Page 10 of The Waiter at Table 6

“Yeah. I’m probably missing a huge life experience by never moving away from my hometown, but I’ve always loved this place too much to ever want to leave.”

“I don’t blame you, I love the beach,” she says with a happy sigh. “Moving down here was such a good decision.”

The joy in her voice makes me smile. “Yeah? Why’s that?”

“It’s just so peaceful here,” she says. “I mean, there’s a reason people vacation in small beach towns. Living here full-time sounds like literal paradise.”

“Say that again after you’ve experienced the Fourth of July chaos as a resident,” I grumble.

Her laugh rings out, the warm summer air swallowing the sound before I can get enough of it.

“So, our humble little beach town has treated you well so far?” I ask around a tight throat.

When her smile brightens, I have to shove my hands in my pockets so I don’t reach for her.

“Very well,” she answers. “It’s only been two weeks, but spending my days lying on a beach with a good book and eating incredible food has made my problems basically nonexistent.”

“Definitely paradise,” I agree.

“Although, I haven’t really done much else. It’s just been so long since I’ve been out of the city.” She turns to look at me, though we’re still walking in slow, even strides. It hits me that we’ve walked enough that there are fewer people on the beach around us now. “What do people like to do for fun around here?”

“Lots of things. Beach, carnival. There’s your classic mini golf, for which there are approximately seventeen thousand locations to choose from. My mom really likes to do sunrise yoga on the pier. And my nieces and nephews never miss a Tuesday night movie on the beach.”

That piques her interest. “They do movies on the beach?”

“They’re usually kids’ movies, but yeah. They have a huge projector down near Pier 12. It’s a really cozy setup.”

“That sounds so fun,” she says wistfully. Then she turns to look at me. “What do you like to do around here?”

“Me? I’m a big watersports guy.”

“Shocker,” she mumbles.

My lip twitches with amusement. “I detect a bit of sarcasm, Vanessa. Why’s that?”

She startles when she realizes she said that out loud. The moon is bright enough tonight that I can still make out the pink on her cheeks. Her gesture toward my body is jerky as she explains, “I mean…it’s obvious you’re athletic.”

I have to fight like hell not to let my grin take over my whole face. “I was hoping you were checking me out at the restaurant.”

She laughs breathily. “Don’t act like you don’t know you’re attractive.”

“Knowing it and hearing a beautiful woman say it out loud are two very different things.”

Another blush, this time paired with a smile.

I wonder how many more of those I can get out of her tonight.

“So, what kind of watersports?” she asks.

I sense her distraction tactic but answer anyway. “Jet skis. Parasailing. I especially love surfing, though the waves around here aren’t the greatest.”

Her eyes are wide when she turns toward me. “Parasailing? That sounds terrifying.”

“It just feels like flying.”

“Exactly. Terrifying.”

I chuckle at that. “Are you a watersports kind of girl, Vanessa?”

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