Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Tom walked alone along the beach, his toes sinking into the wet sand.
A gust of wind blew against his face, cold and wild, and he took a deep breath of the fiercely spicy scent of the ocean.
Overhead, the sky was a perfect, clear blue.
He watched a couple of seagulls swoop and dive across the pastel expanse.
I miss Delilah, he thought, letting out a sigh. A moment later, he grinned. Why not go see her? She said they were filming the proposal scene today. Maybe I could watch from the background like Samantha and Hazel and I did a couple of weeks ago.
He glanced at his watch, trying to remember what time she'd said they were filming the scene.
He decided to drive out to the rose garden and see how close to Delilah the film crew would let him go.
Maybe he would get a chance to talk to her even if he wasn't able to watch the filming of the proposal scene.
He left the water's edge and started making his way toward his car, which was parked in the parking lot adjoining the beach.
The sand on his bare feet was hot, but not too much so.
Once he got to his car, he used a couple of napkins to clean the drying sand off his bare feet.
Then he sat in his car and tugged his shoes back on.
A few weeks ago, he thought with a smile, I never would have dared to show up to the film set with sandy pants legs and dusty shoes that give away the fact that I wore them in the sand for a while before taking them off. I would have been worried about trying to impress Delilah's coworkers.
He never could have expected how quickly he had learned to not worry about what other people thought.
Delilah had taken the lead on that and shown him how to make decisions with confidence and self-assurance.
He had soon learned that even the people who thought that their relationship was strange or unevenly matched were quick to respect him and the affection that he and Delilah shared when they saw the calm assurance of the couple.
He and Delilah had been out in public several times together, so much that a Hollywood tabloid had caught wind of their romance and printed an article about it already.
The reporter had made a few digs at him and his small town, as well as his “insignificant” career, but to his surprise, he had found that he hadn't minded in the slightest. He knew who he was, and he knew the value of his life, and someone else’s incorrect opinion couldn't shake his certainty that he and Delilah were right where they were both meant to be.
He started the engine of his car and made his way to the rose garden on the edge of town.
The sun was beginning to set, and glorious pinks and oranges painted the western edge of the sky.
He laughed when he got to the little parking lot, since it was overrun with the film crew’s vans and personal vehicles.
He had never seen it so full of cars before.
He took the staircase up to the garden, feeling his heart beat faster with excitement.
He couldn't wait to see Delilah there, getting ready to film a romantic scene in the place where they had shared one of their most romantic moments.
He felt a little bit as if their own love story was being honored by the fact that the rose garden was being used in the film.
“Hey, Tom,” one of the gaffers said to him as he reached the top of the staircase. “Delilah is over there, if you want to say hi.” The man winked.
Tom was surprised but thrilled by the gaffer’s reaction to his arrival. He had known that his people would welcome Delilah with open arms, but he hadn't expected the people of Hollywood to be as welcoming to him as they had been.
“Thanks,” he said, smiling. He looked in the direction the gaffer had pointed, and saw Delilah sitting under a tree, going over her lines. A moment later, he realized that she was sitting in the same spot they had sat together during their visit to the rose garden.
He started to walk toward her, feeling a little as though he was in a dream. Was he really dating the beautiful Delilah Bates? Was she really there in his hometown, sitting in the garden that he’d come to by himself countless times?
A moment later, she looked up and saw him. Her face lit up in a way that made his heart do a somersault.
“Tom!” She stood up and threw her arms around him the moment he reached her side. “What a lovely surprise.”
“I was thinking about you, and I decided to see if I could watch during the proposal scene today. Do you think that’s all right?” He sat down on the bench and she sat back down next to him. “Am I allowed to be here?”
She grinned at him, scooting closer to him on the bench. “I don’t see why not—especially considering our film team wouldn’t even know about this location at all if it hadn’t been for you.”
He chuckled. “I guess you’re right about that. I’m glad to have been of service.”
“And a very important service it was. They’d been talking about moving us to a whole new place, just to find the right spot for this proposal scene.
If you hadn’t alerted us to this place, we never would have known about it.
