Page 16 of Where Sea Meets Sky

“Ah, of course. I should have thought of that.”

“You were just a second behind me, I’m sure.” He shrugged, his lips tilting into a grin. “I just happened to look at it sooner. I mean, you can see right there how the handles fold flat against the top of it.”

“Exhibit A,” she said cheerfully.

As he was looking down at her basket, he noticed the assortment of items inside it. There were fancy tea cookies, high-end sparkling fruity drinks, a bottle of Chardonnay, and expensive beef jerky.

“Huh,” he said. “Are you hosting a hoity-toity girly get-together? The kind where you all paint each other’s toenails and complain about men while drinking mimosas?”

She frowned in confusion. “What? Oh!” Her face lit up with laughter a moment later. “Oh, no, not at all. Although that does sound like a lot of fun.” She grinned mischievously. “No, I’m new here, remember? I don’t have any friends that I could invite to a party like that.” She said the words lightly, but he caught a look of melancholy behind her eyes.

He found himself wondering again what her past had been like. She seemed bone-tired and almost frail. What had she endured before coming to Rosewood Beach?

“Just for you, then?” he asked. “No shame in treating yourself.”

She shook her head, smiling. “Wrong again, I’m afraid. I’m working on creating a gift basket for some family I have here in town. Cousins. Kind of long-lost family, actually. I haven’t seen them since I was a little kid.”

“Really? That’s great that they’re here so you can reconnect.”

She nodded. “It is. I’m just kind of feeling at a loss about what to buy them. I don’t know hardly anything about them, so I don’t know what kind of things they enjoy.”

“Hmm, looks like you’re doing a great job so far. I mean, everyone enjoys an oversized orchid, right?”

“Stop,” she said, laughing. “I think it’s pretty.”

“Oh, I meant it sincerely. Although—do you know if your long-lost family is finicky or not? Are you trying to challenge them right off the bat with a test to see whether or not they can keep it alive?”

She groaned, shaking her head. “That’s actually a good point. I knew this wasn’t a good idea. If they’re busy people or they don’t typically take care of plants, this poor little thing isn’t going to stay alive for very long at all.”

“I wouldn’t call it a little thing. It’s pretty big.”

They both laughed, and she pretended to pat the orchid on the head.

“How about a bouquet of flowers?” he suggested. “It would be smaller, and it doesn’t involve so much commitment. Maybe you can save the commitment challenge for when you’ve gotten to know them better.”

“Maybe.” She bit her lip. “Actually, I’m not sure they’ll even accept me at all,” she confessed in a moment of vulnerability. “I hope so. I really hope so. But the truth is that I have no idea what the future holds.”

“What made you decide to come to Rosewood Beach?” he asked her softly, feeling honored that she was confiding in him. “I mean, if you’re so unsure about how it’s going to turn out here?”

“I was so overstressed,” she admitted. “I’d taken my work addiction and turned it into a constant thing in my life. I was always working—and the truth is that I’m not cut out for the high-stakes stressful cases that I was working on in the city. I care a lot about people in an empathetic way, which can make being a lawyer exhausting both mentally and emotionally.”

He nodded. “I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself now. I bet you’ll have a great future here, even if your family ends up being stupid enough to not want to connect with you.” For a moment, they shared a smile, and then he continued. “I understand needing to take a step back from the busyness of life. I should be doing more of that myself. I’m not as run down as you said you’ve been, but I’m starting to feel the strain of working so much for sure. In all honesty, I’m kind of dreading leaving Rosewood Beach.”

“You’re leaving soon?” she asked, and he noticed a flicker of disappointment pass across her face.

He nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. I’ve got this job back out in Colorado I’ve got to go back to.”

“Well, Colorado sounds nice at least.” She smiled, but the smile looked a little forced. “I hope we’ll run into each other again before you go. Maybe again when you get back—but I’m not sure I’ll still be here by then. I may decide to move somewhere else.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.” All of a sudden, he felt tongue-tied. He was saddened by the thought of never seeing her again.

But what can we do?he thought.That’s life, I guess. Everything else has to revolve around work.

“How much more do you think you need for your gift basket?” he asked her after a moment.

“I think I should be good once I swap out this orchid for something less intimidating.” She cocked her head. “Maybe some daisies?”

“Daisies are definitely not intimidating. Let me walk you over there.”

---