She poured herself a cup of coffee while she was at it, since things had finally slowed down a little, and she felt that she could take the time to rest and chat with her boyfriend for a while.
“Here you are.” She set the coffee cup down in front of him and placed hers beside it. “Let me just put your food order in and then I’ll come chat with you for a bit.”
“Sounds wonderful.” His eyes twinkled at her. “I’ll just take a Reuben with a side salad and a cup of fruit, without the mangos. Can I get that to-go? I may have to leave here before I’ve finished eating, I’m waiting to hear back from the manager of this motel. Doesn’t bode well for them.” Terrence frowned, and Vivian chuckled.
“You got it. Reuben, side salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and a fruit salad with no mangos. Be right back.” She knew what his favorite salad dressing was, so she didn’t have to ask.
When she returned to the table, she saw that he’d placed a saucer over her coffee cup to keep it hot.
“I put just a splash of cream in there, the way you like it,” he said, smiling at her fondly.
“Terrence!” Despite how consistently kind to her he was, she always felt touched by his thoughtfulness. “Thank you.” She sat down and took a grateful sip of the velvety dark liquid. “How’s your day been going?”
“Oh, fine, fine. Busy. But it looks like you’ve had a busy day yourself.”
“Why do you say that?” Vivian asked nervously, lifting a hand to her short hair and wondering if she still looked sweaty and disheveled.
“There are a lot of people here,” Terrence said simply.
“Oh.” She laughed. “Very true.”
“Are you free tonight?”
“I think I probably could be later on this evening. What did you have in mind?” She thought about taking a romantic stroll with him along the beach, and her heart fluttered at the thought.
“There’s a town meeting tonight,” Terrence said.
“Oh, really? I guess things have been so busy that I missed the email on that. What’s the topic?”
“Areas that need funding. I believe the town hall’s roof needs some new shingles after that storm, things like that. Would you like to come with me?”
Vivian shook her head. “I won’t be free that early in the evening unfortunately. I promised to bring some dinner to Dean and Noelle—he needs the cheering up more than he needs the food right now, you know? I don’t want to let him down. But –” Her heart started to beat faster as she was struck with a thought. “I could donate some of the money that Frank left. Maybe that’s what I could do with it—give it away to Rosewood Beach. I love my town, and I certainly consider it a worthy cause.”
Terrence frowned a little, showing that he had reservations about that idea. “Wouldn’t you rather know exactly what the money is being used for? I mean, I don’t think your money will end up being used for the mayor’s next car or anything shady like that, but a broad donation like that wouldn’t give you control over what the money is actually being used for.”
Vivian shrugged. “Honestly, Terrence, I feel that it would be best to simply be rid of it. I just hate thinking about it. It feels like a thousand little paper problems following me around.”
“I understand that,” Terrence said gently. “But I would encourage you to think on it for a little while longer. This isn’t a decision to rush, even if you would prefer to rush it.”
Vivian knew that he was right, but she didn’t quite know what to say. She was spared having to answer him, however, because at that moment, his phone buzzed and the screen lit up with a text message.
“Ah, time for me to go,” he said, standing up. “Oh, and there’s Alexis with my to-go order. Perfect timing.” He downed his coffee quickly. “Can I take this cup into the kitchen for you?”
She laughed. “No, but you’re a sweetheart to ask. You enjoy your lunch and have a good rest of your day.”
At that moment, Sally Lipton, the owner of Ocean Breeze Café and a dear friend of Vivian’s, bustled inside the restaurant. She looked around eagerly and waved a second later when she caught sight of Vivian and Terrence.
“Hi! I was just walking past and I thought I’d come in and say hi.”
“It’s hi and bye for me, I’m afraid,” Terrence said with a smile. “I’m off to work.”
“Hi and bye then, Terrence,” Sally said with a laugh.
“Bye, Vivian.” Terrence kissed Vivian on the cheek fondly. “Think on what I said, would you?”
She nodded. “I will.”
Terrence took the to-go bag from Alexis and headed out of The Lighthouse Grill, whistling a little as he went.
