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“I’m already in love with it and I’ve had two bites,” Alissa said.
“I’m glad to hear it!” Hannah smiled. “Here are three cocktails on the house. The perfect companion to this gorgeous sunset.”
“Thank you!” Monica accepted her cocktail from Hannah. “What’s in them?”
“I call them the Ocean Breeze.” Hannah put down the last two cocktails. “They’re coconut rum, pineapple juice, blue curaçao, and coconut water.”
“Sounds delicious. Thank you, Hannah,” Braden said.
“My pleasure!”
Once Hannah left, Monica raised her glass. “To Alissa’s new job!”
“Cheers!”
They tapped their glasses together and sipped the drinks. Hannah was right—they were the perfect complement to the sunset view. Even with the chill in the air, the edge taken off by the heat lamps around them, the cocktail made it feel like summer.
The three of them dug into their crab rolls and house-made chips, taking the edge off their hunger.
“So, since the job seems permanent, what are you going to do about staying here?” Monica asked, wiping her fingers with a napkin. “I thought you were only here temporarily.”
“I’m not sure.” Alissa shrugged. “I think I’ll keep things as they are for now and see how the job goes before committing to a place.”
“You’re welcome to stay at the B&B for as long as you’d like,” Monica said with a smile.
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve had a great time reading in the library, but now I can write in there too.”
“Working from home after your first day?” Braden teased.
“I know, I know.” Alissa’s cheeks flushed. “But if I put enough work in, I know I’ll putThe Outleton the map around here.”
Her voice trailed off when she saw Dane coming from inside. He had totally heard her, if his raised eyebrow was any indication. Her blush expanded from her cheeks to her whole body. It didn’t help that he looked as handsome as he did. Instead of the tailored shirts and slacks he wore every day at the office, he was in a dark green flannel button down that played nicely against his auburn hair and dark jeans. They were still fancy, though, not at all like the worn flannel and work-frayed jeans of the locals.
To Alissa’s relief, he didn’t come over and make a fuss. He took his food and sat at another table, opening up a book.
Her embarrassment faded as she, Monica, and Braden went back to their food. They talked about some new books that Monica had gotten at the local library, which she had ordered more copies of for the house. The discussion about books led to a spirited friendly debate about book to movie adaptations and which ones were their favorites.
More people came outside as the evening went on, friends of Monica and Braden’s too. They mingled from table to table like a party, introducing her to some of the people they knew. Everyone was as welcoming as Monica and Braden were, treating her as if she had been there for years.
Eventually they ended up talking to a few of their friends near Dane’s table. Alissa couldn’t avoid him anymore. A basket filled with sandwich crumbs and a few chips sat in front of him, along with a half-finished beer. The book he was reading was facedown, so Alissa couldn’t tell what it was. But it was the thick, serious tome that she expected him to read in his free time.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hi.” Dane looked up at her, what passed for a smile crossing his face—just a slight change around his eyes, the smile not reaching his mouth. “Celebrating your first steps on the journey to putThe Outleton the map?”
“Just pretend I didn’t say that.” Alissa wanted a hole to magically open up underneath her so she could get out of this. Or she wished she had access to a time machine to stop her past self from saying that.
But then she realized that he was actually joking. At least a little bit. His grass green eyes had an almost friendly shine to them, but then he blinked and it disappeared.
“The two articles you’ve written are really good,” he said.
Alissa couldn’t stop her grin from spreading.
“I’m glad! I had a lot of fun writing them. The people around here are so friendly.” Alissa rested her hand on the back of the chair across from him. “As you can see. Everyone’s been very welcoming.”
“Glad you had fun writing it,” he said. “It must be rewarding for you.”
His expression now and at work suggested that he had anythingbutfun writing.
