Page 35 of A Breeze Over Rosewood Beach
“So,” he said, unwrapping his cookie with precise, almost formal movements. “Tell me more about the details of how you secured this budget-friendly agreement with your supplier.”
“Well, I did what you suggested,” she said with a laugh. “I politely implied that I was getting ready to take my businesselsewhere, and I pretended to be unconvinced by their first two offers, even though I thought they were excellent. They finally brought it down to the price it is now.”
Oscar nodded, looking pleased. She had a feeling that he was pleased with her behavior as well as pleased with himself. He’d had a wonderful suggestion, and it must have made him feel good to know that it had worked out so well.
Sally chose to eat her lavender vanilla cookie right away, since she thought it would be cute if she and Oscar were both eating cookies and drinking lattes. She took a bite out of it, feeling the sweet, crumbly pastry melt in her mouth.
“Mm, that’s good,” she said as soon as she’d swallowed. “How’s yours? And your latte?”
“Both very good.” Oscar cleared his throat. “I have to admit, I’m impressed with the coffee out here. I didn’t expect it to be as good as it is.”
Sally chuckled. “Well, I’m glad we meet with your approval. I’m sure there’s good and bad coffee everywhere.”
“There’s plenty of bad coffee in New York, that’s for sure.” Oscar laughed again, and Sally felt a faint flutter of butterflies in her stomach. She loved his laugh.
“Coffee is one of the things I order from this supplier,” Sally said. “I’ve always made it a point to order high-quality coffee, and it’s a waste of money to not buy it in bulk. I’d been starting to think I was going to have to compromise and start buying some coffee that wasn’t as good, but then this deal worked out. Now I can keep serving my customers wonderful coffee at a price that I can afford.” She felt herself become more and more excited. “You’ve really saved me here, Oscar. It’s not just about the money, it’s also such a load off my mind. I was so worried about the future, and now I’m not anymore.”
“Don’t mention it,” Oscar said, looking slightly uncomfortable under the sunny rays of her gratitude.
“But I need to mention it,” she said, feeling another urge to grab his hand. She scooted her chair around the table instead, so that she was sitting next to him. “You’ve really been very kind to me, and I appreciate it so much. I couldn’t have done it without you.” She felt suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, and she felt an even stronger urge to touch him. She didn’t take his hand, however. Instead, she leaned forward and spontaneously kissed him on the mouth.
The kiss was short and sweet, and Sally felt herself turn bright pink with sheepishness and happiness as she pulled away.
“I shouldn’t have—” she began, but Oscar pulled her back toward him for another gentle kiss.
“Oh.” She laughed, feeling a warm glow in her heart. “Okay.”
Oscar smiled, and it was a warmer smile than she had ever seen on his face before. “May I ask you a personal question?” he said softly.
“You may,” she said, her voice just as soft as his.
“Have you ever been married?” he asked her.
She shook her head, letting out a sigh that spoke of all the sadness she’d been feeling lately about the fact that she hadn’t ever been. “I was in a relationship about ten years ago. I loved him a great deal, but he wanted us to leave Rosewood Beach and have adventures in other places. I was too attached to my town and my business to go away with him. And I think he wasn’t really content with me, you know? Otherwise, I would have been enough of an adventure for him, and he could have stayed here.” She cleared her throat, trying to fight off the tears that had welled up.
Oscar swallowed and nodded. “That sounds difficult,” he said, looking sympathetic. “He was clearly a very foolish man.”
Sally laughed and blushed over the compliment. She felt giddier in that moment than she would have thought waspossible for someone her age. “What about you? Were you ever married?”
Oscar shook his head. “I haven’t had a serious relationship in a long time. It never fit in with my career.”
Sally nodded, wondering if he’d been lonely all that time or if he’d genuinely preferred to live in such a solitary way. She watched his face, thinking to herself that she hadn’t expected their coffee date to unfold like this. When she’d first met Oscar, he’d seemed like the type to always keep his distance from emotional connections. He’d seemed like a driven city businessman, too busy for attachment and too elite for the quiet simplicity of a place like Rosewood Beach. And yet, there they were, sitting across from each other at a table in Seaside Sweets Bakery, and Sally’s lips were still tingling from their kiss.
Oscar’s gaze softened as he set down his latte. “I guess I’ve always told myself I didn’t have time for a serious relationship. My career was always the priority, and it never really fit with—well, with anything else.”
Sally smiled. “You might not expect me to say this, but I know what you mean. I’ve spent years pouring my heart into my café. It’s taken priority in my life over so many other things, including romance.”
“Seems like you’ve managed to do pretty well, though,” he said, his voice warm, almost admiring. “You’ve built something really special with your café, and you’ve managed to make lasting friendships with people, like your friendship with Vivian. I never managed anything like that back in New York. My career consumed me.”
Her heart fluttered when she heard his words. She felt a pang of sadness for him, wishing that things had been different for him. “Well, my life wasn’t always balanced. I’ve made mistakes. I took too long to let myself really open up my heart to other people. But I realized somewhere along the way that havingpeople to share the journey with makes everything mean so much more.”
Oscar leaned back in his chair, looking as though he was considering her words. “I used to think that settling down meant settling. I thought that it would slow me down. But maybe it’s more about finding the right place, and the right people. Maybe slowing down is a good thing, if it’s in the right place.”
“I hope you’ll find yourself enjoying Rosewood Beach more than you expected,” Sally said with a smile, watching his face. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, feeling suddenly almost shy.
“I already am,” he admitted, offering her another one of his miniscule but endearing smiles. “It’s hard not to. Everyone is so kind, and there are so many pleasant, homey things to appreciate. There’s something special here, Sally. Something I didn’t even realize I was looking for. And I’m definitely looking forward to seeing Ocean Breeze Café continue to succeed.”
The air between them buzzed with something new, something hopeful. Sally’s chest felt achy and as light as a soap bubble at the same time. She felt the edges of her heart soften into an openness that she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in years.
