Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ryan strolled down the sidewalk of Rosewood Beach, feeling the fresh morning wind rush coolly against his body. He considered zipping up his leather jacket, since the early spring air was still too cold for comfort, but he was enjoying how invigorating the chilly wind felt. Overhead, the sky was a vibrant blue, but in the east, clouds were starting to gather, hinting at coming rain. He thought he could smell it in the wind as well, and he wondered if the storm would be bad enough that it might affect his upcoming flight.
It was his last morning in Rosewood Beach before going back to his job in Colorado. He’d gotten up early and packed up his suitcase, and he was currently on his way to Seaside Sweets Bakery to pick up a coffee and some breakfast before heading back to the airport.
He reached the bakery and stepped inside. It was pleasantly warm and smelled deliciously of sugary pastries and rich coffee. He stepped up to the end of the counter, where the to-go orders were waiting.
“That’s yours,” the smiling barista told him as she pointed to a coffee cup and a white paper bag. “Latte and a lemon croissant for Ryan McCormick.”
He smiled, feeling touched that she remembered who he was. He hadn’t been back in town all that long. “Thanks. Smells amazing.”
He took his purchases and left the shop. He started to walk back to where he’d parked his truck, feeling a strong reluctance to leave Rosewood Beach. He’d felt as though he was just getting back into the swing of learning how to rest and take care of himself—and now here he was, rushing off to work again.
He turned a corner and almost collided with someone who was coming from the opposite direction. “Oh, I’m sorry—hey!” His face lit up into a grin. “We have to stop almost colliding like this.”
It was Faith, wearing a pink sundress with a knit cardigan and looking flushed and energetic. Her hair was pulled back into a braid, but attractive wisps were blowing across her face in the strong wind. She brushed them back and grinned back at him.
“Hey! I guess both of us need to do a better job of watching where we’re going.”
“You’re up and about pretty early for someone who’s supposed to be taking things easy,” he remarked, teasing her.
She laughed. “I can say the same thing to you. Aren’t you also supposed to be resting on your vacation?”
He shook his head. “Unfortunately, my vacation is over. I’m just picking up some breakfast before heading out to the airport. I’ve got a plane to catch.”
An expression of disappointment flickered across Faith’s face, but then she teased him. “I guess people like us can’t stay away from our fast-paced lives for long. At least you tried.”
He laughed, but internally, he winced at her words. He wished it wasn’t true, and that he was able to stay in town and rest longer. Even more than that, he wished he’d gotten a chance to spend more time with her.
In the next instant, an idea came to him. He glanced at his watch and decided he had another half an hour before he needed to leave for the airport. “Tell you what,” he said. “Do you have a few minutes to savor my last minutes of relative calm with me? The town square is right over there. We can sit in the gazebo and drink coffee and chat.”
“Sure.” She smiled at him eagerly. “Sounds nice. I was just on my way to get some coffee at Seaside Sweets Bakery.”
“How about you go wait for me in the gazebo, and I’ll get you your coffee? What would you like?”
She flushed slightly, as if she was realizing how much their impromptu hangout was starting to resemble a date. He felt a kind of warm feeling in his chest as he realized it too.
“I’ll take an oat milk latte with cinnamon. Extra hot please.”
“Perfect. You got it. Extra hot oat milk latte with cinnamon coming right up.”
He hurried back to Seaside Sweets Bakery, and they had Faith’s latte ready in no time. He found himself wondering why she’d asked for it to be extra hot. Was it because she knew it would inevitably cool down as he walked from the bakery to the gazebo, and she wanted it to be hot when she got it? He smiled, guessing that that was probably why. She seemed like a highly intelligent woman, and he figured that she was often calculating details like that, almost effortlessly, as if she couldn’t help it. He looked up ahead and saw her sitting under the gazebo, swinging her legs slightly as she leaned forward. He wondered what she was looking at. Probably just the park. The park was beautiful, just starting to be tinted with the first green of spring.
“Here you are,” he said, stepping into the gazebo and sitting down next to her. “Extra hot oat milk latte with cinnamon.”
“Fantastic, thank you.” She smiled at him, almost shyly, and removed the stopper from the mouth of the coffee cup. She took a careful sip and shut her eyes, pleased. “Ah, just right. It’s perfect.”
“Glad to hear that.” He took a sip of his latte, which was still pleasantly warm. “I’m going to miss the coffee from Seaside Sweets Bakery, that’s for sure.”
She nodded. “They try. They don’t just rush your order to get it out of the way.”
“Yes!” He turned to her eagerly. “I’ve never pinpointed it like that before, but you’re absolutely right.”
She smiled and took another sip of her drink. The cool breeze rippled through the gazebo, making the wisps of hair framing her face dance. Ryan realized that he was staring and quickly looked away.
“I should have gotten you something to eat too,” he said, regretting it. He’d been so excited to get back to her that he hadn’t even thought about it. “But I have a lemon croissant, and this thing is massive. You want to help me eat it?”
She smiled. “Okay, sure.” Her face lit up as he handed her half of it. “Oh, it’s got a glaze too? This looks delicious.”
“It is.” He nodded. “I’ve had it before.” He took a bite of the light, flaky pastry and grunted in appreciation. “Could be straight out of France, don’t you think?”
She shrugged. “I wish I could tell you, but I’ve never been anywhere near France. I never had the time to travel.”
“Well, now you do.” He grinned at her. “Who knows where life is going to take you next?”
