Page 16 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach

“Oh, I’m sorry, Faith.” Vivian sighed. “I’m just so distracted.”

“No harm, no foul,” Faith said cheerfully. “It’s keeping my night exciting, anyway. What are you distracted about?”

Vivian felt her cheeks coloring, and she didn’t want to answer Faith’s question. “How come you’re here by yourself tonight? I’m surprised you’re hanging out here with us instead of spending time with Ryan.”

Faith shook her head, although Vivian couldn’t help noticing that she looked slightly troubled. “Hey, we’re talking about you, not me. What’s going on that’s made you so distracted?”

“Oh, nothing’s going on.” Vivian pressed her lips together, suddenly a little tempted to tell Faith all about what had happened. She hadn’t wanted to tell her daughters about the way she’d kissed Terrence impulsively, but Faith was different.Maybe it would feel nice to tell someone all about the way she was feeling, and what had happened. The only problem with that was that she didn’t quite know what she was feeling. She could also feel herself blushing at the thought of telling Faith about what had happened between her and Terrence, even though Faith wasn’t one of her daughters and wouldn’t feel as surprised by it as she knew they would.

“It’s nothing that’s happening, really,” Vivian said finally, scrubbing at the counter even though there was nothing to wipe up anymore. “I’ve just felt a little off since I had that close call on the road home from Providence.”

The near-accident she had told her family about as soon as she’d gotten home. They’d all been immensely relieved that she was all right, and Julia had vowed to drive out and scour that road for anything that might puncture a tire so that she could remove it. Dean had replaced Vivian’s torn tire for free, and had thoroughly inspected the other ones to make sure that they were in good condition.

Vivian loved the way her family was so supportive and protective of her, but even throughout all of her conversations with them, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what had happened between her and Terrence. They knew he’d come to pick her up, of course, but she hadn’t said anything at all about the unconventional way in which she’d thanked him.

“Oh, I understand.” Faith put a hand on Vivian’s arm, and for a moment Vivian’s heart fluttered as she wondered if Faith somehow knew about the kiss. “That kind of experience can be so scary, and it can change your perspective on life. I had my own ‘brush with death’ if you will, when I had that panic attack and went to the hospital. When I thought it was a heart attack, it really changed the way I looked at my life. I realized that I didn’t want the kind of success I always thought I wanted, andthat having good people around me who loved me would matter so much more than being an accomplished lawyer.”

She and Vivian shared a smile. “I’m so grateful that both of us turned out to be perfectly all right,” Vivian said.

“Me too.” Faith nodded. “And I’m so grateful that I realized that my life needed a change when I did. Not only was I hurting my body by working too hard at that law firm, but I was depriving myself of the things that really matter. Family and good friends, and time to slow down and enjoy the little things in life. Maybe there’s something you’re supposed to realize too. Maybe your life needs a little bit of a change.” Faith said the words gently, her eyes shining affectionately.

Vivian hesitated, her mind filled with images of herself kissing Terrence. Was she meant to become more spontaneous like that? More open to the possibility that it wasn’t too late for her to experience romance a second time in her life?

If she was being truthful with herself, she had to admit that she’d been wondering non-stop if she hadn’t become rather complacent in her life. She’d expected things to stay the same, and she’d told herself that she was going to keep living within the mold she’d made for herself. She’d seemed to have talked herself into the idea that her life was now meant to be uneventful, since she was a mother and grandmother.

Now, however, after the accident, she had begun to ask herself why. It wasn’t as though her children or her granddaughter would be upset if she did something different with her life. They all loved her and wanted her to be happy.

Maybe I’m scared,she thought.Maybe I want a more exciting life, like I used to have, but at the same time I’m worried about making changes. I’m nervous about taking risks, so I’ve told myself those times are over as a way to protect myself.

