All of them laughed.
“Is Rosewood Beach treating you well?” Alexis asked. “How does it compare as a filming location?”
“I love it,” Delilah said. “I have to admit, I was expecting to be bored in a little town—please don’t be offended, I’m just used to more… fast-paced places.”
Julia and Alexis shared a smile. “Don’t worry,” Julia said. “We completely understand.”
“I’m glad to hear that. And I’ve been completely surprised,” Delilah continued. “This town of yours is charming andbeautiful, and I’ve had some of the best food here that I’ve had in years. I’ve been to The Lighthouse Grill a couple of times now, and the last time I was there the cheeseburger I ordered was absolutely out of this world. That chef—Tom—he’s really excellent.”
Alexis grinned knowingly. “He is very good—but it was pretty clear that he made that plate up specially for you, Delilah. You got the extra good version of our cheeseburger.”
“I did?” Delilah said, finding unexpectedly that she was blushing slightly. “Well, that’s very nice of him. I definitely appreciated his efforts.”
For a moment, as Alexis talked about how Tom had made all kinds of wonderful changes to the items on the menu at The Lighthouse Grill, Delilah was only half-listening. She couldn’t help thinking about the fact that Tom had made the cheeseburger special for her and wondering if that was a sign that he was hoping to see her again.
He did say he’d run lines with me,she thought.And I do need some help with that.
Maybe I’ll ask him if he really is willing—what could it hurt?
Her heart fluttered a little at the thought, and she was surprised by her reaction. She felt a sudden swarm of doubts, as if working on lines with Tom was somehow forbidden for her, and she shouldn’t let herself get too close to him. She wondered why she had reacted that way and concluded that the whole idea of asking him to help her was silly. Tom was practically running an entire restaurant, spending his days cooking at whirlwind speed. He probably liked to spend his nights sitting in his house and sipping a cold beer, or maybe relaxing on a boat, or going for a peaceful walk along the quiet streets of Rosewood Beach…
She shook her head, trying to dispel all questions about Tom helping her with her lines from her mind. She simply wouldn’t reach out to him, since they were both so busy and he’d probablyonly offered to be polite and maybe because he was feeling a little star-struck at the time.
I don’t know why I thought he’d actually want to help me,she thought.I’m sure he has much better things to do.
“Tom seems like a great chef,” she said to Alexis with a smile. “I’m sure I’ll come back to The Lighthouse Grill again soon. I hope that when I do come back there, we’ll all have a chance to say hello again. It was wonderful meeting you four.”
She meant it sincerely. She’d already been charmed by the homey atmosphere of Rosewood Beach, and these women seemed to be the incarnation of that sincere, hard-working, joyful energy.
“We would love that,” Faith gushed, and the other women nodded emphatically.
“It was just magical getting to meet you, Delilah,” Hazel said, shaking her hand again. “Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.”
“I second that,” Julia said. “But now we’d better get out of your way. We’re here to pick up some treats before helping our soon-to-be sister-in-law Noelle with her wedding planning.”
“Sounds lovely,” Delilah said. “Enjoy your day, girls. Nice to meet you.”
“So nice to meet you,” they chorused.
Smiling, Delilah stepped to the side, where she sipped her latte thoughtfully. She watched the young women chatter together enthusiastically before ordering some pastries, their heads close together in a way that implied love and closeness amongst them. After receiving a white paper bag of goodies, they turned around and left the shop, waving adoringly at Delilah before stepping through the door.
Her heart gave a bittersweet pang as she waved back, watching them go. She realized that she wished she was going with them.
“Delilah!”
She turned and saw that Carla was smiling at her.
“Come on over here, it’s time to start filming.”
Delilah nodded and set down her coffee cup, squaring her shoulders as she went over to the table where she was about to perform. Her own life, and her own thoughts, would have to wait for the moment.
CHAPTER TEN
Tom stepped out of The Salty Spoon with a to-go bag in hand. The appetizing smells of the Reuben and French fries that he’d ordered wafted up at him, and his stomach growled eagerly.
He chuckled as he began to stroll away from the cheerfully bustling restaurant. He never seemed to want to cook for himself on his days off, even though he was always seeing recipes that he was dying to try. He simply never felt like making that much of an effort just for himself, even though he would often tell himself that he was definitely going to make roasted duck with apricot chutney that night—or some other elaborate recipe that sounded delicious. He would end up ordering a pizza or doing what he’d just done—stop at one of the local restaurants for a bag of to-go food. Sometimes he even stopped by The Lighthouse Grill and let his friends, the other chefs there, cook him whatever they felt like making.
It was a beautiful day, with a steely-blue sky that was becoming more cheerful by the moment as the last of the clouds blew away into the west. A light spring breeze ruffled against his coat collar, and the sun fell warmly across his face as he walked.
