Page 90 of Sunsets at the Beach House

“Good,” he said. “Because I have something I can’t wait another second to give you.”

“What?”

He leaned to one side, dug in his pants pocket, and pulled out a small, burgundy leather box. He put it on the table between them. “I hope this meets with your approval.”

She let out a soft gasp. “Is that…what I think it is?”

He smiled. “What do you think it is?”

“A ring.”

“You are a very perceptive woman. Open it.”

She picked up the box. It had a little metal lock on the front that swung to the side to unlatch. She pushed it away then lifted the top.

There was absolutely a ring inside. A gold ring, just like she’d asked for. At the center was a fat sapphire in the shape of a cushion. The gem was the color of deep ocean water, a tranquil, mesmerizing blue that made you feel as if you could see through it for miles.

Surrounding the sapphire were round diamonds that were not too small, but also not too big, and plenty sparkly, even in the Bistro’s soft lighting. The ring was regal and would be impossible not to notice on any woman’s hand.

He took it out of the box and slipped it onto her ring finger. “What do you think?”

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she whispered as she stared at the gem. “I feel like a queen.”

Miguel beamed. “That is how you should always feel, because that is what you are to me.”

She sniffed. “Our wedding can’t come soon enough.”

Trina never would have imagined grocery shopping with Miles was something she’d enjoy so much, but she liked the domestic vibe it was giving her. She realized, as they wandered the aisles and filled their cart, that you could learn a lot from how a person shopped and by the choices they made.

For example, when it came to produce, Miles liked to look at each thing he was buying. He didn’t just fill a bag with apples. He inspected each one to make sure it looked nice, didn’t have bad spots or anything like that.

She appreciated that the little things mattered to him. She had no doubt that kind of attitude made him so good at his job. He cared. About everything. She’d never seen him at work, actually dealing with an injured person, but she was sure he must be kind and caring and attentive.

“I don’t know how to make a lot of things,” she told Miles. “But I know how to make tater tot casserole. I could make one for Alex and then he could have it on hand for a couple of days. Pretty easy thing for him to heat up when he’s hungry. I could even store it in individual servings if we bought some containers.”

“That would be good. I was just going to grab some frozen meals, but homemade wins. What do you need?”

“Tater tots.” She grinned. “Obviously. I’ll need a casserole dish to make it in. Do you think he has one of those?”

“Probably not. How about one of those big foil pans?”

“That would work. I’ll need some ground beef, a bag of frozen peas—does Alex like peas?”

Miles nodded. “I think so. Larry’s served peas before and I’ve never seen Alex complain.”

“Okay, good. I’ll also need an onion, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and a bag of shredded cheese.”

“Good thing we’re still in produce.” He grabbed an onion. “Any kind okay?”

“Get a sweet one. They’re less bitey.”

He checked to see what he’d picked up, then switched the one in his hand for the kind she’d requested. “Done. Let’s go get the rest of the stuff.”

“You can still get him some frozen meals. He might get sick of tater tot casserole.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll freeze a few of the portions after I get it divided up.”

“Maybe you’ll make me some tater tot casserole sometime.”

She smiled. “Whenever you want me to.”

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