“I guess I have been thinking about my life more since the accident,” Vivian said, sitting down at the counter next to Faith. “Before it happened, I’d been feeling that parts of my life are over now. I’ve been struggling with wanting things in my world to feel more exciting and unexpected, but I’ve also been telling myself for a while now that it’s time to transition into a far-from-eventful season of life. My days of adventure are over, and it’s time for me to just settle down and enjoy what’s left for me.”

“Oh, don’t say that.” Faith shook her head adamantly. “There’s no need for that kind of surrender.” She grabbed Vivian’s hands and squeezed them. “Would you ever suggest that one of your children stop dreaming? Or stop chasing after the things that make their hearts soar?”

Vivian’s eyes became slightly moist, and she shook her head. “No, of course not. But I’m different, aren’t I? What do you mean for me to do?”

“Well.” Faith inhaled, staring into space and looking eager as she considered it. “The Lighthouse Grill is practically running itself now, because of Julia and all the hard work that both of you have put into this place. I mean—here you are cleaning a spotless counter while you’re surrounded by capable staff members who could have done it for you.” She laughed. “I think you can start taking more time for yourself. Perhaps you should pay some attention to developing your own hobbies. Things like that.”

“I guess you’re right.” Vivian found herself staring into space as well. A thrilling kind of excitement was filling her. “I can’t think off the top of my head of anything that I’ve been wanting to do, but I like the idea.” She loved the idea of adopting a new mindset that would allow her to explore new things.

Could this new approach possibly include Terrence? Her heart beat faster at the idea, but she told herself not to move so quickly. She was just beginning to consider the possibility of finding romance again, and she wasn’t really sure she was readyfor it. After all, she was still getting over not only the loss of her husband, but also the heartbreak caused by the things that he’d concealed from her over the years. Finding out that he’d been secretly gambling away the pub’s finances had shaken her to her core, right when she was already staggering from the grief of losing him.

And yet, she realized, she had been feeling a draw to Terrence for some time. He had been so kind and thoughtful in many ways, and it was as if this new appreciation for what he could mean to her had been waiting for her for a long time. She seemed to almost fall into it, the way one might fall into open arms.

She chatted with Faith for a while longer, and then went back to doing busy work around the pub. Once the dinner rush really picked up, she had to be on her toes to keep up with all of the tasks that needed to be done. She had to admit to herself, though, that they were all easy tasks that she could easily assign to someone else if she wanted. It was true that she could focus more on her personal life if she wanted to.

And she was feeling more and more as though she wanted to. No matter how busy The Lighthouse Grill became, she couldn’t stop thinking about Terrence. Even after she’d eaten a late dinner sitting at one of the booths with Allison, the cook, and gone home for the night, he was on her mind.

As she turned on her bedside lamp and crawled into bed that night, she was still replaying the moment of the kiss in her mind. It had ceased to startle her so much, and now it was a memory that filled her with excitement more than alarm.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Terrence walked slowly through the storage rooms of The Salty Spoon, a clipboard held in his hand. His favorite pen was tucked carefully into the pocket of his shirt, with the cap securely on. He had never once gotten an ink stain on one of his white shirts, and he wasn’t about to start today, even though he was feeling unusually distracted.

Normally nothing could shake his focus while he was doing a routine health inspection, even if he was inspecting an establishment that he trusted, like The Salty Spoon. But although it had been a couple of days since he’d gone to pick Vivian up on her way home from Providence, he’d been unable to stop thinking about her and the moment they’d shared. He had been wanting to check on her and make sure that she was feeling all right, but he didn’t want to come off as overbearing.

He was also worried about coming off as over-eager. He felt concerned that she was still feeling rattled after her accident, but he felt more concerned that she was feeling remorse after their spontaneous kiss. He couldn’t help feeling that it was a bad sign that she hadn’t reached out since their drive back to Rosewood Beach.

For a moment, he’d allowed himself to hope that, after so many months of him being left to wonder if they could ever be more than friends, Vivian was at last open to the idea. He’d soon shut down those thoughts, however, especially after not hearing from her. He’d come to the conclusion that she’d simply been caught up in the moment, and he tried to be grateful that the kiss had happened at all.

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