Page 63 of Beach Vibes

Which all sounded fine, but she knew what he really meant. When it came to women, Teddy was either not interested or all in. There was no middle ground. She wanted to protest that he couldn’t possibly know anything about a person after a couple of hours over dinner. That it took time and familiarity to be sure.

“I want to tell you to be careful, but I know you won’t listen.”

He flashed her a smile. “You’re right about that.”

Dex shook his head. “Congratulations, man. You deserve to be happy.”

“You deserve the same.”

Dex shrugged. “I do what I do.”

Teddy rose and circled the sectional, then kissed the top of Jana’s head. “Night, kid.”

“Night.”

When he’d left, Dex stood. “I’m heading out. You okay about your brother?”

Jana looked down the hall, but Teddy was already gone. “I find his attitude confusing. How can he just know? In the rest of his life he’s completely pragmatic, so why is this different? Why does he believe?”

“Maybe the bigger question is, why is he right? At least, he was with Valonia. I understand attraction, but Teddy swears it’s more than that.”

She’d never experienced anything like that. Obviously whenshe’d partied, she’d been willing to sleep with guys she barely knew, but Teddy wasn’t talking about casual sex. If his relationship with Beth followed the same path as it had with Valonia, he wouldn’t try to sleep with her for weeks. Her late sister-in-law had explained about an intense bonding with lots of time spent together and hours of long, meaningful conversation. For them, passion had grown but was ignored until one day it simply took over.

She had the brief thought she should warn her friend about that trajectory, then told herself to stay out of it. What Beth and Teddy had or didn’t have was going to be different, and even if it wasn’t, their relationship wasn’t her business.

“I don’t think I could believe in love at first sight,” she admitted. “Nor would I want to. It feels risky.”

“Don’t tell Rick,” Dex teased. “You’ll break his heart.”

“I doubt that. We’re following the usual conventional path in our relationship. Something Teddy would never do. So which one of us is wrong? Me or Teddy?”

“You’re overthinking the process,” Dex told her. “People are different. The slow and steady kind of love is just as valid.”

“In my head I know you’re right, but somehow Teddy’s way is more visually appealing.”

Dex chuckled, then pulled her close and kissed her cheek. “Love you, kid. I’ll see you soon.”

“Love you, too.” She walked him to the door, then locked it behind him. Standing alone in the quiet house, she thought about what Dex had said about a slow and steady kind of love. His words made a lot of sense. Not everyone could fall the way Teddy did. She, for example, had always…

Jana looked down the hall, then back at the door as the truth hit her. The reason she was so confused about what kind of love she wanted for herself was that she’d never been in love. Not romantically. Not with anyone. She didn’t know what she wanted because she didn’t know what that kind of love felt like. Maybe it was time for that to change.

* * *

Beth looked at the selection of organic drinks. Her cold case display space was limited, and during the peak of the lunch rush, they were too busy to keep refilling it. Adding one more product to monitor seemed foolish. Yet when she’d done the taste test with her crew and a few trusted customers, the response had been overwhelmingly positive.

She smiled at her rep. “I can’t say no. Everyone loved them.” She signed the tablet, confirming the order.

“Great. Your first delivery will be next Tuesday.”

“Thanks.”

She walked the sales guy out and was about to return to her small office to finish up some paperwork when Teddy walked into the store. It had only been a few hours since their date had ended, yet her heart still thudded hard and her breath caught.

He smiled at her, looking both happy and sheepish. “I know we have a date later, but I wanted to see you.”

Warmth swept through her. “I’m glad.” She glanced at the clock. It was nearly one thirty. “Have you had lunch?”

“No.”

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