Chapter 6
Leo
“Here’s some water.” I hand the woman a glass and try to assess her condition. “You must be Val’s niece. Chloe, right? I’m Leo.” I’m sincerely worried she might have a concussion because her eyes look glazed over. “How are you feeling? I think you got the wind knocked out of you. Did you hit your head too?” I pull out a chair and turn it to face her square on.
She touches a hand to her hair, and after a moment, shakes her head no.
“I’m sorry if I scared you. I had no idea anyone else was out here.”
She pulls her gaze away from some distant place in front of her and looks me in the eye for the first time.
“Maybe we should get you to the hospital.”
“No,” she whisper-shouts. Relief washes over me at the sound of her first word. She made a strange squawk after she slipped, but it seemed more like an involuntary response to hitting the ground.
She’s narrowing her eyes on me, and suddenly, I feel nervous. Val told me she’s a sweetheart, but I’m not getting sweet vibes right now. It’s more like a robot bride of Chucky.
“Chloe,” she says slowly and points a finger to her own chest.
Now I’m seriously concerned. I mean, I guess it’s good she knows her name, but wait—didn’t I just say it? Shoot, she might have amnesia. “Yes, I think you’re Chloe, and I’m Leo.” I lean in to check if her pupils are dilated.
Sitting up straighter, she cocks her head to the right. “How do you know my name?”
“I work for your aunt, maintaining the Airbnbs. Landscaping, cleaning the pool and any other projects that need to be done.”
“So why were you swimming?” She folds her arms across her chest.
“I got hot.”
Her lips form a thin line, and her eyebrows scrunch together. All of a sudden, her mouth turns up, and she throws her head back. The most contagious giggles erupt. I’m incredibly confused, but I can’t help but chuckle with her.
After a moment, I ask, “Am I missing something?”
Through fits of laughter, she shakes her head. “I’m sorry. It just hit me how ridiculous this situation is, but it’s also sooo me. First, I attempt to relax in a hammock. Then, I get freaked out because someone was in the pool. I decide my only course of action is to hide out in said hammock indefinitely, but of course a lizard crawls on me. So, I go absolutely berserk, fall and then you,” she moves her finger up and down at me.
For the first time I realize I’m standing wet and shirtless in my swim trunks. I turn to the side in a lame attempt at modesty. I’m still trying to register Chloe’s geyser word explosion while also waiting for her to continue.
She doesn’t finish her thought, but instead bends over in what appears to be laughter, except no sound is coming out. My towel is by the pool just a few steps away, so I hurry to dry off and throw on my T-shirt.
I keep my eyes on Chloe, who can’t seem to pull it together. When she finally sits up, she has to wipe tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry, l did not expect my first day in Sunshine Shores to be like this. Although I probably should have.” She’s looking off in the direction of the ocean and seems to be talking more to herself than me. Her smile slowly fades, and I feel disappointed, like when a gorgeous sunset disappears beneath the skyline.
“Why wouldn’t my giant life change start out incredibly humiliating, you know? It’s par for the course.” She stands quickly and suddenly clutches her back. “Ahh.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, just sore. Trust me, my pride hurts more.” She walks gingerly in front of the sliding glass door.
I find myself not wanting my interaction with Chloe to end. Maybe it’s because I really want to catch another glimpse of that heavenly smile. “Hey, since it’s my fault you were stuck in the hammock and then attacked by a lizard…and then slipped…Can I at least show you around Sunshine Shores? We have the best café in Florida.”
“You really don’t have to.”
“I owe you, come on. It’ll be fun.”
“Now?” She raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah, if you’re not busy.”
She leans against the door. “Does this café have donuts?”
“No…but they have cupcakes.”
A little smirk emerges, and she shrugs. “That’ll do.” We head inside and she stops near the stairs. “I should probably change.”
I can’t help but smile as she rolls a very large suitcase into what I know is a small powder room. It’s gonna be a tight squeeze, but as a casual acquaintance, I don’t want to question her actions.
