Seaside Romance. Mia Ross

it off. “She’s the boss.”

      “Yeah, that’s what her fiancé says, too.” He chuckled. “Never figured he’d let someone take over his life that way, but he seems really happy.”

      “So does Julia,” Lauren said. Not long ago, she’d been adept at mingling and making small talk with people she’d just met. Now, though, it terrified her to even try. Just one more thing she had to overcome, she groused silently.

      Apparently, her discomfort was pretty obvious, because Ben leaned across the counter with a sympathetic expression. “This map-dot town’s not exactly what you’re used to, huh?”

      Thankful that he hadn’t guessed the true source of her shyness, she shook her head. “It’s nice, though. It was so pretty driving in past the lighthouse and seeing the village spread out over the coast that way. With all these old buildings and houses, it feels like it’s been here forever.”

      “Founded on Christmas Day, 1820,” he confirmed. “That’s where the name came from, and some of the original families are still here. I imagine they’ll still be around a hundred years from now.”

      She caught a hint of disapproval in his tone, and the light in his eyes dimmed slightly. “You make that sound like a bad thing.”

      “When you stay in one place too long, you stagnate, like a pond. Life needs to move from one place to another like the tide, to keep things interesting.”

      Just then, Julia returned with Ben’s package, wrapped in festive birthday paper and topped with a poufy pink bow.

      “Looks great. Thanks.”

      Taking it from her, he handed over his credit card and easily shifted to a conversation about her upcoming wedding. He politely included Lauren, but she was only half listening. Instead, her mind was churning around his very down-to-earth philosophy on how to avoid a stagnant life. Maybe that was what she needed, Lauren mused while she rang up his purchase. A fresh start, with a few waves for variety.

      The problem was, while it sounded appealing, she knew she wasn’t ready for anything quite that ambitious yet. Right now, she needed a safe harbor. Eventually, once she regained all the parts of her she’d lost over the past year, she could think about venturing a little farther from shore.

      A voice came from the phone, and Julia cradled it against her shoulder. “T-o-y-l-a-n-d,” she spelled in the perfect diction Lauren had always admired. “The label says, T-o-y-l-a-n-e. Yes, I’ll hold.”

      Rolling her eyes, she smiled at him. “I hope your niece likes them.”

      “Yeah, me, too.” He winked at Lauren as she returned his card. “You know how girls are. They say they want one thing when they really want something else.”

      She knew he was joking, but the comment struck her the wrong way, and she glared up at him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

      Her scolding had no effect on him whatsoever, and he gave her a maddening grin. “My mistake.”

      The other line rang, and Lauren picked up the handset. “Toyland, this is Lauren. May I help you?” After a moment, she said, “Okay. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

      Still on hold, Julia gave her a questioning look.

      “The sandwich and cookie trays you ordered for the Easter egg coloring party are ready at the bakery. They’re taking up a lot of space in the cooler, so they’d like us to get them ASAP.”

      “Oh, no! I forgot all about them. The first set of kids and their parents will be here in half an hour.” Julia cast a pleading look at Ben. “The platters aren’t heavy, but there’s three of them, and they’re huge. Could you possibly help us out?”

      Us? Considering the inexplicable reaction she’d had to him earlier, Lauren knew she shouldn’t spend any more time with the friendly contractor than absolutely necessary. “I can manage, Julia. It’s not that far, so I’ll just make an extra trip.”

      “No need for that,” he assured her with a you-can-count-on-me grin. “I’m always glad to lend a pretty lady a hand.”

      His open admiration of her was both flattering and terrifying, and Lauren swallowed hard to get control of both emotions before she blurted out something inappropriate. “All right, thanks.”

      Lame but safe, she decided as they headed for the door. Outside on the sidewalk, he paused between the two large display windows she’d rearranged that morning. “Very nice,” he approved with a nod. “If I was a kid, they’d make me want to go inside and see what else is in there.”

      “That was the idea.”

      Clearly surprised, he turned to look at her. “Wait, you did this?”

      “The Stantons are in London,” she explained, “and they called early this morning to talk to Julia about the wedding. She likes to redo the windows every Monday but wasn’t going to have time. Since she was busy, I thought I’d take a shot at decorating.”

      “Great job.”

      His unexpected praise settled nicely over Lauren’s badly bruised ego, and she took a minute to admire her handiwork. One window held all manner of Easter things: baskets, stuffed animals and a sampling of the unique toys the shop kept in stock. The other window framed a miniature version of Holiday Harbor, complete with early nineteenth-century buildings and gardens. In the model town square, tiny children held even tinier baskets filled with packing pellets that resembled eggs.

      Even in still life, it was so charming, Lauren easily understood why Julia had chosen to settle here. Maybe someday, she thought wistfully, she’d find a place like this where she could restart her life.

      “You okay?” Ben asked, hauling her back to reality.

      “Sure.” To prove it, she met his concerned gaze with a steady one of her own. With his solid frame and weathered appearance, he made her think of a tree sturdy enough to weather a good old-fashioned hurricane. Pushing the fanciful impression aside, she asked, “Why?”

      “You sighed.” As if he’d just caught on, he gave her a wry grin. “You want to handle this errand yourself, don’t you? So Julia will know you can manage running the shop while she’s gone?”

      That wasn’t quite it, but she’d just met him and confessing that he made her irrationally nervous didn’t seem like the right way to go. “No, it’s fine. Really,” she added with a smile to smooth out the creases in his forehead.

      “If you’re sure.” When she nodded, he motioned her ahead of him. “Then ladies first.”

      More than once, he’d referred to her as a lady. Not only that, she mused as she started walking, he actually made her feel like one. She couldn’t recall the last time someone had done that for her, and despite her lingering misgivings, she had to admit she liked it.

      * * *

      Lauren Foster was like a Thoroughbred, Ben quickly realized. Beautiful to look at but skittish as anything.

      Dressed in conservative gray trousers and a navy blouse, she appeared to be ready for work in an office somewhere. When she turned her head to look across the street, he noticed the way her ponytail caught the sunlight in a cascade of honey-gold curls. It was an intriguing contradiction to the all-business outfit, more suited to a picnic than a job indoors.

      Women usually took to him right away, so her standoffish manner baffled him. Then again, he amended as they strolled along, maybe it wasn’t him. The idea that someone in her past had done something to make her so timid riled his protective nature, and he had to remind himself it was none of his business. She was Julia’s friend, nothing more. Still, he wouldn’t mind getting to know her better, figure out what was going on behind those amazing blue eyes.

      “Isn’t that the church in Julia’s model village?” Lauren asked, pointing to the old-fashioned white chapel tucked into the town square.

      “The