Page 75 of The Runaway Bride of Blitzen Bay (Blitzen Bay)

“Merry Christmas, Sam!” I bound across the room and hug him.

“Merry Christmas, Noelle.” He takes off his coat to reveal a bright green sweater accented by the collar of a red plaid shirt.

“You look positively festive!” I say as he slides into his normal booth.

“I try to wear all of my red and green clothes at least once in December.” He points at the apron as I wrap it around my waist. “Please tell me your new job indicates that you’re staying with us in Blitzen Bay.”

“Izzy’s not feeling well today, so I’m just helping out. What can I get you this morning?”

“Gabi always has my breakfast prepared almost before I sit down,” he says, grinning again, “but you can get me a cup of coffee—the first one with caffeine and then the rest unleaded, please.”

Gabi’s putting a bowl of oatmeal in front of him when I make it back with the coffee.

She looks at me. “What do you want for breakfast? You might as well grab something while it’s only Sam here.”

“Just a bowl of fruit would be great.” I slide in across from Sam and pour myself a cup of coffee. “Do you mind if I eat with you?”

He pushes his newspaper to the wall. “It would be my pleasure. That will make two meals I get to share with you today if you’re still coming to my dinner tonight?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“I hope you like paella. That’s what Holly and I always made on Christmas.” His eyes dim for a second as he says her name.

I reach over and take his hand. “How long were you and Holly married?”

“A little more than forty years.” He’s smiling again. “You know we got married three months after we met.”

“What? That’s amazing,” I say as Gabi puts my breakfast down on the table. “Gabi, did you know that?”

“Yeah, it was love at first sight, but who wouldn’t fall in love with Sam the minute they saw him.” She leans over and kisses him on the head before walking back to the kitchen.

He laughs and then whispers, “Noelle, may I tell you a secret?”

“I love secrets so much,” I say, leaning forward.

“Holly’s parents didn’t like me at all when they met me.”

“What?” I fling myself back against the bench. “How’s that possible? You’re perfect.”

“Well, in their defense, I was kind of a mess when we started dating. I had just gotten back from Vietnam and—well, I was a lot to handle. I was mad and grumpy and generally not a lot of fun to be around.”

“I can’t believe that’s true. You said Holly fell in love with you the second she saw you.”

“No, I said I fell in love with her at first sight. And really, it wasn’t even at first sight. I heard her laugh before I saw her. I was sitting at a bar in San Diego, trying to lose myself in a beer, like I had every night since I got back from ‘Nam. All of a sudden I heard this laugh. It went on forever, but in a nice lilting way. It sounded like a song. It was such an interesting sound. I knew I had to find the person responsible. I looked all around the bar and saw her staring at me. When I looked back, she started laughing again. I grinned from ear-to-ear. So much for being subtle, huh?”

“But she was staring at you! Maybe it was love at first sight for her, too.”

“No, for her it was intrigue-at-first-sight. She led a pretty sheltered life up to that point—growing up in little Blitzen Bay with very conservative parents. I wasn’t like anything she’d ever seen, especially fresh back from the war. I was pretty chaotic—physically and mentally.”

“So how long did it take her to fall in love with you? It must have been pretty quick.”

“About a month,” he says, laughing. “I was a project. She liked projects. That’s how it started, but within a month, she saw right through my hard shell to who I truly was. She started pulling that part of me back out gradually. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

I sigh. “That’s just lovely. Maybe I’ll find that one day.”

“Maybe you already have—”

“No, I broke it off with my fiancé last night. We’re done for good.”

He lays his hand on top of mine. “I’m very sorry to hear that, Noelle, but if he wasn’t the person for you, I’m also relieved that you didn’t marry him. You’re a bright light—an absolute ray of sunshine. You deserve someone who not only encourages you to shine but also loves basking in your glow.”

“I hope I find him someday.”

Sam smiles and nods toward the door. “I think you have a new customer.”

I turn around to see Nash standing at the door.

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