Serenity Harbor

With more of that odd affinity, he sidled closer to Katrina, who gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. Sam is nice. She’s my very best friend in the whole wide world and has been since we were just a little older than you.”

After a moment, Milo handed over another twist-tie creation. Samantha Fremont blinked in surprise at it for a moment, then accepted it gingerly.

“Um. Thanks,” she said, clearly at sea.

Katrina tugged her away.

“We have to go. We’re going to be late for a party. It was nice to meet you, Milo.”

She hadn’t said it was nice to meet him. Bowie told himself not to be disappointed by the omission.

“Think about it,” he said.

“I gave you my answer, Mr. Callahan. I won’t change my mind.”

As she walked away with her friend, he had to hope she was wrong about that. If not, he wasn’t sure how he would survive the next three weeks until the autism specialist could arrive.

* * *

KATRINA’S SHOULDER BLADES itched as she walked away from Bowie and Milo, and she was certain if she turned around, she would find one—or possibly both—of them watching after her.

This was what happened to women who didn’t mind their own business. They ended up having to turn down outrageous job offers they couldn’t for a moment actually be considering.

Sam waited only until they had headed for the checkout line before questions burst out of her. “What was that all about? What are you supposed to think about?”

“Nothing. That looks like the shortest line.” She headed for the checkout line closest to the door, waving at one of her mother’s friends as she went.

“It didn’t seem like nothing.” Sam gave a short laugh that didn’t sound entirely amused. She shook her head. “I turn my back for five minutes to pick up my mom’s blood pressure medication and come back to find you chatting with the hottest guy in town. I should have expected it. Good to see some things don’t change. You’re still the same flirty Kat.”

She wasn’t. The last year had changed her profoundly, in ways she couldn’t begin to explain to Sam.

“Did he ask you out?” Samantha’s voice had a strangely careful quality to it as she started pulling items out of the cart and setting them on the belt.

“No!” Katrina exclaimed, more sharply than she meant to. “No. It wasn’t like that at all. He’s looking for a temporary caregiver for his younger brother. That’s all.”

“Like a babysitter?”

“More like a nanny, I guess.”

“I still can’t believe that’s his brother, though I suppose they do look alike.”

Katrina wasn’t sure she completely agreed. They had the same color hair and eyes, though the boy’s skin was a shade or two darker and his mouth was different.

Not that she noticed.

“He seemed like a cute kid, though I don’t know what this is about.” Sam dangled the little twist-tie sculpture Milo had made for her.

“It’s a penguin. Can’t you tell?”

“No. Apparently you have to have an elementary education degree to fully appreciate the artistry.”

“Apparently.”

“No wonder the man wants you to be his kid brother’s nanny. You’re perfect for it—even though he only met you five minutes ago.”

She was still reeling from the dollar signs that had temporarily danced in front of her gaze when he mentioned the amount he was willing to pay. That would more than pay the rest of her legal costs in Colombia from her grasping attorney.

“I said the same thing. He knows absolutely nothing about me, yet he wants to hand over his brother to me.”

“How did all that happen in the five minutes I was at the pharmacy?”

She replayed the conversation in her head and still couldn’t quite make sense of it. “Milo is on the autism spectrum. He was in the middle of a meltdown in the middle of the produce aisle over some grapes. I was somehow able to divert his attention, and now Bowie Callahan apparently thinks I’m some kind of miracle worker. Anne Sullivan to Milo’s Helen Keller. It’s ridiculous, really.”

But twelve thousand dollars. How could she turn it down?

“You’re not taking the job?”

“I’m only here for a few weeks. I don’t want to spend my whole time taking care of some rich guy’s brother who has autism, no matter how cute he is. The brother, I mean.”

“Are you kidding? You should totally take the job. I would jump at the chance to work for Bowie Callahan.”

“Too bad he’s not in the market to hire a personal shopper or something. Especially one who specializes in women’s fashions.”

“If he needed my particular skills, I would figure out a way. I’m not the only one. Half the women in town are in love with the man. When Eppie and Hazel saw him for the first time, I was afraid they would go straight into cardiac arrest.”

Yet another reason she didn’t want to take the job. She’d had enough of good-looking men to last her a lifetime.

She had learned her lesson well after what happened in South America with that idiot Carter Ross.

“You’re totally going to do it. I can see you wavering.”

“I’m not,” she protested.

Before Sam could argue, the shopper ahead of them picked up his receipt and bag from the checker and it was their turn.

“Hey, Katrina!” The checker, an older woman with unnaturally blond hair and nicotine-stained teeth, beamed at her. “I thought that was you when you first came in earlier. My line was backed up and I didn’t have time to come find you to say hello.”

Her smile felt tight and forced. She genuinely liked Filene Harding, but their encounters were always a bit awkward. Katrina had dated Filene’s son a few times in high school, and Filene always acted as if they had a much closer bond than Katrina thought.

“Hi, Filene. How are you?”

“Good. Good. How are you, hon? I heard you’ve been in Mexico or some crazy thing like that.”

“Colombia, actually. A little village about an hour from Barranquilla.”

Filene didn’t seem to care about the details. “You know, it’s the funniest thing that you came in today. I was just looking at a picture of you at the prom with my Bryan the other day. You two were so cute together! I always thought so. I’ll have to tell him you’re back in town.”

Bryan Harding had been renowned for his octopus hands in high school. Once she figured that out after the second date, she tried her best to avoid the guy. “How is Bryan these days?” she asked to be polite, then could have kicked herself for encouraging the woman.