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The pay for that few hours wouldn’t be much, but it would help. Shaye had the money from the sale of her parents’ house, plus her own savings. Only working a few hours a day would give her time to explore the town.

“You interested?” the woman asked.

“I am.”

“Then let me get the boss down here.”

She picked up a phone and pressed a couple of buttons. Seconds later she said, “I have someone here who wants to apply to work the cart. Uh-huh. Yes, I told her that.”

She put down the phone and smiled. “Toby will be right with you.”

Toby. Lawson had mentioned him. He was the owner and founder of the company. Suddenly nervous, she wiped her hands on her jeans, then turned when a tall, blond-haired man walked out into the front of the store. He smiled at Shaye.

“I’m Toby Newkirk.”

“Shaye Harper.”

He waved her in. “Come on back and we’ll talk about the job.”

Toby reiterated the hours and the short-term nature of the job.

“This is the store’s first summer, so we’re new to the food-cart scene,” he said. “I have no idea if you’ll be overwhelmed with customers or will have nothing to do.” He smiled. “You’ll be paid either way.”

She laughed. “I appreciate I’m not on commission. And I am interested, but I have a weird question to ask.”

His brows rose, but he didn’t speak.

“I’m not from here. In fact I’m moving to Seattle, so this is kind of a pit stop for me. I like the town and think it would be fun to stay for the month, but I don’t have anywhere to live and a hotel would be too expensive.”

“You’d never find a hotel room,” he told her. “Wishing Tree is a popular tourist destination. All the hotels, motels and cabins are booked months in advance.”

Her heart sank. So much for staying through Christmas in July.

He took out his phone. “Just this morning my grandmother mentioned a friend of hers has a room for rent. If you’d be interested in that, I can find out if it’s still available.”

“That would be great,” she said eagerly. “As long as the owner is okay with a month-long rental.”

“I’ll ask.”

Thirty minutes later Shaye had filled out a job application and been given the contact information for the room rental. Kathy Vieira was expecting her. If she rented the room, Shaye was going to call Toby and tell him she was taking the job. If not, she would be on her way to Seattle. So either way, she had a plan.

Only as she walked to her truck, she knew what she really wanted was to stay. Not because she’d met a cute guy but because there was something about the town. She could do with a month of unexpected events and odd traditions. And if, in the meantime, she got to know Lawson better, well, that was just a bonus.

Lawson focused on the vegetables he was chopping. His days off were usually Sunday and Monday, and he often spent at least one of them helping his sister, when he could. She was eight months pregnant, with two little ones underfoot. Yesterday, the Fourth of July, had been an all-day event, with friends and family at the park. Everyone had stayed up late for fireworks. Both kids were tired today, and tired meant cranky. If he could help with a little meal prep, he was happy to do it.

At some point he was going to move out of the apartment above the garage and into something of his own. He was still debating buying a house. He wanted his own place, but he was cautious about making the commitment. In part because the down payment would eat into his savings, and he was still on track to buy the auto shop in four years and eight months.

His other worry about buying a house was the woman he hoped to one day have in his life. He wanted them to make the decision together. Choosing a house was an important time in a couple’s life, and he felt there could be problems if he already had one she might not have picked herself.

Not that his future life partner was anything but a vague hope at this point. He was open to finding someone. He was looking forward to making a commitment, getting married and raising a family. The only problem seemed to be the lack of someone special. So far she didn’t seem to exist.

Or if she did exist, she wasn’t interested in sticking around.

“You’re looking serious about something,” Adien said, walking into the kitchen, her hand rubbing the small of her back.

“Nothing that matters.”

“I doubt that. Tell me.”