Yet, standing in the middle of all that good fortune, the one thing that was missing bubbled up before she could stop the thought.
Him. The feeling of him was so real that she scanned the yard for a tall, broad-shouldered man in off-duty jeans, his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to notice him.
He wasn’t there. Probably not ever again. She blinked hard and turned away.
Quickly, she picked up a cup of lemonade and drank it down. She pressed the cold, empty cup to her heated face.
She told herself that she accepted this reality. That she’d made her peace with Blue, packed up what they’d once had, and moved on. Just as she would advise a good friend.
The logical side of her mind believed it. Yet her silly old heart, stubborn as ever, was still on the dock, waving to him on the ferry.
20
Jo untied her apron the moment the lunch rush cleared, hung it on the hook by her office, and took one last walk through the diner to make sure everything was where it needed to be for tomorrow.
The merchandise samples were lined up on the back counter. She had her new mugs and samples of tote bags, tumblers, spices, recipe cards, and gift boxes to continue promoting the preorders.
In the kitchen, Dulcie had several trays of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies cooling. The coffee itself sat in cases stacked against the wall. The Queen’s Blend, the Sumatran Empress, and Imperial Kona Reserve. Beside those were the first unlabeled bags of the Imperial Cloud Forest.
“Go home,” Candy said, catching her staring at the assortment. “Everything’s ready. You checked it twice already.”
“I know, but I keep thinking I might have forgotten something.”
Dulcie looked at her with great affection. “Go clear your head. You look like you’re about to fall over.”
Jo had been running on nervous excitement for a week, and tomorrow was the biggest day Cuppa Jo’s had ever had. Local press had confirmed, and two food bloggers from San Diego were coming. Junie had designed tasting cards for all four blends, printed on heavy cream stock with the new logo embossed in gold, and Maileah had lined up enough influencers that Jo had stopped trying to keep their names straight.
“I’m going to take a short walk on the beach,” Jo said. “I need to clear my head before I lose my mind entirely.”
“Don’t come back until you feel human.” Candy shooed her toward the door with a dish towel. “And turn off your phone. We’ve got this covered for you.”
“That’s a good idea. What could happen in half an hour?”
She left her bike at the diner and walked down to the beach, taking off her shoes at the top of the path. Now barefoot, she trudged through the soft dunes until she reached the flat part of the beach.
Most people had left the beach, except for a few who were out for late afternoon walks after work.
The tide was out, and the smooth, revealed sand had a glassy, reflective look in the sun. Gulls picked through the wet, exposed sand. As she walked, Jo dodged kelp washed ashore.
She continued past the lifeguard tower and the volleyball nets, letting the cool water caress her feet. A pelican glided low over the waves, so close to the water its wingtip nearly clipped a swell. She watched it until it banked away toward the rocks.
Jo slowed down to watch the ocean waves, filling her lungs with fresh sea air. She loved this time of day on the beach. The sun was warm on her back, and the ocean breeze buffeted her curls.
About fifteen minutes out, she stopped, turned, and headed back with the sun in her eyes.
In the distance, a man stood near the lifeguard tower, hands in his pockets, watching her walk toward him. For a moment, she thought her mind had conjured him, as it had at Maileah and Sailor’s party, scanning the crowd for a man who wasn’t there.
But this time was different. That man had the same build.
She slowed her pace. Was she that tired and sun-dazed that her mind was seeing what it wanted?
The man began walking toward her, and the closer he got, the more the shape of him awakened her heart.
Holding a hand to the sun, she made out his face now. Her chest ached and her knees were weak, surely from walking, so she waited while Blue closed the distance between them.
When he reached her, he took her hand, and before she could decide whether she should allow that, she stepped into his solid embrace, her cheek pressing against his.
It was so natural, she almost hated herself for giving in so easily. “I didn’t know you were back.”
