Page 49 of A Secret in the Bay

“I’m torn between the Blue Hawaii and the mai tai. Maybe each of us could get one and we could taste each other’s?” Alissa suggested.

“Sure, let’s do that.”

They got to the front of the line and ordered their drinks. Alissa picked up the Blue Hawaii, its ocean blue color and little umbrella calling her name. She took a sip as they wandered away from the bar, lighting up. It was fruity and refreshing, just the right thing for the warm day. From the way Dane nodded, stirring his drink with his straw, he was pleased with it too.

“Oh, that’s really good,” Alissa said. “Taste!”

They swapped drinks and Alissa took the mai tai. It was just as good as the Blue Hawaii, sweet without being too cloying.

“We picked well.” Dane smiled and took his mai tai back. “We can always loop back around and get more.”

“True.” Alissa leaned over and took one more sip of the mai tai through the straw, even as Dane held it. “Let’s track down food.”

The rows of food vendors were overwhelming, even though Alissa knew of everyone who was selling food.

“Maybe skipping breakfast was a mistake,” Alissa said with a laugh. “I want to eat every single thing all at the same time.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.” Dane snorted, coming to a stop next to the first stand, which was serving pizza. “But I understand your desire to try.”

Alissa laughed. “Why don’t we do a round first before settling on something? Then we can share?”

Dane took her hand, smiling. “I get the feeling that we’d share food regardless of our plans, Miss ‘Can I Taste That’?”

She gasped in mock-offense, putting a hand to her chest. “What do you mean? I never, ever eat off of your plate at every single restaurant we go to.”

The couple laughed. Alissa was notorious for sneaking bites of Dane’s food, even if she claimed that she didn’t want any when they ordered. Dane had gotten used to it. It was just a part of their relationship at that point.

They held hands as they made a loop through the food area. All of the mouthwatering scents mingled together, drawing them from booth to booth like magnets. Dane made a note of all the places they wanted to go to on his phone, and when they got back to the beginning of their loop, they divided the list and conquered it. Alissa was tasked with getting Hawaiian pizza from Pauly’s Pizzas booth and sliders from The Crab’s.

She got the pizza first since she knew she’d linger around The Crab’s booth and talk to Hannah if she was free. The line for The Crab was long, as Alissa expected, but they had extra help today.

“Hey, Alissa!” Hannah said. Instead of wearing her usual t-shirt with The Crab’s logo on it plus denim shorts, she was in a pretty, long skirt and an off the shoulder top, a flower in her hair. She was off to the side, guiding people through the line.

“Hey! You look amazing,” Alissa said. “Not working the booth?”

“Nope. I have the rest of the luau to relax since I did all of the prepping and drove over here.” Hannah looked over her shoulder at her dad, who was manning the register. “I’m supposed to be meeting Luke in a bit.”

“Oh?” Alissa grinned and Hannah’s cheeks colored.

“Yeah. He asked me the other day.” Hannah adjusted the flower in her hair. “He’s really nice.”

“I’m glad you guys hit it off.” Alissa stepped forward in line. “What should I get for Dane and me? He’s fine with anything but I want to get him the best you have.”

“We have a sampler platter—definitely get that. It’s all of the sandwiches, burgers, and tacos we have in mini-form. If you cut each one in half, you can taste everything.”

“That sounds perfect. Thanks, Hannah!”

“No problem. See you on the dance floor later!” Hannah disappeared into the crowd.

Alissa ordered the sampler platter, which took up a whole tray filled with mini versions of the menu, and made her way to the picnic tables lining the beach. Dane was easy to spot, sitting at the table closest to the water. He was looking out onto the water, where people were surfing, unaware of her. Alissa took a second to study him, her heart fluttering. He really was handsome, especially like this: relaxed and happy, the small lines fanning out from his eyes slightly deeper because he had been smiling all day.

“I have about fifty different things to taste on this tray,” Alissa said, sliding the tray from The Crab onto the table, followed by the huge slice of pineapple and ham pizza.

“Wow, that’s more than I thought it would be,” Dane said. “Here’s the poke bowl and kalua pig.”

The two didn’t waste any time, digging into the food. Alissa started with the kalua pig, which practically melted in her mouth. Then she moved onto the poke bowl, which was all her favorite parts of sushi in an easy-to-eat bowl. The raw tuna tasted incredibly fresh, making the whole dish even better. Then came the sampler from The Crab, which Dane was already digging into.

“Start with the huli huli chicken sandwich,” Dane said, pointing to a sandwich he’d cut in half. “It’s amazing.”

---