Page 90 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
It was a corny line, said with humor. Even so, the promise made Candace lick her lips.
Eating her own bagel bomb, Daisy’s face shifted from contentment to annoyance. Her hand went to her blazer pocket. Inside, her phone’s insistent vibration could be heard over the sea sounds.
Candace asked, “Who is it?”
“If they’re not you, they don’t matter.”
“It could be important!”
“If it is, they’ll call back.”
They did, and it was, unfortunately, very important. The new oven at Bagel Bombs! was sending out an error code and needed to be reset, but Tina did not know how.
Candace could hear Tina apologize over and over to Daisy in between apologies the girl shouted at, presumably, a line of waiting customers. Although she kept it from her responses, Daisy’s disappointment was plain. They packed up the picnic in record time and hightailed it back to Candace’s car.
In an unspoken bit of growth, Daisy settled into the car's passenger seat with ease despite her anxieties. The woman’s renewed artistic passion and her drive for progress were incredible to witness. Bagel Bombs! might be forced to close, but Daisy had grown beyond needing to build her life around that place.
Daisy had learned to live for Daisy, and Candace was so proud. It was difficult not to stare at her adorably poutinggirlfriendand pay attention to the road.
For her part, Candace was sad to leave the intimate picnic. Yet, she bounced with excitement over what could come next. The night was young, and she was about to show the woman she loved off to the whole world.
Chapter 22
Daisy
By the time Daisy and Candace arrived at the boardwalk, Tina was almost in tears. She was eighteen years old, one of the babies of Demi’s big family. This kind of crisis, and so many people cross with her, was a new experience.
Daisy did her best to hide that she was one of those people and instead focused on solving the problem. Thankfully, a simple internet search told her what she needed to do. Ten minutes after they arrived, the oven was fixed and filled with the first batch of back-orders.
It was funny; Daisy felt the familiar, nagging urge to stay and help. There were customers, and customers meant she had to work. But, as her gaze shifted between the line that Tina went back to handling, and Candace’s patiently waiting face, she knew to leave it. Her life had been on hold long enough, and it was time to order up.
But, what now?
Daisy planned for a romantic picnic, not a maintenance call. She stood on the corner of the boardwalk and the off-ramp that led to Wonderwood’s streets, hands in her blazer pockets, debating.
Candace, it seemed, had her own idea. She hooked an arm through one of Daisy’s and tugged her forward. The look on the woman’s face, dimples high with her grin, was infectious. And, worrisome, once Daisy realized where they were headed.
“Hey, we’re getting a little close to enemy territory. Aren’t you afraid someone will see?”
“Afraid? No, silly, that’s the idea. I want them to see.”
Winking back at Daisy, Candace pulled her even closer. She added, “Plus, we’re on a date at the boardwalk. I think one of us is legally obligated to win the other a stuffed animal.”
“Is that right? Well, fine. Take me to whichever of these games is the least rigged and I’ll give it a go.”
According to Candace, all of the boardwalk carnival games were rigged in some way or another. The balloons for dart toss were underfilled, making them difficult to pierce with dulled metal tips, and the milk jug rims were slicked so that the waxed softballs would roll right out. A round of water guns would have gotten them a prize, but they conceded it to their younger opponent. The kid’s face was worth it, and so was watching Candace’s smile giving it away.
Then, that let Candace have the chance to show off her crane machine skills. As they walked past the pier arcade, Daisy saw a stuffed Horace the Horseshoe Crab that she had to have. Candace zoned in on one, lined up her claw, and grabbed the plushie in one try.
“Yes,” she said while tossing back her shining tresses, “Iamthat good.”
“Show off. Bet you can’t beat me atDanceDanceRevolution.”
Candace could, in fact, beat her. Grumbling, Daisy blamed the song choice and its 2000s hyper-electronic fast-paced beat. Or, her flip-flops.
“Yeah, because pumps are sooooo easy to jump around in.”
She stuck her tongue out and, naturally, Daisy could not let that challenge go. They played three more rounds before giving the machine up to the bemused-looking gamers waiting in the wings. With breathless giggles, hand in hand, they scurried from the metal dance platform to their next mischief.