I think the very least we owe you is letting you be here while we film the scene. ”
He smiled at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, I’m glad I’m here. And even if your director doesn’t want me sticking around while you film, I wanted to stop by and wish you luck.”
She shook her head, smiling and looking as shyly enamored as a schoolgirl. “I don’t need luck. In this beautiful location and with you on my mind, I’m going to give a breathtakingly romantic performance.” She laughed.
His heart stirred to hear her say that she would be thinking about him while she acted out the scene.
He reached for her hand and took it, squeezing it gently.
In that moment, he didn’t have any words, but he also felt as though he didn’t need any.
She returned his eye contact without hesitation, sighing contentedly.
“It’s so nice to have you here,” she told him. “You always make me feel more at peace.”
“I’m glad. It’s so nice to be here. You always give me joy.”
They smiled at each other for a moment, and then she asked, “How has your day been so far?”
“Good. It was an extra busy day at The Lighthouse Grill this morning. My shift ended a few hours ago, and it was quite the rush before that. We had a bus load of teenage baseball players show up wanting breakfast, and oh man, can those kids eat.”
She laughed. “I can imagine. Lots of waffles and bacon?”
“Yes, but also sausages and pancakes and breakfast burritos and crepes and ham and eggs. Always scrambled eggs.” He shook his head, chuckling. “Not a single one of them wanted their eggs any other way. That did make my job easier, though.”
She pursed her lips. “I don’t think I liked most kinds of eggs when I was a teenager either. I’m sure those kids were happy to get a meal from the best chef on the east coast.”
He felt his ears turn a little pink under her praise and he grinned uncontrollably. “They did order seconds, so they didn’t hate it.”
“Wow, you were busy, weren’t you?”
“Oh, yeah. But the lunch shift was only moderately busy. It ebbed and flowed, but it wasn’t one of our busiest lunches, that’s for sure.”
“Glad you got a little bit of a break. Did you get a chance to eat?”
He loved that she was concerned about his welfare. “I nibbled a grilled cheese on one of my breaks. But don’t worry, I ate a nice big meal of Caesar salad and lasagna once my shift was over.”
“Sounds delicious. We should make a lasagna together sometime.”
“We absolutely should.” He loved cooking with her, and their “Chef Class” dates, as Delilah called them, were something they did together often.
“How are the Owens doing?”
“Great. Dean and Noelle came into the pub during lunch, actually. I got to talk to them for a minute on my break.”
“Oh, good! How’s everything going with their wedding plans?”
“Really well, it sounds like. They both clearly have a lot of joy in planning it, even though their plans have been derailed a little bit. I think they’re both looking forward to Dean feeling better so much that they don’t mind postponing the wedding.”
Delilah nodded. “I can understand that. Noelle told me the plan is to get everything ready now so they can just go for it as soon as Dean finishes his recovery after surgery.”
“They’ve got this. They’re smart kids, and they’re used to working hard. Not to mention the fact that love is a powerful motivator.”
“So true.” She smiled at him. “There really is no challenge that love can’t surpass.”
He stroked her hand with his thumb. “Speaking of challenges, and of love, I keep thinking about how you’re choosing to move here. Are you sure that’s what you want to do? You’re not just doing it for me?”
She shook her head. “Even if I was, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. You’re worth it, Tom.”
He swallowed, feeling in a daze. He could hardly believe she felt that way, and he wanted to give her the world.
“But no, I’m not just doing it for you. You know how much I’ve come to adore this town and the people here. I can’t wait to make my life here permanent and make being a movie star just something I fly off to do sometimes.”
“Well, I fully support your decision.” He grinned.
“And I’m here to support you as you navigate the changes you’re about to experience.
I’m sorry I was scared of trying to make things work between us before.
Now I have faith that we’ll be able to do this.
Together, we can foster our budding relationship. I’m not afraid anymore.”
She took his face in her hands and kissed him. “I’m not afraid either. That sounds perfect to me.”
She laid her head down on his shoulder, and he shut his eyes, listening to the sound of her contented breathing. Being brave enough to make their relationship work sounded perfect to him too.
The series continues in Autumn by the Seashore! There are more surprises, challenges, and blessings in store for the Owens family and their friends.