Page 121 of Beach Vibes

“Is this where I mention it’s seventy-eight outside?”

“At my age, that’s chilly weather.” He patted his chest. “I wasn’t traveling. I had a little cold. I’m fine now.”

“I’m glad.”

She knew her friend lived in a retirement community nearby.He’d moved there after he’d lost his wife three years before, which was when he’d started coming into her store. At first they’d only said hello, but a few months ago, she’d started taking the time to have lunch with him.

She gave him a few minutes to eat the first half of his sandwich, telling him about Kai’s success at the weekend surf tournament and how Yolanda’s oldest wanted to enter the school’s spelling bee.

“The word list is twenty-five pages long,” Beth said. “She showed me a copy. There are at least a dozen words on each page I’d have to look up.”

“So she’s hoping he changes his mind,” Mr. Kazinsky said with a grin. “I know that’s what I’d want.”

“I think she’s a little nervous about the process. So what’s new in your world?”

“It’s been six months since my daughter kicked out her no-good husband.”

Beth took a second to realize what that meant. “I can’t believe it’s been that long. Does she still want you to move in?”

When his daughter had thrown out her cheating husband—and what was it about men and being faithful?—she’d asked her father to move in with her. Mr. Kazinsky hadn’t wanted her making an emotional decision, so he had insisted she wait six months to see what happened.

“She does,” he said. “We talked about it over the weekend. She said she and the grandkids discussed it, and they want me there.” He frowned. “But I don’t know.”

“What about your life at the retirement community? Would you miss your friends?”

“Some, but they’d only be a few blocks away. I’d still see them.” He looked at Beth. “I’m an old man. I wouldn’t want to be a burden.”

“You’re kind of not the burden type.” Mr. Kazinsky was sweet, thoughtful and funny. “I live with my aunt, and it worksfor both of us. A friend of mine—” Her chest tightened as she thought of Jana and Teddy.

She cleared her throat. “A friend of mine and her daughter live with her brother and his three kids. Extended families can work.” She reached across the table and lightly touched his arm. “But you have to promise, whatever you decide, that you’ll still come in here every now and then.”

“Are you kidding? I’m still hoping to convince you to run away with me.”

They talked for a few more minutes before Beth got him a to-go box for the second half of his sandwich and packed it up for him. She cleared a couple of tables, smiling as she overheard a very nervous teenage boy ask out a pretty girl about his age. The moment got better when she said yes.

Later, she had her new hire finish his paperwork before introducing him to Kai, who would supervise his training. An unexpected and very large sandwich order came in at four thirty for a five-o’clock pickup. She and the afternoon shift scrambled to get it done. As they all worked together, Beth realized that for the first time in several days, she felt okay. Not great or even good, but her chest didn’t hurt, and she could go five minutes without wanting to cry.

Yes, she ached for Teddy, and she missed Jana. Yes, she was sad and confused about her brother, and the road to mental wellness seemed steep and daunting. But as she added sliced turkey to bread, she knew that Surf Sandwiches had become so much more than simply a business she’d purchased because she wanted her uncle to help put Rick through medical school.

She loved what she did here. She’d created something wonderful that her customers adored. Her employees were happy. When she’d gone online with a job opening, she’d had over fifty applicants. Nearly everyone had mentioned they knew someone who worked at Surf Sandwiches, and they wanted to be on the team.

That was on her, she thought, fighting against the knee-jerk reaction to put herself down. She waited for the negative thoughts—the voice in her head telling her she wasn’t ever going to be enough—to fade. When they didn’t, she thought maybe she should listen to her aunt and start journaling.

Once the big online order was finished, Beth made a couple of sandwiches and added a few salads to a to-go bag. She drove to the food bank and parked next to Jana’s car, then got out to wait. A few minutes after six, she saw her friend—her former friend—walk outside.

Regret swept through her—for what she’d done and for what she’d lost. She’d sacrificed her friendship with Jana in a misguided attempt to protect her brother. More fool her.

No, she told herself firmly. She wasn’t going to beat herself up over Rick. That was the first step in healing. She’d done what she’d done with the best of intentions. Now her job was to figure out when everything had changed and to learn from her painful lessons. After that, she would think about forgiveness—for her sake, not his. But that was for later. Right now she had to speak with her friend.

Jana spotted her and came to a stop. Beth couldn’t read her expression. She wanted to rush toward her and hug her. She also wanted to run in the opposite direction and hide. Instead she simply stayed where she was and waited. Finally Jana walked toward her.

“You weren’t at your shift,” Jana said, her voice neutral, her expression unreadable.

“I changed days.” Beth raised and lowered one shoulder. “I didn’t know how you were doing or what you were thinking, but I figured seeing me wouldn’t be good for you.”

“Okay.”

They stared at each other.

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