Page 104 of Beach Vibes

Because she wasn’t struggling anymore. She was, in fact, thriving. She was happy. For the first time in at least a couple of years, she knew what she wanted, and she had things to look forward to.

She looked at her brother, who was watching her cautiously, as if not sure what was going to happen next.

“You need to buy the takeout,” she told him.

“Okay. Are you on Zelle?” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I can send you the money right now.”

She held in a laugh. “No. That’s not what I mean. Next time you need to be the one to stop and buy our dinner.”

“Sure. I’ll go wherever you want. Next time I’ll text you and set up dinner, and then I’ll pick it up and bring it to you.”

“Thank you.”

“Damn,” he said as he shook his head. “Relationships are complicated.”

“Sometimes.”

He looked at her. “You want to have dinner with Teddy and Jana? The four of us. Like a double date?”

“That would be fun. Yes, I would.”

He pulled out his phone and quickly texted. “I’m asking Jana about it right now. We can get something set up for this weekend.” His good-natured smile returned. “I won’t be on call.”

She got up and collected her phone from her bag. “I’ll ask Teddy.”

Rick grinned. “See, this is good. We can be a team.”

“We can.”

Later, when she was home, she thought about the evening with her brother. She was glad she’d spoken up and so grateful that he’d responded as he had. She wasn’t sure what had spurred her to confront him, but she knew that conversation was long overdue. Some of the problem was her accepting what had always been, and some of it was how clueless he was. And maybe, she admitted, if only to herself, Rick was a little bit lazy. She’d always looked out for him. Most people liked being taken care of. Why would he change on his own?

But he’d gotten her point, and she felt better for making it. These days she felt better about a lot of things.

She reached for her phone and read through the text exchange she’d had with Teddy. He was looking forward to their double date on Saturday. Afterwards, he was going to come home with her. Dex would stay with the kids until Jana got home. Beth was both nervous and excited about having Teddy stay the night. Agatha had promised to keep to her room, then had offered to make cinnamon rolls in the morning. Beth wasn’t sure about her aunt and Teddy chit-chatting over sugar and coffee, but why not?

It was all so good, she thought happily. This time, this man. There was so much promise. She wasn’t sure if she believed in “the one,” but she had a feeling that of all the men in the world, he was one of the very few she could love for the rest of her life.

* * *

The customer flow at Surf Sandwiches on weekends had a different rhythm than on the weekdays. There was less of a lunch rush, and more of a steady stream of customers. Large to-go orders started piling up at about ten as families planned their days and decided to get sandwiches to take with them. This Saturday they’d had two catering jobs for backyard pre-graduation parties. Beth and Yolanda had started an hour early to get all the food prepped.The warm, sunny day promised lots of beachgoers, which was good news for her business.

A little after one, Beth saw a familiar, tall redhead walk into the store. Galaxy spotted her and offered a warm smile and a wave. Beth froze as she watched the other woman walk toward her.

Galaxy didn’t look upset or determined—not like someone here to confront her ex-boyfriend’s sister. In fact, she seemed friendly as she approached.

“Hi, Beth. I was driving by and saw the sign. This is your store, isn’t it?” Galaxy laughed. “I mean, you’re here, so of course it is.” The smile widened. “Sorry. I’m a little nervous.” She glanced around. “I know it’s short notice and you’re probably too busy, but do you have a few minutes for us to talk?”

Her first instinct was to refuse. No good would come out of the conversation. Yet she couldn’t seem to summon the words.

“I got this, Boss,” Yolanda told her.

Which was true. Between Yolanda and their weekend staff, the counter was covered. Beth could take a break. Only she wasn’t sure why Galaxy wanted to talk to her. Shouldn’t the other woman be sad and avoiding Rick’s family?

“Did you want a sandwich?” she asked.

“I’m good,” Galaxy told her.

Beth eyed her trim thighs and wondered if Galaxy ate more than a single meal a day. And if so, no doubt she favored something vegan or water-based.

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