Page 22 of Beach Vibes

Jana raised her eyebrows. “Kai, huh? Interesting.”

“No.” Beth grimaced. “He’s twenty-two and way more of a kid brother. But he’s a sweetie and so good in the store. Anyway, I’m going to go hang out. To, as your friend Dex says, get out of my house and my head.” She paused, then added, “Would you and Linnie like to join me?”

Jana looked at her. “Yes! That sounds like fun. I’ve never been to a surf competition before, and Linnie loves the beach. You said it’s Saturday morning?”

“It is,” Beth said, pleased she’d said yes.

“We’ll be there.”

* * *

Beth was surprised when Rick showed up Friday, a little after one. He waited in line, then ordered one of their ham, pear and Brie paninis. She stopped him from going to the cash register.

“What are you doing here?” she asked happily as she collected a bottle of iced tea from the cold case. “Shouldn’t you be scrubbing up or something?”

“No surgery on Fridays unless it’s an emergency,” he told her. “The office shuts down early, and I thought I’d swing by and say hi.”

A nice surprise, she thought, trying to remember the last time Rick had stopped by the store. He hadn’t been able to make it to the grand reopening, so not since before then.

They went into the break room. Rick devoured half his sandwich in four quick bites.

“Delicious,” he told her. “The place looks great, by the way. I like the new paint job. You’re doing good, Beth. That makes me happy.”

“Me, too. Business is up. My employees are happy. It’s all good.”

“How’s your work at the food bank going?” he asked, picking up the other half of his sandwich.

“There’s an odd question. It’s fine. Why?”

He shrugged. “It’s the first time you’ve volunteered like that. I wondered if you liked it and if the people you work with are nice. Didn’t you say you’re making friends?”

Because he worried about her, she thought contentedly. Just like she worried about him. “It’s going great. I like the work. I’m guessing people everywhere else assume if you live in Malibu, you’re rich, but we have our share of people struggling. It’s good to be able to help feed a few of them. And yes, I have a new friend. Her name is Jana, and she’s an inspiration.”

Rick frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“A bunch of reasons. I admire how she lives her life. She’s determined and has goals. She works hard. I like her company.”

“I met someone, too,” he told her, not quite meeting her gaze. “I mean, I went on a date.”

Surprise and possibly a little envy filled her. “You’re kidding. When?”

“Last Saturday.” He gave her a proud smile. “I didn’t want to say anything in case it went badly. I know I don’t have the bestluck when it comes to women, but we had a really good time, and I’m going to see her again.”

“That’s wonderful. I’m happy for you.”

Which was true. She wanted her brother to find someone and settle down. He needed more connections in his life. But knowing that might be happening made her feel a little left behind.

“Tell me about her,” she said, as much to express interest as to distract herself.

“She’s a receptionist. Really pretty and nice. We met by chance. She was getting coffee at the stand in the lobby and forgot her wallet.”

Beth’s interest in hearing more took a turn for the WTF. “She forgot her wallet, just like Mom used to?” she asked in dismay, remembering all the times their mother had pretended to not have money to get a man to pay for everything from clothes for her children to her groceries. As a kid, Beth hadn’t understood the scam, but as she’d gotten older, she’d been humiliated by her mother’s actions. Her mother had scolded her for caring and had reminded her that it was important to take what you could get.

“It wasn’t like that,” Rick said easily. “I mean it, Beth. She carried around ten dollars for over a week until she saw me again. She paid me back.” His expression softened. “She’s great. A single mom to a little boy.”

Beth’s older sister senses went on hyper alert. “Someone with a child? Are you sure you want to deal with that?”

He looked confused. “Why would that matter?”

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