by Fiona Grace
But there was no time to dwell on the strange “celebrity” encounter, nor the differences between herself and her assistant, because at that moment, Ali heard the bell over the door tinkle, ushering in the first customer of the day. She pushed Arlo’s visit to the back of her mind as that familiar swell of excitement overcame her. This was why she did what she did. Not for reviews in publications from famous critics, but to spread joy to her customers.
“Welcome to Seaside Sweets,” she said happily, looking up. “How can I help you today?”
But her voice trailed away as she realized who it was coming toward her. Seth.
The suave hot dog maker was looking even more handsome than when she’d first laid eyes on him this morning during her jog. She felt her throat go bone dry.
Beside her, Piper’s head snapped up to attention, and she looked from Ali to Seth and back again with a curious, titillated expression.
“Good morning...again,” Seth said, grinning his dimple-cheeked grin as he came over to the counter. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“Oh?” Ali replied. She was feeling a little hot under the collar now and tugged at her shirt.
“You know how we have lunch tomorrow,” Seth began. “Well, I was wondering if you wanted to do something tonight as well? Tomorrow seems like such a long time away…”
Ali couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. Seth was upfront at the best of times, but now he was being quite the eager beaver.
Beside her, Piper made no attempts to hide her surprise, gasping dramatically like she had front row seats to a romantic play.
“Oh, um, actually,” Ali said, immediately feeling her cheeks burn. “I can’t tonight.”
“Oh yeah!” Piper cried. “Because you have your—”
Ali didn’t give her a chance to finish her sentence. She gave Piper’s foot a warning stomp before she could blurt out that Ali already had a date tonight with another guy.
“—gynecologist appointment,” Piper said, hurriedly.
Ali’s eyes widened with embarrassment. Of all the things Piper could’ve said!
“Yup,” she said, uncomfortably, forcing out a smile at Seth. “Heh. Got to keep up-to-date with those...appointments.”
Ali literally wished one of the peppermint tiles beneath her feet would turn into a void she could jump into.
But Seth, as always, took her babbling awkwardness in his stride.
“In which case,” he said, smirking slightly with amusement, “I’ll wait until tomorrow. Patience is a virtue as they say.” He tapped his fingers a couple of times on the counter. “I can’t wait.”
And with that, he turned and sauntered away.
The second he was gone, the cringe Ali had been suppressing overcame her. She flopped forward on the counter and groaned. “Gynecologist? Piper!”
But at the same time, Piper squealed. “Oh. My. God! Ali! You’re dating two guys!”
Ali straightened up. “No! I’m not. It’s not like that.”
She’d heard enough of that from Delaney already. She didn’t need Piper adding her voice into the mix.
“Oh it totally is like that,” Piper said excitedly. “And I am so proud of you.”
“Wait. What?” Ali replied. “You’re proud? Why?”
“Because you’re usually so uptight,” Piper said, before quickly adding. “No offense.”
“Er… none taken?” Ali replied, putting her hands on her hips.
“I just mean,” Piper continued. “After everything you went through with your ex, you totally deserve to play the field and find Mr. Right. And how are you meant to know who’s Mr. Right if you have no Mr. Wrong to compare them to?” She shrugged flippantly. “I do it all the time. I have three dates this week.”
Ali paused. It wasn’t like she often took life advice from Piper of all people. But maybe when it came to dating, her assistant had something to teach her after all? She was uptight, especially when it came to matters of the heart. She was guarded. Often too serious. She needed to relax and go a little bit more with the flow. Wasn’t that what Delaney’s whole goddess yoga thing was about as well? Both her friends wanted her to chill out a little and enjoy life more.
And it wasn’t like she’d made a commitment to either Seth or Nate. There was nothing dishonest about it, except maybe the fact that she hadn’t told either of them about the other.
With that thought in her mind, Ali decided that she would date both Seth and Nate, and that during her date with Nate tonight, she’d give him the full low-down. It was time for her to embrace a new version of Allison Sweet.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ali heard a knock on the bakery door and glanced up from the broom she’d been using to sweep up the day’s crumbs from the bakery’s floor. Standing outside was Nate, hands stuffed into the pockets of his board shorts. He spotted Ali and waved with a shy smile.
“Time for date number one,” Piper said from the counter where she was busy counting up the day’s takings.
A wave of guilt immediately overcame Ali.
It had been like this all day, Ali flipping between excitement for the forthcoming mini-golf date and extreme anxiety about breaking the news to him that he wasn’t the only guy she had affection for. All day, her mind had gone from thinking about Nate to Seth to Nate again, until she’d pretty much driven herself mad.
The thoughts continued to loop in her mind as she rested the broom against the wall and went over to unlock the door and let Nate in. She unclicked the lock, feeling way more awkward than usual, and opened the door to allow Nate inside.
“Evening,” he said, bestowing a kiss on her cheek. He’d let his hair out of the band. and it hung in dark blond, glossy strands around his ears. “Good day?”
“Uh-huh,” Ali said, her cheek warm from the place his lips had touched her skin. “Great day. You?”
“Excellent,” he replied.
