Chapter 1 #3
Junie followed with the sangria she’d brought. She filled their glasses, making sure there were slices of orange and lime in each.
“To the chef,” Junie said, raising her glass.
“To the best of friends.”
Jo took a long sip. The wine was cold and bright with citrus.
This was what she’d needed. Not another late dinner waiting for Blue to finish his shift.
A lovely evening, an ocean view, good food on beautiful plates, and her best friend across the table.
Junie usually had dinner with Knox and Penny, so this was a treat to have her.
Besides, she and Junie had made these plans days ago. As they ate, Jo told Junie about Blue’s return.
“Are you seeing him soon?” Junie asked.
“Who knows? He said we needed to talk, but he hasn’t called. I’m not waiting. He knows where he can reach me.”
Junie’s expression softened. “You two have invested time in your relationship, and you’ve been good together. Do you think you’re being a little hard on him?”
“I’ve considered all that. We’ve had good times, but our lives aren’t aligning. This time is different. Something changed while he was in Chicago.”
“Like what?”
Jo pursed her lips. “I think his mother wants him back there.”
“Would he go?”
“Blue came here to escape all that happened and start fresh. He can’t do a lateral transfer back there, so I don’t know.”
Junie paused. “Do you love him?”
Jo ran a hand through her short curls. “Love isn’t always enough, and it feels one-sided now. He has plenty of words but little action or talk of a life together. Anyway, I have a business to run, and I have plans, like selling my Cuppa Jo’s brand in grocery stores.”
Jo let out a small sigh. Even as she said those words, her heart ached. Still, she would stick to her decision.
Junie nodded. “My grandmother says, ‘A woman with a plan is a force.’”
“I think so, too. You should’ve seen the diner when I bought it ten years ago. I was young and inexperienced, but I learned what people liked. Especially the summer people.”
The island’s high season was underway, and that meant those who had summer homes or rented ones for the season were arriving. Junie knew many of them now.
“Guess who I saw in town,” Junie said, sipping her wine. “My cousin Rocky. Well, my new cousin. The whole Bay family connection is still kind of wild to me. My mother discovered an entirely new family after she ran her DNA test. I guess that’s true for a lot of adoptees.”
Jo leaned forward. “Rocky Bay? I remember him from the diner, but it’s been a while. Isn’t he friends with Sailor?”
“He’s staying with him.”
Junie’s sister Maileah was engaged to Sailor, a world-class professional surfer.
“I think Maileah is cooking for the three of them tonight. Rocky seems like a great guy.”
Jo had always liked him, even though he was a little scruffy and skinny. “Didn’t Rocky surf?”
“That’s how he and Sailor met,” Junie replied, nodding.
“He’s not in Sailor’s league, obviously, but few are in the world.
He’s a good guy, smart and industrious, the kind who walks in and sorts out whatever mess there is.
My cousin Ivy once told me he did a lot of work on the Seabreeze Inn.
And he just graduated with a master’s degree in business from USC. ”
Jo recalled that Rocky was intelligent, so he must have started applying himself. The University of Southern California was one of the most prestigious private universities in Southern California.
“I wondered where he’d disappeared to. Last I’d heard, he was working with his father. Do you know what he plans to do now?”
Jo shrugged. “Maileah told me he’s considering his options. In the meantime, he’s taking the summer off before he starts working. Maybe he’ll come by the diner. He’s awfully good-looking.”
Her friend’s voice sounded hopeful. “I know what you’re getting at, but I’m not looking for anyone now.” Her heart was a mess of emotions.
From the patio, Jo could see the glow of Knox’s kitchen light across the street. Penny was probably already asleep. Knox was likely waiting for Junie. They seemed to know what they wanted.
Jo looked at her grandmother’s plate and wondered what she would say about a woman who was thirty-something and still eating dinner with friends, instead of the man who said he loved her.
She knew exactly what Rose Dufour would say. Good for you, sweetheart. Don’t ever wait on a man like your mother does.
Just then, headlights swept across the front of the cottage and through the garden area. A car door closed.
Jo set down her glass. “That sounds like Blue’s car.”
“I should let you two talk.” Junie stood and squeezed Jo’s shoulder. “Want me to clean up?”
“No, but thanks.” Junie was like a sister to her now, and they often helped each other.
After Junie left by the side gate and crossed the street, the patio was quiet again. Jo sat for a moment in the jasmine-scented dark, listening to Blue’s footsteps on the front walk. She didn’t get up right away.
Whatever he had to say could wait while she armored her heart.