“Yeah, I watched his bare ass hightail it around the corner at the end of the hall.” Dad and I both laughed for a few moments. “Do you love him, Naiva?”
“I think I always have,” I rasped as tears sprung up in my eyes.
“Then that’s all that matters.” Dad patted my leg. “Nice talk. Don’t worry about the B&B today. We’ve closed the cafe and your mom is cooking meals old school today. She’s missed the buffets and the sit-down dinners we used to have.”
“Alright,” I replied as he exited my room.
I sighed in relief when the door closed behind him and let myself fall back on my bed. Now, what the hell am I going to do with my life? I wondered as I debated about what to wear to go see Jack in a few hours.
Nerves had me pacing my room, I debated on my clothes, my hair, and whether or not to wear makeup to go see Jack at the small boathouse down the beach. Unfortunately, the majority of my clothes were work clothes. Khaki knee-pants, slacks, and shorts along with the B&B polo shirts and t-shirts I always wore. I’d never seen a need to have much else once I’d begun working here full time.
Knowing that the few dresses and skirts were too much for the beach, I settled on a pair of cutoff shorts and one of my B&B t-shirts. I didn’t see any reason to dress up. I wore my hair down for a change and swiped on some of my glitter gloss – I didn’t own makeup.
Laughing out loud as I looked into the mirror, I shrugged and headed for the door. I figured I had at least an hour before heading to the shack to meet Jack. So, I headed for the kitchen to help Mom in order to keep my mind occupied.
As I walked down the hallway, I couldn’t help but smile and I greeted everyone with a lot more ease than I ever have before. Funny how being in love could change your perspective.
When I entered the kitchen, Mom looked up and gave me a smile filled with relief.
“It’s a lot more work than you remember, isn’t it?” I asked with a laugh as I grabbed an apron and approached her.
“Oh my, yes. I ended up having to open the cafe. I didn’t realize how many regulars you had. They were lined up when I came down to start breakfast. It’s been non-stop.” Mom rambled off and pointed towards the cafe. “Go… take care of your people.”
I laughed and went out to find a group of customers waiting to place their orders.
“Naiva!” Leslie greeted with a huge smile. “Thank goodness. I need my usual and your mom has no idea what’s in it.”
Laughing, I grabbed a paper cup and began preparing Leslie’s double-shot caramel mocha latte. About thirty minutes later, I’d cleared the cafe of the morning rush and was straightening up when a tourist entered.
“Please tell me you have real coffee here?” Her face was painted on and her hair was bleached bone white. Her outfit was skin tight and she wore heels. None of her outfit was practical for a day at the beach.
“What would you like?” I asked instead of addressing her comment.
“I need a double shot espresso made with two Splenda and a dash of coconut milk,” she rattled off.
Turning to the machine I started it up and soon had it ready to go.
“Four dollars, please?” I asked as I placed it on the counter in front of her.
She threw a five-dollar bill on the counter and lifted the cup to her lips. A quick sip and she scrunched up her face but kept sipping.
“Have you decided on something, Amber?” I noticed a shorter and better dressed young woman leaned over and looking into the bakery case.
“Maybe…” The woman, Amber, replied absently.
“If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them for you,” I offered as I moved to stand behind the bakery case.
“Thank you. It just all looks so good,” she murmured.
“Really, Amber, I don’t understand how you eat that stuff. You really should eat less. You’re never going to catch the eye of someone like Harrison looking the way you do.” The beauty queen wanna-be rambled off.
I noticed that Amber didn’t seem to be listening to her.
“Amber,” she whined.
“Lisa, how many times do I have to tell you that I’m not looking for a man? I was only at the Noch’s party last night to make my parents happy.”
“Seriously, Amber. I don’t understand you. Harrison Noch is sexy and rich to boot. How could you not be interested in someone like him? My mom said that his mom told her she had been very selective in who she invited last night. Didn’t you notice that there weren’t any other young men?”
Amber sighed wearily and gave me a small smile.
“Doesn’t matter anyhow, I snagged him for myself,” Beauty queen sighed happily. Mom was going to go and talk to Mrs. Noch this morning.
At that point, my brain turned off and I wandered into the kitchen. I didn’t stop until I’d entered the walk-in refrigerator. Dropping down to the floor, I allowed the tears to fall. I’d always known I wasn’t good enough for someone like Harrison Jackson Noch III.
For the first time since I left for college, I didn’t worry about computer code or the next big project. There was no urge to check email or to call Clark and check on the state of things at the company. Instead, I was focused on finding the perfect engagement ring for Naiva.
It had to be classy, not too flashy, and unique. Everything Naiva was.
I found it at the third shop I entered and purchased it without looking at the price tag.
Now I was carrying a picnic basket with a rolled blanket and a single purple flower that reminded me of the ones on the Aisley B&B sign. I debated
