Marina loved early mornings at the beach, though today, thoughts had been zinging through her mind like comets even before the sun rose. As she lay in bed in the half-light deciding whether to get up or go back to sleep, she rubbed her ring finger and wondered if Jack was really going through with what she suspected. Their date was tonight.
She’d tossed half the night thinking about what Kai had confided at the wedding, her feelings vacillating like a pendulum between nervous excitement and guarded trepidation.
Rising from her old iron bed, she thought about the busy week ahead. Potentially life-changing date, Kai’s bridal shower, food truck purchase, opening night at the Seashell. What had she forgotten?
Oh, yes. Baking for the farmers market stand Brooke managed.
Quickly, she rifled through her armoire stuffed with faded sundresses, jeans, and T-shirts—and far too many conservative outfits from her on-air anchor job. Marina selected a short black dress that would have to do for tonight, even if it wasn’t terribly flattering anymore. Owning a cafe could be hazardous to the waistline. She set it aside.
For now, she pulled on a T-shirt, joggers, and a hoodie. As she dressed, she thought of her youngest sister. Kai’s bridal shower had been changed to this week. Her theater friends from New York and Los Angeles were arriving soon, along with friends from Summer Beach.
Marina had been shopping and making preparations for the week ahead. She had a great deal of work in the kitchen and needed to clear her mind before she began.
Taking care not to wake Kai, Ginger, or Heather, Marina tiptoed downstairs, avoiding the wooden planks on the stairs that creaked the loudest, and slowly opened the squeaky front door.
The cool sea breeze misted her face. After her parents had died in an auto accident when she was eighteen, she’d often escaped to the beach, watching the sunrise and thinking about them. The bracing ocean breeze helped soothe her spirits, even when she had been at her lowest.
Now, although she was on the verge of a bright future, she was still nervous. She blinked against the wind as she set off in the direction of the Seabreeze Inn. Her friend Ivy would be busy preparing breakfast for the early risers. Maybe they could talk later. She needed the advice of a good friend—or Ginger, who was the wisest person she knew.
Marina zipped up her hoodie. Today, her life might change forever.
Since last Christmas, she and Jack had seen each other nearly every day, but tonight would be different. She hardly dared to imagine what he would say. Though recently, Jack had been alluding to—and then avoiding—the issue of their future.
Thinking about this, she fidgeted with a thread in the pocket of her hoodie before realizing she’d made a hole in it.
Marina blew out a breath. She had to get a grip on herself. At any age, this was a major step. She’d been widowed for two decades, and Jack had never been married. It was only natural to be nervous about formalizing a new life together.
Right?
Still fidgeting, she made the hole larger and stuck her little finger through it. She kicked a piece of driftwood back into the sea.
Yet, she could hardly wait for tonight. Every time she thought of Jack, a sense of belonging suffused her limbs with a tingly warmth she couldn’t quite describe—a feeling she hadn’t known since her first husband.
She longed to start fresh with Jack. He might not be perfect—neither was she—but they had so much in common, beginning with their interest in news reporting, although they’d both left that profession for Summer Beach. And they both adored Leo, of course, Jack’s recently discovered young son. Jack was good with her children, too. He ticked all the boxes, but more than that, their relationship simply felt right.
Marina sidestepped a pair of low-flying white gulls coming in for a beach landing.
“Watch where you’re going, silly.”
She caught herself. Who talked to birds? She’d heard of people who withdrew from society, preferring the company of wild animals. Sometimes after a long shift at the cafe, that seemed terribly appealing.
Was she really ready for a 24/7 relationship?
Something else Kai had said grated against her nerves as well. If you marry Jack, your life will change again someday. No way will that man be happy in Summer Beach forever.
Did Kai see a thirst in Jack that she had missed?
But then, they weren’t actually engaged. Not formally, anyway. And that’s what Marina wanted, even if it seemed old-fashioned, especially at her age. She wanted to know where she stood with him so they could plan their future together.
She loved Jack, and she knew what her heart yearned for, but if she was being honest with herself, was she ready for the responsibility of a somewhat disorganized new husband and his son, along with an overgrown puppy?
Less than two years ago, every element in her life had been dumped from the box like a puzzle; the pieces fit better now, but the image was still developing. Marina was no stranger to upheaval, yet she had other considerations as well.
