“No problem. I hear your grandfather still goes into work every day. Is he okay after last night?” Jules asked.
“He’s fine. He just can be a little grumpy at times.” Nick took a sip of his coffee.
“My Gram was like that. It’s really special when you have a relationship with them.”
Nick’s warm smile made her heart flutter. “It really is. You must have been close with yours. She left you a motel, and your cousins too.”
“We were close,” Jules said. At least she was with her grandmother. Her cousins, not so much. “And even though the motel needs a lot of work, she wanted me to revive it.” Jules glanced out the window at the dilapidated town. “I don’t want to disappoint her, but it’s a big job, and the town, well…”
Nick followed her gaze. “Yeah, I know the town isn’t exactly in its heyday, but your cousin sounded like she had some ideas. Maybe it won’t be so hard to bring people back here.”
Jules sipped her coffee. “Let’s hope. I made Gram a promise, and I don’t want to disappoint her.”
Nick nodded. “I know what you mean. I hate to disappoint my grandfather too. I promised I’d help keep the bank afloat.”
Jules felt a sympathetic connection with Nick. She knew how it was to try to keep promises, even if things were working against them. “It must be hard with the town the way it is.”
“You can say that again, but let’s hope better days are coming.” Nick raised his coffee cup, and they clinked rims.
“Let’s hope,” she said.
Nick looked out over the town, and Jules took a moment to study him. He had a handsome face, a strong jaw. Sitting near the window with the sun shining in made his eyes more of an amber than brown. But why was she noticing things like that? She was not in the market for a boyfriend. The last one hadn’t worked out so well.
Suddenly feeling awkward, she grasped at the first thing she could to make small talk. “So, did you grow up here in town?”
Nick’s attention turned back to the table. “Yes, I did. Born and raised.”
“It’s a beautiful place,” she said. “There’s not a lot going on, but that’s part of its charm, I think.”
Nick took a sip of his coffee. “What about you?”
“I grew up in a small beach town, too, near Lobster Bay, just down the coast of Maine.”
“I’ve been there. It’s very nice.”
Jules nodded. “It’s a lot like here.”
“It is,” Nick said. “So, will you be staying here after you get the motel up and running?”
Jules thought about that. Part of her vision of being successful was that she would run the motel, just like Gram had run all of hers. Well, except for the one that Jules and her cousins had ruined. The town was growing on her, and the people seemed nice. Especially Nick. He was worth getting to know better as a friend.
His phone chirped, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Oh, I’ve got a meeting in five. Better get back to the bank. Nice talking to you. It’s good to know the newcomers better.” He got up from the table.
“You too,” Jules said as she watched him leave.
She liked Nick, maybe more than she should, but her focus was on the motel. Even so, things were looking up here. Even Gina seemed to be coming around.
* * *
“Those two looked cozy,”Leena said as she watched Nick leave the coffee shop.
She, Pearl, and Rose had pulled up in front of Ocean Brew and spied Jules and Nick in the booth.
“I think they make a cute couple,” Rose said.
“Hopefully he’s not as sour as his grandfather,” Pearl piped in.
“No kidding. I don’t know though. He hasn’t found a girl that sticks yet. I don’t think he’s the type that makes a commitment.” Leena had known Nick since he was a baby. In a small town, everyone knew who everyone dated and for how long.
