Page 54 of Moonlit Harbor Nights

As soon as the coffee was finished brewing, he poured a cup for Vivian. He knew she preferred a splash of cream, so he added it carefully to the cup.

“There,” he murmured. “That looks good.”

He carried the cup through the kitchen to Vivian’s office. She was sitting at her desk, staring out the window with a distracted expression on her face.

“I brought you the coffee,” he said as he stepped through the doorway. “I hope you enjoy it.”

She blinked at him, as if she was slowly coming back to reality after being deeply lost in thought. “Thank you. It’s very sweet of you.”

“Anytime,” he assured her warmly.

Vivian moved slowly as she picked up the coffee cup. He wondered if she might be getting sick—her movements implied a kind of heaviness or fatigue. She took a sip of the coffee and immediately burst into tears.

“Oh!” he stammered, immediately reaching for his pocket handkerchief. “I’m so sorry—is it really that bad? I know I’m not a pro at using these commercial coffee makers, but I think I operated it correctly?—”

“It’s not that.” Vivian hiccupped as she cried. She shook her head. He handed her the pocket handkerchief and she dabbed her eyes with it. “You were right. I should have listened to you about Alan. The McCormicks have completely copied our menu at their new restaurant in the brewery, and apparently they have a sauce that’s exactly like our secret sauce. It’s my fault—I told Alan that the secret ingredient is cinnamon.”

As soon as she said the words her eyes widened and she blinked at Terrence in dismay, as if she’d just accidentally let slip a government secret.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell a soul.”

She sighed but gave him a watery smile. “I should have guarded our secret recipes more closely. I never dreamed that Al—that anyone would stoop that low. Or have such a mean intention to begin with.”

He nodded, his heart twisting with sympathy for her. Even though he didn’t like Alan and he was glad of the news that Vivian was no longer interested in him romantically, he hated that she’d gotten hurt. He wished that things had worked out differently, for her sake.

“And I’m afraid,” she said, twisting the handkerchief in her fingers. “I’m worried that their new place will turn out to be more popular than ours and they’ll end up taking all our business away—or at least most of it. Without enough customers, we’ll lose our business.”

Terrence stepped closer to her and put an arm around her. He could hardly believe he was being so forward, but she clearly needed a shoulder to cry on. “I wouldn’t worry. I think everything will work out just fine. You have loyal customers who aren’t going to stop coming to you just because the McCormick brewery is offering the same kind of food. And besides, I believe in you. You’ve faced trials before and pulled through just fine. You and your kids are going to figure this out, I have no doubt. And I’d like to do whatever I can to help.”

Vivian’s eyes filled with tears again, but now she was smiling. “Thank you, Terrence. You helped us at Christmas, and now you’re helping me again by looking out for me like this. And the coffee!” She held up the cup with a breathless laugh. “You’ve been so kind. I feel as though I haven’t been appreciating your friendship as much as I should have been. I was… distracted.”

“Got blinded by that car salesman’s flashy grin, huh?”

She groaned. “Ugh, his smile and the way he made me feel like I was the only person he was thinking about. He’s so… charming. I guess that’s salesmanship, though. He knows how to make people feel special so that they’ll do what he wants.” She shook her head. “I was a bit blinded by the attention he was paying to me, and I missed the red flags. I acted just like some silly schoolgirl who didn’t know any better.”

“Maybe you didn’t know any better,” Terrence said gently. “You think well of people. You expect the people around you to have good hearts, and to be worthy of your time and trust. It’s not a bad outlook to have. I hope you never lose it. You just need to rely on the people around you, who have your back and might notice things you don’t.”

She patted his hand. “I should have listened to you about Alan. You’re right—you had my back, and you were only trying to look out for me. Thank you for being such a good friend. I don’t deserve your friendship, not after I was so dismissive of your reasonable concerns. I was a little rude to you, and I’m sorry for that.”

He shook his head. “No, I understand how you felt. It wasn’t really my business—and I didn’t have any kind of proof, so I might have been wrong. I just wish I’d noticed how suspicious he was and thought to say something to you sooner. Then I might have been able to prevent all this.”

“I should have been able to prevent all of it too. I let myself get stardust in my eyes.”

“Don’t blame yourself for what that man did.” Terrence’s frustration with Alan came out in his tone, and he looked out the window with a frown on his face. “He should never have led you on like that. He wanted you to misinterpret his interest, he did that on purpose. Especially with that bouquet of flowers. I just wish that you’d known right from the start what I did—that he was never good enough for you.”

A soft smile spread across Vivian’s face, and she looked down at the handkerchief in her hands, blushing slightly. “That’s very sweet of you to say, thank you, Terrence. Maybe—maybe the two of us could reset and start our friendship over. I would like to keep spending time with you, the way we have been.” She looked up at him and her smile widened.

“Yes, Vivian, I’d like that very much,” he said, grinning at her almost boyishly. He cleared his throat. “I’ve very much enjoyed having someone to share my love of coffee with.”

She laughed. “Your love of coffee has helped the pub improve. Now our coffee is significantly better than it was—and customers have been commenting on it.”

“Really now?” He felt pleased by that information. “I feel honored to have been able to help. The Lighthouse Grill is my favorite place in town.”

Vivian’s eyes filled with tears, which she quickly blinked back. “This whole experience, as awful as it has been, has taught me something. I should make sure to keep the good people in my life and kick out the ones who aren’t kind—even if they might seem charming. And it’s very clear to me that you’re one of the good people.”

He was touched by her words, and he felt a kind of rushing feeling in his heart. “Of course. That is, I mean that—well, I want to be one of the people that supports you, Vivian. I’m happy to be your friend.”

She beamed up at him, and he smiled down at her, feeling as light as a feather. He found himself greatly looking forward to getting to spend time with her without the cloud of Alan Gifford’s presence looming over him.

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