Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
In the morning, I tiptoed to the bathroom, trying not to awaken Brad in the living room. The scent of fresh coffee drew me to the kitchen where I found an empty mug—my mug—on the counter, inviting me to partake of the almost-full pot he’d made.
I peeked around the corner to see the open sliding-glass doors to the balcony, and my fiancé drinking coffee in his skivvies out there. I didn’t plan to join him yet.
Instead, I took a shower, then dressed in the bathroom. When fairly presentable, I filled my mug with coffee and stood at the balcony door. “Is everyone decent out here?”
He laughed. “Sort of, if you don’t mind my underwear.”
“I’m fine, but beach-goers may decide to report you to the propriety league or some such thing.” I chuckled before taking a sip of my coffee.
“I haven’t seen a single person walk by. Isn’t that strange? All summer, we watched hordes of people.” Suddenly, he leaned forward to look at the sidewalk below. “Oops. We have an interloper walking her dog.”
This time, I laughed. “The bathroom’s free, in case you were wondering. I’m going to scramble the last of my eggs and cook the bacon I bought. Does that sound good to you?”
“What happened to brunch at the restaurant?”
“I think last night’s supper took its place. It doesn’t really matter since we’ll be ready for lunch after church.”
“Good point. Will we have time for a walk on the beach?”
“Maybe, or we could wait until later.” I strolled over to give him a kiss, putting my mug on the small table before he pulled me to his lap. We smooched until we agreed to call a halt. “After your shower,” I said, gaining control of myself, “we’ll have breakfast, then church with Rita.”
He smirked like a choirboy ringing the bells. “Got it.”
As I headed to the kitchen, I took a deep breath. Waiting for our wedding day wasn’t easy, but I liked that we’d begun to meld as a couple.
I also enjoyed the fresh scent of him when he took his seat at the table, though it quickly dispersed with the bacon and toast aromas. He complimented me on my cooking skills, not unlike the encouraging words he’d given Rita the day before, and I graciously accepted them.
“I don’t know if we can finish eating all of this bacon,” he said, munching on a crispy slice. “However, I’ll do my best.”
Laughing, I reached for my own piece. “Whatever we don’t finish, I’ll leave with Rita.”
“Not the kid?”
“Alicia’s really not a child, and I doubt she eats much bacon. I’d leave the bread for her, but she doesn’t eat carbs, so I’ll take it back with us.”
“Take the bacon, too. I love it, and yours is perfectly crispy.”
I laughed again. Tony would have said something similar, not that I wanted to compare my first husband with my fiancé.
It just struck me funny that the men in my life had matching tastes.
I didn’t think I’d chosen to fall in love based on that commonality, although Brad just sort of happened.
In a way, if I admitted it, so had Tony.
Over breakfast, we talked about the things that had caught our attention the night before. Alicia flirted openly with Benjamin, the waiter Rita thought garnered Heather’s daughter’s attention, as well as the sommelier who offered Wyatt the first taste of wine.
“I hate to say it,” Brad remarked after scooping scrambled eggs on a buttered toast point, “Alicia had better be careful. She’s putting out sexual vibes that I don’t think she’s ready for.”
I frowned. “Did she come on to you?”
“You didn’t notice? She’s definitely on the prowl.”
“You need to tell Heather,” I stated emphatically. I thought about some of the stupid things I’d done in college, but none of them included going after someone else’s boyfriend.
“Heather isn’t blind. I caught her eye at the restaurant, and she looked totally frustrated. Hopefully, she’ll have a talk with her daughter.”
After finishing our breakfast with bacon to spare, I wrapped up the leftovers to take home and washed the dishes by hand so Alicia wouldn’t have to deal with emptying the dishwasher.
It felt odd to leave the apartment for someone else’s arrival, yet I’d have to do that when the Cardusos would move into my place behind Brad’s storefront.
So many changes threatened to unnerve me, yet I needed to stay focused on our upcoming wedding. With that on my mind, Rita sent a text message to remind us about church. I returned a thumbs-up emoji, telling her we’d be down to meet her at my car in five minutes.
All I needed to do was dab some lipstick and grab my purse.
Rita had gone to more trouble than I had with her application of makeup and choice of outfits. She wore a skirt and sweater combo with a shawl to pick up the fall colors; I had on nondescript pants, a top, and a denim jacket. I wondered if Brad had compared us. If he did, he didn’t mention it.
He gave her a hearty hello as he opened the front passenger door for her, then took the back seat. I buckled my seatbelt in the driver’s seat. “Did you sleep well?” I asked her.
“Surprisingly well. I tucked Wyatt in around ten, although he arose about seven this morning. He likes to get an early walk on the beach with his camera, then he probably went to see Heather.”
“I thought he might want to come to church with us,” I said.
“I didn’t bother to ask him. He knows my typical routine, and I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable about accompanying me anywhere. It would be nice, but it’s not necessary.”
I understood. It surprised me that I found comfort with her Sunday morning routine, and that Brad liked it, too. My parents would probably be shocked, though gratified, that I’d embraced their direction from my childhood. For me, at this stage of my life, it felt right.
“How long will Wyatt be staying?” Brad asked.
“I didn’t ask about that either. I imagine that he’ll stay with Heather once her daughter moves to my upstairs apartment. Still, I expect to see my grandson, and that’s what’s important to me.”
I glanced across to see her resolute expression. She wanted family nearby, even as time took so many of them away from her. I preferred to redirect her morbid thoughts. “We plan to leave by three,” I told her. “Then, Alicia can move in.”
“No,” she stated. “She can use your place while Wyatt is in Stone Harbor, then she goes home.”
“It’s your apartment,” I corrected, while stopping for a red light. I offered a sheepish chuckle. “I wish it were my place—our place,” I said with a glance in the rear-view mirror, “because we love it here. I think that’s because of you, Rita.”
Brad immediately added his agreement. “You could also come stay with us, even before the wedding. I have lots of room in my house, and Jodie’s apartment has a guest room.”
I didn’t want to remind him that my parents would arrive in a week and I’d offered that room to them. I reinforced his words by recommending his house as I pulled into a parking spot at the church.
“You’re both so sweet,” she said, unbuckling her seat belt. “I’ll give it my consideration and let you know.”
“That’s good,” I remarked. “Would you like to join us for lunch after church?”
She gave me an audacious frown. “What are you talking about? We have brunch at my favorite place afterwards.”
“I thought last night took its place,” I stammered.
She shrugged off my comment. “That was a travesty. We’ll have brunch as it’s meant to be.”
I didn’t argue, nor did Brad.