Page 27 of The Hampton Beach Café 6
Five forty-five. He was right on time. She smiled and rose to unlock the front door for him. She could see that his hands were full with boxes.
“Hey,” she said, smiling up at him.
“Hey yourself,” he said, swooping down and giving her a swift kiss on the cheek.
Her heart raced at the warm contact and felt herself blush. It was hardly the most passionate kiss they'd exchanged, but somehow, it meant more. Since sending Malcolm away with his tail between his legs, Frances had reenacted the whole scene for Alex when she returned the jet ski shack's CCTV cameras. Since then, they had been spending more and more time together.
“Danishes today?” Alex asked, his voice ringing out from the kitchen.
“Sounds great,” she replied, locking the door behind her and heading to the kitchen.
He was already preparing the counter to work the pastries on, and Frances caught herself staring at his strong forearms revealed by his rolled-up sleeves.
“So, uh—" she started to speak before she'd figured out what she wanted to say, and it showed.
“Can we talk?” Alex asked.
Oh, no…that might be worse than getting caught staring at his forearms.
“Sure,” she said, hoping she covered the panic in her voice.
Alex moved around the counter to stand next to her where she leaned against the edge of it. “Listen, I know I reacted strongly—overreacted, maybe—when I found out you were planning to sell…and also when Malcolm showed up.”
Frances allowed herself a half giggle. “Strongly? Yeah, that's accurate.”
Smiling at her, Alex continued, “Now, I still don't think you should sell. Because we're great together…the café, I mean. And Lucinda and Vincent, and you and me. Us. Together—"
Frances tried to interrupt but Alex shushed her, shifting his weight from the edge of the counter and repositioning himself in front of her. He was so close, she could feel the heat of his body against her skin.
“Shhh…” he said, “…but if you do sell, then I'm fine with that…so long as you stay. Stay in Hampton Beach. Or, if you really want to go, let me come with you. I…really think we're good together.”
Together? Stay?
Frances felt her mind turn to mush as she tried to push all the things he'd just said into one coherent thought. She realized she was taking too long when he blushed and started to move away from her.
“So do I,” she said quickly.
Stepping forward and closing the gap, she raised her hands and let them rest on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding under her fingertips, and she was sure her own pulse was clearly visible on her neck.
“Really?” Alex breathed, leaning down and bringing his mouth close to hers.
If she nodded, Frances realized, she would probably bring their lips together. She wanted to, but she wanted him to make the final move.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I do.”
The edge of the counter was hard against her back as his fingers gripped her waist so tightly it almost hurt, but all she could feel was his mouth on hers and her hands knotted in his hair.
She grinned at him when they finally broke apart and caught their breath.
“I want to show you something,” she said.
His eyes lit up and he smiled the mischievous smile she loved so much. “And I want you to show me...”
That made her blush and she didn't even mind. She just grinned even wider and darted to the table in the back of the kitchen where she had been working earlier. When she returned, she was holding a folder bursting at the seams with the plans she had been creating.
“This is what I'm planning for Halloween—huge party, lots of candy, and maybe even some candy-making or baking workshops. But we have to finish organizing the auction first, I think we could broaden it out to a full one day experience—not just an art auction but a dessert and pastry degustation menu…you'll have to cook most of that, so that's kind of up to you. Over winter, I think we could really capitalize on the road trippers—once the beach goers are, well, gone. And—"
Alex was thumbing through the pages she handed him, but the look in his eyes made her pause.
