Page 34 of Sweet Summertide

The operator stopped their swinging and unlatched the safety bar. “Ten minutes,” he said. “I hope you got what you needed.”

Teddy patted the man on his shoulder and gave a grinning nod.

Heading back to her shop, the musicians had gone, and the remnants of the melted ice cream dripped onto the sidewalk below the tables. “I’ll help you finish cleaning up if you help me?” he asked.

“Since we’re both poor now? That sounds like a good plan.”

CHAPTER 18

For the firsttime all summer, and in longer than she could remember, Holly took a Monday off. She had been working non-stop at creating her dream ice cream shop, and all the pieces were coming together nicely. Now, with only a few items to complete—a working bathroom was a must and she still needed to hire the rest of the staff—her mind was finally in a place where she could take a day to rest.

Her free-sample event on Saturday had been a wild success aided by the foot traffic from Teddy’s chocolate tasting. Of course he had been irritated, thinking she was just trying to outdo him, but the huge balloon display over the street and the Ferris wheel had helped draw more attention to the area for them both.

Out on the lawn bordering the cove’s shoreline, Holly lay back against her folding lounge chair. A light breeze fluttered the scalloped edges of her beach umbrella positioned between her chair and Millie’s. Through cracked eyelids, she watched children splash at the water’s edge. The moving air cooled her skin from the midday heat, but the water was looking more and more enticing with each passing minute.

“So, what happened next?” Millie asked. “We could see you two, but I couldn’t hear what you were talking about.”

A smile creeped across Holly’s face, and she was sure her flush was caused by the memory of the way Teddy held her and kissed her and not from the sun beating down around her. “All I can say is that we came to an … agreement.”

“Is that what you call that kiss?” Millie laughed. “We couldn’t hear you, but we saw it all.” Millie fanned herself with her hand.

There was nothing that could cause her to forget about the steamy exchange any time soon, but Holly fiddled with her messy bun on the top of her head to try. “It turns out that we’re both dealing with parents who don’t support us. Teddy just wants to make a life for himself. And for whatever reason, I keep trying to prove something to my mother when I know exactly what she wants; to go into the business with her.”

“As sad as that is. At least you know now, and you don’t have to keep trying with her,” Millie said and adjusted the rim of her bucket hat. “Alfonso mentioned that Teddy’s dad canceled his credit cards after the arrest.”

“You knew and didn’t say?” Holly wasn’t surprised that it hadn’t come up. She knew she hadn’t given Millie much chance to get a word in between her venting about Teddy and laying floors. “I wish I hadn’t been so selfish.”

“Because you feel terrible for how you treated him?”

“Of course I do. But what’s worse is I still wonder if he’s got something up his sleeve. Like his whole let’s-be-honest, nice-guy act last night was just that.” Her suspicions were probably projection, because before last night, it was she who would have done something so underhanded while he had really been a saint about the whole thing.

“Holly, do you really think he’s capable? The guy that plays with chocolate all day and smiles every time he sees you?” Millie had a point.

“You’re not wrong. I don’t know. You know why I have trust issues.”

“Typical rich girl problems. You all go to the Med and get cheated on by a loser boyfriend, move home, and hit the restart button on a fresh life.”

Holly slid her sunglasses up to her head and twisted in her chair to look Millie in the eyes. She needed to see her face. “Yes, actually. You don’t know what it’s like to have every friend, every teacher, my tennis coach, my last boyfriend, like all kinds of people using me to win favors with my parents. I’m tired of being someone’s second choice.”

“I hear you, but play this out. What would Teddy gain from being associated with you? What’s his ulterior motive?” Millie said and removed her own glasses revealing her raised eyebrow. “From what I can see, you have nothing to lose by letting that hot man into your life.”

Holly adjusted the red fabric of her triangle bikini top and returned her sunglasses to shield her eyes. She laid back and soaked in the sun hitting her lower half while she let Millie’s words sink in. Was it time for her to trust someone? And if the answer was yes, why not Teddy?

Her skin sizzled and moisture beaded up on her stomach. Seeing as she had chosen to take a day off on what was the hottest day of the year so far, she intended to squeeze every ounce of vitamin D from the day that she could. Holly dug in her cooler bag for a can of sparkling water and cracked the metal tab on the top. The crisp sound was refreshing on its own, but the taste of sparkling coconut water was even better.

“How do you feel about piña colada sorbet?” she asked and took another sip.

“You’re thinking about adding it to the menu?” Millie said and took the can from Holly’s hand. She sipped the water and handed it back. “It could be good.”

Holly grabbed another drink from the cooler and handed it to Millie. “If I had a dollar for every time I was burned by someone, I wouldn’t need the grant money.”

“You don’t really need it. You just wanted to win.” Millie cracked open her drink and the fizz sprayed onto Holly’s legs. “Sorry,” she said while Holly rubbed the flavored water into her skin. “What I mean is that you have everything you need to start your business and you’re just looking for some street cred. I don’t blame you for being competitive, but don’t gaslight yourself into thinking you need it.”

“How are you so wise?”

Millie tittered. “I am not wise. I have that thing where I always think I’m too much for people. It’s taught me to read situations well since I don’t read people well.”

“It’s called ADHD.” With a laugh, Holly held up her can. “Cheers, to two friends blazing our own paths.” They clanked their cans together just as a water bomb crashed into their hands from the side.

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