Home for Hanukkah by Rebecca Crowley

Author:Rebecca Crowley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781958686065
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2022-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

The Miracle Market was hopping. Customers crammed the shop, the steady din of talking and laughter underscored by the constant beep of the cash register. Tonight’s food vendor was a Jewish Puerto Rican woman just getting her business off the ground, and the sumptuous scents of toasted coconut and caramelized plantains wafted into the store whenever someone opened the door to the courtyard—which seemed to be once a minute. She’d enlisted Jessica to serve as the primary drinks dispenser, yet even with the extra pair of hands Noa found herself dashing back and forth from the kitchen, pouring coffee, carrying empty mugs, replenishing napkins, and frequently pausing to admire the completed craft a child hoisted for her approval.

She was a hummingbird in a hurricane, the thick, roiling clouds pierced by a single beam of light that centered her, reassured her, and drew her perilously close.

Zach.

He’d barely moved from behind the register all night, yet the way he consumed her thoughts, he might as well have been stalking her around the room. Her gaze snagged on him no matter how hard she tried to look elsewhere, and at times she could swear she felt him looking at her, his attention a warm, comfortable weight that settled over her shoulders like a cozy blanket.

Somehow he managed to avoid her covert glances in his direction, turning away just as she looked over—though not always fast enough to conceal the blatant longing in his expression.

She knew that’s what it was, because she felt exactly the same.

And that’s why she knew she’d made the right decision yesterday—even if keeping her distance from Zach felt all wrong.

Last night he’d invaded her dreams the way she needed to prevent him from invading her life—relentlessly, until his soft lips and softer hair and intoxicating, exhilarating scent overwhelmed her. She’d gotten a glimpse beneath the self-assured smile and helium-filled ideas, touched the hard planes of his chest, tasted the inside of his talented mouth, and she wanted more.

She wanted it all, she thought glumly as she carried an armful of empty mugs into the kitchen. She wanted that long, lean body pressed against hers when she woke up in the morning. She wanted to bask in his energy as they worked side by side, plucking his high-flying thoughts from the sky and planting them in reality. She wanted him to smile knowingly at her in the bathroom mirror before they went to bed, and fall asleep with his arm heavy on her waist, looking forward to doing it all again the next day.

But it wouldn’t be like that, would it? Zach didn’t want to work in a main-street boutique for the rest of his days, and although the last couple of nights of the market had gone well, the slow start meant keeping Second Chance open required nothing short of a miracle.

Difficult though it was, she’d made the right decision. She couldn’t crack the door to Zach, because he wouldn’t just stick his foot over the threshold. He’d throw it wide open, and she’d welcome him into every nook and cranny of her life—of her heart.

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