Page 59 of Sea La Vie
I glance into my bare coffee cup but shake my head. “I think I’m going to head home. I have a few things I need to take care of today, too,” I say, thinking of the fish I still need to deliver to the exterminator for his help on Tate’s cottage.
“You sure?” he asks. “You can stay as long as you want.”
“I thought you had a meeting with your contractors?” I frown.
“Yeah,” I do, he scrambles. “It’s not for a couple hours though.”
I study his face for any sign that something is going on. Surely I’m reading too much into this, right?
“That’s okay.” I stand and the quilt drops to the ground, revealing another old T-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts Tate found in the drawers of the cottage the night before after accidentally spilling my drink all over myself from laughing so hard at something he said. “I’ll uh, just wash these before I give them back to you.”
I walk inside and drop my coffee cup into the sink. “Let me know if you are free before Saturday,” I say. He walks me to thedoor and holds my hand while I slip on my sandals. The quick peck he gives me goodbye turns into something more passionate quickly, and within seconds I’m breathless and sure that what I’ve imagined is only that, my imagination. He gives me one last kiss goodbye, and when I’m halfway down his drive, I turn around to see him grinning in the doorway still.
“What are you wearing?” Eden asks as I slide onto an empty stool. I open the paper I had grabbed off the ground on the way in and scan the headlines. Nothing new or exciting, until a fishing tournament catches my eye.
“Hello?” Eden asks. She sets a warm chocolate croissant down in front of me. “Taste this, would you? I made them this morning but I’m worried I didn’t use enough butter.”
I take a bite of the flakey pastry and a little moan escapes from me. “Heavenly,” I say through the muffled layers.
“Good,” she says. She turns around to finish her opening duties, and I quickly rip out the fishing tournament ad and shove it into my pocket. “Back to the outfit,” she says. “Explain. And maybe quickly, because I open in thirty minutes, and I’m not sure anyone needs to see you in that.”
I frown and glance down at my outfit. “It’s not that bad is it?”
Eden squints her eyes and nods. “You’re wearing a black, ‘Hoosiers Class of 84’ T-shirt and green shorts that are about three sizes too big for you, and I know you always have the wild, crazy hair thing going on but even this is a bit extreme for you.” She reaches out and tucks a stray strand behind my ear. “Do you even know a Hoosier?”
“I don’t even know what a Hoosier is,” I admit.
“Don’t change the subject. Spill.” Eden leans back against the counter, crossing her arms at her chest.
Heat creeps up my neck, a dead giveaway. “They’re not mine.” I admit.
“Are they Tate’s?!” she screams and leans across the counter, her nose practically touching mine. “Tell me they’re Tate’s.”
“Technically…no,” I say.
“Oh,” she frowns and backs up.
“They happened to come from his house, though,” I mumble. “Honestly, it’s probably left over from a renter…which is actually super gross if you think about it.”
She leans against the counter casually. “Do tell.”
“I went over to see his cottage after the renovations, we started watching a movie, and I fell asleep on his couch.”
She rolls her eyes. “So much for living vicariously through you,” she mutters.
“This morning, we drank our coffee and watched the sunrise, then I headed here. He said he had a meeting with his contractor.” I debate if I want to tell her about the weird way he was acting and decide against it. She would, without a doubt, say it was all in my head, which is probably true.
I take another bite of my croissant and Eden brings a box from the back, beginning to unpack a new shipment of books. I pick up a few and study them. “Gardening?” I ask. “That’s an interesting pick.”
Eden stills, then grabs the book from my hands. “Leave your opinions on my book selection to yourself, okay?” Her eyes twinkle with mischief, and there's a small smile on her lips. Eden is fabulous at matching books to people, so she must have someone in mind for them. Probably Lucille trying out a new hobby. She swipes the rest of them back into the box and sets it on the end of the counter. “What are you doing the rest of the day?”
“Getting out of these clothes and taking a shower.” I hop off the stool and walk toward the door. I turn around, grinning wickedly. “Tell Sam that Aunt Lainey says hi, and she’s looking at puppies for him.”
Eden glares, then points toward the door. “Goodbye.”
After showering, I pick up my borrowed clothes from the bathroom floor and feel the crunch of the ad I forgot I had stuck in my pocket. I pull it out and study it. The tournament starts tomorrow out of Haven’s Harbor, a few towns away, on the southern end of the Outer Banks.
Biting my lip, I consider my options. I could call the number listed at the bottom and ask if there are any last minute spots open, or I could miss out on a chance to win the twenty thousand dollar grand prize. I’d be fishing either way, I reason, and twenty thousand dollars would do so much for this business. I think of the motors on the back of the boat, one that has already been in the shop, the other in desperate need of a tune up, and the busted windshield. This would be enough to repair all of that and still have money left over.
