30 Bianca
For the first time since she’d started doing these dinners on the beach, Bianca stayed for the whole thing.
Part of that was because this was her only setup for the night, so she didn’t have to bounce around from location to location.
Part of it was because she didn’t have a ride. Luke had left about five minutes after unloading to go take care of two different
property emergencies.
But most of the reason she’d stayed was because this dinner, a romantic candlelight dinner for a young married couple with
two little kids, was nothing but one disaster after another.
Bianca had messed up the florist order and ended up with the wrong flowers on the wrong day. The caterer delivered the meal
without checking her note about food allergies and had to remake the whole thing, causing a delay. The wind knocked one of
the tiki torches onto some of the decorations, which started a small fire on the beach. Bianca had to run and help the couple
stomp it out before anything important was damaged. And just to ensure that wouldn’t happen again, she had to make sure the
remaining tiki torches were anchored deep enough into the sand.
And for reference, nothing kills a romantic vibe like someone running around, manhandling burning sticks in the background.
Then, as if that weren’t enough, the wife leaned too hard on the edge of the table when they were taking a picture and accidentally
tipped the table over. Everything went sliding off, including her plate, which landed upside down in the sand. Only by the
grace of her lightning-fast reflexes was she able to save her husband’s plate.
So to summarize, the entire night was a disaster.
Except the couple didn’t seem to think of it as a disaster.
“Life doesn’t always go according to plan. But that’s what makes it fun! You just have to go with it,” the wife said. “Sometimes
the best memories come from those unexpected turns.” Then they scooted their chairs together and shared spaghetti off the
same plate, like the scene from Lady and the Tramp .
And now, after they had finished dessert and the candles were getting low, they were dancing together in the moonlight.
“Spying again?” Luke whispered as he walked up.
Bianca shook her head. “Thinking.”
He pulled up one of the plastic bins they used to carry their supplies and sat next to her. “About what?”
“About unexpected turns.”
She twisted around so they were sitting knee to knee and looked into his eyes with a serious expression. “Were you serious
when you said I could stay and take over this?”
Almost instantly, his demeanor turned more serious. “Yes.”
“But I’d be taking over the business you started. You’re really willing to give it up? To me?”
He leaned in, matching her seriousness. “Bianca, there would be no business if it weren’t for you. I had an idea to put a
table in the sand. You were the one who built this.” He motioned to the scene on the beach far away. “People weren’t excited
about a table. But they can’t seem to get enough of this.”
Bianca gazed out at the dreamy setting where the couple was still dancing. “I’ve never felt as alive as I have doing this.
I love it. Even when it doesn’t go according to plan.”
“That’s good. Because rarely does anything in the hospitality industry go according to plan.”
“Maybe that’s why I like it.”
“Or maybe it’s because of moments like these.” He nodded at the couple in the sand.
“Oh, it’s definitely about moments like these.” And the passion-filled engagements, and the special birthday dinners. And who knew? Maybe she’d even venture into weddings at some point. Really, the sky was the limit.
“Does that mean you’re staying in town?”
Bianca sucked in a deep breath. It was a big step. A scary step. But it felt like the right one, at least for right now.
“Yes, I think it does. Of course, I’ll have to find a place to live and iron out some of the logistics, but it looks like
I’m moving to Sunnyside!” She threw her hands up in the air and let out a squeal—a quiet one, of course, as to not interrupt
Fred and Ginger.
A smile spread across Luke’s face. “That’s great news. We’ll be glad to have you. But how did you convince Zander to move
his law practice to Florida?”
She waved a hand in the air. “We broke up. Turns out, he wasn’t the man he said he was. I sent him back to Idaho, and I’ve
never been so thankful for how far away it is.”
Luke chuckled. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
Bianca breathed in a deep, confident breath. “I’m not. I fell in love with the idea of a ready-made life, but honestly, I
don’t think I was ever in love with the man.”
“Does that mean you’re unattached?”
“Single and ready to mingle.” Bianca grinned. “And ready to start my whole new life.”
Luke licked his lips and paused, looking down for a second. Then he looked up at her. “In that case, since you’re staying
in town and all, maybe I could take you out to dinner sometime?”
Bianca almost said of course without even pausing to think about it. Because of course she’d go to dinner with Luke. She loved spending time with Luke.
And that’s when it hit her. “Like, on a date?”
Luke looked bashful. “Yeah. I mean if that’s what you want, too. But it’s okay if you...”
“I’d love to,” she said. And as soon as she said it, a sort of giddy anticipation filled her chest.
Wait a second, did she like Luke?
When had that happened?
He held her gaze, a broad smile spreading across his face. “Great.”
“Great,” she echoed.
All this time, Luke had been right there, and she’d almost missed it. For some reason she imagined that falling in love was
all-consuming and all-encompassing, like a powerful wave that rolled over everything in its path. Every relationship she’d
ever been in, she’d been looking for huge feelings that knocked her off her feet.
But maybe love didn’t have to be like that. Maybe it was more like a sunrise. It started off soft and slow. So soft, in fact,
that she’d almost missed it. But now that she was looking at it, she couldn’t look away. It warmed everything inside her.
And she had a feeling it would turn into something breathtaking.