Page 27 of A Breeze Over Rosewood Beach
Tom set the plate down on their table. “I brought this little treat from the kitchen. Nothing fancy, just a small chocolate tart for our youngest customer here.” He glanced fondly at Cash. “Well, maybe when he’s a bit older he can actually eat it. For now, it’s for mommy and the ladies.”
“That’s so thoughtful of you,” Vivian said warmly. “Thanks.”
“No problem at all.” The kind-faced man headed back toward the kitchen with a wave. “You ladies enjoy that tart!”
Sally, Vivian, and Alexis continued to chat for a while as they finished the mozzarella sticks and dug into the tart. When they were done, Alexis stood up with a sigh, saying that she should get back home and start on all of the dishes that had piled up in her kitchen sink.
“And it looks like they need me to step in on bussing,” Vivian said, looking around the dining room of The Lighthouse Grill. Although it wasn’t terribly busy anymore, it was clear that it had been, as many of the tables still had dirty dishes on them, left by guests who had exited the restaurant within the past few minutes. “Well, girls, break’s over. Time to get back to the grind.”
Sally chuckled and stood up with her friend. “Thanks for the diversion and the wonderful snacks. It was great to catch up with the two of you.”
“Anytime,” Vivian said, giving her a hug. “We should talk soon about how we’re going to handle these new prices for food.”
“Once I’ve talked to Oscar, I’ll let you know what he suggested,” Sally said with a smile. She felt excited to talk to Oscar about business strategies. Maybe he would come up with an idea or two that would really help her out. And she had to admit that she was also excited about getting to know him a little better. What kind of mind was underneath that grumpy exterior? She had a feeling he was quite intelligent, and she was very interested in hearing what he had to say, and getting more of an insight into who he was as a person.
She said goodbye to Vivian, Alexis, and Cash and started toward the front doors of The Lighthouse Grill. On her way, however, she stopped when she noticed someone sitting in a booth in the corner. A grin spread across her face, and she walked over to the booth and leaned against the wall beside it.
“Hi, Oscar,” she said, resting a hand on her hip. Oscar was looking at his plate of French fries and a Reuben sandwich withsuch determination that she was sure he knew she was there and was just pretending that he didn’t.
After an unnatural delay, he looked up. “Hi, Sally.” He cleared his throat.
“You know,” she said teasingly, “if Vivian wasn’t one of my closest friends, I would take offense at the fact that you’re frequenting another restaurant.”
Oscar laughed. It was a small laugh, and a quiet one, but it completely transformed his face. It was a nice laugh, Sally thought, a pure sound that spilled out of him like water splashing out of a cup. She found that her heart was beating faster with excitement as she leaned in more closely.
“I’m simply trying to get to know the town better,” Oscar said, shaking his head and smiling. “You can’t expect me to only ever eat at your restaurant, can you? You’re not even open during the time I usually have my dinner.”
“Well, it’s not dinner time now.” Sally grinned, enjoying their banter. She was getting a glimpse at Oscar’s playful side—something she wouldn’t have thought existed the first time she met him. “But like I said, I don’t blame you for coming here. It’s a fantastic place.”
“I mean, you’re here. You must think it’s all right.”
“It is.” She smiled. “Vivian Owens runs it, and she’s my best friend. She and her family are wonderful people, and they know how to run a good business, that’s for sure. So what’s this about you wanting to get to know the town better? Does that mean you’re planning on staying?” She held her breath as she waited for his response, although she was barely aware that she was doing so.
“What made you think I wasn’t staying? Do you often get long-term tourists in the dead of winter?”
“Not often, but sometimes. So you’re staying, then? You didn’t strike me as someone who would want to move here.”
He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and leaned back in his seat. “Why?”
“You do stand out as the sort of man who would think that there was more to life than living in a small town like this. You’ve, uh, seemed a little discontent with our home-spun ways.”
“You’re not wrong.” Oscar nodded. “I just came here from New York City, and I am definitely used to a very different way of life. But I have to admit that I’m starting to like it here. At first the quiet seemed deafening, if you know what I mean, but I’ve learned that the silence makes it that much easier to hear myself think. And it’s all starting to feel comfortable now. The quiet, I mean.”
She smiled at him, wondering if other things were starting to become more comfortable to him too, such as being nice to people.
“It’s a great place here,” she told him. “You picked a good one.”
His lips parted, and he looked as though he was about to say something, but then he stopped himself. “Do you have a moment?” he asked her after a few seconds. “Maybe we could sit and chat about my ideas for improving your buying methods.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Sally said, sliding into the seat opposite his without hesitation.
“Wonderful,” Oscar repeated, looking slightly flushed and somewhat frazzled, as if he was distracted all of a sudden. He pulled a notebook out of his pocket and opened it. He looked up at her and frowned slightly. “I would suggest taking notes during all of this.”
“Ah.” Sally smiled and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Sounds good to me. I’ve got this. Smart phone.” She tapped the side of her nose and winked.
Oscar blinked at her, as if he didn’t understand her cheerful sense of humor. He cleared his throat again and tapped on his notebook page. “The first thing is a question I have for you,” he told her. “What’s your ordering history like? Do you always order the same amounts every time? Does it fluctuate? Do you try other suppliers?”
“I have been trying other suppliers,” Sally said with a sigh. “Other people have better prices and lesser products. I got a shipment of avocados in a couple of weeks ago that were just—” She shook her head, almost shuddering at the memory. “I had to turn them all into guacamole, I’ll just say that. Although we did end up creating a stellar chicken sandwich with guacamole on it.”
