Free Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne Page B

since he’s been deployed overseas. Jamie is a pilot and he’s thinking about getting out of the military and maybe taking a job flying Caine Tech execs around.”
    â€œOh. That would be nice for Aidan, to have his brother working with him.” If Andie could keep Eliza talking, maybe her friend would forget to ask the favor Andie was very much afraid she didn’t want to hear.
    â€œIt would be great. The thing is, Jamie doesn’t know anybody in Haven Point except us and he’s used to a pretty active social life.”
    By that, Andie inferred Aidan’s brother was a player. This just kept getting better and better. She wanted to get up and walk to the other side of the room, but she had a feeling Eliza might protest if she kidnapped cute little Liam.
    â€œSo here’s the thing,” Eliza finally said slowly, “I was wondering if you might be interested in showing Jamie around town a little, maybe go to the movies with him or up to the dinner theater in Shelter Springs.”
    She let out a breath as her somersaulting stomach started rolling with wild abandon. “I, um...” she began, then stopped, not sure what to say.
    â€œIf you’re worried about the kids, Aidan and I would be happy to have Will and Chloe hang out with Maddie at Snow Angel Cove anytime and I know she would love having friends over.”
    Oh, this was awkward. She treasured her friendship with Aidan and Eliza—and his company was her biggest client. How could she possibly refuse in a graceful way?
    Yet how could she possibly agree?
    â€œWhy me?” she finally said.
    Eliza gave a sheepish sort of smile. “I thought it might be good for both of you. Jamie is charming and sweet and very kindhearted. He might seem a little on the shallow side, but he’s really not. He’s been through a rough time lately and could use a friend, someone different from the kind of girls he usually dates.”
    He definitely sounded like a player—exactly the sort of guy she had always tried to avoid.
    â€œYou, on the other hand, can be entirely too serious and you don’t take nearly enough time for yourself,” Eliza went on. “We thought maybe a few dates with someone sweet and funny and gorgeous like Jamie might be good for you.”
    â€œWho is we ?” she asked. She couldn’t imagine Aidan had anything to do with this. If it wasn’t a computer screen or his beloved family, Aidan had a hard time focusing.
    Eliza’s smile was more than sheepish this time. “A few of us. Wyn and McKenzie and Meg,” she said, confirming Andie’s worst suspicions. “When I mentioned that Jamie was coming to stay for a while and I wanted to set him up with exactly the right person, your name was the first one that came to mind.”
    â€œHow could I be the right person for anyone ?” she murmured, unable to meet her friend’s gaze. “You know I’m a hot mess.”
    â€œOh, honey,” Eliza exclaimed. “You are not. You’re not .”
    She squeezed Andie’s shoulder. “You’ve had a terrible time of things, a truly terrible time, none of which was your fault. You deserve to be happy, and I thought— we thought—that after everything you’ve been through, you could use a little fun in your life.”
    Oh, how she wished she could have come to Haven Point and left her past completely behind her. She drew in a breath, wishing also that she could find a corner somewhere and just hug this sweet, innocent baby until all the ugliness of the world faded into insignificance.
    She couldn’t. This summer, she had learned that when a person tried to run and hide from her problems, they eventually grew out of control and tried to swallow her whole.
    â€œIt’s really kind of you to think of me, but...I’m not ready yet, you know?”
    â€œAre you sure?”
    â€œPositive.”
    Eliza studied her for a long