Page 78 of New Day at the Beach House

Claire stood and went to Danny. “I guess we can finish our evening now.”

He nodded. “I’d like that.”

She gave Jules and her mom a wave. “See you later.” Then she and Danny got in the elevator.

Alex got in, too, with Kat pausing at the doors to look back at her grandmother and aunt. “I’m going to say goodnight to Alex, then I’ll be back.”

The doors closed. Margo sat watching the screen as the next episode began, but her mind was on the future. What would it be like to live so close to Conrad?

Would they have dinner together? Take strolls through the neighborhood? She’d already decided to convert the smallest of the bedrooms into her writing studio. How often would they work at her place? The lanai at the new house had a nice, covered area. They could work out there when the weather was right.

She knew it would all sort itself out, and while she was still worried about everything that had to be done, she had a lot more peace about it, too.

Willie settled into one of the chairs by the outdoor firepit. Miguel had brought her a throw in case she got cold, but she was perfectly warm. The night air did have a little coolness in it, but the firepit put off a surprising amount of heat.

He’d gone inside to get them dessert and see if Danny was back yet. She heard footsteps but didn’t bother turning. She recognized his gait.

He put a small tray on the table between their chairs. It held a plate of cookies, two plates of cake, forks, napkins, and cups. He added a thermos beside the tray.

She looked at him in wonder. “You carried all of that down?”

“I took the elevator. It was no problem. I made some decaf for us, but the good kind, already fixed the way we like it.”

She laughed. “So it’s strong and sweet.”

“Is there any other way?” He sat down and opened the thermos. He filled their cups with the milky coffee.

“What kind of cookies are those?” They looked good, but then so did most sweets, Willie thought.

“Mantecaditos. Claire made them. They’re an old family recipe and very delicious. We’re going to sell them at the bakery.”

He put a cup of decaf coffee on her side of the table. It smelled good. She picked it up with both hands and took a sip. It tasted even better. She rested the cup on the arm of the chair and reached for a cookie.

She took a bite. The sharpness of the jam combined with the sweetness of the biscuit made a good combination. She gestured with the remaining half of the cookie. “What did you say this was again? Manti-something?”

“Mantecaditos.”

“Mantecaditos,” she repeated. “And what kind of jam is this?”

“Guava. Do you like it?”

“I do. I’ve just never tasted anything like this before. It’s really good. Different. To me, anyway.”

“Guava is a very popular fruit in my country. We have a guava tree on the side of the house here. When they have fruit, their perfume is the best smell in the world.”

She ate the last bite of her cookie, then sipped some more coffee before reaching for her plate of cake. She couldn’t have asked for a nicer evening. Miguel put his feet up on the edge of the firepit, so she did, too. She tried the cake next, nodding almost instantly. “I can see why you like this. It’s very tasty.”

“Tres leches is the best.”

The warmth from the fire was making her drowsy, but in the most comfortable way. “I love this firepit. We need one of these at our place. I’ll have to mention it to Roxie and Trina, see what they think.”

Silence stretched out between them as they ate cake and drank coffee, both of them seemingly mesmerized by the dancing flames.

“Are you happy?” Miguel asked.

Her brows bent as she glanced over at him. “I’m very happy. Why? Don’t I seem like it?”

“No, you do. I just wanted to be sure.”

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