Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Faith pushed back her plate with a contented sigh. “That was the best breaded cod I’ve had in a long time. And I do think The Lighthouse Grill’s mashed potatoes are better than the ones they have here at The Salty Spoon, but those were really good. Almost as good as the ones Tom makes.”
Ryan, sitting across from her, grinned at her impishly. “Should I call the waitress back and let her know you said The Salty Spoon’s mashed potatoes are almost as good as The Lighthouse Grill’s?”
Faith shook her head, laughing, as she picked up her glass of Moscato, which was nearly empty.
“Don’t you dare. I love this place almost as much as the pub.
I would never want to insult them. Besides, we all have to take family loyalty into account here.
I do think Tom’s mashed potatoes are better, but maybe I just think that because he works for my family’s restaurant. ”
“I happen to think anything that Tom makes is the best food in town,” Ryan said. “Except for what you make.”
She laughed. “You don’t need to flatter me. Tom is an award-winning chef. I know he cooks much better than I do.”
Ryan shook his head, smiling. “I mean it. Every time I eat something you made, especially if it’s a lunch you packed for me, it tastes better than anything else because I know you made it for me. It makes it special.”
“Oh!” She cooed with happiness. “Really?”
“Really.”
They leaned across the table toward each other and nuzzled noses.
“Speaking of Tom,” Faith said with a huge grin, “I saw him and Delilah walking in the park the other night. They look completely smitten with each other. Who would have thought that my favorite movie star would end up moving to Rosewood Beach and falling in love with one of our good friends? It feels like something out of a book, doesn’t it? ”
“It does,” Ryan agreed, nodding. “I’m so happy for those two. And –” He stood up, offering her his hand. “You just gave me an idea. Now that our check has been paid and our food is all eaten, I have a suggestion for you. Would you like to go for a walk in the park with me?”
“I would love to, Mr. McCormick.”
She stood up and took his hand. Together they walked out of The Salty Spoon, leaving behind the spicy and sweet smells of the restaurant and stepping out into the luscious night air.
The wind smelled faintly of the ocean and of the flowers that bordered the sidewalk.
Hand in hand, Ryan and Faith walked through the streets of Rosewood Beach, commenting on the beautiful things they saw and enjoying the lovely weather.
Although Fatih was enjoying their intermittent conversation and she could tell that Ryan was, too, he seemed a little preoccupied.
Before long, they found themselves in the gazebo in the center of town. Faith sat down next to Ryan on one of the benches, enjoying the sight of the fireflies dotting the park, which was becoming swathed in a velvety gray dusk.
“Penny for your thoughts,” she said, poking his shoulder gently.
He turned to her with a smile. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m just thinking.”
“About what?” she prompted. “I can tell there’s something on your mind. You can share it with me, if you want.”
He leaned back against the wall of the gazebo and sighed. “There is something that’s been bugging me a little. I’m sorry. I’ve been trying not to think about it so that I can just enjoy my date with you.”
She shook her head. “Don’t feel like that. You can always share things with me, if you want. What’s been bugging you?”
Ryan sighed. “I had a conversation with my brothers about the whole change of command in the brewery.”
“You mean you taking over for your dad?”
Ryan grimaced. “Yeah. It did not go the way I’d hoped. I’m afraid the transition is going to be a rocky one.”
Faith put her hand on his knee, feeling bad that he had to face that predicament.
She liked his brothers, but she couldn’t imagine trying to work with them.
And she knew that Ryan didn’t feel fully confident about running the brewery regardless, since it was a difficult endeavor and one that he had no experience in.
“I wish there was something I could do to help,” she said sympathetically.
Ryan placed his hand over hers. “You’re already helping me. You help me by being supportive of everything I do. That means the world to me, Faith.”
She smiled at him, appreciating the affirmation, but internally she squirmed a little.
I’m glad he feels that way, she thought, but I feel like I could do more. There’s got to be something I can actually do to help him out.
She thought for a few minutes as she and Ryan sat in the gazebo with their arms around each other, looking out into the beautiful summer night. Then all at once, she was struck with an idea.
“Ryan,” she said, turning toward him. “If you wanted, I could help out by taking a few of the brewery’s operations and communications tasks off your plate. That way you can focus on the bigger, more important matters while you’re settling into this new role.”
Ryan blinked at her in surprise, looking genuinely touched. “Would you really do that for me?”
She nodded, smiling and glad that he seemed to love the idea.
“I absolutely would. I can come by the brewery tomorrow and we can discuss what tasks I can take on. Dean’s surgery is tomorrow, so I’ll want to wait until I hear about how it went—otherwise I know I won’t be able to focus—but we should know pretty soon. After that, I’m all yours.”
He placed his forehead against hers. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Oh, shush. You know I’ve got your back—and I know you’d have mine if our situations were reversed.”
“That is true.”
They smiled at each other for a moment, and Faith felt full of excitement. She couldn’t wait to help soften this challenging task for the man who she was coming to love more with each passing day.