As I wait for her to change, it hits me. I don’t know this woman at all really, and for the first time in forever, I want to. Since Elena left, I’ve tried dating a few times—at my friend Jason’s insistence. But, I couldn’t bring myself to put in genuine effort. It wasn’t the women, it was me. I guess that’s not entirely true. There was one lady who brought her pet ferret on our date, but I didn’t know it until it scared the living daylights out of me by popping its head out her purse. That failed date was on her.
I’m pulled out of that bad memory by the sound of Chloe trying to maneuver her massive suitcase out of the bathroom. When she finally emerges, I realize she’s changed into an outfit almost identical to the one she wore earlier. The only thing that’s different is her jacket color. It went from dark to light gray. And she has on black high heels. She looks great, just way more formal than what I’m used to seeing in Sunshine Shores. If you’re wearing anything other than shorts and flip flops, people will assume someone died.
“Ready?” I ask.
“Yep,” she says as she shrugs. She’s holding her purse in front of her, and I’m sensing she’s nervous. Although, I can’t blame her considering she just met me thirty minutes ago.
We walk to my Ford pickup parked in the driveway, and I follow her to the passenger side to open the door. I gotta admit, I’m not usually the door-opening type. I mean, I’ll do it on a first date, but this isn’t a date. At least it’s not supposed to be. I pause slightly and consider turning around, but then it’ll look like I accidentally followed her like a lost puppy. Thankfully, I pull myself together and make a move to open her door.
“Oh wow, thanks,” she says with a flustered smile.
Great. Now she feels awkward too. Maybe I should just own this. I’m a door-opening guy now. At least for Chloe. She makes me want to be. What is with this woman making me want to do things I don’t usually want to?
I rub my chin, trying to wrap my head around what this means as I walk to my side of the truck. In an attempt to ignore the weird feeling in my stomach, I ask, “So, what brought you to Sunshine Shores?”
“Um…it’s kind of a long story, but I guess I just needed a fresh start.”
“You were in Denver, right?”
Chloe tilts her head and says, “Yeah, I was.”
“Val filled me in a little.”
“That’s not fair. You know about me, and I know nothing about you.”
I chuckle. “I promise, that’s all I know…but I’d like to know more.”
After the words are out, I immediately want to reel them back in. What am I doing? Was that flirting? I mean it’s the truth, but I’m not usually so forward. I sit quietly, waiting for Chloe’s response.
Without skipping a beat, she asks, “What do you want to know?”
“The long story…but first, I’ll get you that cupcake.” I pull up in front of Seabreeze Café. It’s situated in the middle of our three block downtown.
“Oh this is cute.” Chloe opens the truck door and scans the teal building with the Seabreeze Café logo painted in yellow on the window.
“The food is even better.” I hold the café door for her.
Immediately, my senses are overwhelmed by the decadent smell of baked goods. No one is standing behind the small counter, so I usher Chloe to one of the three booths. “Do you trust me?”
“Uh,” she hesitates.
Of course she doesn’t. She just met me. Why do I keep forgetting that? I clarify, “Just with picking out a cupcake for you to try? From what I can tell, you’re serious about your sweets.”
She looks down at her hands and nods her head with a grin peeking through. “I am extremely serious about my sweets, but you know what? I do trust you.”
As I turn to walk away, she adds, “Don’t let me down.”
“Never,” I call back.
When I approach the counter, there’s still no one there, so I ring the bell. “Coming!” I hear from somewhere in the back.
“Hello, sir. What can I get ya?” Don, the stout bakery owner, approaches the counter.
I squint back at him. “What’s with the formal greeting?”
He whispers, “Health inspector,” and gives a discreet nod over my shoulder. I follow his movement to where Chloe is taking what appears to be a hand wipe out of her purse. She then begins cleaning a spot on the table.
I choke back a laugh. “Her? That’s Val’s niece, Chloe. She’s not a health inspector.”
Don eyes me skeptically. “You sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Why’d you think that?”
“Jimmy saw her and said some lady in a fancy suit was coming in. We’re due for a health inspection, and she fits the bill. None of our normal customers dress like that. Shoot, no one in Sunshine Shores dresses like that.”
I glance back at her with a smirk. “True.”
