by Jill Sanders
“For what?” He took the passes from her.
“A cruise,” she said under her breath. “Nick bought passage and made travel plans for our honeymoon.” She glanced up at him through teary eyes.
He shook his head. “He’d mentioned something about it…” He took the paperwork from her and read over it.
“A cruise from Florida to the Bahamas with a four-night stay at the SLS Lux in Nassau. There are even prepaid airline passes here.” He held up the paperwork that had all the information.”
“When did he do all this?” She closed her eyes and he could tell she was fighting the pain. He set the paperwork down and pulled her close.
“He asked where I thought he should take you for a honeymoon.” He laughed and closed his eyes on the memory. “I told him that he needed to give you an adventure.” He smiled as he held her while she cried.
“I’ll never see him again. I’ll never get married,” she said, crying against his chest. “I’m going to die all alone.”
He shushed her and rubbed his hand over her hair, trying to comfort her as she cried. He pulled her closer when he felt her body go lax. Her feet were tucked up underneath her and her arms had wrapped around his waist. His shirt was wet where her tears had fallen against his chest. He didn’t mind. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes and remembered the last time he’d seen his friend.
Chapter Four
Becca felt stiff and sore. Her fingers tingled and when she tried to move them, pain shot up her arms.
“Sorry,” Sean mumbled, shocking her. He moved a little, releasing her hands from behind his back. “Are your hands asleep?” He sat up a little and took her hands in his and began rubbing them.
“Ouch.” She pulled them away as the blood flooded back into them.
“No, trust me, this works.” He continued to rub her hands quickly. Her eyes moved to him and she stopped focusing on everything but his face. It was a lot darker in her living room now, so half of his face was shadowed. There was a full night’s growth of hair on his face, making him look darker, sexier.
She blinked a few times, trying to get her eyes to adjust. She remembered what had happened now. She’d cried against his chest until she’d fallen asleep. She looked down at his shirt and noticed that the spot she’d cried against was still a little damp.
“There, is that better?”
She looked up at his eyes again and nodded. She’d forgotten the pain since his warm hands still held hers.
His eyes moved to hers and she felt him tense a little. “Becca?” He whispered her name.
“I’m sorry,” she said at the same time.
He shook his head and blinked a few times. “Don’t be.”
She looked down at their joined hands and then closed her eyes when he released her hands.
“If you want…” Her eyes flew back to his as he spoke and for a moment, she knew exactly what she wanted. “I can see about getting a refund on this trip.”
Her heart fell a little. She quickly shook her head no. “I don’t know what I want to do just yet.” She leaned back. “I’m sorry about keeping you here.”
He lifted her chin up until she looked him in the eyes. “Don’t be. I was glad I was here. I enjoyed dinner, being with you again.”
She nodded, then glanced over at her clock and gasped. “It’s four o’clock.”
He wiped his hands over his face and then looked down at his watch. “So it is.”
“I’m going to be late.” She started to get up; his hand went to her arm, holding her still.
“Late? You go to work at four?”
She nodded. “Four thirty.”
He shook his head. “Too early, if you ask me.”
She smiled. “If you want to stick around, I can promise you some hot sticky buns. Sara makes the best and they’re so good when they’re fresh from the oven.”
She heard his stomach growl. “Looks like you have a direct line to my stomach.” He chuckled. “Sounds like its mind is already made up.”
She laughed. “I’ll just go shower. Feel free to rest some more.” She nodded towards the sofa.
When she stood up, she realized he’d toed off his shoes at some point last night. She’d lain on top of him all night, with her hands trapped underneath him. She couldn’t remember sleeping so well in the last year.
As she showered, she couldn’t get her mind off of how Sean had felt against her. He’d been warm, and just resting her head against those muscles of his had been a treat.
It had been years since she’d been that close to a man. She liked it, and it made her pause when she realized she wanted more.
When she walked out of her bedroom dressed for work, she frowned a little when she saw Sean reading over the paperwork from Nick’s box.
She would have never imagined that Nick would do something so romantic for their honeymoon.
