the seafront since he arrived.
He stilled, every hair on his body rising.
Marian’s Bonniest Bakery.
The bakery’s awning was pulled back, and its latticed, cottage-styled windows were unfettered by curtains or blinds. It looked homey, inviting...motherly.
He narrowed his eyes as adrenaline caused his heart rate to speed up.
He slowly straightened from the railing and walked forward as though pulled by an invisible rope. He barely glanced in either direction as he crossed the street.
Once he reached the other side, he flitted his study from the bakery’s name to its window. Over and over, he repeated the sequence, his mind scrambling. What were the chances his father’s birth mother owned this place?
He stepped closer to the window and curved his hands around his eyes as he tried to see inside. In the shadowed darkness, he saw pine tables and chairs, a few booths along the window and a counter in back. The place was a decent size, and a profound sense of welcome permeated its light-colored walls dotted with sketches of cupcakes and loaves of bread.
Jolting away, Mac turned and marched along the pavement, his fists clenched as trepidation unfurled inside him. In his mind, he’d purposely decided Marian Ball was someone who put herself first. A woman who had left her baby behind to seek an untethered life without husband or child to hamper her. That had been the easier scenario to carry until he learned the truth.
Templeton Cove might be small, but certain sections were high-end and expensive. So he’d envisioned her living out a wealthy retirement by the sea, heedless of her long-abandoned child trying to track her down.
As unfair as that might be, considering a woman’s limited choices almost fifty years ago, it helped Mac to bury his anger. He wanted to find Marian Ball and lay his father to rest. He hadn’t come here to find a grandmother he might like.
The bakery didn’t fit with any of his imaginings, and that scared him.
What if she was welcoming and warm? What if she’d had other kids and his father was mistaken?
He gritted his teeth, focusing on the pain of all he’d lost. The woman needed to know how her decisions had affected her son and, in turn, his children.
Yet, the enormity of what might happen next continued to badger him. He needed to think some more. Tomorrow he would come back here, order some breakfast, check out the locals and, of course, check out Marian and her bonniest bakery.
KATE PUSHED OPEN the door of the View and entered the chic art gallery.
Across the room, Izzy, her best friend and the gallery’s manager, stood in front of a painted landscape, her arms crossed and her head tilted in contemplation.
“Iz?”
“Mmm?”
Kate prodded her friend’s arm. “Hey.”
Izzy turned, her eyes glazed in obvious thought. “What do you think of this piece? I’m trying to decide if I like it or not.” She turned back to the painting. “Jay acquired it on one of his business trips. He loves it, but I’m not sure.”
Kate glanced at the painting and shrugged. “Sea, sand, sky. What’s not to like? Now...” She gripped Izzy’s arm and pulled her to one of the cushioned seats in the center of the gallery’s open floor plan. “We, me and you, have to figure out what we’re going to do about Mac Orman.”
Izzy frowned. “Who?”
“Mac. The guy I texted you about last night.”
Izzy raised her eyebrows as they sat. “What we’re going to do? You have noticed I’m working at the gallery full-time now, as well as trying to organize my wedding. Do you really think I have time to worry whether or not a mysterious stranger who just arrived in town is going to end up sleeping with my too highly strung, too much in need of sex, best friend?” Izzy sighed. “Sorry, my life’s far too busy right now.”
Kate feigned a glare and playfully swatted Izzy’s shoulder. “Are you actually trying not to laugh?”
“Of course not.”
Kate narrowed her eyes and nudged Izzy again. “Nothing about this guy, nothing about my text to you last night is funny. Absolutely nothing.”
Izzy’s blue eyes glinted with undisguised glee. “This is priceless.”
“What is?”
“You.”
Kate’s cheeks warmed with indignation. “Some friend you are.”
Izzy frowned, and when she spoke, her tone was less amused. “You need to calm down.” She searched Kate’s eyes. “My God, this guy has really gotten to you, hasn’t he? Just how good-looking is he?”
“He’s...he’s... Oh, damn it.” Kate slumped. “He’s hot. Really, really hot, but that doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy. He’s up to something. Something that can only mean bad news.”
“Just because some guy strolls into town and puts your knickers in a twist doesn’t mean he’s up to anything. Maybe you don’t trust him because he’s made you think about sex for the first time in far too many months.”
Kate huffed a laugh. “Ah, see? That’s where you’re wrong. I think about sex a lot. It’s the doing I haven’t done for months. That’s by the by. The point is, Mac admitted he’s in town looking for someone.”
“And?”
“And the look on his face, all chiseled jaw and flashing blue eyes, when he said it, told me that when he finds this unfortunate person, he isn’t going to give them a hug. No, siree. The man looked more likely to bite their head off and feed it to the seagulls.” Kate shook her head and pushed the curls from her cheeks. “I don’t like it. Not one bit.”
“But you like him.”
Did she? Even after a night of almost zero sleep and hours of thinking about Mac, she still wasn’t sure what to make of him. “Yes. No. I don’t know.” She stood and walked around the seat before facing Izzy once more. “I have no choice but to find out what he’s up to. What if my instinct’s right and someone we know is going to be upset by Mac’s arrival, or whatever it is he plans to do or say to this person? Won’t I be in some way culpable?”
“How?”
“Because I could’ve forewarned them. Maybe helped to smooth a few of Mac’s clearly ruffled feathers. You didn’t see his face. He’s up to something, and it doesn’t bode well.”
“But he’ll only see you as nosing into his business.”
“I’m not nosing, I’m concerned. For him and whoever he’s here to see.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Anyway, I’m trained for this sort of thing.”
“What
