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A bell rang when I pushed the door open, and a petite woman with a pixie cut popped into view on the other side of the large pastry case. “Morning!”
“Good morning,” I replied, a slow smile spreading across my face as I breathed in the intoxicating smell of freshly roasted coffee beans, hot bread, and the sweet aroma of powdered sugar. My eyes went wide as I stepped up to the case. “Oh my goodness.”
The woman who had greeted me laughed. “First time?”
“Yeah, but I can already tell you it won’t be my last…I don’t even know where to begin!”
“We get that a lot. Personally, I’d recommend the cinnamon chip scone, a vanilla hazelnut latte, and then come back around lunchtime and try one of the turkey pesto croissant sandwiches.”
“Sounds perfect,” I replied, nodding in agreement, my eyes still roving over the assortment before me. Scones, muffins, miniature cakes, cookies, fruit tarts. Apparently, the residents of Holiday Cove had a bit of a sweet tooth.
“Great! I’ll warm up that scone and get your latte to you in a jiff!” She bounced into action, swiping one of the large, frosted scones from the case. “I’m Carly, by the way.”
“Hi, Carly. I’m Holly.”
Carly crossed to the warmer and set a timer before rounding the corner to a gleaming espresso machine. She got the shots started and looked back up at me. “Nice to meet you. Where are you from?”
“Irvine.”
“Oh,” Carly nodded, recognition dawning. “I have a brother that lives out that way. Nice place. What brings you to Holiday Cove?”
“You mean, besides the amazing coffee and pastries?” I asked, laughing. “I’m a CPA and just finished my first solo tax season.”
Carly whistled. “Enough said, honey. Well, you came to the right place. We might be a small town, but everyone here is really friendly. You’ll have a great time!”
“Thanks.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked out the low windows to see what Hunter was doing. He had apparently given up trying to wrangle free of his leash, and was sitting, looking quite contentedly out at the ocean. “Is it always so quiet here?”
“In the mornings. Yeah. It’s a bit of a sleepy town. Come this afternoon, I’ll have an empty case and a line out the door. So, my advice, come early if you want your first pick of everything.”
“Noted.”
“I’ll bring this out to you if you want to take a seat, enjoy the gorgeous day.”
“Thanks, I think I will.” I went out the side door that led directly to the patio and Hunter jumped up at my arrival, waving his chubby tail in the air. When Carly brought me my breakfast, she stooped down to pet Hunter, and we exchanged puppy stories while I sipped the sweet foam from my latte. After a little while, she went back inside, but came back moments later with a handful of puppy treats. Hunter gobbled them down and tried following Carly back into the shop.
“Sorry, buddy, you’re stuck with me today.” I tugged his leash to get him away from the door and he finally came around and lay back down by my feet. I sipped my way through the layered drink slowly, savoring every drop, and scanned the beach. Carly was right, it was sleepy. There wasn’t another soul as far as I could see in either direction. I’d never been to a completely abandoned beach, but within seconds, decided I could definitely get used to it.
I broke off a piece of my scone and moaned as it melted like butter on my tongue. I was battling off the urge to go inside and have Carly bag up half a dozen in a to-go bag, when I spotted a figure running down the beach. He was still a long way off, but with each powerful pump of his legs, he got nearer and clearer.
There was a large yellow lab running by his side, keeping pace without a leash or what looked like much prompting from the man. My eyes slide from the man, down to Hunter. “See, that right there should be your life goal.” I cocked my chin in the direction of the pair on the beach and Hunter perked up, as though he understood what I’d said. He stood up and padded out to the edge of the deck, going as far as he could while still attached to his leash.
The man was about a hundred feet away when it struck me that there was something familiar about him. I couldn’t quite figure it out, but there was a nagging recognition that kept me staring at him. He was tall and looked to be in very good shape—a fact confirmed by his easy clip of a pace over the rough, sandy terrain—with dark hair that was cut short but appeared at least slightly styled. He was wearing dark sunglasses and I realized with a start, that he could be watching me and I wouldn’t even know it. I slipped my sunglasses down from the top of my head and pressed them securely against the bridge of my nose. I held my breath as he raced by. He hadn’t glanced over at me, at least not as far as I could tell, but I was left with the lingering sense that he’d noticed me.