“These are non-refundable prepaid passes.” Sean frowned up at her. “And they expire in about a month.”
She looked down at him, not knowing what to say.
“I’m sure if I call, they might make an exception, due to the circumstances.”
She shook her head again. “No.” Something inside her didn’t want to cancel the trip. She didn’t know if she wanted to go on the cruise, but she wasn’t sure she didn’t want to go, either. She wanted more time to think about it before she decided.
“I have to go.” She glanced out the window and could see that her sister was already next door. “Sara will be needing me. You can stay here,”—she looked around—“until we open the doors at five, then come on over.”
He nodded. “Thanks, I’ll lock your apartment door.”
She chuckled. “This is Pride. There’s no need to lock up. Remember?”
He frowned and shook his head. “It’s hard for my mind to get back into the swing of small towns.”
She smiled. “You’ll get used to it again.” She walked to the door and grabbed her umbrella. “Thanks again for dinner and…” She left the rest hanging. He nodded his head.
“Anytime.” His smile warmed her to her toes.
She walked out before she said or did something stupid.
When she walked in the back door of the bakery, Sara stopped what she was doing and smiled at her.
“So, Sean, huh?”
Becca stopped and almost tripped. “What?” How did her sister know?
Sara laughed and moved to the little window that looked out to the front of the store. Then she pointed and Becca could see Sean still sitting on her sofa, looking down at the picture of her and Nick.
“It wasn’t like that.” She sighed as she watched him looking at the picture, sitting on her sofa.
“Too bad,” Sara said and walked back over to finish rolling her dough. “I always liked him.”
Becca turned and looked at her sister. “But for some reason, you never thought that Nick was good enough for me.”
“He wasn’t.” Sara glanced up at her. “Don’t you know by now? No one is ever going to be good enough for my little sister.” She sighed and looked down at her flour-covered hands. “But Nick did eventually grow on me.”
Becca crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall.
Sara looked up at her. “He did. I would have been proud of you if you two had married.”
Becca nodded. “Sean is just a friend. He’s always been just a friend.”
“Does he know that?” Sara asked.
Becca shrugged her shoulders and glanced over her shoulder again at Sean. He’d moved from the sofa and was now standing by her windows, looking out. She knew he wasn’t looking in her direction, but she still moved away from the little window, just in case.
By the time Becca opened the doors, she was feeling a little more sure of herself. Helping Sara bake always cleared her mind. Even though Sara had two full-time bakers, Becca always helped out when she could.
For the most part, Becca worked in the front of the store. She usuall
y loved dealing with customers, but there were days she wished she didn’t have to.
When Sean walked in a few minutes after she’d unlocked the front doors, she smiled.
“I’ve saved you the biggest sticky bun. Want some coffee with that?”
He smiled and nodded. “Black. None of that fancy stuff either, just good ol’ fashioned coffee.”
“Really?” She glanced at him as she poured him a cup. “Didn’t they have lattes or cappuccinos overseas?”
He chuckled. “They did, I just never could stand them.” He sat down at one of the little tables. She set his coffee and the hot bun in front of him. “Do you have a moment to sit with me?” He nodded to the chair.
She glanced around and noticed Sara had stepped out front to help the next customers. Sara winked at her and she frowned a little as she sat down.
“These are the best thing I’ve had in years,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. She smiled a little as she watched him take another bite.
“I told you so.” She leaned back.
“I think you should go,” he said after taking a sip of his coffee.
“I’m sorry?” She frowned a little.
“On the cruise.” He looked up at her. “I think you should go. It’s what Nick would have wanted.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “I was trying to talk myself out of it, but I agree with you.”
He nodded and smiled then started to take another bite.
“Go with me,” she blurted out, causing him to choke on his coffee. She quickly moved behind him and started pounding on his back.
“Easy,” she said when he finally started breathing normally again.
He took a deep breath. “You want me to go on what would have been your honeymoon?”
She frowned and looked down at her hands. “I hadn’t thought it through. Not really.”
His hand reached across the table and took hers. “Go, enjoy yourself.”
