Grateful in Watch Hill : A Small Town Romance, Sara Celi [good beach reads .TXT] 📗

her oversized tweed blazer, which coordinated with a pair of dark jeans. “I have to admit, I’m really hungry.”

“Let’s go then, I don’t want to keep you waiting.”

I let the bartender know we were ready for dinner, then let the hostess know we wanted to be seated. She led us to a quiet section of the restaurant, one with ample space between our table and the nearest ones. When the server arrived with two paper menus, I ordered a large serving of pretzels and beer cheese. Kendra asked for a sparkling water.

“You can order a drink if you want one,” I said when the server walked away. “Don’t worry about that.”

“I’m trying to cut back. I’ve consumed more liquor this year than usual.”

I eyed my beer. “Me too.”

“At one point, it was like every night. I’d hit five and . . . well, I’d have a drink. I’d wake up to another day of quarantine . . . and have a drink. Whatever was in the house that I could find.”

“Yep. I did the same thing.”

“The other day I realized I have to stop.” Her shoulders relaxed. “That can’t be healthy.”

I shook my head. “No, it probably isn’t.”

“Anyway, I’m glad you understand.” She sighed. “Do you want to know what I was happy about when I walked in here?”

“That’s the only thing I care about.” I put down my menu. I didn’t have to study it to know what I would order. Sam’s Deli was famous for its burgers, and I craved a juicy thick one with mushrooms and swiss cheese. “So, you’d better tell me.”

“Well, it’s pretty big.” Kendra leaned across the table and I smelled something floral coming from her hair. Perfume? Hair spray? Shampoo? Some heady mix of all that? Whatever it was, I wanted to inhale it.

“Can’t wait,” I managed.

“Nancy Smith reached out to me.”

“From the dance academy?”

Kendra nodded. “We spoke on the phone just before I came here. She wants me to come by her studio on Tuesday so we can discuss an expansion she has in mind for her modern dance program.”

Relief flooded through me. Yes. Yes. This was what I wanted. Yes. I cleared my throat and hoped my expression gave away nothing. “That’s great news.”

Kendra raised her left eyebrow. “Apparently she believes expectation is building for classes in our area, and now that the virus is waning and people are vaccinated, she wants to take a leap.”

“You’re the best person to help her.” Simple fact. I couldn’t think of anyone better.

“Thanks.” She blushed. “That’s really kind of you to say.”

“It’s absolutely true.”

The server returned with Kendra’s sparkling water and the beer cheese appetizer, which she placed on the table between us. Kenda thanked her, and I downed a large gulp of my beer, the bitter ale sliding down my throat.

“What exactly would you be doing?” I asked when the server walked away for a second time.

“Not sure yet. Nancy doesn’t offer any of those classes right now, and she said she wants someone to design a program for students ages ten and older that we’d—she’d—offer three or four days a week. She said there would be room for expansion.”

“So, you’d almost be like the head of a division?”

“Something like that. I guess. I don’t know. Maybe so.”

“Well.” I smiled and raised my glass. “Cheers to the possibility.”

Kendra raised her water. “Cheers.”

We clinked and drank. As we did, I looked at her over the rim of my glass. This was great news, and I loved hearing it. To know I possibly had something to do with the gorgeous—relieved—smile on Kendra’s face was incredible. I savored it. And in some ways, just like Kyle had reached out to me for work, I needed Kendra’s win almost as much as she did.

Cheers indeed.

KENDRA

“Thanks again for inviting me out tonight,” I said about an hour later. Empty plates of beer cheese and the remains of our dinner were in front of us on the table. “I really needed this.”

“Me too.” Seth narrowed his eyes. “I’ve been thinking about it, and it’s been forever since I had such a wide-ranging conversation with someone. Job news, current events, the royal family . . .” He spread a hand. “Tanner Vance’s latest movie . . .”

“Don’t forget the vacations we’re going to take once Europe opens up for travel.”

“Yes. Santorini, here we come.”

“I’m on the first flight.”

We both laughed, and Seth took his wallet from his back pocket. Part of my stomach sank; I didn’t want this dinner to end. It felt like something we’d do in the Before Time, except that—we never did do it. I was always too busy catching up with friends and spending time with my dad during my quick weekends home from New York, and despite the promise our conversations at The Frosted Heart always seemed to have, Seth never followed through on any of them.

“One more thing the pandemic changed,” I mused.

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

I gaped, not meaning to have said the last part of my thoughts aloud. “Oh, just that . . . well, before this mess, we would have never sat down for a dinner like this. We might have thought about it or talked about it, but we’d never have done it.”

“No, we wouldn’t. I’m sorry about that.”

“I am too.”

Seth took his credit card from his wallet and signaled the waiter. “It’s funny how I used to live. I’d put things off and take moments in life for granted.”

“Yep.”

“Have you been thinking about that a lot?”

I nodded. “I’d tell myself that I’d see someone in a few weeks, or that I’d catch up with them later, and it didn’t really matter if I broke plans with them.” I looked down at my used plate and the crumbs of one of the best nights that I’d had in a long time. “If there is one thing this virus taught me, it’s that I can’t live like that. Tomorrow isn’t promised, and I shouldn’t live like it is.”

“No, we shouldn’t.”

I looked up and allowed my gaze to catch Seth’s. “Thanks for inviting me