by Fiona Grace
“What do you mean?” she asked, feeling herself getting suckered in.
Lavinia fixed her green eyes on Ali. “Affairs of the heart are not as complicated as you think they are. Love is actually very simple. It either is, or it is not. Love, when it comes to you, will come easily and naturally.”
She let go of Ali’s hands.
Ali sat back, stunned. Something strange had come over her during the reading, something she couldn’t quite make sense of.
“We’re done?” she asked the fortune teller, almost wishing it wasn’t over.
“That’s all I know of your future for now,” Lavinia replied. “But do feel free to come back. Fate may decide to present more to me at a later time.”
“That’s okay,” Ali said, standing. “That was pretty comprehensive.”
She quickly headed out of the caravan, blinking as she emerged from the dimness into the bright summer day, and clattered down the steps onto the boardwalk. With her feet back on her home turf, she shook herself and reminded herself that she didn’t actually believe in Lavinia’s reading. It was all nonsense.
There was no handsome man waiting for her on the horizon, and perhaps that was for the best. She had a business to run. That’s where she needed to focus now.
She cast her eyes toward her store, pleased to see no plumes of smoke billowing from it. Emilio’s salami statue was looking rather inconspicuous and Ali realized with horror that it had now been joined by a taller salami statue outside Marco’s store.
She groaned. They were literally in an arms race now. Knowing them, it wouldn’t be long before her store was flanked either side by ten-foot-tall salami viewing towers made of gold and marble.
She was about to head back to work when that same new smell of fried onions tickled her nostrils once again. Ali’s stomach grumbled. She and Teddy hadn’t gotten lunch after all, and now the scent of the delicious food made her salivate.
She glanced again at the store. Piper would be okay for ten more minutes, wouldn’t she?
Ali’s growling stomach answered her question for her. She hurried off in the direction of the delicious new smell.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ali strolled along the boardwalk, passing Boardwalk Bikinis and Bookworms before spotting the source of the scent—a brand new hot dog place. At least, Ali presumed it was a hot dog place from the large cartoon-style placard of a hot dog outside.
“Interesting,” she murmured, realizing it was the first and only hot dog place in town.
Just then, she noticed the door was standing ajar. She could hear the sound of a radio coming from inside. Her curiosity got the better of her, and Ali peeped her head inside.
The main shop floor was very much still in the stages of construction. Plastic sheeting covered the furniture. A large power-sander sat in the middle of the floor on a dust-sheet beside a pile of recently cut shelves. The buzzing radio sound was coming from the back kitchen, along with the hiss, pop, and sizzle sounds of someone frying onions.
Growing even more curious, Ali stepped inside,= and began poking around.
She found a stack of menus advertising gourmet hot dogs.
“Gourmet hot dogs?” she said aloud. “That’s an oxymoron if ever I heard one…”
“Hey!” a voice called. “What are you doing in here?”
Ali flinched. Uh-oh. Caught red-handed.
She swirled round, about to plead her case and beg for forgiveness, when she realized she was staring into the face of the world’s most handsome man. He had gorgeous dark hair and a perfectly sculpted beard. His dark eyebrows were neat and brooding. His skin was tanned, and since he was working in the California heat, his shirt was hanging open to show off his abs.
“Well?” he demanded. “What are you doing?”
Ali tried to speak. But all that came out was a squeak. Her mouth refused to work. Her throat had become as dry as the Sahara desert. She felt weak—actually weak—at the knees!
“I—I—” Ali stammered. “I—thought you were open.”
“The big NOT OPEN sign didn’t tip you off?” the man barked.
Ali blushed. “I didn’t notice it. I’m so sorry.”
The man’s dark eyes bored into her. His expression made her feel small and sorry, and as if there were an expectation on his part for her to grovel for forgiveness. Ali hoped this wasn’t how she made Piper feel, like she was about to turn into a puddle.
But then suddenly, the man’s expression cracked and a huge grin appeared in its place.
“I’m only joking!” he said jovially.
