I lean back against the counter. “You ever take a real break? Like a real vacation?”
She looks like she’s considering what I’m saying. “I’m trying to. That’s kind of the point of this summer.”
“Yeah?”
She nods. “I’m trying to find myself. Or at least figure out who I am when I’m not working ninety hours a week. I’m supposed to take over the company, but I don’t want the life my dad had. No time for a life and everything revolved around work.”
“That sounds exhausting,” I admit. But then I call myself out on it because I work a heavy load as well. But not near that much.
She smiles sadly. “It is. But I do love most of it.”
Her phone buzzes on the bar. She looks at the screen, and the light in her face dims just a notch. Her jaw goes tight, and she gives a small sigh. She flips the phone face down without answering it. But I did notice “Tyler the Turd” flashing on the screen.
“Who is Tyler the Turd?”
“My ex.” She fidgets in her seat, a frown marring her features.
“Ahh. Turd worthy.”
“Yep, not worth discussing,” she says as she takes a sip of her water. “And thank you for this.”
Since we’re “friends” now, I wonder if she’ll ever confide in me. She says it’s not worth discussing, but it can’t be good bottling it in.
“So, what did you mean when you said you were going to find yourself this summer?” I ask instead of probing about her douchebag ex like I want to. “Are you lost?”
“You could say that,” she says thoughtfully. “I’ve spent the past five years working hard to take over my family’s company. And I haven’t taken breaks. I work non-stop. And last month...everything just fell apart.”
I wait for her to continue. She doesn’t.
“What about you?” she asks instead as she takes another bite. “What’s your story?”
I lean back in the chair. “Nothing much. I’m from Coconut Beach. My mom had me young and raised me here. I’m close with Jonah Black, who owns Cocktails & Chaos. I manage the place for him and bartend.”
“Oh, yes. The guy the Bees mooned,” she says as she grins.
I like her bright smile that’s brought on by the mention of the Bees so much that I want to see more of it. She’s clearly entertained and happy. It inspires me to lean into this new “friend” role just to see if I can make her smile some more.
“What do you like to do?” I ask after a beat.
She blinks. “What do you mean?”
“For fun. What makes you feel good?”
Her eyebrows pinch together as if the question confuses the intelligent workaholic city girl. “Um, well, back home, I have a pretty solid routine. I get up early and run. Then I work until late and get up and do it again the next day.” She frowns. “And every day after that looks much the same.” She shakes her head. “When I say it out loud, it sounds pretty lame.”
I’m glad she found her way to Coconut Beach. This place has a way of making you focus on the things that matter. People can shake off the mundane of their everyday life and do a little soul searching.
“It’s not lame,” I assure her. “I work a lot too. I fish with Jonah onhis boat once a week, and I manage the bar and work shifts here. I get it. I work a lot, too.”
Fishing with Jonah though is one of my times of peace where I can just be me. I can turn my brain off and just live in the moment.
“I do like being outside,” she says thoughtfully. “Moving my body until my brain shuts up. Yoga has been surprisingly fun.”
I don’t like thinking about her “moving” her body. Okay, so Idolike thinking about that, but I don’twantto.
“I’m a runner too,” I blurt out to shake away the image of her stretching and bending on her yoga mat.
Her eyes flick to mine and she smirks. “Well, well, well. Maybe we do have a few things in common. We both run and work a lot.”
