Page 57 of Beach Vibes

Jana laughed. “Don’t give me too much credit. I struggle, but I’m in a good place right now.” Her expression turned shy. “Rick was really happy for me. He mentioned something about us going away for the weekend.”

Beth waited for the jolt of apprehension, but there wasn’t any. A relief for sure. She could say with all honesty she was totally and completely on board with their relationship.

“That will be fun. You’re both working so hard—a break would be really good, and it’s always fun to go away with a guy.”

“The thought of it makes me nervous,” Jana admitted. “Whichis weird because I really like him. I guess going away makes things seem more real. But I’m excited.”

Beth cleared her throat. “So, I have some news. Teddy stopped by the store.”

Jana looked at her, as if waiting for more, because saying her brother had come into Surf Sandwiches wasn’t exactly earth-shattering.

“We went for a walk,” she added, trying to sound calm instead of excited. “He, ah, he asked me out.” She looked at Jana. “On a date.”

Her friend’s eyes widened as she set down her sandwich. Beth held her breath, waiting for more of a response. Was Jana going to be okay with it, or was she—

“OMG! Teddy likes you!” Jana laughed. “He asked you out. That’s so great. He’s been on his own since we lost Valonia, and I’ve been worried about him. He needs more in his life. I’ve told him that, but he said he wasn’t ready or wasn’t interested. He picked you.”

Beth sagged in her seat. “I thought you might be mad.”

“Why? You’re my friend. Why wouldn’t I want someone like you for my brother?”

The kind words made her feel worse. “Because I was so terrible before and said things and made a mess and hurt your feelings.”

Jana waved that away. “It’s done. I get what happened and why, and you were sorry. We’ve moved on. Back to Teddy. Interesting that he never said anything to me about seeing you.” She grinned. “Believe me, he’s going to suffer for that.”

Beth felt herself relax. “I’m glad you’re okay with us going out. I mean, it’s probably not going anywhere, but I was worried.”

“Don’t be.” Jana picked up her sandwich. “Just to be clear, Teddy really hasn’t dated since his wife died. I mean, no one. So I’m asking you as my friend—don’t break his heart.”

Beth stared at her, wondering if Jana was making another joke, but the other woman seemed serious.

“I’m hardly the heartbreaking type.”

“I’m not so sure. Just be careful with him, okay?”

“I promise.”

* * *

Beth felt like a character in an old 1990s sitcom. She’d pretty much emptied her closet looking for something to wear to dinner with Teddy. She’d tried on dresses, capris, dressy jeans and everything else she owned and hadn’t been happy with anything. As he was due to arrive in twenty minutes, ordering something online wasn’t going to work.

“It’s just dinner,” she told herself. She’d eaten the meal her entire life. It was no big deal. As for the date aspect of the evening, she could date. She used to date. Yes, it had been a long time, but Teddy wasn’t exactly a player. He was a single dad of three kids. So neither of them were experts—they could figure it out together.

That realization calmed her for about seven seconds, until she realized he would be arriving in fifteen minutes and she was still standing in her bra and bikini briefs.

She shrieked once, then grabbed the navy sleeveless dress she’d tried on first. Whether or not she loved it, the dress was going to have to work. She was out of time and options.

She zipped it up, then carefully fluffed her hair before spraying it. She’d curled it earlier and had applied a little makeup. Anything to compensate for the fact that Teddy had seen her in her work uniform and, yes, a hairnet.

She grabbed the small cross-body bag she’d dug out of her closet. She’d already transferred her essentials to it and would leave her utilitarian everyday backpack bag at home. As she hurried to the front of the house, Agatha fell into step with her.

“Nervous?” her aunt asked.

“Petrified. I may vomit.”

Agatha laughed. “You’ll be fine. Dating is like riding a bike. The skills will come back to you.”

“What if I never had skills?”

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