“O—oh!” Ali said, taking a moment to recalibrate. “Only joking.” She forced out an awkward laugh.
The man’s smile was so large it seemed to stretch from ear to ear. He had Hollywood-perfect teeth and adorable cheek-dimples. Mischief twinkled in his dark eyes. It made him about five million times more gorgeous, and Ali was just about ready to hyperventilate.
“Who are you then?” he asked, conversationally, adopting a relaxed pose.
Ali still hadn’t fully recovered from his “joke,” but at least she managed to remember her own name.
“Ali,” she said. “Ali Sweet.”
“Nice to meet you, Ali Sweet,” he replied. “I’m Seth.” He held his hand out for her to shake.
Ali had to force her body to comply with her brain. She took his warm hands in hers. His skin was incredibly soft for someone who did DIY and made hot dogs for a living.
“Seth,” she echoed.
“Yup,” he said, his dark brows rising up with amusement. “Seth.”
Ali dropped his hand and shook herself, trying to get a hold of herself. It wasn’t like her to go into a goggle-eyed trance at the sight of an attractive man.
“I run a bakery,” she blurted, feeling both embarrassed for herself and relieved she still had the capacity to form sentences.
“Oh really?” Seth asked, sounding genuinely interested. “Which one? I’ve seen a couple. Kookies and—”
“Seaside Sweets,” Ali quickly interjected. The last thing she wanted was this gorgeous specimen of a man to think she was in any way associated with Miriyam!
“Sweets. I get it. So you run the cute cupcake place?” His smile somehow broadened even further. “I’ve been dying to come in and try one of your cupcakes. They looked delicious.”
“They are,” Ali said, feeling her excitement leap. Not only had this exceptional hunk of manliness noticed her bakery, but he thought it was cute! He may as well have said she had a cute butt for how admired it made her feel.
“You can come in any time,” she continued through her increasingly parched lips. “We’re open nine to five, every day.”
Seth’s thick, dark brows twitched with amusement. “I will,” he said simply.
In the brief silence that followed, Ali felt a smolder in Seth’s gaze that made her throat tighten.
“So you sell hot dogs!” she exclaimed, far too loudly, in an attempt to break the electrically charged air.
“Gourmet hot dogs,” Seth amended. “Bringing the East Coast to the west.”
Only then did Ali pick up his accent. “You’re from New York,” she stated, feeling dumb for only having just noticed.
“That’s right,” he said.
“My sister, Hannah, moved to New York,” Ali said, as if she owed him some kind of explanation. “With her husband and kids. My nephews. They’re adorable. I don’t see them much for obvious reasons.”
Great. Now she was babbling. She’d gone from stunned silence to verbal vomit in a matter of seconds.
“And I have another connection to the city, too,” she continued, seemingly unable to stop herself. “My ex-boyfriend lives there. He’s an actor. He got a part on a gay sitcom and moved there with the guy he was cheating on me with.”
She pressed her lips shut. That probably wasn’t the best thing to blurt out.
Seth chuckled. “It’s a great city,” he said, good-naturedly, seemingly taking it all in hi
s stride. “Here. Take a look at my menu, it’s all New York City street food inspired.”
He handed a menu to Ali, and she glanced at the array of offerings. Chili dogs, Chicago dogs, Coney dogs…
“I’ve never heard of half of these,” she confessed.
“Well, I open tomorrow. If you get a spare minute, perhaps you can come in and try one?”
“Tomorrow?” Ali questioned, her eyes roving around the barely decorated place. “You’re opening tomorrow?”
Seth didn’t seem fazed by the enormous undertaking he had ahead of him. He simply nodded his head. “Yup. And if you come back, I’ll let you sample all the dogs for free.”
Ali didn’t dare to believe it, but was that some kind of flirtatious invitation? She certainly never offered free food to people, apart from that one time when she was desperate for customers and ill-advisedly invited a ten-strong army of crime scene investigators in for coffee on the house. That hadn’t been the most prudent idea she’d ever had.
She tried not to get over-excited or carried away with herself, in case Seth really was just trying to drum up interest.