The conversation felt stilted to Ali, and so different from how it usually was with Nate. Talking about their prospective businesses was the thing they found easiest, usually, but now it all felt very loaded and significant and unnatural. Ali also became very aware of the fact she’d not gotten a chance to go home and dress for the date. Since she’d originally not realized it even was a date, she hadn’t thought to factor in any time to fix up her hair or makeup and change into a nice outfit. But there wasn’t much she could do about that now, so she may as well just go with the flow. At least she didn’t have batter splattered over her for once.
“Awww, you guys are being so awkward!” Piper squealed from the counter. “So romantic.”
Nate grinned in a coy, boyish way, but Ali flashed Piper a warning look. She needed to get Nate out of here before her ditzy assistant accidentally mentioned something about her lunch with Seth before she got a chance to explain the situation in her own words.
“Ready for some putting?” she said rapidly, turning back to Nate.
“Yup,” he said.
“Great,” Ali replied, turning him by the shoulders and pushing him out the door. She trotted out with him, calling over her shoulder to Piper as she went, “Don’t forget tomorrow’s my day off!”
Piper wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, as if implying that Ali had specifically taken the day off tomorrow because of how she expected the date to end up…
Ali flashed her another warning look, then pulled the bakery door shut behind her.
“Someone’s in a hurry,” Nate commented with a chuckle when she finally stopped pushing him.
“Uh, right, yeah…” Ali mumbled. “Just a busy day, you know? Glad to see the back of it.” She scratched her neck awkwardly.
It was a typically warm evening. Ali and Nate began to slowly stroll toward the palm tree lined road behind the store. But they’d not made it five paces when there came a bark. Ali turned to see Scruff come bounding toward them.
“You again,” she said, affectionately, crouching down for an ear scritch.
“When are you jus
t going to adopt him?” Nate said.
“Adopt him?” Ali queried. “Scruff? He’s way too much of a free spirit for that.”
“You think? But he follows you everywhere.”
That was true. Scruff was becoming something of a sidekick to Ali, always popping up in the middle of whatever shenanigans were going on. But she suspected he did that to anyone who gave him snacks.
“He follows everyone everywhere,” Ali countered.
“Not like he does you,” Nate replied. “You’re definitely his favorite.”
Ali considered it and felt touched. But then she shook her head. “It’s only because I give him his favorite Jumbo Bone.”
Nate tutted. “I’m telling you, that dog is obsessed with you.”
Ali stood back up and chewed her lip in consideration. She’d always wanted a dog. And Scruff was a really great dog.
“Well, if he makes any indication that he wants me to adopt him, I will,” she said. “But it has to be his decision.”
They continued strolling up the hills, passing Willow Bay’s famous brightly colored townhouses. Scruff followed along, like some kind of chaperone. In the distance were several cranes stretching into the sky from Sullivan’s building project. If they were new condos, as everyone suspected, they’d have amazing views right down into the bay, along the whole boardwalk and, of course, of the beautiful ocean.
“So,” Nate said into the silence surrounding them. “Are you looking forward to some crazy golf?”
“Of course,” Ali replied with a grin. “I haven’t played crazy golf since I was a kid!”
No sooner had she said it, she realized that the last time she’d played mini golf had been with her father. As with all her childhood memories involving him, it always felt bittersweet to be reminded. Her chest dropped morosely.
“Glad to know I bring out the inner child in you,” Nate teased.
His comment immediately lifted Ali’s spirit. It was true. Since meeting Nate, Ali had tried her hand at surfing, and had taken some big risks with her store at his encouragement. He brought out a more fun, silly, and daring side to her, one she’d had no idea she still possessed. Before moving to Willow Bay and meeting him, she’d just thought that part of herself had naturally withered away as she’d aged, and it was a pleasant surprise to discover she still had a big kid inside of her just waiting to come out.
And if she was accidentally dating two guys as everyone seemed to think she was, then that surely was a massive tick in Nate’s column. Isn’t fun meant to be the bedrock to a solid relationship? Didn’t everyone always say that laughter is the best medicine?
She thought of the white board in her store’s kitchen, only substituting the column headings from her and Piper’s names to Nate and Seth’s, and put a big mental tick under Nate’s name in the fun category. Not that Seth wasn’t fun, per se, but he was more serious and sensible, while Nate was more fun-loving and goofy.
“Oh wow, look at this,” Nate said, interrupting her thoughts.
He’d reached the gates of the crazy golf course and was peering through them. Ali joined him at his side and gasped.
Rather than being in the typical gaudy fairground style Ali remembered from the crazy golfs of her youth, it was tastefully presented. Colorful string lights lit the route around each of the cutely crafted woodland animal themed courses. A badger, an owl, a hedgehog, a fox… It stretched off into the darkness, much larger than Ali had expected as well. Near the front entrance there was a tasteful wooden food cart selling hot snacks, cocktails, and even buckets of ice champagne! Ali realized then that every single person currently playing was a couple, of a similar age to she and Nate. They were all giggling away, sipping champagne, quite clearly on romantic dates.
Ali gulped. “This wasn’t what I was expecting.”
