Page 52 of Beach Vibes

He didn’t want a sandwich? Now she was totally confused, which must have shown, because Kai moved close and gave her a little push toward the back.

“Go ahead,” he told her. “Albert and I have this.” He turned to Teddy. “I’m Kai.”

“Teddy.”

Kai’s gaze was steady. “You’re a friend of Beth’s?”

“He’s Jana’s brother,” she said before retreating to the break room, where she ripped off the hairnet and apron and wondered what else she should do before taking a walk with Teddy. She had on shoes, so that was good, and she was familiar with the outdoors.

“Get a grip,” she whispered to herself as she pressed a hand to her belly. “He’s just a guy, and you’re acting weird.” Being overly cautious was one thing, but slipping into madness wasn’t okay.

It was just that being around him did something to her. Something she’d never experienced before and didn’t know how to deal with. She glanced at the small mirror by the lockers, brushed back a few stray hairs and headed to the front, where Teddy and Kai were talking. They both looked at her when she appeared, but she could only see Teddy.

She’d never considered looks especially important, but there was something about that man, she thought dreamily. Something that made her feel weak and strong at the same time. She was oh so grateful to be a single, age-appropriate woman in his presence. Not that he would be interested in her that way, she reminded herself. After all, they weren’t in the same league at all. Plus the whole “in love with his late wife” thing. So why was he here? Not that she would ask. She would simply enjoy the moment and overanalyze it later.

They walked outside. Teddy pointed back at the store. “I was reading the menu. Peanut butter and pickles almost make sense, but peanut butter and cold cereal?” He shuddered. “That sounds like something my kids would ask for.”

She smiled at him. “And you’d say no?”

He grinned. “I don’t know. They don’t get a lot of processed breakfast cereal, so I might say yes. It’s fortified, and the peanut butter would mitigate the sugar. But it’s not anything I’d want to eat.”

“You should try it before you judge,” she teased. “All the PB sandwiches are very popular with the high school crowd. Hey, wait a minute. The other night you ate chicken.”

He looked confused. “Asking or telling?”

“Pointing out that you ate chicken.”

“We all did. I barbecued it special for our meal.” His expression turned concerned. “Is that a problem?”

“You said you and Valonia had nothing in common and that you were a vegetarian.”

“I’m less committed these days,” he said with a smile. “We have meat-free days every week, but with the kids around and trying to get the right nutrients into them, I caved.” He studied her. “Do you think less of me now?”

“Of course not.” She couldn’t believe she’d blurted out the chicken thing. What did it matter? Why couldn’t she act normal?

They started walking along the sidewalk. Across the street was a huge public parking lot, and beyond that were the beach and the ocean. The sound of the surf was barely audible over the cry of the gulls and the traffic rushing by, but the scent of salt air carried to them. The afternoon was warm, the breeze light.

“How long have you owned Surf Sandwiches?” he asked.

“About fourteen years. I bought it from my aunt and uncle.” She didn’t mention the deal she’d made that they would help pay for Rick’s medical school tuition in return. “My mom died when Rick and I were young—I was barely a teenager. We went into foster care for about eighteen months. My mom and aunt were estranged, so Agatha didn’t know anything about her death. As Rick and I hadn’t seen her since we were maybe six and three, I never thought to have anyone try to find her.”

She told herself to stop talking, that he couldn’t possibly want to know all this, but somehow the words kept coming. “One day Agatha tried to find her sister, only to learn she’d died. She immediately started looking for us and then took us in. We were so grateful. Foster care was tough. Rick never talks about his time,but when we were back together, he was different. More withdrawn. I don’t know exactly. But the point is, Agatha saved us.”

“That was generous of her.”

She nodded. “She’s such a sweet and giving person. She and her husband never really wanted kids, and they had no idea how to be parents, but they made sure Rick and I knew they would be there for us, no matter what. I started working in the sandwich shop right away.”

“Did you like it?” he asked. “Was it meaningful or just a job?”

An interesting question. “I wanted to earn money as a way to keep me and Rick safe. You know, in case something bad happened again.” Because being ripped out of their home, separated and sent to live with strangers, had been terrifying.

“But aside from that, I did enjoy working in the shop. I liked the certainty of it, if that makes sense.”

He stopped and faced her. “You were what? Fifteen? Sixteen? How could you save enough money to keep your brother safe?”

“I couldn’t,” she admitted. “But I had to try. He needed me. Rick’s younger by three years, but it’s more than that. He was so smart. The other kids couldn’t handle it and picked on him. Sometimes the teachers didn’t know what to do with him.”

“You protected him.”

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