“Sounds good,” she replied, attempting to play it cool.
Then she suddenly remembered tomorrow was macaron launch day. Her chances of getting a lunch break depended entirely on how successful it was. And, on second thought, would the new hot dog place provide yet another distraction? Not only did she have Brandon Lennox to deal with, but now she had a brand new hot dog place to compete with! Except, of course, hot dogs and cupcakes probably attracted very different crowds.
Realizing she’d gotten completely lost in her thoughts, Ali blurted out, “I might not be able to step away tomorrow. It’s going to be busy. I’m launching a new product. Macarons. You know the ones? The little French desserts…”
Seth smiled cordially. “I know the ones,” he said. “Well, the invite’s always open. If tomorrow doesn’t work for you, there’s always the next day. Or the day after that. I’m not planning on going anywhere…”
Ali gulped. Seth was one of those suave guys who had no problem turning on the charm. She’d happily stay here all day caught in that smoldering gaze of his.
“I’d better get back to work,” she said, realizing just how long she’d left Piper in charge. “I have this ditzy assistant who’ll burn down the place if I’m away too long.”
Seth nodded. “I’d like to talk to you some more, Ali Sweet. I think we’re going to get along famously, you and I. How about I take you for dinner tonight so we can get to know each other better?”
Ali was taken aback by his forthright offer. They’d only just met!
But then she remembered Lavinia’s prediction that her new love would come naturally and easily…
She was about to tell him yes, when she suddenly remembered she had plans. That totally platonic surf lesson with the guy who’d gone cold on her.
“I can’t do tonight,” she said, her shoulders sinking with disappointment.
“Tomorrow?” Seth pressed.
“Probably not. It’s—”
“—macaron launch day,” he finished for her. “Okay. I get it.”
For a second, Ali thought he was about to get the wrong idea. But instead, he coolly flicked a business card between his fingers and held it out to her.
“How about you give me a call when you’re free?” he said.
Ali blushed as she took it from him, intimidated by just how unfazed he was about her essentially turning him down. Twice. He was confident as well as handsome.
She nodded. “Y—yes,” she stammered, almost tripping over her feet as she headed for the door. “I will.”
“Great.” Seth grinned. “And you know where I am if you get a hankering for free hot dogs.”
“I do. And you do too. Know where I am, I mean. Not where you are. Of course you know where you are.” She chuckled awkwardly.
“Bye, Ali,” Seth said with a smile.
Ali hurried away, her cheeks burning, and in no doubt that her aura had turned from blushing pink to flaming hot red.
The encounter left her mind in a swirl. Added to that was the extra stress about the rumored appearance of Brandon Lennox tomorrow.
As she neared the bakery, she noticed quite a crowd of people inside. Her mind immediately focused again. There was no way Piper could handle such a rush on her own.
Ali hurried back to help, hoping she’d get there in time to prevent a disaster.
CHAPTER SIX
Ali pushed open the bakery door just as a group of surfer boys in boardshorts were exiting. Ali stepped aside to allow them out, noting they were all holding coffee and cupcakes. She recalled her parting instruction to Piper not to give away any more freebies. Had her scatterbrained employee already forgotten?
Suddenly anxious, Ali muscled her way through the crowd toward the counter, discovering as she went that the group consisted entirely of skater boys and surf dudes. The sort of clientele who usually had no interest in sparkle-covered cupcakes. They were obviously only here for one reason, to ogle her pretty new helper.
Ali reached the counter, grabbing her apron off the hook and looping it over her head as she went. “Piper, are you—” she began.
“Your coffees,” the girl was saying as she handed a cardboard tray filled with eight different drinks across the counter to a particularly smitten-looking skater boy. “And your cupcakes.” She handed him a large bulging paper bag. “That’ll be thirty-two dollars all in.”
Ali halted. Not only was Piper doing a perfectly fine job managing the crowds, she was also remembering to actually charge them. Ali felt a swell of pride and relief. At last the young woman was getting the hang of things!
