He smiled quietly to himself as he went back to his work of chopping and mixing and stirring. Although he felt thrilled for Dean and Noelle, to him, it was just another wedding in the books. He seemed to be surrounded by new babies and weddings, and he knew there would be more soon. Everything repeated itself over and over again, and he was more than okay with that. He had long ago let himself slip into the natural rhythm of life, and it didn’t seem odd or dissatisfying to him that he got up and went to the same place almost every day, where he cooked the same meals over and over again. There was a comfort, almost a pleasure, in the familiar, as if he was stepping inside a beloved story and living out the words on the pages, or putting on a comfortable sweater that made him feel just right.
Life here is predictable,he thought, smiling to himself.But I like routine. Who needs surprises, anyway?
He paused for a moment, wondering how he would feel if a big surprise did come his way. After a moment, he shrugged. There was no point in wondering. Nothing all that newsworthy ever really happened in Rosewood Beach, and that was just fine with him.
CHAPTER TWO
Julia Harris slid her fork into the soft, gooey goodness of the lemon meringue pie slice in front of her and sighed luxuriously.
This just hits the spot, she thought, curling her toes inside the tennis shoes she was wearing. Even though she’d come into work after all because of an unexpected issue with their food supply bill, she was dressed more comfortably than usual. She usually made a point of wearing stylish clothes and doing her makeup carefully. Today, however, she was sporting blissfully soft sweatpants and a cozy sweater along with her tennis shoes.
She might not have gotten the complete day off that she’d pushed for the day before, but she’d still gotten to sleep in and read in bed for a while before she’d gotten her mother’s phone call. Now, after a short and reasonably easy shift at The Lighthouse Grill, she was digging into a slice of pie that promised to satisfy her current pregnancy craving, which was screaming for both sugar and citrus at the same time.
She brought the forkful of pie to her lips and grunted a little with happiness. The taste was tangy and sweet at once, light and fluffy and as smooth as jelly, and finished with a buttery, crunchy crust. Her mother had brought her out a slice that had been made that morning, even though the staff usually tried tostick to day-old bakery when taking snacks for themselves. The taste was light and perfect, and she closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the treat so much that she felt a rush of happiness almost like relief.
My hormones are making my emotions crazy,she thought with a chuckle.But right now, I’ll take a reaction like this.
She laughed quietly to herself as she thought about how she’d broken down the night before, crying because her husband Cooper hadn’t taken out the trash when he’d said he was going to. It had been a silly little thing, but her emotions had exploded into something big and dramatic. Thankfully, Cooper hadn’t taken her tears personally and had given her a big hug and kiss before promptly taking out the garbage.
As if summoned by her thoughts, at that moment, her phone began to buzz and she saw that the caller was Cooper.
“Hey, sweetheart,” she said, answering eagerly. “What’s up?”
She and Cooper had recently gotten married. Her handsome husband had the air of a cowboy about him, which was no surprise considering he’d owned a ranch before heading out to the east coast and starting work as a landscaper at a local company named Greener Pastures. He still made her go weak at the knees when she saw him, and she was often reminded of the first time she’d met him. She’d tripped in the rain and he’d caught her just before she’d tumbled into a patch of mud. Now it seemed that he was always there to catch her before she fell, and she felt incredibly grateful for the fact that he was as devoted to her as she was to him.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Cooper’s tone sounded warm, and she felt sure he was smiling broadly. She could just picture his grin. In the background, she could hear a toddler singing, and she knew that it was Macey, Cooper’s daughter from his first marriage. Julia adored Macey, and officially becoming her mother hadbeen one of the best parts about marrying Cooper. “Are you on your way home? Macey and I can’t wait to see you.”
Her heart melted at the thought of the two of them being at home waiting for her. Cooper’s beautiful house had become hers when they got married, and she had been nesting in it a great deal lately. She’d done a lot of reorganizing as soon as she’d moved in, since of the two of them she was definitely the organized one, and now she was doing some redecorating here and there. Luckily for her, Cooper welcomed her suggestions and Macey was a fan of anything that brought more fun colors into the house.
“I’m going to leave in just a little bit here, sorry,” she said. “I just couldn’t leave work without eating a slice of lemon meringue pie. It’s exactly what I’ve been craving today and by the time I was ready to leave I was feeling just about frantic for a taste. I thought about taking a slice home, but then I knew I needed to just stay and eat it here.”
He laughed. “You relax and enjoy yourself. Anything that satisfies your pregnancy cravings is a friend of mine. Are you not craving mac and cheese anymore?”
“No, I’m craving mac and cheese still too.” She laughed. “The sweet citrus-y craving was just more intense.”
There was a pause, and she just knew that Cooper was shaking his head and laughing. “Okay, well, you enjoy your pie. I’ll see you soon.”
They exchanged affectionate goodbyes and hung up. Julia ate another mouthful of the pie, sighing in contentment.
“Hey, you.”
She looked up and saw Tom grinning at her as he held up a to-go container.
“I had some extra mac and cheese left over and I just overheard you saying that you were still craving it. I’ll just go ahead and send this home with you.”
Julia gasped, thrilled. “Tom! That’s so sweet of you. Are you sure you won’t need it for another customer?”
He shrugged. “If I do, I’ll just make some more. You go ahead and take this home.”
Julia beamed at him. Tom was always doing sweet things like that for people. She’d come to think of him as a kind of uncle, someone who had her back and who she’d known for almost her entire life. She wondered sometimes why he’d never settled down with anyone. He was a great guy, and exceptionally kind and considerate. He’d had a few relationships here and there but none of them had ever worked out. She found herself wanting to ask him why he’d never gotten married, but she didn’t want to pry. They weren’t that close, and she didn’t want to upset or offend him.
“Thank you a million,” she told him. “I owe you one.”
He shook his head, smiling. “Not at all. You enjoy your weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Sounds good, thanks. You enjoy your weekend too!” She smiled at him again and he disappeared back into the kitchen, whistling as he went.
Julia had just put another creamy, citrusy bite of pie into her mouth when the front door of The Lighthouse Grill opened and Faith Talbot hurried inside. Faith was Julia’s second cousin, and she’d moved to Rosewood Beach recently after leaving her career as a lawyer in Boston because of a panic attack that had alerted her to how unhealthy her stress levels were.
