Page 9 of A Breeze Over Rosewood Beach
“Julia and Cooper are going to show us all their pictures at our next dinner night,” Vivian announced, clearly glowing with excitement over the fact that her daughter was back.
“Oh good, I can’t wait to see more pictures,” Sally said, meaning it sincerely. She loved looking at pictures of places. It was the next best thing to getting to go there herself. “Sounds wonderful. Would the four of you—five, sorry.” She laughed and made a little cooing noise at Cash, who blinked at her in confusion. “Would you like a table after you’ve ordered? There’s a couple that are empty now, I would just have to wipe them down for you quickly.”
Julia bit her lip, looking regretful. “Maybe we could go for a walk instead? Sorry, Sally, I just feel like I need a little more fresh air.”
“Sure, I understand.” Sally smiled. While it was true that she wasn’t offended, it wasn’t exactly true that she understood. She would have expected Julia to want to sit down, considering how tired she looked. “Don’t apologize! I just thought you might like to sit down, honey. You look exhausted.”
“I am.” Julia shook her head. “I don’t know what’s come over me. But I need fresh air more than I need a chair right now. Is that okay with everyone else?”
“Sure.” Cooper wrapped an arm around her. “Of course. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I think it’s just all the traveling.”
“Walking is good with me,” Alexis said. “What do you think, Cash? Outside again?”
Cash’s face lit up with a smile and he gurgled, which made everyone else utter exclamations of delight.
“Well, that settles it, I guess.” Vivian laughed. “We’ll get our orders and then we’ll walk around for a while. It’s a nice day for winter. That sounds good to me.”
Sally went back behind the counter and took the coffee and pastry orders for her friends. Cooper got a black coffee along with a chocolate raspberry muffin, Vivian got a cappuccino and a lemon scone, Alexis got a peanut butter cookie and a honey vanilla latte, and Julia ordered a peppermint tea and a plain croissant.
“Just plain?” Sally echoed, a little surprised. They had their famous chocolate croissants available, and Julia usually loved those.
“Yeah, I’m just feeling something simple right now,” Julia said.
“Sure thing.” Sally smiled. “Just give us two or three minutes and we’ll have it all ready for you.”
True to her word, Sally worked at lightning speed alongside her employees, and soon she had the orders ready for her friends. They accepted them gratefully and then made their way back outside. Sally watched them go, feeling delighted to have seen them but also curious about what might be causing Julia’s unexpected fatigue.
CHAPTER FIVE
Oscar rolled his shoulders back with a groan. He felt as though he had been driving forever and a day, even though the last time he’d gotten out of his car to walk around and stretch for while had been an hour previously, when he’d stopped by a nice rest stop that had a vending machine and a duck pond. He’d wanted to buy himself some caffeine, but of course there wasn’t any kind of decent coffee at the rest stop. He’d finally settled on a Coke, and the bubbling, fizzing drink made him feel as though he was ten years old again. He didn’t like it. He hadn’t had soda in decades.
He glanced at his GPS and was relieved to see that he would be arriving in Rosewood Beach soon. It was only another fifteen minutes or so. He was still driving through coastal farmlands and woods, and he felt as though he was in the middle of nowhere. Was there really a town up ahead, nestled in the middle of all that nature? If he hadn’t been following a map to find it, he might have come to the conclusion that it was a mirage.
He downed the final sips of his Coke as he drove up a hill along the coast. The sun glittered on the ocean waves, looking as beautiful as a painting. He found himself reminded suddenlyof a painting that he’d forgotten about entirely for years. It had been hanging over the mantelpiece at his great grandmother’s house and had been of a beautiful coastal landscape like this one. He remembered the flecks of white and gold paint that were meant to represent the sunlight on the water, and the way it danced. It had been a wonderful painting, and one that had filled him with joy when he was a child. He found himself wondering if the painting had been done by an artist from Rosewood Beach. Maybe his great grandmother had referred to it when she’d told him about the “paradise” of the little town, and he’d forgotten the connection until that moment.
He drove up to the top of a hill, and all at once the land opened in front of him, and he was looking down at a picturesque little town. To his left, the ocean sparkled like an azure-blue fabric covered in diamonds, and in front of him were rows of charming streets and quaint buildings. A sign on the side of the road read, “You are Now Entering Rosewood Beach.”
He began his descent down the hill into Rosewood Beach, finding that his heart was beating faster. His eyes scanned the buildings, noting that they were a mix of modern and old—some of them very old. Most of them had fresh coats of paint in pleasant, cheerful colors. He even passed a bridal shop that was painted a vibrant shade of pink.
A bit much,he thought with another grunt, but he had to admit that the shade suited the style of the antique building, with its latticed windows and white shutters.
He drove slowly through the streets, hardly paying attention to what his GPS was telling him. He’d known it would be different from New York, but the extent to which the town was pervaded with a sense of quiet and peacefulness floored him. He knew that the sidewalks were more likely to be bustling with people during the summer months, but the people that he did see walking or getting out of their cars seemed to be moving ata relaxed, cheerful pace that was foreign to him. He was so used to seeing the people of New York barreling down the sidewalks as fast as they could go, trying to get to whatever urgent business they had to do as quickly as possible.
Quaint,he thought, looking around at the shops and sidewalks that were lined with trees and flower beds. Although everything was covered in a sparkling coating of snow, he could easily imagine how bright and cheerful the streets must be in the summertime, when there were colorful flowers growing alongside the cheerful buildings.I know I came here for a drastic change,he thought,but that was because of my finances. I didn’t expect it to be quite this drastic.
He drove past more streets, and there were fewer and fewer shops and more homes. After turning around a large pine tree, he arrived at the cottage that he had rented.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw it. The white of the stone walls and the even cleaner white of the snow contrasted beautifully with the navy hue of the ocean. The sky was a creamy shade of light blue, with a couple of cirrus clouds wafting across it.
He swallowed, feeling an intense relief that he hadn’t expected to feel. Here was a place where he could close the door and be alone for a while. It would be quiet, and peaceful, and it would be beautiful. He hadn’t expected himself to be so moved by the majesty of the view the cottage offered. Even in winter, the lawn surrounding the little house looked marvelous. There was a gentle slope leading down from the house to the road, and there was a cluster of birch and pine trees near the house that did nothing to impede the breathtaking view of the ocean.
He parked in the little garage, got out of his car, and lugged his suitcase out of the trunk. His feet made crunching sounds as he walked across the thin dusting of snow that hadn’t been cleared from the driveway. For a moment, he was tempted tofind fault with the landlord, but then he reminded himself that the driveway had clearly been recently shoveled—and there was salt on the path leading up to the front door, which had made most of the snow on the cobblestones melt.
He looked up at the sky. It was clear at the moment, but the snow had probably arrived early in the morning. It was more than possible that whoever owned this cottage was too busy with other things to clear away the snow.
Or they just don’t think I’m that significant,he thought with a grunt.Who would? I’m just a random old man coming here to live for a while.
