Page 28 of The Library of Second Chances
Lucy was so surprised by his passion for the subject that she didn’t quite know what to say. As much as she appreciated the buildings that made up Heron Isle’s historic district, she was guilty of walking by quickly on her way to the post office or bank and not stopping to appreciate the small details. She madea mental note to walk a little slower from now on and take in her surroundings. She knew she was lucky to live in a place like Heron Isle that had preserved so much of its history. That was why the waterfront project was so important to her. Heron Isle had always been here for her, and now she needed to be there for it.
Maybe she and Logan weren’t so different. She was glad he’d invited her along on the tour and let her see this side of him. Maybe they could find some common ground after all.
Since she hadn’t spent much time on the beach this summer due to being so busy looking into buying her building and fighting the waterfront development, Lucy suggested she and Logan go to dinner at the Sand Dollar. It was a casual restaurant, with outdoor dining behind the building, in a sandy patch separated from the ocean only by a few short dunes. A favorite of locals and tourists alike.
As the hostess showed them to a table near the dunes, their feet sank into the sand with every step. She had on sandals, but Logan was no doubt getting sand in his shoes. They looked like the expensive kind of boat shoes that aren’t ever actually worn on a boat, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“So what’s good here?” He peered over the top of the menu when the hostess left the table.
“Everything. Well, assuming you like seafood. You do like seafood, right?”
“Love it. Point me in the right direction.”
“Well, the shrimp is Mayport, caught right here in the waters around the island. You can get it grilled or fried, over pasta or grits. You can’t go wrong. Grouper, snapper, mahi,” she read down the list of the night’s specials. “Everything is caught locally. You’ll never find anything frozen here.”
When the server came by the table, they each ordered a glass of white wine. Logan set his menu on the table and folded his hands neatly in front of him.
“Was I right? You had a good time on the tour, didn’t you?”
“Yes. It definitely beat a one-way boat trip where I ended up sleeping with the fishes.” She smiled over her menu at him. She knew what she was going to order, but she kept the menu up so she could pretend to concentrate on something other than him. Every time his eyes met hers, she felt a little tingle creep across her chest, and she worried it was her resolve crumbling. She had to keep her wits about her with someone like him.
He laughed. “Is that what you like to read? Thrillers where someone ends up dead in the water?”
“I just finishedOne by Oneby Ruth Ware. Sooo good,” she said with a satisfied sigh. “If you like thrillers, I highly recommend it. Are you much of a reader?”
The server interrupted to deliver their wine and take their orders. She’d just left when Lucy spotted an osprey flying away from the ocean.
“Look, there’s your fresh fish.” She giggled when he looked up and his eyes widened at the sight of the fish wriggling in the bird’s talons.
“If that’s how you people are getting your fish, maybe you were right about needing the open-air market downtown.” He smiled and leaned back in his chair after taking a sip of his wine.
“Is that really on the table?” She pushed at her silverware, moving each piece until the bottoms were lined up perfectly.
“Sure, why not?” He shrugged. “As far as I’m concerned, all suggestions are on the table.”
“Does that mean the casino boat is still on the table too?”
“It’s a harder sell to the downtown restaurant owners since it provides direct competition, but I haven’t ruled anything outyet. I think we need all the options on the table so we can make informed decisions.”
As she sipped her wine, she looked out past the dunes where the tide was so high she could hear the waves breaking, but couldn’t actually see them. Long streaks of clouds swept across the sky like paint strokes, beginning to turn pastel shades of pink and purple as they reflected the sun’s descent on the western side of the island.
Lucy remembered how comforting it was when she’d moved home and driven over the bridge in her small moving truck to find everything exactly how she’d left it. Now that she was here, it was up to her to make sure it stayed that way. That the people who came time and again could come back and still find what they loved about it.
When she looked back at him, Logan was swirling his wine, squinting at her like he wanted to say something, but was holding back.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” She tucked a curl behind her ear self-consciously.
“I want to ask you something, but I have a feeling I know how you’re going to react.”
“Is that so? I can’t wait to hear how well you think you know me.” She let out a nervous laugh because when he looked at her with those emerald-green eyes, she really did feel he could read her every thought.
“Yes. I think you’re going to get defensive. You’ll probably tell me to mind my own business, but I think that would be a mistake.”
“Okay.” She dragged out the word as if it had three syllables. “Now I’m really intrigued.”
“Just don’t jump from intrigued to angry. Deal?” His eyes challenged her, daring her to trust him.
“Sure. Now, out with it.” She gripped the arms of her chair, bracing for his next ill-advised plan for the waterfront. What was he going to propose this time? Maybe they could start loading shipping containers at the marina, stacking them all along the waterfront like working ports did in other places.
