Page 23 of A Breeze Over Rosewood Beach (Rosewood Beach #9)

Oscar watched her go for a few seconds before turning around and heading back to his car.

He could hardly believe that what had just happened had actually happened.

Had he really just asked Sally to get coffee with him, and she’d said yes?

She’d looked genuinely excited too. That was very surprising.

By the time Oscar had clambered into his car and shut the door, he was grinning from ear to ear.

Sally stepped back from her bathroom mirror, inspecting her reflection carefully. She was wearing a fuchsia dress and a teal necklace made of large stones. She’d pinned her hair back more carefully than usual, using gold clips that she only brought out for special occasions.

I look very elegant , she thought, pleased. But do I look too elegant?

Her heart fluttered at the thought of her date with Oscar. Of course, it wasn’t really a date—he’d said he wanted to celebrate her successful negotiation with the food distributer, not that he was interested in her romantically.

Still, she gave a small twirl as she left the bathroom, enjoying the way the fabric of her dress swished around her legs. It felt like a date. She was going to get coffee with a man, and she hadn’t done that in a very long time.

She walked past a mirror hanging in her hallway and checked her reflection again.

She was wearing her signature bubble gum pink lipstick, but she’d also applied a little eyeliner and mascara, and she’d applied more foundation and bronzer than she had in years.

It wasn’t too much, but it added to her unusually elegant appearance.

She turned back and forth for a moment, inspecting herself again.

She smiled, liking what she saw. Although she was always wearing bold, colorful things, she didn’t actually spend that much time thinking about the way she looked.

She’d stopped trying to look attractive a long time ago.

Now, however, she was seeing her reflection and coming to the pleasant conclusion that she looked more than presentable. She looked pretty.

She went to the front closet and got out her coat, thinking about how much she was looking forward to seeing Oscar.

He’d been revealing more and more that there was a good heart underneath his grumpy exterior.

She wanted to see him smile more, and to hear his laugh again.

She wondered what kinds of things she could say that would amuse him enough to make him laugh.

As she tugged on a pair of tall boots that would both look good with her dress and protect her feet from the cold and the snow, she thought about what Oscar had told her about his past, that he had been a successful trader until it had all gone south for him.

She felt sad for him, but also glad that his circumstances had landed him in Rosewood Beach.

She knew that success in the traditional sense of the word often didn’t bring anyone happiness or a feeling of completeness.

A healthy, happy life needed to be centered around love and community, she thought as she zipped up her coat.

He doesn’t know it yet, but I bet that Oscar is going to be even happier here in Rosewood Beach than he ever was in New York, Sally thought with a smile. I hope he’s feeling happier already.

She grabbed her purse off a hook and headed out her front door. It was a chilly day, but much warmer than it had been. She sniffed the clean air, thinking to herself that she was smelling a whiff of spring again. The wind seemed to be promising the coming of green growing things.

She was walking to her car when she saw a woman strolling up her driveway. Sally’s face lit up into an expression of delight a moment later.

“Vivian!” she said, hurrying forward to hug her friend. “What brings you here?”

“I wanted to drop off some of those coffee beans we talked about,” Vivian said, grinning.

“The ones that Terrence and I found when we went on that day trip?” Vivian’s boyfriend Terrence loved gourmet coffee, as did Vivian.

It was something the two of them had bonded over when they were just friends.

“Oh, yes!” Sally eagerly accepted the bag that Vivian was holding out to her. “You were raving about these. I can’t wait to taste them.”

“You’re going to love them.” Vivian smiled, and then she looked more closely at her friend. “You look really nice, Sally. I haven’t seen you wear those clips since the Christmas party. Where are you off to?”

Sally felt herself blush. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell Vivian about getting coffee with Oscar, but she didn’t know what to say about it.

It wasn’t a date, not officially, but there she was, all dolled up like it was.

“I, um, well you remember that Oscar? The man who helped me figure out that deal with the distributors?”

“Of course!” Vivian nodded. Sally had told Vivian right away about Oscar’s ideas, and Vivian intended to implement them herself, especially now that they were working out for Sally.

“Well, I saw him the other day, and I told him that his advice had worked out so well for me, and he asked me if I’d like to get celebratory coffee with him this morning.”

Vivian’s smile grew into a gleeful grin. “You mean like a date?”