“Me neither,” Nate replied. “You know, I’m starting to think all these changes in Willow Bay are going to be for the best. I know everyone says Sullivan Raine is some kind of ruthless, gun-toting Texan in a cowboy hat, but if he’s building homes for loads of new people and families, then it’ll surely mean a boom for us small business owners. More families. More customers.”
He looked excited at the prospect, and Ali felt it too. More customers meant more money. Her ambition flared to life. She could add more products to her line, new staff members, perhaps even expand the store?
Suddenly, Nate grabbed her hand, breaking her reverie. “Come on. Let’s play!”
He pulled her in through the gate and up to the kiosk to pay. Then they collected their golf clubs and headed toward the wooden food truck.
“Want a drink?” Nate asked.
Ali was about to decline — her automatic response — when she realized since it was her day off tomorrow, she could actually let her hair down for once.
“Okay,” she said with a smile.
“And some food?” Nate suggested. “Ooh look, crispy shrimp taco.” He pointed at the blackboard menu hanging above the wooden hut’s open hatch.
Ali’s stomach grumbled as she read the board. “With avocado salsa and sour cream cilantro sauce. That sounds so good!”
“Then allow me,” Nate said with a smile.
He went over to the kiosk, and Ali watched as he loaded up his arms with a paper plate of tacos to share and two plastic cups of mimosas to drink. He balanced the lot skillfully as he brought them back to her.
“Ta da!” he said.
Ali giggled as she relieved him of his burden by taking her drink from his hand. “Let me guess — you used to be a waiter.”
“What gave it away?” Nate joked in reply.
Ali took a taco from the plate and took a large bite. Straight away, her eyes watered as the super spicy flavors burned up her mouth.
“That’s hot!” she squeaked, while simultaneously appreciating the way the sour cream sauce perfectly balanced the delicious flavor.
“Oh no!” Nate said, watching her with equal parts amusement and concern. “Are they too much?”
“Nope!” Ali exclaimed, shaking her head and munching with determination. “I can do it.”
“Are you sure? Because you’re literally crying!”
But Ali kept on chewing. Yes, the tacos were far more spicy than Ali would usually go for, but she liked how Nate pushed her to take more risks than normal. Besides, it was gearing her up for a competitive golf match!
Finally, Ali swallowed. “I did it!” she cried.
Nate clapped. “Congratulations. I’m impressed. But I still feel bad I made you cry on our first date.”
He laughed as he grabbed his golf club and headed for the first course. But Ali stayed on the spot, feeling guilt wash over. She had to tell him about Seth. But how? When? They were having so much fun, and Ali hated the thought of ruining the night.
She resolved to tell him after the date was over.
*
At the end of the long, fun evening, Nate and Ali strolled slowly home, filled with shrimp taco, mimosas, and good vibes. The pair were neighbors, living in matching one-bed apartments on the same street beside the ocean, so Ali didn’t really think anything of it. Until they reached her door…
“Thanks for a fun evening,” she said, fetching her key from her bag and turning it in the lock.
Nate leaned his shoulder against the wall and fixed his gaze on her. Or, more specifically, Ali realized with panic, her lips.
Suddenly it was all too much for her. She had to tell Nate about Seth before he got the wrong idea and kissed her. That would be one step too far and she’d feel terrible about it.
She turned to look at him, opening her mouth to speak. But she didn’t get the chance, because Nate held his hand up.
“You don’t have to explain,” he said.
Ali paused. “Huh?”
“I already know what you're going to say,” Nate replied.
“You do?”
“Yes. You don’t want me to kiss you. Because I messed with your head last time. Blowing hot a
nd cold.” He took her hand. “Ali, I need you to know that what happened before was me getting scared. I was scared of how much I liked you. I didn’t see myself as the settling down type and I panicked when I realized I was falling for you. And I’m not saying that to pressure you, at all. I understand why you don’t trust me right now. But I’m determined to make amends. And I’m not in any rush. So you take your time, Ali Sweet. I’ll be waiting.”
And with that, he let go of her hand and sauntered off into the darkness.
Ali’s heart somersaulted. She watched him disappear, then raced inside her apartment and closed the door behind her. She rested her back against it, her heart pounding so hard she could feel it against the wood.
Her mind was spinning. She’d chickened out of telling Nate about Seth, and now the opportunity was gone. With the words he’d just told her, how could she carry on in good conscience? He clearly had fallen for her hard!
Suddenly, her cell phone started to ring. She jumped a mile and grabbed it. It was her brother, Teddy, calling.
Grateful for the distraction from her ruminations, Ali answered.
The moment the call connected, Ali’s ear was assaulted by a wave of background noise that sounded suspiciously like a bar. She winced and moved the phone an inch away from her ear.
“ALI!” Teddy bellowed.
He sounded drunk. Teddy had a loud voice, but it always went up several decibels when he’d been drinking.
“Yes?” Ali said into the speaker, doing her best to keep the earpiece away from her ear, in order to protect it from Teddy’s loudness.
“I have great news!” Teddy screeched.
“What’s that?” Ali replied.
“I got a role! In a commercial!”
“That’s great, Teddy!” Ali replied. “Congratulations!”
She was both happy for her brother and relieved there was an appropriate explanation for why he was drunk in the middle of the working week.