Twice in her life, her grandmother’s home had become her sanctuary. Still, she couldn’t live there forever, even with her cafe on the property. She needed a place of her own.
Their own.
Stretching her arms overhead, Marina gazed toward the cliffs cocooning Summer Beach in a rocky embrace. She loved it here, but was this beach village too safe? Was Kai right about the novelty of a small-town life wearing off for Jack? He’d been an investigative reporter at the top of his game when he landed here. She’d been fairly confident about the trajectory of their relationship until Kai’s astute observation.
How had Marina missed that?
She blew wisps of hair from her face. Dawn was tossing pink streamers through a powder-blue sky, and the sun was cresting the ridgetop with a halo of light. Even in the summer, a cool morning breeze blew off the ocean toward the beach, filling the air with a salty, briny mixture that was forever etched in her memory. She’d spent a large part of her childhood at her grandmother’s beloved Coral Cottage.
As she turned to face the sea crashing toward her, she pulled her cotton hoodie over her head and then skipped back from the rushing water as she had as a child. Only now, she had grown-up issues nagging at her.
Just as she trotted into the strong, receding surf, a yellow Labrador retriever bounded toward her with an awkward loping gait. Splashing in the water’s edge, the dog jumped to greet her, its tongue lolling from its mouth with what looked like a perpetual grin.
“Hey, Scout.” She laughed at the exuberant dog, whose sandy paws marked her white cotton joggers. She didn’t care. “Where’s your sidekick?”
Behind her, she heard a whistle.
Jack and Bennett were jogging toward her on the beach. While she knew the mayor ran early, she was surprised to see Jack. He wore a faded T-shirt with the words New York Times, one of his former employers. His thick brown hair stuck up in all directions, and a dark stubble peppered his jaw.
Her heart quickened at the sight of him.
“You’re up early.” She greeted Jack with a quick morning kiss while Scout wagged his wet tail, joyfully slapping it against their legs.
“Had to make a few early phone calls back east, so I decided to meet up with Bennett.” Jack tucked a windblown strand of hair behind her ear. “Didn’t think you’d be out here either.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” She wondered if Jack was feeling the same excitement about tonight. Feeling a little nervous, she glanced down—only to see his taut, muscular legs extending from his running shorts.
Catching her gaze, Jack grinned and tugged the edge of the fabric. “Too short?”
“No one cares,” Bennett said, still running in place. “Unless I wore them. Then I’d never hear the end of it around town. Or at Java Beach.”
Marina angled her chin toward the coffee shop that spilled onto the beach. “I’m headed there as soon as Mitch opens. I didn’t want to wake the household.”
“Isn’t it nice to have someone wait on you for a change?” A grin lit Jack’s face.
Bennett chuckled. “Sounds like there’s a job opening for you, old man.”
“Get out of here.” Jack nudged him.
He was a little too quick to answer, Marina thought. Maybe Jack was feeling self-conscious. Or unsure of himself. This was a huge step for both of them.
“Go on, get your run in,” she said. “I just saw Mitch pull into Java Beach.”
“And here comes Ginger.” Squinting ahead, Jack gestured behind her in the direction of the cottage.
Marina sighed lightly. “I must have woken her after all.” She’d tried to slip out of the house, but the creak of the wooden door must have given her away. Turning, she waved at Ginger. “Tell her I’ll wait for her if she wants to join me for a coffee at Mitch’s.”
“Will do. If I have time, I’ll bring Leo for lunch later. Unless something comes up.”
“I’ll be there.”
As she always was. She often wondered if she was too dependable and too available. The forty-something girlfriend who lived with the grandmother, although she hadn’t been back in Summer Beach very long. She didn’t have the ticking of a child-bearing clock like Kai. Still, she wanted more. If she was going to build a life with a partner, she wanted to get on with it.
This was their time.
Just then, Jack’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it from his pocket. As he read it, a deep frown creased his face.
“Trouble?”
“Probably nothing,” he muttered, shutting off his phone. With a scowl, he shoved it back into his pocket.
Marina wondered what that was all about. Scout circled him, sniffing his ankles. The dog seemed inquisitive as well. She bent to scratch Scout behind his ears.
