Page 29 of Sea La Vie (The Outer Banks #1)

Tate

“ T his should get you started,” Al says, then slams his rusty tailgate shut. I took Eden’s advice and called him for some gardening equipment. An hour later, he showed up with a tiller, a couple shovels, and starters for a few varieties of dahlias.

“Just make sure you water ‘em and sing to ‘em everyday.” Miss Kat says with a wink.

“You’ll keep my secret?” I ask, looking between the both of them. They glance between each other then nod.

“We’ll keep your secret, as long as you don’t break her heart,” Al says. “Lainey’s a special girl.” He says it like it’s a secret.

“I have no intentions whatsoever of breaking her heart,” I promise. He studies me, his thick salt and pepper eyebrows drawn together.

“Can I ask why you’re doing this?”

“I wanted to do something for her for once,” I answer. “I want to show her how much she means to me.” I lean against the tiller and cross my arms.

Al and Miss Kat nod, seeming to approve my answer. “Let me know when you’re ready for me to pick it up,” Al says and raps on his tailgate with his knuckles before sliding behind the wheel, Miss Kat joining him on the opposite side.

Soon, it’s just me, a tiller, some downloaded YouTube videos, and a bunch of overgrown dirt.

“Well, don’t you look nice,” Lainey says, eyeing my fresh clothes and hair still damp from my shower. Tilling Lainey’s garden left me ravenous but I knew I needed to get cleaned up first.

Lainey’s wearing her black apron over her cut offs and her hair is thrown into a ponytail. “Thanks. I could say the same about you,” I say with a wink. Lainey’s cheeks flush and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having that effect on her.

“Do you have a second?” I ask her.

Lainey glances around the crowded diner. “Sure. What’s up?”

“I found Emma Calhoun’s son,” I tell her. “Or rather, Emaline Aiken. Grandpa was right.” A smile spreads like a wildfire across her face, and she lets out an adorable squeal.

“Do you think…you’re related?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I found an article where he took over his dad’s law firm a few years ago. It was kind of sad. Apparently his dad, Emma’s husband, died unexpectedly of a heart attack.”

Lainey frowns. “Was there anything about Emma in the article?”

“There wasn’t,” I say. “But I did find an email for him on his website.”

Lainey bounces on her heels. “Did you get ahold of him?”

I nod. “Yes and no. I sent him a message explaining who I am and what we are trying to do. Hopefully he doesn’t think we’re crazy and gets back to us so we can put the pieces of this summer love story back together.”

Lainey’s eyes sparkle. “Hey, Sid’s over in the corner booth.” She hitches a thumb over her shoulder, and I scan the busy tables until I find his bald head and handlebar mustache. “He says he needs to talk to you.”

Huck comes bustling through the door to the kitchen at that moment and sets a steaming plate of french fries and a cheeseburger down in front of me. “I’m not letting you order here again without a little help,” he says through a smile. “You’re not allergic to cheeseburgers, right?”

My cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Thank you,” I tell him. Lainey bites her lip beside him, fighting a smile.

“Yell if you need me,” she says and heads over to a table that has just been seated. Eden comes in behind them and walks up to the bar, joining me.

“So? How did it go?” she asks and hops up onto the stool next to mine.

I shrug my shoulders. “It’s all tilled and I have knots in places I didn’t know you could get knots,” I tell her.

She shoves my shoulder playfully and I wince. “This town needs a masseuse.” Eden eyes me warily. “Don’t tell me Lucille is the masseuse, too.”

“Bingo.”

“Never mind,” I say. “It actually doesn’t hurt that bad.”

Eden laughs. “So, what’s the next step?”

“I ordered a bunch of flowers last night. They’re supposed to come in a few days, so I'll plant them according to the spreadsheet I put together of what to plant when.”

“Of course you have a spreadsheet,” Eden laughs. “When are you going to tell her?”

I shrug. “That, I don’t have planned. I’ll figure it out, though.”

A heavy hand lands on my shoulder and I turn to see Sid. “Your car is ready,” he says. “Come pick it up anytime tomorrow after eight.”

I nod. “Alright, thanks.” I turn toward Eden. “I can’t believe I’ve been here this long and haven’t needed a car once.”

“The joys of living in a small town,” she says. “The renovations on your cottage are almost done, and now your car is done. What are your plans for the future?” She asks. I know it’s a loaded question.

“I’m working on figuring that out,” I tell her.

Eden appraises me for a moment, clearly deciding if I’m going to break her best friend’s heart, then I follow her gaze to the far end of the restaurant where Lainey is laughing with Huck, the notes of her laugh traveling over the crowded dining room and landing on my ears with the perfect hum.

“Let me know if you need help planting,” she says, then waves to Lainey as she walks out the door.

Lainey gathers the dirty dishes from the table she’s talking to and walks back to the kitchen.

“What did Sid have to say?” She asks when she comes back out. She wipes her hands along her apron then rests her head in her palm on the counter.

“My car is ready,” I tell her.

“I figured.” She frowns, her bottom lip sticking out just enough for it to be cute.

“I’m not planning on leaving anytime soon,” I promise her.

She checks the clock behind the counter, then scans the dining room. “I should be out of here in about an hour. How do you feel about a night swim? Just like we used to do?”

I frown. “I’d love to, but my one pair of swimming trunks ripped even more when I was taking them off after our last swim. Honestly, after I wore them last I threw them into a ball in the corner of my closet.”

Lainey considers this for a moment, then her mouth turns up in a mischievous smile. “That’s okay. We’ll go somewhere dark.”

Oh… ohhh. I gulp, my mouth instantly dry. “Well, in that case…see you at the docks at ten?”

Lainey tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and bites her bottom lip, a smile playing at the edges of her mouth. “Yeah. See you then.”

I finish my cheeseburger in record time and leave some cash under the plate.

When I glance at the clock on the wall, I notice I still have a half an hour to kill.

I guess a quick floss wouldn’t hurt considering my most embarrassing mishap.

I shoot Lainey a wink as I walk out the door and step out in the warm evening air.

The sun has set, leaving the sky a dark purple.

Fireflies are starting to dance around, and the frogs have started their nightly serenade—little things I never would’ve paid attention to before coming to Widow’s Wharf.

In the city, the night sounds just like the day—busy with traffic—and the sky stays illuminated from the city lights, no sign of the stars anywhere.

Looking around the quiet streets of Widow’s Wharf, I realize I don’t miss it in the slightest. This town doesn’t check any of my boxes, it's not practical, and it's not convenient… but it feels like home.

Lainey feels like home.

I’m walking up the sidewalk to my rental when I stop dead in my tracks at the voice that calls me from behind. There’s no way. It couldn’t be.

”Tate! Finally!”

I whirl around to find none other than the reason I’m here in the first place. “Liv?”