Page 31 of Sea La Vie
“Is that today’s special?” Tate asks, nodding toward my mug.
“It is. You want one? I was thinking of naming it ‘Summer Love S’mores Latte’. Make sure you stop by tomorrow for ‘Childhood Friends to Lovers Chai.’” She smiles wide and looks between the two of us.
“That’s too long of a name,” I hiss, completely aware of what she’s doing.
“I’ll take it,” Tate says and hops on the seat next to me. Eden disappears to the far end of the bar to make Tate’s drink.
“Listen, Lainey. I’m sorry about yesterday. I really didn’t hear you yell for me.”
“It’s okay,” I say, feeling my cheeks flush. “Let’s pretend like it never happened.”
“Like what happened?” He asks. “Did something happen?” The playful wink he shoots me has my stomach doing somersaults.
Eden reappears and places Tate’s drink in front of him. “So are you coming to Founder’s Day, Tate? You can’t miss Founder’s Day.”
I feel my insides swirl again with anticipation at his answer. What is happening to me? Are tortoiseshell glasses and a bit of stubble all it takes for me to lose my dignity?
Tate looks over at me. “Sure, I’ll tag along. As long as that’s okay with you, Lain.”
Eden picks up on the nickname right away. “She’s fine with it. Aren’t you,Lain?”
“Yeah, sure,” I say, fighting the heat threatening to take over my entire face. “It’s this weekend. Though, are you sure you don’t want to work on your cottage?”
Tate considers this briefly by tapping his fingers against his mug. “I have quite a bit of PTO stored up. And the cottage’s problems will still be there after Founder’s Day. Although, I’m making pretty good progress already. I think I'll stay a little while longer, if that’s okay with you?” He phrases it like a question, like it’s up to me if he stays or not.
“You would?” I ask. “Why? Aren’t you dying to get back to Charlotte? Back to civilization?”
He shrugs. “Not really. I kinda like it here. It feels like I’m taking a trip back down memory lane, but only the best parts of it.”
Eden slides me a warm chocolate croissant, and I bite into it, unsure of what to say. I’m thrilled he wants to stay, because it feels like I’m traveling down memory lane too, reliving the best parts of every summer when Tate came back to town.
Except, we’re adults now, and he’s grown into a very aesthetically pleasing man who wears tortoiseshell glasses and makes me weak in the knees. “This town is Mayberry on the water,” I finally say. “A place most people just pass through.”
“Maybe to some people,” he says. “I’d think of it more as a hidden gem though, like the east coast’s best kept secret.”
“Even after getting attacked by an octopus and a jellyfish?”
He shrugs a shoulder. “Not my best memories. But not my worst either. Maybe somewhere in the middle. Maybebetterthan somewhere in the middle.” He catches my eye and holds my gaze. “I think it all depends on who you know and who you’re with…if you know what I mean.” I swallow thickly and busy myself with finishing the rest of my latte. He slides a couple bills from his pocket over to Eden.
“You’re still good for dinner with Grandpa later, right?”
I nod. “I’ll meet you at your place around six.” Eden eyes me suspiciously and I do my best to ignore her, instead focusing on Tate as he walks backward to the entrance. He winks behind those spellbinding glasses so quickly I almost miss it. So smooth…until he trips and topples over the new release section Eden spent all morning perfecting.
Eden pops her head above the espresso maker. “Seriously?!”
Tate groans and dusts himself off after standing. “Sorry,” he calls. His glasses are askew on his face, and I rush over to help him reset the display. “I can fix this!”
“She spent hours on that,” I whisper, biting my bottom lip to hide a smile. “You’re in so much trouble.”
“Help me!” He pleads, crudely re-stacking the books. “I’m in over my head!”
I giggle and restack his attempt the right way. “Me too,” I mutter. “Me too.”
12
Tate
Irun a comb through my hair and check my teeth for any stray green globs. Lainey’s truck beeps below, and I try to calm my racing heart.
