Page 42 of Beach Vibes

She stared at Kai, unable to take in what he’d just said. “I’m not like that,” she protested. “I have a lot of things in my life. The store, my friends…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to make the list longer and realized she couldn’t. Worse, she didn’t have actual “friends.” She’d lost them in the divorce and hadn’t done anything to replace them.

Except for Jana, she thought wistfully. And look how she’d screwed up there. Worse, it seemed everyone knew what was wrong with her. Agatha, Jana and now Kai had blithely talked about her flaws as if they were completely obvious to the world. A reality that made her feel even more pathetic than usual.

“I want my brother to be happy,” she said without a lot of energy, but it was the only argument she had. “That’s a good thing.”

Kai nodded. “You’re a great sister. I wish you were mine and always looking out for me the way you look out for him. Believe me. But it’s more than that, B. You say you want Rick to have someone in his life and be happy. From what you’ve told me, he sounds happy with Jana, yet you’re still worried. Is this all about Jana, or would you be upset about anyone Rick was dating?”

“I wouldn’t be,” she began, only to stop. While she wanted to say Kai was being ridiculous, she thought maybe she didn’t know if he was. Was he right? Was she specifically upset about Jana, or was she upset about the change in the status quo? Because if Rick fell in love, everything between them would be different. He wouldn’t need her the way he did now. He would have someone else to take care of the details of his life, and she would be left behind. Alone.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Am I the problem?”

“We’re all the problem, B. That’s what makes life so interesting.”

* * *

Jana took in the perfect ocean view, the champagne on ice and the sweet, funny, handsome man standing in front of her.

“Wow,” she said with a smile. “This is very fancy.”

“I wanted the evening to be special.” Rick paused. “You okay?”

Really? He chose this moment to be perceptive? “I’m a little stressed, but I’ll be fine.”

He nodded. “I’m reading a book on antigravity. It’s impossible to put down.”

She stared at him for a second, not understanding what he was talking—

The pieces fell into place as she got the joke and immediately relaxed. “Good one.”

“I like the science ones the best,” he admitted. “So, I’ve planned the evening. I’m making chicken piccata with angel hair pasta.And a salad.” He flashed her a grin. “Dessert is a surprise—but a good one this time. I swear.”

“Sounds wonderful. Dinner is the famous ‘I’ve practiced the recipe for six months’ chicken piccata?”

“It is.”

She’d driven over in a state of worry, thinking about Beth and telling herself that what the other woman thought of her wasn’t her business. She’d nearly turned around twice, but had decided she wanted to see Rick because she liked him and because being around him made her feel good. If his stupid sister couldn’t understand that, then shame on her.

“I can’t wait,” she told him, setting her bag on the table by the door and moving closer. “Your condo is amazing.”

His smile grew. “You like it? The view is good. Sometimes, if I’ve had a tough day in surgery, I sit outside and listen to the ocean. It relaxes me.”

He walked over to the champagne bottle and drew it out of the ice bucket. “Would you like a glass?”

“Thank you, yes.”

He opened the bottle expertly, removing the cork without making a sound or spilling a drop, then poured them each a glass.

“You’re not supposed to pop the cork,” he told her. “When you do that, you waste the carbonation, and that changes the experience.” His smile returned. “I watched a couple of videos online a few years ago to learn how to do it right. When I was a kid, we weren’t a champagne kind of family.”

“Us, either,” she told him. Plus he’d grown up without a dad. There hadn’t been anyone to teach him guy stuff. But he’d filled in the blanks on his own. She admired that. And him.

She tried to remember the last time a man had made her dinner. Teddy and Dex both cooked, but as far as anyone like a boyfriend? It had never happened.

Rick held out her glass. She reached for it, but instead of keeping it, she put it down on the table and stepped closer.

“You are a wonderful man,” she told him, staring into his brown eyes. “I’m really glad you asked me out and that I said yes.”

“You almost didn’t,” he teased.

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