Don takes a towel from his back pocket and wipes his forehead. “She’s gonna have all the town restaurants on edge if she keeps wearing those fancy clothes. She’s also gonna get heatstroke.”
“I’m sure she’ll adjust. She just arrived today, which is why I need two of your famous cupcakes.”
“Two cupcakes coming up. I’ll bring them right out.”
“Thanks Don, oh and can you bring two glasses of my favorite?”
“Of course.”
I walk back to the booth to find Chloe organizing the sugar packets. As I approach, I study her for a moment. Her bangs sweep across her forehead, drawing the focus right to her long, black eye lashes and light brown eyes.
Chloe looks up at me and tilts her head. “You’re back.”
“Yep. I hope you like chocolate.”
“I adore chocolate.”
“Good, because that’s all I ordered.” I see Don coming with his always-flour-stained apron covering a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. Don moved from New York ten years ago and refuses to go back to “stuffy” clothes.
“Two salted caramel chocolate cupcakes and two chocolate milks. Can I get you wonderful customers anything else?”
I stifle a smile. Don seems to be keeping up the extra polite act just in case.
“Need anything?” I ask Chloe. She shakes her head while staring at the cupcakes. “I think we’re good. Thanks Don.”
After I slide Chloe’s cupcake toward her, she examines it by turning the plate in a circle. I try to assess her serious demeanor but fail. “Everything okay?”
“Salted caramel chocolate donuts from this place called Gemma’s in Denver were my favorite. I could cry right now.” She lifts a hand to cover her mouth. I’m concerned she might actually burst into tears, but she quickly lifts her hand, revealing her bright white teeth. “This feels like the first sign that I actually didn’t make a huge mistake moving here.”
“The cupcake?”
“Yes! I can’t wait to try it.”
“Dig in.” I take a bite at the same time as she does.
Her eyes grow wide. Then she reaches for the chocolate milk. After taking a sip, she finally speaks, and I can’t wait to hear what she thinks.
“Oh my word. That is exquisite. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it might be better than Gemma’s donuts. And the chocolate milk is the perfect way to wash it down. I thought it might be too much, but it actually just compliments the caramel so well.”
“That’s exactly what I tell everyone.” I relax back into the booth. Seeing Chloe happy brings me a swell of joy.
We sit quietly for a moment, each savoring the cupcakes. After washing down her last bite, she sets her cup on the table. Now, it feels like she’s studying me. “So Leo…besides swimming on the job, what else do you do with your time?”
“Hey now, Val said I could use the pool anytime.” I squirm in my seat slightly. She smirks, and I can tell she’s enjoying this.
“Besides helping your aunt at the Airbnbs, I’m in the process of starting my own construction business. Outside of that, I spend most of my time with my son, Benjamin.” I know I shouldn’t care how that information lands, but I do. Chloe doesn’t flinch, though.
“How old is he?”
“He’s nine.”
“Oh, nice…And what does your wife do?”
“I’m…actually divorced.” I swallow. Is she judging me for having a son and not being married? Is she glad I’m not married?
Instead of stopping, my mouth continues to speak—a really annoying nervous habit I need to break.
“Benjamin’s mom got a job in Atlanta when he was five. She’s an interior designer, and one of those HGTV shows needed a set consultant. The plan was for her to go first and get settled, then we’d come. She had a short term rental and was going to find us a place…but six weeks after she left, she called and said we should stay in Sunshine Shores. A lot of her reasons initially were about keeping Benjamin in school and letting him finish out the year. Eventually, I found out, the real reason she didn’t want us to come was because…she met someone else.”
Wow, that was a lot of personal information to divulge so suddenly. I’ve kept all that locked away for so long, not wanting to deal with the shame and embarrassment. Besides the people that experienced it with us while it was happening, I haven’t spoken about the reason for our divorce in years.
Chloe tilts her head, making eye contact. “I’m sorry that happened to you and Benjamin.”
I appreciate her words. It’s not pity. It’s genuine sympathy…However, I can tell it’s time to shift this conversation. Not only because I don’t trust myself not to tell her my entire life story, including my social security number, but also because I’m curious to learn more about her.
“Now you know my autobiography. What about you? What brought you to Florida? I want the long version, remember.”