Page 56 of A Beach House Beginning

“What a beautiful evening.” Jenna gave a contented sort of sigh. “Thank you so much for suggesting this. It was exactly what I needed.”

“Tough day? I mean, besides the stitches in your hand?”

She looked back at the girls. “Not really. It was busy, but no worse than usual for a Friday. I did have to deal with some...unpleasant customers, but I handled it the best way I could.”

“That’s always tough, isn’t it? That was the hardest part for me of running a business. I tend to be impatient with people who are rude and demanding. It’s hard not to want to respond in kind.”

“What do you do?”

“Usually just try to remind myself that everybody has a bad day once in a while and I have no idea what they might be going through outside of this momentary interaction. Don’t get me wrong. As you know probably too well, there are some garbage people in the world.”

“Like your partner who set you up.”

“He heads the list.”

He didn’t like thinking about Anthony Morris for even a moment longer than necessary.

“I doubt I’ll ever be able to forgive him for trying to pin his crimes on me.”

“And getting away with it for years,” she pointed out.

“Right. But even with Tony, I try to remember that he is now behind bars, where he belongs, paying for what he did. I, on the other hand, am currently sitting on a spectacular beach watching the sunset with a beautiful woman.”

He hadn’t meant to add that part but had to admit he enjoyed seeing the wash of pink across her cheekbones.

She gazed at him for a long moment, then quickly looked away.

“Not so close to the water,” she called to the girls, who changed direction and returned to the blanket, with Theo leading the way.

The dog plopped onto the blanket, tongue panting.

“Oh. You’re a thirsty guy, aren’t you? That’s what happens when you play so hard,” Jenna said to the puppy.

Working around her injured hand, she opened her own water bottle and poured some into the dog’s bowl they had brought. Theo lapped at it gratefully, which made the girls giggle.

“I’m thirsty, too,” Brie declared. “Can I have another root beer?”

“I’m thirsty, too,” Addie said.

“We have plenty of water but only one root beer left,” he answered.

He had picked up a four-pack of craft root beer bottled by one of the local breweries. He and the girls each had enjoyed one but Jenna declared she was happy with water.

The girls studied the sole remaining bottle, clearly understanding the dilemma. Only one of them could have it. But which one?

“It’s okay,” Brielle said after a moment. “You have it.”

Addie shook her head. “No. You have it.”

“How about this,” Jenna suggested. “You can share it. I can pour half the bottle into one of your empty water bottles.”

“Good idea,” Brie said, clearly thrilled with the solution.

“My water bottle is empty,” Addie said, tipping it for the last drop to be sure.

“Why don’t you let me do that?” Wes held out a hand to take the root beer bottle. “We don’t want you to splash soda all over your bandages.”

Jenna made a face but handed over the root beer bottle and Addie’s water bottle.

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