shirt made his gray eyes pop, and his gaze turned hungry as it dropped to my mouth. My face was hot. I was hyperaware of where I touched him, where his hands gripped me.
“Wyatt, you’re gorgeous,” I told him with a small smile.
This should be the part where I normally reminded myself that Wyatt wasn’t my type. That he wasn’t forever-material. That he didn’t want something long-term, that he didn’t want something to tie him down to Queen’s Cove when he might be leaving in a few weeks.
I couldn’t remember any good, concrete reasons why Wyatt wasn’t my type.
“You’re the only guy who’s ever made me feel like this.” The words slipped out and my breath caught. A hint of panic hit my bloodstream and I swallowed, watching Wyatt’s face carefully.
These past few months, I had grown, but I had also grown around him. Not far from town, there was a forest trail where someone left a bike against a tree decades ago, and the tree had grown around it. They were one now. There was no cutting them apart without destroying the bike or killing the tree.
My heart clutched hard. That was like Wyatt and me. He was part of me now.
Wyatt nodded, watching me with a funny expression on his face. Sad, almost. “I want to be the right guy for you.” His hand rubbed up my back to touch my hair.
“Once we get home,” I bit my lip and his gaze flared. Heat pulsed between my legs. “You can give me another lesson.”
Hunger passed through his eyes and he nodded slowly. His hand gripped my waist. “Let’s go.”
