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The bell rang, notifying her that a customer had arrived. She looked over her shoulder—she didn’t recognize the man who walked in, so he was probably a tourist. He had on glasses that were on the nerdy side of trendy, big on his attractive face. Hannah wasn’t much of a beard person, but she liked his neatly trimmed one.
“Hey! I’ll be with you in a moment,” she said.
“Okay, no rush.”
Hannah moved the ladder over so the man could see the full menu and went back behind the counter.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
“I’ll take the bacon grilled cheese sandwich with chips and an iced tea, please,” he said.
“Awesome.” She told him the total and he handed over his card to pay. “I’ll have that ready for you in a few minutes.”
She went back into the kitchen and washed her hands so she could whip up the sandwich. From where she was standing, she could see through the service window. The man was wandering around as if he were looking for a place to sit, even though the place was empty at this time of day.
“Can I get anything else for you?” Hannah called, slicing some fresh bread in half.
“I was just looking for an outlet for my computer,” he said.
“Ah, we only have them behind the counter.” She laughed. “In all the time I’ve worked here, I don’t think anyone’s ever brought their laptop. Usually they just enjoy the view.”
The man ran his hand through his hair, chuckling. “You’re right. The view is amazing. My computer can wait.”
“Where are you visiting from?” Hannah asked, arranging the bacon and cheese on the bread before putting on the other piece of bread and putting it under the panini press.
“Indiana. I go to business school at Indiana University, so I’m here for the summer,” he said.
“Wow, nice.” Hannah opened the container of chips that she and Willis had made that morning, scooping some into a red basket.
“I’m Luke, by the way,” he said after a brief pause.
“I’m Hannah. It’s nice to meet you,” she replied. “Are you planning on doing something in particular with your degree?”
“Yeah. I want to start a tech business—fixing gadgets and electronics, mostly,” he said, looking up at the decorations. He was so tall that Hannah could see him through the service window without going on her tiptoes.
“That’s awesome. I’m way too scared to try to fix any electronics I break, honestly.” She pulled his sandwich out of the press and sliced it in half. “I feel like I’d electrocute myself or something.”
He laughed again, a broad smile on his face. His smile was the kind that brightened a room. “Yeah, that’s what a lot of people say. But some things are such easy fixes. If more people got their electronics fixed instead of buying new ones every time something happened, we could reduce a lot of electronic waste in the world.”
Hannah tucked his sandwich into its basket and came out with it. “Here’s your sandwich. What brings you to Blueberry Bay, then? I haven’t heard anything about electronics or tech around here.”
“Thank you.” He took the basket and picked a seat not far from the front bar. “I’m here to help my aunt and uncle with their store—Sandy and Daniel.”
“Oh, I know them. Sandy’s Grocery is great.” Hannah rested her hands on the counter. “Sometimes I run over there if we run out of something in the back.”
“Yeah, it’s amazing. I’m glad to get away from campus. Sometimes it feels like I get stuck there.” He bit into his sandwich, his whole demeanor brightening even more. For once, Hannah felt like a grump in comparison to someone. His positive mood boosted hers, but not by much. “This is amazing.”
“Glad you like it!”
The bell above the door rang again and Hannah’s breath caught in her throat. It was Michael again. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, his hair tied back. She loved how it looked when it was down, but having it back emphasized his face and made him look even more sophisticated.
“Hi!” Hannah scrambled over to the register. “How are you? What can I get you?”
“Hey, I’m not bad. Just a fish sandwich, please. To go,” Michael said. He was smiling broadly—was that a good sign? Was he interested in her, at least a little? It was a smile that someone gave a person they really liked, not just an acquaintance.
“Gotcha.” Hannah ran him up, then went to the back to make his sandwich. While she didn’t want to give him slow service, she wanted him to linger.
“The place looks nice,” Michael said, standing in view of the service window. He was just as tall as Luke. “Very in the spirit of the luau.”
