She set it down, excited to eat it but more excited about reading the note that he’d left with it. She opened the card and read it, a giant smile spreading across her face as she did. She touched her hand to her heart, filled with gratitude to the man who had gone out of his way to make sure to wish her good luck on her audition and to tell her that she was the most exciting thing that had come into his life for many years.
She set the card down gently, treating it like the precious thing it was to her. She lifted the pastry out of the bag and took a bite out of it, savoring the taste as she chewed.
I can’t believe he was so thoughtful, she thought, feeling touched by his gesture of kindness but especially by his words in the card.I’m coming to appreciate and feel more deeply for that man with each passing day.
The thought made her heart flutter a little, as if she’d just thought something completely shocking. Was she really falling for a cook from a small town? Could a relationship like that ever work out for her?
She shook her head, wanting to stay filled with joy instead of confusion. She was simply going to enjoy Tom’s kindness and not overthink the situation. Besides, she was about to leave, so she wouldn’t be seeing Tom at all for a couple of days. The thought made her sad, but she knew that she would be back soon. Then there would be time to figure out what she and Tom should do moving forward. She smiled, happy at the thought of returning to Rosewood Beach and seeing Tom again.
She heard footsteps coming up the steps to her trailer’s door, and she turned around eagerly, hoping that Tom was outside. A moment later, however, she heard Carla call out, “Delilah! Are you here?”
“I am!” she called back, after hurriedly swallowing another bite of the strawberry scone. “Come on in.”
Carla stepped inside the trailer, her energy just as vibrant as the shade of her magenta glasses. “I wanted to touch base with you about our plan for the day,” she said, not wasting any time on pleasantries. “Did you get an itinerary for this week?”
“I did,” Delilah said, smiling. She thought to herself with a chuckle that if she hadn’t gotten a filming schedule, she certainly would have gone in search of one. Delilah liked her young director’s “go get ’em” energy, but sometimes Carla could have trusted the other members of her team a little more.
Carla outlined the plan she had for what they would film that day, throwing in a few comments about how she wanted Delilah to act in the scenes. “And then of course we still have that engagement scene to shoot. We’re still looking for the perfect spot.”
“Oh! I completely forgot to say something.” Delilah shook her head. She’d been so preoccupied with everything that had been happening with Tom that she’d forgotten to tell Carla about finding the rose garden with all of the breathtaking fountains. “I think I’ve found it. I saw the most absolutely beautiful place theother day.” She smiled, thinking fondly of Tom and the romantic moments they had shared together there. “I think it would be perfect for the proposal scene.”
“Really?” Carla’s expression lit up. “Do you have any pictures?”
“I do, but I’ll do better than that and take you there during our break this afternoon. You’re going to absolutely love it.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Tom’s hands flew as he cooked in the kitchen at The Lighthouse Grill. He was working on seven orders at once, and remembering when to flip the burgers and when to drizzle the pasta with Alfredo was keeping his mind occupied. He was thankful for that. He wanted his mind to be occupied, so that he would stop thinking about Delilah, and how she was too far out of his league.
He’d felt uncertain about his situation ever since overhearing the words of Delilah’s coworkers. He’d felt hurt by their disdain, certainly, but the real issue was that he believed that what they’d said was true. He wasn’t important or impressive enough of a person to date Delilah Bates.
He finished the seven orders, sliding them out onto the pickup counter with his well-worn bellow of “Order up!” Once he’d finished that task, he looked at the list of new orders and saw that all he needed to make was another cheeseburger.
He set to work on it, going easily on autopilot as he worked. He did his best not to think about Delilah and all of his concerns, but making the cheeseburger made him think about the time he’d made an extra-special one for Delilah.
I’ve had my misgivings from the start,he thought, watching the burger brown slowly, sizzling in fragrant grease.Delilah and I lead far too different lives. It was silly of me to think that we had a chance.
He shook his head, feeling that he should have paid better attention to those thoughts, before someone else had to point them out to him.
“How’s your day going, Tom?”
He turned and saw Alexis leaning against the frame of the pickup window, grinning at him. He returned her smile, glad to see her, although the facial expression was a little forced.
“Oh, fine.” He wanted to sound cheerful, since he knew that if Alexis sensed his distress, she would ask him about it, and he didn’t feel like talking about it. “How about you?”
“Working like a busy bee,” she said, shaking her head. “I feel like I might grow a pair of wings soon. Actually, that would be helpful—I could probably get around the dining room faster.”
Tom chuckled. “But then you wouldn’t be able to carry Cash on your back—your wings would get in the way.”
She pretended to gasp. “That’s a good point. I’d much rather have my little man back there than a pair of wings.”
“Mm.” He smiled again and turned around to tend to the cheeseburger, which was nearly done.
“That party was amazing, wasn’t it?” Alexis sounded as though she was full of energy and happiness, and Tom wished he was in the right mood to match her enthusiasm. Ordinarily, he loved talking to Alexis and the other team members during his shifts, but today he knew he was going to have trouble feigning enthusiasm.
“Yeah. Really great.” He half-turned toward her, keeping a steady smile on his face, but the thought of the party had reminded him of crouching behind the dessert table and holding hands with Delilah, and the thought that he might never holdher hand again made him feel as though he’d been punched in the stomach.
It was clear from the frown of concern on Alexis’s face that she’d immediately noticed. “Is everything okay, Tom?” she asked, taking a small step toward him. “Are you feeling all right?”
