Page 43 of Where Sea Meets Sky

Julia shook her head, trying to ignore the knowing look that Alexis was giving her. “I—well, I thought that maybe Cooper’s parents would like it. I wanted to buy venison before they got here, so I could practice making it. I wasn’t sure how to cook it. Cooper taught me how, though.”

Alexis shook her head. “Julia, they’re going to love you. I thought you were over this whole trying to pretend you’re outdoorsy thing. Have you told Cooper you’re feeling like this?”

Julia nodded. “He said what you guys have been saying. That I should just be myself and it’ll all be fine.”

Faith’s eyes danced. “Sounds like solid advice.”

“You just need to stop thinking about it,” Alexis said, patting Julia on the back. “Take another bite out of that gorgeous-looking doughnut and we’ll talk about something else. How was your Friday night, Faith? I bet it’s hard to find fun things to do in town here if you’re used to living in the city. Rosewood Beach is a far cry from a city with night life.”

Faith coughed gently. There was a sheepish look on her face as she said, “Actually, I went on a date last night.”

Julia and Alexis squealed simultaneously.

“You what?” Alexis cried. “With who?”

“That mysterious guy?” Julia said, leaning forward eagerly and talking at the same time as her sister. “The one you’ve been interested in this whole time? Who is he?”

Faith turned an adorable shade of pink and cleared her throat. “Um, his name is Ryan.”

“Cute name,” Alexis said gleefully, leaning forward. “Is he cute?”

“Yes.” Faith laughed. “He’s very cute.”

“When did he ask you out?” Julia asked. “I thought he wasn’t in town anymore.”

“Well, he wasn’t, but then he came back.” Faith’s eyes were sparkling. “I ran into him at Ocean Breeze Café right after he came back into town. We talked for a little while, and then he asked me out to dinner.”

“Wow, right to dinner?” Alexis chuckled. “If he skipped coffee, he must really like you.”

“Well, we kind of already had coffee,” Faith said. “We kept running into each other, and—well, it was kind of surprise coffee, and we never said it was a date, but I think it kind of counted.” She spoke a little breathlessly, clearly giddy about the whole thing.

“Sounds like you both really like each other.” Julia felt thrilled for her cousin. She hoped that Faith would find love in Rosewood Beach and choose to live there, so that she could be an immediate part of their lives indefinitely. “How was dinner?”

“Well, dinner was amazing—we got sushi. But before that he took me to a museum.”

“That’s so thoughtful!” Alexis gasped. “Does he know you like museums?”

“He does.”

“I want more details!” Julia laughed. “Tell us all about this museum date.”

Faith grinned. “Well, I’d told him that I miss Boston’s museums, so he decided to recreate an aspect of Boston for me by taking me to this museum that’s supposed to be like the Boston Museum of Science.”

“That’s awesome!” Alexis paused a moment before asking her next question. “Do you really miss Boston?”

Faith shook her head. “The museums are wonderful there, and I do have some pretty good lawyer friends there that I want to check up on now and again. But overall, no. Going to that museum made me even more sure that I don’t want to go back to Boston. It showed me that areas like this have all the things I really need—good people, a slower pace of life, and even impressive museums.”

“That’s the spirit.” Julia laughed. “I feel that way too. There are some people in New York that I’ll make the time to visit now and again, but everything I really need is here. Especially family.” She gave Faith a warm smile, wanting to be sure that she knew she was included in that family.

“Is Ryan from the city?” Alexis asked.

Faith shook her head. “Not really. He’s been living in cities for a while, but he’s from here originally. I guess, though, that he’s got a city-person energy like I do. Maybe that’s what made us bond so quickly.” She paused for a moment, smiling thoughtfully. “Then again, maybe what really made us bond was the fact that we both don’t want to live fast-paced lives anymore. Ryan and I are different from the other people in Rosewood Beach, like you guys, but we love it here. I mean, I get along really well with all of you Owens and we’re all so different. Our differences don’t divide us, they make us more interesting to each other.”

Alexis nodded. “We can show each other new perspectives and ways of doing things. We help make life more interesting for each other.”

Julia felt her heart lift up as she listened. Faith’s words really spoke to the way she’d been so worried about her differences from Cooper’s family. She felt suddenly hopeful that they would be able to like her despite how different she was from them.

This makes me feel braver about their upcoming arrival,she thought, taking a sip of her peppermint mocha andsmiling to herself.I’ve been so worried about making a good impression, but maybe I’ll be able to make a good impression on them after all.

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