Page 21 of Beach Vibes

“How did you and Ian meet?” Jana asked, pulling out several chips.

“It was my day off, and I stopped to buy a hot dog at his stand. We got to talking, and I mentioned I owned Surf Sandwiches. A few days later, he came in and asked me out. Things happened from there. But over time.”

“See! A perfectly normal courtship. That makes more sense to me. You mentioned you hadn’t dated much since the divorce. Is that by choice or by circumstance?”

“Both,” Beth admitted, then shook her head. “No, I take that back. I can’t say if I would have gone out with someone who asked, but honestly, no one has since the divorce. Not that I’ve put myself out there. It’s not like some guy’s going to walk into Surf Sandwiches and ask me out.”

“Ian did,” Jana reminded her. “Except I guess you’d already met him. Do you flirt with your customers?”

“What? No. That’s not professional.”

Jana’s mouth twitched. “I didn’t realize there was a sandwich shop code of conduct. So, flirting is frowned on?”

Beth laughed. “I get your point. I don’t see myself as flirty. At work I’m focused on my customers and making them happy.”

“I’m not suggesting you flash your boobs or anything, but if someone seems cute, a little forward behavior might be fun.”

“You have way more faith in my abilities than they deserve.” Flirt with a stranger? She wasn’t sure she remembered how. “My aunt suggested a dating app, but it seems so impersonal. She also thinks I should find a man for sex, but that seems even more terrifying than dating.”

She’d always thought sex was fine, but wasn’t sure it was good enough to be the reason she was with someone.

“I’m with you on the sex-only relationship,” Jana admitted. “I spent my early twenties doing a lot of that, and I want to befinished with it. Next time I do the naked thing, I want it to mean something.”

Beth didn’t know what to say to that. She’d never had the confidence to be a “sex-only” kind of person.

“You know, not everyone has to be involved,” Jana pointed out. “Some people are happier alone.”

While Beth knew her friend was trying to be supportive, the statement was jarring. She wasn’t comfortable thinking of herself as being happy alone.

“Maybe the bigger problem is I’m not sure I have much to offer anyone,” she blurted, surprising Jana and possibly herself.

“How can you say that?” Jana sounded outraged. “No. I don’t accept that at all. You’re funny, you’re a good person, you’re smart, successful and you’re so pretty.”

“That’s not me,” Beth told her. “I like to think of myself as a kind person, but the rest of it…” She honestly didn’t know what to say.

“You don’t think you’re successful?” Jana laughed. “What about the sandwich shop? You’ve grown it to what? Double the size since you bought it? How is that not successful?”

“I never went to college.”

“And you’re an entrepreneur anyway. That says a lot about how smart and determined you are.” She rattled her can of sparkling water. “You’re feeding me on a regular basis, so we know you’re a giving person who is thoughtful and a good friend. As for the pretty part, let’s just be honest and admit you are. Your long dark hair, your big eyes. Beth, you’re a catch.”

She couldn’t reconcile her friend’s words with how she felt about herself. A part of her wanted to protest while the rest of her thought maybe she should sit with the information for a little while before making judgments.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “You’re a good friend.”

“And an honest one.”

Beth laughed. “If you say so.” Her humor faded. “Maybe Iwas more beat up by my divorce than I thought. I wonder if maybe I’m not over the fact that I failed at something so big.” She held up her hand. “Not failed. That’s the wrong word. I guess it’s more I’m not where I thought I would be, and maybe I’m a little scared to try again.”

“You don’t have to decide anything today. Although I will give you my best Dex advice and say get out of your head and out of your house.”

“Dex is Teddy’s friend, right?”

“He is, and he has a lot of surprisingly intuitive views on things.”

Her life was too insular, Beth thought, and she was the one person who could change that.

“Kai, one of my employees, invited me to watch him compete in a local surf competition. It’s right here in Malibu, Saturday morning. I’m going to go.”

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