Page 52 of Sea Glass Serenade

He grinned warmly at her as he got out of his car. “Hey.” He gave her a long, tight hug. “You look beautiful, as always.”

She felt her cheeks heat, her stomach doing a little flip. “Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself.”

“Wow, thank you.” He looked down at his work shirt and laughed. “You like dirty shirts with tears in them, huh? I was out working in the garden right before this and I didn’t have time to change.”

“Hey, at least there’s no paint on this one.” She brushed her hands over his sleeves, referring to the first time they’d met, when he’d saved her from falling into a puddle but gotten a little paint on her raincoat in the process.

He grinned at her. “So true. I can hug you with impunity.”

He wrapped an arm around her and they walked into the bakery together. Her heart was thumping in her chest, and she felt excited about telling him that she loved him. She considered blurting the words right then and there and was about to do it when Cooper took her by the shoulders and gently set her down in a chair by the door.

“You sit here and relax,” he said. “I’ll order your coffee for you. What would you like? A lavender latte?”

“Uh, sure, but I can come order it with you.”

“No, I got it. Really. I’ll pick it up too. You just stay here.”

“Okay.” She shrugged, smiling at him, and watched as he approached the counter to order their coffees.

She found it a little odd that he’d insisted on ordering for the both of them, but she decided to just enjoy watching his charming self in action. He ordered their drinks from the nervous-looking teenager behind the counter and then stepped to the side to wait.

The teenager, instead of starting their drinks, took a few pastries out of the display case and then waited on the next customer, who was an elderly woman who kept pointing to the bakery in the display case. The teenager started to take a muffin out of the case, but the old woman waved her hand in the air emphatically and pointed again. Julia couldn’t hear what they were saying, and she found herself slightly amused by the pantomime happening in front of her. Finally, the girl figured out what pastry the old woman was pointing to, and she wrapped it up for her.

It was another few minutes before Cooper was returning to Julia, holding two coffees and a paper bag filled with baked goods. He handed Julia her latte along with a blueberry scone.

“These are for you,” he declared.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the scone eagerly. “But I didn’t ask for anything to eat.”

He shrugged. “I just thought it was something you might like.”

She smiled at him, finding his gesture both thoughtful and again a little odd. “Well, thank you. It was sweet of you.”

“Hmm, good thing we’re in the Seaside Sweets Bakery. You know, where people are sweet.”

She threw back her head laughing and groaned over his terrible joke. They stepped out of the bakery and began to wander along the sidewalk together, nibbling their pastries and sipping their coffees. It was a pleasant day, and sunlight gleamedon the windows of the shops and restaurants they passed. For about a block, they walked without speaking to each other, both of them seeming to be lost in their own thoughts.

“How’s Dean doing?” Cooper asked finally.

“He’s doing well,” she said, turning to him with a smile. “Thanks for asking. We’re all ready to support him, and I think it helps him to know that.”

“I can imagine. You guys are a really great family. It’s wonderful to see.”

They shared a warm smile, and then continued to walk quietly together. Julia reflected that they both clearly had something on their minds. She was wondering if she should come right out and tell him that she loved him or wait another few minutes until he seemed less distracted.

“You want to go sit in the gazebo?” he asked as they passed the town square. “Sit down to eat our pastries for a while?”

“Sure. That sounds great to me.”

He took her hand as they strolled along the path toward the gazebo. Brightly colored flowers bordered the walkway, and the air was filled with a sweet floral aroma and the sound of buzzing bees.

They sat down in the gazebo together, and Julia took a deep breath. She knew that this was the moment. She was going to tell Cooper how she felt about him.

She cleared her throat. “Cooper, there’s something that, for a long time, I?—”

At that moment, a bee flew in front of her nose and she squeaked and leaned back.

“Do you want me to squish it?” Cooper asked, following the path of the bee carefully with his eyes.

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