One minute you're at the top of your game, and the next, you receive a hit that knocks your skates out from underneath you.
Still reeling after an unexpected loss, Ryan Nyberg not only finds himself back in his beachside hometown of Neptune Bay, bu...
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Running late—which was unusual for me—I pedaled faster. Coming up on Wilma's, I veered my bike quickly to the back of the building, jumped off, and rushed around to the front door. June was manning the counter, finishing up with the only customer in the store, and as they turned to head to the exit, I shot them a quick smile while scurrying around the counter.
"Sorry I'm late," I said once the customer left, slightly out of breath as I tied my apron quickly. "My dad's appointment—"
"Don't even worry about it," she replied, cutting off my excuse. "I get it. And besides, you're like half an hour late and you texted me to let me know. Not a big deal. Nothing went colossally wrong in your absence."
I rolled my eyes and knocked my hip against hers. "Still. What if the lunch rush had started earlier than usual today? You would've been all alone."
"But it didn't," she pointed out. "Plus, I would've handled it."
Before I could agree that I knew she would've been fine dealing with a rush by herself—that I did trust her, I just felt bad about leaving her in the lurch—the bell to the door dinged and in walked Ryan and Bowen.
The latter beamed when he saw me, running up to the counter. "Hi Miss. Montgomery," he chirped happily.
"Hi Bowen," I replied, noticing how June took the opportunity to slip into the back. "What are you up to today?"
"We went canoeing this morning! I helped paddle and everything," he boasted, puffing his chest out.
"You did, eh?" Flicking my eyes over to Ryan quickly, who was grabbing a few things from the stocked aisles, and met his gaze as he shook his head subtly to signal that while Bowen may have thought he'd lent a hand, he hadn't really. "That must've been fun."
"It was. I love the water."
"Then you're definitely living in the right town," I mused. "But is there anything I can help you guys with?"
"Uncle Ryan is just getting spaghetti and meatballs for dinner," Bowen replied, and almost immediately, his eyes grew wide with an idea. "Do you like spaghetti?" he asked before quickly turning his head to Ryan, who walked up behind him and laid the ingredients on the counter. "Can Miss. Montgomery come over for dinner?"
"Oh," Ryan said, taken aback by his nephew's request, bringing one hand up to rub the back of his neck. He didn't appear to be completely put off by the idea, but rather apologetic that I'd been put on the spot. "I'm sure she has plans already, kid."
Bowen turned back to face me, his excitement deflated, and while I did appreciate Ryan giving me an easy out as he shot me an apologetic look, it didn't feel right to say no. "Actually," I said, ringing up the food, "I don't have anything all that interesting planned for tonight, unless you count relaxing on the sofa with a good book." My lips quirked upward. "I shut this place down around six, so if you're okay with waiting to eat until after that...?"