“No!” Sally squeaked, even though it was clear from the way she was blushing that she absolutely felt like it was a date. “Just coffee. Business coffee.”

“But the business is over. Celebratory coffee sounds like a date to me. Besides, look at the way you’re blushing.”

Sally groaned. “Vivian, he’s not—it’s not—I mean, you’ve met him. He’s so grumpy. Do you think someone like him would be interested in a free spirit like me?”

Vivian’s eyes danced. “He may be grumpy, but he’s handsome. I like the way he carries himself—and he’s clearly very intelligent. Maybe you two could be kind of a yin and yang together. Balance each other out.”

Sally shook her head, even though her mind was fixated on the fact that Vivian had just called Oscar handsome. He was handsome. She hadn’t phrased it to herself that way exactly before, but he was. Especially when he was smiling. He had a strong jaw, and nice eyes, and?—

“It’s just coffee, Vivian,” Sally insisted, trying to get a hold of herself. “It’s not really a date.”

“Are you sure?” Vivian cocked one eyebrow just slightly.

“I’m sure that whatever it is, it’s not a big deal,” Sally said, making sure her tone sounded smooth and serene. Her heart, however, was jumping around in her chest, and she couldn’t ignore the fact that she was secretly becoming more and more interested in Oscar.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you,” Vivian said, still looking impish. “Let me know how you like the coffee. And let me know how it goes with Oscar.”

“I will.” Sally smiled at her friend. Although she felt a little flustered, she appreciated Vivian’s enthusiasm.

She hugged Vivian goodbye and got into her car. The drive to Seaside Sweets Bakery was a short one, but it had never seemed so long to her before. She felt as light as a feather, and her brain buzzed with excitement.

Am I this excited just because it’s kind of a date, and I thought I’d never go on one again? she wondered as she parked outside the charming little bakery. Or am I this excited because it’s Oscar?

She went inside and was greeted by the wonderful scents of pastry and coffee.

Oscar was already there, standing in front of the counter and inspecting the bakery display with a frown on his face, looking as serious as if he was about to be tested on how to perform emergency surgery on one of the muffins.

“Hi, Oscar,” Sally said, a bit breathless, and he turned to her with a smile.

He seemed to have put in a little extra effort as well, and she was thrilled about that. He was wearing a nice coat which he’d already unbuttoned, revealing a dress shirt collar poking out of a cashmere sweater. His hair was combed back neatly, and he smelled faintly of expensive cologne.

“Good morning, Sally.” He cleared his throat. “You look very nice today.”

She grinned, feeling her stomach flutter at the compliment. “Thank you, so do you. Do you know what you want to eat yet?”

“I was thinking one of those lemon sugar cookies,” he said. “I haven’t had one since I was a kid. I want to see if it tastes anything like the ones my grandma used to make.”

“I hope it does,” Sally said. “And I think you’ll find that Seaside Sweets Bakery usually lives up to grandma standards.”

Oscar laughed at her joke, and she smiled. He really did have such a nice laugh. It completely transformed his face.

“What about you?” he asked her. “What do you want to get?”

“Oh my.” Sally turned toward the bakery display case. “I’ve had everything they offer here at least once. You’d think that would make it easier to decide, but it doesn’t, it makes it harder. There are so many things I like.”

“Why don’t you order a few things, and you can eat them later?” he suggested. “I’ll buy them for you. My treat.”

Sally’s heart skipped a beat. His gentlemanly offer certainly made her feel as though they were on a date, and that it was more than just a friendly post-business meeting.

“That’s very sweet of you to offer,” she said. “I guess I’ll take a chocolate croissant and a lavender vanilla cookie. Those two are probably my favorites overall, if I really had to pick. Unless we’re talking seasonal treats, like pumpkin muffins or gingerbread cookies at Christmastime.”

Oscar watched her with a curious expression on his face for a moment. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but he appeared to be bewildered and delighted by her at the same time.

“You got it,” he told her. “A chocolate croissant and a lavender vanilla cookie. And then just some plain coffee?”

“No, I’ll take a latte,” she said, feeling slightly guilty since he was paying for it.

“Mm, I’ll do the same. Do they have good lattes here?”

“Oh, excellent. Almost as good as the ones we make at Ocean Breeze Café.” She winked.