Page 71 of Finding Forever
“He’d be happy wherever we lived, but Sunrise Bay is special. He’s found his home, and so have I.”
My heart was bursting with joy. From desperately wanting to leave Sunrise Bay as a teenager, my life had come full circle—and I couldn’t be happier.
fifty-one
RILEY
Two days later, Jonathan stood in the doorway of my cottage with a bunch of flowers in his hand. “Welcome home!”
I smiled. “Come in. How did you know we’re back?”
“Jenny. She said you were in the general store yesterday buying groceries. How was your sightseeing trip?”
Before we left, I’d told Jonathan I was going on a road trip with Eric and Alex. It wasn’t exactly a lie. It could almost be called the truth if you omitted the part about a stalker, a literary agent scaring the daylights out of me, and falling in love with my neighbor.
I filled a vase with water. “We had a great time driving around the lake. These flowers are amazing. Are they from your house?”
“They are. I love pottering in the garden. If you need any cuttings, let me know.” Jonathan sat on one of my kitchen stools. “Don’t keep me in suspense. How did it feel to spend lots of time with a New York Times bestselling author?”
“It was no different than spending time with Alex. They’re both nice people.”
“Nice?” Jonathan’s eyebrows shot up. “Alex might be nice, but Eric’s super sexy. Have you read his books?”
I’d practically lived and breathed his books for the last few weeks. I could probably recite each page of his first novel word for word.
“I’ve read them. They’re great.”
“Hmm. Anyone who’s sat beside Eric Lanigan for seven days and read his books wouldn’t say he was nice. What are you hiding?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I couldn’t hold back a smile.
“I knew it. You like him, don’t you?”
“Eric’s different from anyone else I’ve met.”
Jonathan beamed. “That’s because he’s swoon-a-licious.”
I laughed. “He’d go beet red if he heard you say that.”
“He’s a writer. He’d appreciate the effort it took to come up with such an interesting word.”
“While we’re talking about interesting words, I’ll make us a drink. Would you like coffee?”
“Sounds great.” Jonathan opened the bag he was carrying. “And because I’m such a good friend, I also brought shortbread cream cookies for us.”
I’d tasted Jonathan’s cookies before and they were delicious. “What have I done to deserve a friend like you?”
“We’re both lucky we met each other. So, tell me what you were really doing with Alex.”
I cleared my throat, hating the idea of lying to anyone, especially my friends. “We were sightseeing.”
“I don’t believe you. Jenny said a man’s been asking questions about you and Eric. You don’t think it’s the same person who broke into the cottage, do you?”
“I wouldn’t think so. Did Jenny say what he looked like?”
“No, but it seems like too big a coincidence.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to Jonathan. With Leith safely locked away, there wasn’t much that could go wrong. No judge or jury would release him after everything he’d done.