I guess it’s not too bad after all.
I have to drag June out of Daytrip at eight when she yawns a dozen times in ten minutes, her bright smile no longer able to mask her exhaustion. It’s been a long week and an even longer day, but since I know she will refuse to take tomorrow off, with it being the first official weekend open, I need her to get home and get some sleep before we do it all over again.
She nearly falls asleep in the car, and I just barely resist threatening to carry her through the lobby and into my place. Thankfully, she brought a bag of things there on Wednesday, so she has what she needs for bedtime. We shower together, not for any sexual reason, but because I’m afraid she might fall asleep. After we finish getting ready, we climb into bed, where I hold heras her breathing evens out. I think she’s already fast asleep, so I’m surprised when she speaks.
“How do you feel?” she asks, low. “About today?”
“Good,” I say.
She turns in my arms, a sleepy smile on her lips. “Good?”
“Yeah. I feel…. I've done this a bunch of times, been there for grand openings and been a huge part of it, but it's never felt as good as it did today. As satisfying and fulfilling.”
She tips her chin at me. “Because it was your own project? You really did great, Graham.”
I smile at her in the dim moonlight and shake my head, pushing her hair back behind her ear.
“No, June. Because I had people to celebrate it with. Every success has felt empty for years, and today I realized it wasn’t because it wasn’t impressive enough or because I wasn’t the project lead. It was because I wasn’t doing it with anyone. I had no one to celebrate with. Today, I had you and your…our…crew, and I finally felt…satisfied.”
She smiles, her lip wavering and her eyes watering, though I’m sure it’s mostly exhaustion making her emotional.
“Good thing I convinced you friends are better than networking and work opportunities, huh?” she says as I brush one of the tears away with my thumb.
“You’re the luckiest thing that ever happened to me, June,” I murmur, pressing my lips to her forehead. “Now go to sleep, lady luck, or I’m not letting you go in until noon tomorrow.” She scrunches her nose, but instead of arguing, she tips her head, presses her lips to mine, and snuggles into my chest and falls asleep.
THIRTY
I meet Rowan at his hotel bright and early Monday morning, a week after opening. According to Sutton, he arrived at the fancy hotel I was staying in late the night before. When he walks out of the hotel room, giving me a wide grin, I understand what Sutton was talking about. He’s been dating Josie for about a year now, but I never really noticed the way he smiles more, the way he looks lighter and less stressed, something that, to my knowledge, is a testament to Josie.
I wonder if that’s how I look these days, lighter and happier, thanks to June.
“Hey, Rowan,” I say, smiling as I approach, offering a handshake. My boss wanted coffee and a Daytrip tour before the staff arrived. I agreed eagerly, telling him I’d pick him up, and we’d walk to Seaside Coffee together. As June would say, walking the boardwalk is the best way to experience Seaside Point, and although he’s been here before, I want Rowan to love this town as much as I have started to.
“Graham! Good to see you,” Rowan says.
“How was your flight?” I ask. He shrugs.
“It was a flight, but we got in late, so Josie’s still out like a light.” Josie had a mission in California, and she didn't get theintel she needed until the very last minute. I don’t know much about what Josie does with the Mavens, mostly because I never felt it was my place to ask, since Rowan and I were coworkers, not friends, but something tells me that as soon as June meets the woman, she’ll find out everything. “How are things here?”
Quickly, I fill him in on everything that’s been going on over the last week. While I sent him a recap email on Monday after the opening, there’s so much to expand upon, ideas and discoveries I believe will make Daytrip a runaway success. While my job is technically just to get a business going, I'm so motivated by this location. It could be the start of something amazing.
Eagerly, I tell him about the newest idea I’ve been turning over in my mind: transforming the interior into an event space in the winter, when we might need to get creative with income streams. While the outdoor areas will be relatively unusable in the cold winter, the giant windows facing the beach and ocean would make a gorgeous backdrop for weddings or other events. The idea came to mind when June mentioned in passing that the high school might need a location for its homecoming dance this fall, and I’ve been turning it around ever since.
“I’m thinking we can offer the school a discount. It’s good publicity and lets the community know Daytrip will be available for events. Integrating with the community is vital, and it’s working—this week, a quarter of our visits were from locals, trying to have a more relaxing beach day away from the rush of tourists.”
“I’m impressed. Honestly, the more Sutton told me, the more worried I was this wouldn’t be a sound investment, but you’ve identified the needs here and made it work seamlessly.” I lick my lips, clearing my throat before continuing. It feels like I’m in the spotlight, an unexpected proposal of my own.
“I think it’s all about tailoring it to what the town needs: during the summer, it needs revenue, and it needs somewhere more upscale to bring in a fresh set of tourists. At the same time, there has to be some kind of cohesion with the community. That’s why we started the gift shop and why I sent you the email last week about offering a locals’ discount.” Rowan nods. “But in the fall and winter, this place doesn’t need an exclusive club. I don’t think that will be a successful venture, and I think we should consider pivoting.”
The original plan was to turn Daytrip into a high-end nightclub during the fall and winter months, but the more time I spend here, the more I realize that’s the wrong call.
“Seaside Point needs somewhere to continue to build community. Local events are huge here.” He nods, seeming interested in the idea, and I spill out some numbers and figures as we walk. We pause our conversation when we get to Seaside Coffee, where I introduce Rowan to Mrs. Miller, telling him about how she’s supplying the coffee beans. She chats with us as she makes our drinks and sends me off with an extra coffee for June, which I carry as we walk back to the office.
“You seem to know everyone here,” Rowan says with a bit of surprise, grinning as he sips his coffee. I just shrug.
“It’s a very small, close-knit town. June, my assistant, was born and raised here.Sheknows everyone, and she wants everyone else to know everyone, so I’ve met…well, everyone.”
“June, the girlfriend?” he asks. I can’t help but smile as I nod.