The boy handed over his money, his eyes seemingly bulging right out of his head. Piper probably could’ve asked him for a hundred and thirty-two dollars and he would’ve handed it over without question.
“Thanks,” he murmured, his face as red as a beet.
“You’re welcome!” Piper said in a cheery voice as he and his friends scurried away. “Come again!”
The bell tinkled as the group left the bakery, and a quietness fell. Order was restored.
Ali turned to Piper. “Wow. You handled those customers like a pro.”
“You think so?” Piper asked, her southern girl charm exaggerated by raised, hopeful eyebrows. “You’re not just saying that?”
“No, I mean it,” Ali assured her. “I was gone way longer than I meant to be, and that was a big crowd to serve all by yourself. You did a great job.”
A hand of gratitude fluttered to Piper’s chest. “I’m so relieved to hear you say that!” she gushed. “I might be being paranoid, but I was starting to feel like you were going to fire me…”
Ali’s heart lurched with guilt. She should never have let Teddy and Delaney put the worm of doubt in her ear. And she should never have had whispered, hushed conversations about Piper behind her back.
“My dad always says I was born with two left feet and no thumbs,” Piper continued. “And I’ve made some pretty bad mistakes—“
“You’re doing a great job,” Ali interjected.
Piper’s whole face lit up. “Thanks, boss,” she said with a small, shy smile. “I mean… Ali.”
Ali’s mind was made up. Piper was staying. No matter how hard a challenge it might be, Ali was determined to help the girl, to train her and guide her.
*
A gorgeous sunset turned the sky above Willow Bay pink.
“How about you knock off for the night?” Ali said, looking up from her sweeping to where Piper was wiping the counter.
“Now?” Piper said, a quizzical look on her face. “Don’t you need me to stay and help finish the cleaning?”
“I can do it,” Ali replied. “I had that extended lunch break earlier, didn’t I? Besides, I need you fresh for tomorrow’s launch.” She felt a flutter of nervous anticipation for the macaron launch.
Piper smiled. “Well, okay. As long as you�
�re sure?”
“I’m sure,” Ali said.
“Thanks,” Piper said, as she grabbed her bright red leather purse and slung it over her shoulder. “I’ll make sure I get plenty of beauty sleep!” She headed for the door.
“Oh, and Piper,” Ali said, making the girl pause and turn. “You really did do great today.”
Piper blushed. “Thanks. See you tomorrow.” She bowed her head and hurried away.
Silence fell. Ali took a moment in the peace, letting the quietness of the empty store relax her. Tomorrow was looking to be quite the day, and Ali was as prepared as she could be. There was just one thing to do before macaron launch day: her surf lesson with Nate.
Ali didn’t even know how she felt about it anymore. Her emotions were becoming conflicted. Not because she didn’t like Nate but because he seemed to not like her. The buzz of excitement she usually felt when she knew she would be seeing Nate seemed dimmer than usual. She wondered if Seth had anything to do with it…
She collected her swimming bag and that day’s unsold pastries—she and Nate always rewarded themselves with pastries after their lesson—then headed out into the warm evening.
She walked the length of the boardwalk to Nate’s surf shop, Whitewater, and headed inside the brightly lit store. The fiberglass surfboards gave off a particular smell, a sort of plasticky cleanness.
Ali spotted Nate at the counter, his head bowed, his shaggy sun-kissed hair hanging messily down. He was surrounded by stacks of papers.
“Evening!” Ali called, brightly.
At the sound of her voice, Nate glanced up. His green eyes fixed on her.
“Hey, Ali,” he said, his Australian accent far from its usual chirpiness.
Ali’s stomach dropped. That was not the reaction she’d been hoping for.
She came over and placed her swim bag on the counter. “Everything okay?” she asked, as she removed the pastries.
“It’s this inventory check,” Nate said, gesturing to the stack of papers with one of his tanned hands. “It’s giving me a total headache.” He sounded tired and stressed, and as his gaze slid from the swim bag to the pastries, his expression became even more tense. “You’re here for your surf lesson, aren’t you?”
