A Walk Along the Beach(17)

Hiding my smile would have been impossible. “He asked me out.”

A knowing smile quivered at her lips. “Told you.”

No use arguing. Besides, I didn’t want to. “You did.”

“Where’s he taking you?”

“He asked me what I wanted to do.” That had impressed me. “I suggested a walk along the beach.”

“What!” Harper cried, shaking her head as if I’d committed some terrible faux pas. “No way. After he kept you waiting all this time. The least you can do is ask him to take you to dinner.”

“Next time,” I said, amused at her outrage. “At the end of the day, I’m tired. I’d rather get to know him without all the fuss of us sitting in a crowded, noisy restaurant, trying to have a conversation.”

Harper considered my words before slowly shaking her head. “You and I are different people.”

I laughed. “You mean to say it’s taken you this long to realize that?”

My sister smiled. “Not really. If it was me, I’d have Sean wine and dine me and make sure he understood how fortunate he was that I was willing to spend time with him.”

That was Harper, all right. “But then you get ten men all wanting to date you to my one.”

She bit off the end of her scone. “You’re exaggerating.”

    “Hardly.” We both knew I was right, and we both knew it wasn’t worth arguing over. Time to change the subject. “Where did you put you know who?” I asked, my voice a whisper. I figured she’d understand I was referring to Snowball.

Harper nearly spit out a bite of her scone. “You mean Snowball?” she asked, as if this was all one big joke.

I glared back at her. We couldn’t very well blurt out that we were keeping a cat in an apartment complex that didn’t allow pets. “Yes,” I admitted.

“It isn’t like we’re hiding an escaped felon.”

“Whatever. Where is she?”

“My room, like I promised. I got a box with kitty litter and have a bowl of food and water out for her. She’ll be fine until I’m back this afternoon.”

“Did you close your bedroom door?”

Harper blinked and shook her head. “Of course not. You’re the one who insisted that would be cruel.”

I could see it all now: Within a few weeks Snowball would grow big enough to curl herself up in the front window, lazing in the sun for all the world to see as they passed by. There would be a tenant revolt because others in the complex would demand to know why we had a pet and they weren’t allowed one. Then the landlord would be notified, and we would be asked to move. It came to me as clear as a termination notice.

“You’ve got that look again,” Harper murmured, frowning at me. “You’re thinking too much.”

One of us needed to. “We’re going to lose our apartment because of that cat. Mark my words, Harper Lakey. Mark my words.”



* * *



—

Following the lunch hour, Teresa Hoffert stopped by. She wasn’t a regular customer and I enjoyed seeing her. Teresa cleaned houses and was the hardest-working woman I knew. Her daughter, Britt, had worked for me her senior year in high school and was one of the best employees I’d ever hired. Like mother, like daughter.

    “Teresa,” I said, happy to see her. “What can I get you?”

“How about a turkey sandwich and a cup of coffee.”

“Sounds good.” I removed the sandwich from the refrigerated glass case and poured her a cup of coffee.

She paid me and took a seat at a table close to the counter. We chatted for a bit, and it was good to catch up with her and get the latest news about Britt and her younger brother, Logan. After Teresa finished her lunch, she left. I knew that her buying herself lunch was a rare treat and that she did it because she wanted to support me and the café.

As the afternoon progressed, I found myself watching the clock. Sean knew I closed the shop at three, but I often stayed longer to get everything ready for the following morning. When Shirley arrived that morning, I’d asked her if she would cover for me and she’d readily agreed.

When Sean came by for our date, I was as ready as I was likely to be. I’d changed into white jeans and a sleeveless red blouse with ruffles on both sides of the long row of buttons. It was one of my favorites.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.” I nervously wiped my hands down the front of my pants.

“You ready?”

I nodded, letting him know that I was. He looked wonderful. Better than ever, in a checkered shirt and khaki pants.

“I brought Bandit with me. He’s in the car. You don’t mind, do you? I hated leaving him alone at the house.”

“Sure, no problem.” Even though I’d made a fuss over Harper’s cat, I was an animal lover and was especially fond of dogs.

Shirley locked the door behind me and winked, letting me know she approved. Earlier, when I’d asked her to stay late, she’d said she felt it was high time I made a life for myself. And she was right. I’d invested so much of myself in my tiny café at the cost of everything except family. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone out with someone I was excited to see. I’d dated some in the last few years, thanks to Harper. My sister often took pity on me and asked me to double-date with her. Most were blind dates and had petered out quickly. With my irregular hours and dedication to making my café a success, there wasn’t a lot of room in my life for romance. Sad to say, I was a sorry disappointment to Harper.