“See you later then.” Jack gave her an absent-minded peck on the cheek. Before starting off with Bennett, he flashed a grin, but he still seemed distracted by whatever message had come across his phone.
Yet at his simple touch, Marina’s heart thumped. If Jack wasn’t the one, then her man-picker was broken. She hadn’t felt like this since she’d met her first husband, Stan.
With a last yelp at her, Scout bounded off with the guys, quickly pulling ahead of them.
She and Jack would have a long talk tonight at Beaches, she decided. The last time she’d been there was with an old friend, Cole Beaufort. Unfortunately, Scout had bounded inside and interrupted her dinner date in a spectacular fashion.
They could laugh about that now. Jack had decided she needed a do-over at Beaches with him. She blew out a breath. Maybe that’s all this was about.
As Marina watched the two friends jog away from her, she waved at her grandmother and started walking toward her. Marina’s thoughts turned back to Kai and Axe. While touring on the theater circuit for years, her sister had tried to date, but it had been difficult to maintain relationships when she didn’t spend much time in any place.
Marina’s mind reeled back—where had the years gone? Falling in love in her twenties had been so different than it was now. Not that she’d been carefree then. If not for Ginger, Marina didn’t know what she and her two younger sisters would have done without their parents. Her grandmother had been there for them. And for Marina again when Stan died.
There were times when her children were younger that Marina wondered if she should remarry to give the kids a chance at having a life with two parents. But between her grief over Stan and the demands of caring for two active youngsters—which she couldn’t have done without Ginger—she hadn’t been in the psychological space to even notice a man, let alone find much time to date, with one disastrous exception that had sent her life into a tailspin. Now that Heather and Ethan were making their way in the world, it was her turn again.
Marina slowed to a stop and hugged Ginger. “Good morning. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Nonsense. I was already up. I suppose you have a lot on your mind. Want to talk about it?”
“You know I do.” Ginger always saw the solutions to problems so clearly. “Where shall I start? The food truck or Jack?”
“Both are crucial decisions. One you can control, one you can’t.” Ginger gave her a sidelong glance, seeming to gauge her mood. “Tell me about your plans for the truck first.”
Momentarily relieved, Marina let her pragmatic side take over. “I’ve already scheduled a mechanic and inspection service. If the vehicle and the interior systems check out, I’ll test my concept at the Seashell for opening night of Kai’s new production.”
“I trust you’ve created a business plan for this?”
“I have. A food truck is a simple concept on the surface, but there are a lot of details to tend to. Insurance, maintenance, staffing, and a streamlined menu. I’ve got the expense and food cost side figured out.”
Ginger nodded thoughtfully. “How will you reach your customers?”
“I’ve researched and created a calendar of local events in and near Summer Beach, and I found a website and app where I can include my truck and post where I’ll be. I can send out a newsletter to my best customers.”
Ginger looked at her with admiration. “Those are excellent ideas. But do you know anyone with a food truck?”
“I have a friend in the Bay Area who operates a Thai noodle truck, and she’s created a very good business. She suggested opportunities I hadn’t thought about and reviewed my projected financials. I also reviewed the plan with my accountant and banker.”
Marina had a team of trusted advisors now, although the decisions were still hers. Just talking about this project helped her organize her thoughts. Maybe that’s what Ginger had in mind.
“Sounds like you developed a solid plan.” Ginger rubbed Marina’s shoulder with pride. “You’ve become quite a good businesswoman.”
“Thanks, but starting the cafe was a sink or swim proposition, wasn’t it?”
“Regardless, you created a goal and rose to the challenge. As traumatic as being fired from a position can be, that experience opened a window to a brand-new world. It’s as if the universe prodded you to find your true purpose. I’d say you found yours.” Ginger’s eyes twinkled. “For now, anyway. Life is a book full of chapters.”
“I suppose that advice goes for relationships, too.”
“Of course. Some relationships are short stories, some are sagas.” Ginger patted her hand. “Now, tell me about Jack.”
“I’m not sure about our story.” As they walked on the beach, and Marina opened up to Ginger, she realized her relationship with Jack was still a work-in-progress. As exciting as Kai’s news had been, she wasn’t entirely sure what she would do.