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Dane let out a quiet sound to acknowledge that he’d heard her, but didn’t respond right away.
“Yeah, me either. I thought that because everything here closes ridiculously early that it was all low quality. Though now that I’ve said that, it sounds silly.”
“No, I get it. I chose to come here because I knew it would be quiet.” They stopped at an intersection.
“I knew it would be quiet too, but I wasn’t ready for just how silent.” Dane ran his hand up and down Alissa’s arm.
“I felt the same way!” Alissa said. “I woke up once because it was so quiet.”
“Wow. I listen to white noise at night and it’s helped.” Dane guided them to the side so they wouldn’t walk into a pole. “But aside from that, the peace has been really helpful. Even more than I thought it would be.”
“This whole town has been filled with surprises. I really like it here.”
“I do too now that I’ve gotten used to its quirks.”
“I’ll definitely miss it when I go back to Denver. Or if I go back. I’m not sure.” Alissa’s brows furrowed. She had always assumed that she’d go back to Denver—she still had her apartment there—but she hadn’t spoken about leaving to anyone.
“Mm,” was Dane’s only verbal response, but Alissa felt his body stiffen.
The casual warmth and camaraderie that they’d had dried up, and Alissa’s stomach sank. The shift in the vibe threw her decision into high relief. What was she going to do at this crossroads? She had always been a free spirit, flitting from place to place without forming too many attachments. That was why she had come to this town in the first place—a whim, more or less.
But this town was different. There were things here that she wanted to keep. The quiet, kind people, the delicious food, the beautiful scenery, and of course, Dane and her job. She had never felt this at peace before.
Maybe it was time to be like Caitlin in some ways, to lay down roots somewhere and not go wherever the wind blew her. Commitment didn’t have to be scary like she thought it was. Caitlin might have committed too deep too soon with James, but not all commitment was the same.
Sometimes it meant staying in one place and knowing what worked for you. And sometimes, it was the thing that kept you from missing out instead of the other way around.
Alissa bit her lip. If she went back to Denver, what would she miss out on?
“Do you just want to go to The Crab?” Alissa asked as they approached it.
“Sure, that sounds good,” Dane said, his tone still a little stiff.
Alissa brushed it off and put on a smile. She wanted to enjoy this lunch with Dane—she could think about her future a little later.
CHAPTERTWENTY
“Your regular latte?” the barista at Tidal Wave Coffee asked Dane the moment he walked in.
“Yes, thank you.” Dane nodded in appreciation and went over to the far side of the bar, leaning against the wall. The stack of copies ofThe Outletwas very low, just as he wanted it to be. Paper sales had been steadily climbing.
“We’ve been selling out ofThe Outletlately,” the barista said as she prepared a double shot of espresso. “People have really been loving it.”
“That’s great to hear.” He thumbed through the latest issue even though he’d read the paper several times over at this point.
“The article on the surf competition was cool. I wanted to go but I was here. There’s always next year, I guess.” The barista chuckled and steamed some milk, finishing up Dane’s latte. “Enjoy!”
“Thanks,” Dane said, lifting his cup and taking a sip.
As always, it was smooth, creamy and perfect. He thought he was addicted to caffeine back in New York, but the lattes here were bringing his love for coffee to a new level.
He went onto the outdoor patio and made a beeline toward a table near a heated lamp, the cold wind cutting across his cheek. Once he sat, he pulled out his phone to look at his to-do list for the day. A lot of his list was made up of things to do forThe Outlet, of course, but the magazine idea was there too. And along with the magazine came thoughts of Alissa.
Was he ready to jump into a big project and possibly a relationship with someone who had such a different view on life? Like he’d said the night before, their differences could be an asset and he believed that Alissa had changed his mindset and view on life to be more optimistic. She’d brought the area to life for him. But it was still a big leap. All of his feelings were so new and he didn’t know how he was going to feel months from now.
He checked his email and marked the ones that weren’t important as read and answered a few that could easily be taken care of right away.
“Hey there,” Michael said, approaching Dane’s table. “Working on a Sunday morning?”