For a moment, the two of them held eye contact, and he wondered what she was thinking. He wondered what it was she wanted to do with her life, and if she was going to stay in Rosewood Beach. He very much hoped that she would still be there when he got done with his job.
After a couple of awkward seconds of silence, he cleared his throat. “Where do you think you’ll go after this? Are you planning on heading back to Boston soon—back to your busy work life?”
She glanced at him, as if she realized what he was really asking. He wanted to know if she was going to be in Rosewood Beach when he got back. He wanted to see her again.
“I don’t know,” she said slowly. “Probably not Boston, although I do know a fair amount of people there. I may end up somewhere totally unexpected—maybe even France.” She laughed.
He shook his head, chuckling. “You have the air and appearance of a very accomplished woman—the kind of woman who’s had a five- and ten-year plan since you were nine years old. How do you not have a plan?”
“Because my ten-year plan just burned to the ground,” she said wryly. “When the vision you’ve had for your future for so long falls apart, it’s hard to find your bearings.”
He nodded sympathetically. “I’m sorry. I should have realized you’re dealing with unexpected challenges right now.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. I am finding my bearings, slowly. I’m learning how to rest. Rosewood Beach has been wonderful, and I already feel like it’s taught me a new way to approach life. But I think I’ll probably end up moving somewhere else. This is my long-lost relatives’ town, after all, not mine. Maybe I need to find my own place to put down roots.”
He wanted to blurt, “But it can be yours too. You can stay here,” but he decided that wasn’t his place. Instead, he just nodded.
“But, speaking of family!” Her face brightened with a smile. “I’ve been invited to have dinner with my relatives, so that’s good. I hope.” She grimaced playfully, although he got the sense that she was genuinely nervous. “I’ll have to see how that goes.”
“I’m sure they’ll love you,” he said warmly, and she blushed. “It’s no big deal, just a family dinner. Besides, they invited you, right? So they must like you already.”
“Well, one of them does, anyway.” She smiled. “But you’re right. I don’t know why I’m so jittery about it.”
I do, he thought. They’re probably the last family members you have left in the world, and you’re terrified that it isn’t going to work out and that you’ll be left without any family at all.
He wanted to say it out loud so that he could reassure her that she was smart and funny, and a pleasure to be around. He felt certain that her family was going to adore her, but if they were the more reserved type, she might not realize it and would never know how much they valued her. He hoped that she didn’t move away from Rosewood Beach simply because she didn’t want to impose on family members who were bound to like her a great deal but might not actually say as much out loud.
“I’m sure it’ll be amazing,” he told her, meaning it sincerely. “Anyone would be lucky to have you as a part of their family. I’m sure they’ll feel that way.”
She smiled at him gratefully and nibbled her half of the lemon croissant thoughtfully.
“You’re very nice,” she said finally, her eyes twinkling at him. “You’re one of the best things about Rosewood Beach, that’s for sure.”
“But I don’t even live here most of the time,” he said, grinning casually even though her words had made his heart skip a beat. “I’m almost always away working.”
She shrugged and pretended to sigh dramatically. “Then that’s more reason for me to not stay here, I guess.”
He smiled, but internally he was squirming, wishing he could assure her that he would be back soon and they’d be able to spend more time together. But he knew that he couldn’t. The reality of his work life meant that he would often be away from Rosewood Beach, just as he had been for the last few years.
“Well, I hope Rosewood Beach continues to treat you kindly while I’m gone,” he told her.
“I’m sure it will.” She nodded. “Although I don’t think I’ll be able to find another man who lends me half of his cart and feeds me a lemon croissant and coffee for free.” Her tone was jovial, but he detected a kind of wistful look in her eyes.
He glanced down at his watch, dreading having to leave.
“You need to go?” she asked him, standing up as if she was worried about making him late.
“I—yeah, I should probably go.” He stood up, even though he still had about ten minutes of wiggle room. He wanted to keep talking with her, but he felt awkward about staying now that she’d made a move to leave. He also wanted to get parting ways with her over with, since the thought was still making his heart heavy.
“Well, thanks for sitting with me,” she said, extending her hand for a handshake.
He almost felt like giving her a hug, but he told himself that would be too forward. He shook her hand, smiling warmly at her. “It was nice to meet you, Faith. Very nice. I hope that wherever your path takes you, it leads you to what you need.”
What will make you happy, he thought. Really happy.
She smiled back, but there was a sad glint in her eyes. He wondered if she was reluctant to part ways with him too, and the thought made his heart skip a beat. “Thank you, Ryan. Same to you. I hope you get a little rest out there in Colorado.”
“Thanks.” He smiled at her, but her words made him feel suddenly tired. Whenever he was working, he usually got up early and stayed late, barely making enough time for himself to eat and get a decent amount of sleep. He found himself dreading going back to that kind of life, but he forced those thoughts aside. “I hope you get a lot of rest here in Rosewood Beach.”
“I think I will.”
They smiled at each other, both lingering for a moment. Then Ryan made a show of looking at his watch and sighed sincerely.
“You should go,” she told him. “You never know what the lines at the airport are going to be like.”
He nodded. “You’re probably right. Well. Have a good rest of your day, Faith.”
Rest of your life? he found himself thinking with a pang of regret.
“You too. Have a good flight.”
They stepped out of the gazebo together and parted ways with another smile. He glanced over his shoulder as he walked away from her, wondering what the chances were that she would still be in town when he got back.