Page 41 of Here With You

“I suppose we lost the spark.” She pointed out the window where Miles was standing next to the stack of chairs. “Don’t let it happen to you.”

“Order up,” a cook from behind the line called, and Tilly walked over and placed four plates of quiche and fruit on a tray.

“Since when do we deliver meals to the beach? I thought it was against the rules.”

“It is. Why do you ask?”

“Because this is going to Mrs. Blackthorne and family on the beach.”

“Who ordered it delivered?”

“Margot, at the request of Miles.”

Em set the cups of coffee down. “I’ll take care of it and set him straight. He doesn’t know any better.”

“I’ll bring your coffee and their juice.”

As Em walked outside, she realized she had no idea who Mrs. Blackthorne was, so she looked around for a family of four. There were five families. It was anyone’s guess who was waiting for food. She stared at Miles and gestured with a head nod for him to come over.

He jogged toward her. “Is that for the Blackthornes?”

“It is, but we don’t deliver food to the beach.”

“Why is that? It seems that a fine establishment like The Brown would cater to their guests’ needs.”

“We do, but we also look after their safety.”

“What could go wrong with a breakfast delivery?” He took the tray. “Follow me.”

She turned to see Tilly coming with the drinks. “I got this Tills.” Tilly handed her a tray with two cups of coffee and four orange juices before she left.

Miles led her to a family of four who had staked out a claim by the water’s edge.

“Good morning, Mrs. Blackthorne. I’ve got your breakfast,” Miles said.

Em stepped forward. “Might I suggest a table inside? We typically don’t serve breakfast on the beach.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Blackthorne said. “We thought breakfast at the beach would be a great way to start the day.” She cleared off a towel and patted the space. “Can you imagine anything more delightful?”

Em smiled. “It’s just that the birds can be a nuisance.”

Mrs. Blackthorne frowned. “In this wind? Look around. There isn’t a bird in sight.”

Seagulls were nature’s laser-guided missiles. Once they locked on to something, they didn’t let go, and the destruction they left in their wake was unbelievable.

Miles set the tray on the towel. The four stainless steel cloches caught the sunlight and shined like beacons, and Em knew she’d lost the fight. Maybe some lessons were better off experienced.

“I wish you luck.” Em squatted and placed the tray on the towel. She picked up the two coffees and stood. “Enjoy your breakfast.”

She moved toward the stack of loungers, counting down from twenty.

Miles took his coffee and asked, “What’s going on?”

“You’ll see.” She handed him his coffee and took a sip. “Twelve, Eleven, Ten.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“I warned you and them, now wait for it.” She took another drink. “Six, five.” A seagull swooped in and landed on the towel. Seconds later there was another. It was a feeding frenzy with chunks of fruit and egg flying through the air and other birds swooping to grab the airborne pieces.

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