Page 1 of A Breeze Over Rosewood Beach
CHAPTER ONE
“Well, isn’t this just splendid!” Sally Lipton said with a smile as she placed her hands on her hips and looked around her coffee shop, Ocean Breeze Café. The cozy coffee house was bustling with customers, just as busy as it might have been on an afternoon in July, despite the fact that outside there was a cold wind blowing and snow glittering on the ground.
She loved working in her café. She had built up her business with her own two hands and her creative, optimistic mind. Now it was one of the most popular places in Rosewood Beach, and even on days like today, when she hardly had the time to take a second to breathe, she loved the excitement of the hustle and bustle.
“You’re always so cheery, Sally.” Jules, her teenage employee, looked up with a sigh. “I feel like there are a million bees in my head right now. For a second, I was about to make another lavender latte instead of a honey rose latte with oat milk.”
“Take a breath when you need to,” Sally replied reassuringly. “But be careful of any orders involving milk or gluten. We don’t want to ruin someone’s day by giving them stomach cramps.”
“I wouldn’t ever actually forget, don’t worry.” Jules brightened, seeming relieved that Sally wasn’t the type of manager to jump down her throat at any mention of a potential mistake. “I just feel like I’m underwater.”
“You’ll get used to the rush.” Sally patted Jules on the back. “I’ve got to drop off a couple of chocolate raspberry muffins at table seven, but then I can come back and help you out at the front here.”
Jules heaved another sigh and smiled gratefully. Sally bustled off with two plates, both of which held a piping-hot muffin. The chocolatey aroma that met her nostrils was absolutely heavenly, and Sally made a mental note to take home one of the chocolate raspberry muffins if there were any left at the end of the day. For a split second, she imagined herself sitting in her little house, putting her feet up on the ottoman and sinking back into her armchair with a cup of tea and a good snack. She sighed with contentment at the thought.
“Here you are,” she sang out as she set the muffins down in front of a mother and a daughter, who seemed to be meeting at the café for a sort of “coffee and conversation” date.
“Oh, these look so yummy,” the mother said, her jaw dropping when she saw the muffin.
“Basically a cupcake,” the daughter said with a grin. “And I’m not complaining.”
Sally chuckled, pleased. Her café had always had excellent bakery. If she wasn’t whipping up batches of tasty treats herself, she was relying on the skills of an employee who was talented and dependable.
“Good. Glad you like it.” She winked, tilting her head at such a jaunty angle that the purple butterfly hairclip she had in her hair bounced a little.
She made her way back to the front counter, and on the way, she caught sight of herself in one of the decorative mirrors.Her light brown hair might have been streaked with gray at the temples, but she thought it looked very becoming with the purple butterfly clip, which was one of her favorites. She was wearing a bright yellow sweater and purple earrings that matched the butterfly clip, and on her lips was her signature bubble gum pink lipstick. She smiled cheerfully, liking how fun her reflection looked, and took her place behind the counter.
“How’s it going, Jules?” she asked the teenager with a smile.
“Good.” Jules seemed slightly out of breath, but otherwise much less frazzled than before. “I’m just taking it one step at a time.”
“That’s all you can do,” Sally said with a grin. “That and of course ask your teammates for help. What needs doing?”
“Well, we just got an order for a London fog latte and there are two black coffee orders waiting too.”
“Easy as pie.” Sally began to dart about as swiftly as some kind of tropical bird. “I’ll get the black coffees first.”
Once they were caught up on orders, Sally began to greet her customers herself while Jules bustled about making coffee and running out pastries and savory sandwiches and soups. She loved talking to her customers, and she loved being able to gaze around her shop. It was cozy and sparklingly clean, and she always felt at home looking out onto the cozy streets of Rosewood Beach, Connecticut.
She enjoyed looking out at the weather on that day in particular. Despite the chilly temperatures, the outdoor world looked amazingly cheerful. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a perfect robin’s egg blue. Even though there was snow on the ground and icicles dripping down from the roof of her shop, that kind of sky made Sally ache for spring.
Always nice to have something to look forward to,she thought with a smile.I do love winter, but a sky like that makesme feel like I’m going to start smelling green, growing things any second now.
All of her customers at Ocean Breeze Café were in a holiday mood, it seemed. The start of the new year seemed to fill the air with a tingling feeling of hope, not unlike something starting to grow. It might not be springtime yet, but it was a beautiful, sparkling winter full of promise.
After two more hours of hustling and bustling, the swarm of customers finally began to slow down. Her employees swapped out, with the morning shift workers going home and the afternoon shift workers clocking in. After making sure everyone had what they needed, Sally made her way back to her office, a cozy little space painted mint green and bubble gum pink and tucked behind the kitchen. She loved sitting in there. It felt like her own personal sanctuary, almost like a treehouse or a blanket fort. Sally had never given up her child-like imagination and sense of fun, and it made her days more interesting, she thought.
She sank into the swivel chair behind her desk with a sigh. She was getting more tired after working rushes now that she was older, but she still felt tingly with adrenaline in a way that she loved.
She took a can of seltzer water out of her desk and cracked it open. She sighed as she took a long, refreshing gulp out of it. She was pleasantly surprised by the taste of grapefruit, since she’d forgotten what flavor the can was and had assumed it was strawberry when she’d seen the pink on the label.
She leaned back in her chair and looked around her office. On the walls were hung photographs of Ocean Breeze Café and newspaper articles celebrating its milestones. Her coffee shop had been a staple of Rosewood Beach for many years, and it was a cherished part of the community.
She smiled, feeling grateful to have the kind of job that she did. It was a lot of work, but she loved that she didn’t have toanswer to anyone. She was independent and able to make all of her own decisions, and she liked that.
She found herself staring into space for a moment, suddenly feeling sad. Independence was something she loved about her work life, but her home life could have done with more companionship. She wished that she had someone at home to talk to about what to make for dinner, or who would fuss over the way she loaded the dishwasher, or who would wake her up every morning with a kiss?—
She shook her head. The time for romance had long passed her by, and as much as she wished she had a romantic partner in life, there was no use in getting gloomy over the fact that she didn’t have one. She would have to make the best of it with what she had.
