Page 64 of Beach Vibes

“Good.”

Beth stepped behind the counter to wash her hands at the sink. Teddy watched as she set out rosemary bread and thinly sliced Brie. She added mozzarella, then put on pear slices.

“Thank you for honoring my inner vegetarian,” he said with a grin.

“Of course. You should come here on Wednesday. We usually have plantains then. We make a grilled ciabatta with plantains, black beans, Havarti and avocado. It’ll rock your world.”

Teddy’s gaze locked with hers. “I look forward to that.”

While the sandwiches were in the press, she collected chips, cans of the new organic soda and a couple of cookies. Teddy pulled his wallet out of his jeans, but she shook her head.

“Lunch is on me.”

“I didn’t come here so you could feed me.”

Which begged the question, why had he shown up? Only she was happy to see him, and a sandwich was certainly easy for her.

“You’re still not paying,” she said lightly, handing him the two sandwiches and the sodas. She tucked her hairnet into her jeans pocket, then carried the chips and cookies, and they went outside.

The tables to the north of the building were empty. She picked one in the shade and sat down. The air was warm, the sky a perfect blue, and across the street was the sound of the ocean.

Teddy settled across from her, but instead of reaching for one of the sandwiches, he smiled.

“I missed you,” he said simply.

She could have teased him by pointing out that their date had been less than twenty-four hours ago, but somehow instead she murmured, “I missed you, too.”

They stared at each other. She had no idea what he was feeling, but she was awash in sensations—all of them new and exciting. She was conscious of her breathing, of the way his hands were quietly resting on the table. They were in public yet the moment felt intimate. Special.

“Your store makes you happy,” he said.

She smiled. “It does. Every day. I know serving sandwiches doesn’t change the world, but when people are hungry, I feed them. I like that. Sometimes there are challenges, but we work through them.”

He passed her one of the sandwiches and opened the wrapper of his own. “Where’d you get your business degree?”

She stared at him. “I didn’t go to college.” Her cheeks went hot. “I learned about running the store from my aunt and uncle. I’ve taken a few classes here and there, but that’s all.”

She told herself not everyone had to go to college and she was doing just fine without a degree, which even in her head sounded defensive. Teddy had just been asking a logical question.

He leaned toward her. “Really? You just figured it all out on your own?” He sounded impressed.

She relaxed as she realized he wasn’t judging her. “Most small business owners don’t have a formal education. The majority of us get into an area we’re familiar with and see a way to do it better. I worked in the store when I was in high school. Like I said, Agatha and Dale taught me everything I needed to know.”

“But you’ve made changes.”

She laughed. “Of course. Some of the processes are different. I’ve expanded the store, and before that I changed up the menu. Food trends are just like everything else. The classics stay the same, but what’s popular is always an evolution. Ten years ago no one asked about vegan options. Today about fifteen percent of my sales are vegan sandwiches. Vegetarian is a bigger chunk, of course. But in the end, meat is king.”

“Did you ever think of not buying into the family business?”

She hesitated, then admitted, “Originally I wanted to go to culinary school. I was saving so that I could be in school full-time and not have to work to support myself.”

His blue gaze was steady. “What changed your mind?”

“Rick got into medical school. He’d gotten through college on a scholarship, but medical school was different. I wanted to help. That’s when my uncle approached me about the store. He wanted to sell it to me. In return, he would self-finance the purchase, and he would also help Rick cover half of the cost for medical school. It made the most sense.”

Teddy’s expression didn’t change, so she had no idea what he was thinking. “You gave up a lot for him.”

“He’s my brother. I wanted him to achieve his dreams, and I didn’t want him saddled with a lot of debt.” She shrugged. “Culinary school would have been nice, but I’m happy where I am now.”

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