She shook her head. “How could I? All by myself?” She closed her eyes.
“Take your sister or a friend.”
Becca glanced over at Sara and frowned. “Sara would never leave the shop for that long.” Then she looked back at Sean. “You are a friend. Probably the closest one I have besides Nick.”
He sighed and looked down at their joined hands.
“I’ll go, if you will go with me, as my friend,” she said, standing her ground.
She’d never been anywhere outside of Oregon, and here was an opportunity to fly to Florida and then travel to the Bahamas on a cruise ship. The idea scared her, but for some reason, she knew that if Sean went with her, she would enjoy herself and not spend the whole trip thinking about Nick.
*******
Sean was shocked. He couldn’t go with Becca on Nick’s honeymoon cruise. But he didn’t want her to miss out on the opportunity herself.
The fact that Nick would have wanted her to go ate at him. He sat in silence as he finished his sticky bun. Becca had rushed to help another customer, leaving him alone at the table, deep in his thoughts.
“You should go.” He looked up and saw Sara standing next to him. “It’s a small room and I’m very good at eavesdropping.”
“What about you?” he asked as she poured him more coffee.
She looked around and when she noticed her sister was engrossed in helping someone, dipped her head down. “I can’t. Don’t tell anyone yet, but we’re expecting. I couldn’t even handle a cruise on a normal day, let alone now.” She chuckled lightly.
“Congratulations,” he said quickly, but she hushed him and glanced around again.
“Thanks.” She smiled. “You should go. I think Nick would have loved to have his two best friends enjoy themselves.”
He frowned down into his coffee mug. “I think it would be weird.”
Sara laughed. “Life is weird. Things are thrown at us and sometimes we have to go with the flow. Go with the flow on this. Tell Becca you’ll go. Have a wonderful time and watch over my sister for me.”
He looked up into Sara’s eyes and when he saw honest concern, he nodded.
“Good. Now, do you want another sticky bun? This one’s on me.” She smiled.
He left the bakery after putting away both sticky buns and enough coffee that he felt like he sloshed back to his car. He hadn’t told Becca yet that he’d agreed to go along.
When he walked into his parents’ house, his folks were sitting around the table eating breakfast.
Since his father’s accident, his mother had him on a strict diet. The veggie omelets looked and smelled wonderful. If he hadn’t just shoved in a bunch of sugar and starch, he would have enjoyed sitting down with them. Instead, he headed upstairs to shower.
By the time he was clean and dressed, he’d pretty much talked himself out of going on the cruise with Becca. When he walked downstairs, his mother stopped him from leaving.
“What’s this about you going on a cruise with Becca Lander?”
He almost missed the last step of the stairs and landed on his face.
“Who told you that?”
His mother crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, I would have hoped to hear the news from my son, but Sara called me and convinced me to convince you not to back out.”
He frowned down at his mother.
“You should go,” she said. “Seriously, go.”
“Wouldn’t it be weird?”
“No. You two have been friends almost as long as you and Nick were. Besides, she could use the company, and taking a trip for pleasure would do you some good, help you clear your head. Maybe then you can decide on something for your future. Now, since Sara also mentioned that you’d had two of her sticky buns”—his mother’s smile grew—“you can go outside with your father and help chop up some wood. Winter comes quick around here and that wood pile doesn’t get magically stacked.”
He groaned, wishing he’d thought about catching a few more hours of sleep before he’d come down stairs. But he headed outside because he didn’t want his father working in the sun all by himself.
By the time he left his parents’ place, freshly showered again, he was questioning himself all over again. Chopping wood had done little to help him make a decision. He’d tried to focus all his attention on deciding his future. He didn’t like it that people were discussing his future behind his back. He knew Pride was small and the great people in town loved to talk about other people’s lives.
As he drove back towards Becca’s, he started thinking about her again. Maybe he should go with her. He’d never been on a boat for relaxation before, and sandy beaches and warm water were sounding pretty good. By the time he parked outside of her place, he’d made up his mind.
Chapter Five
There were days that Becca wished she didn’t have to climb the stairs back up to her apartment after work. She sighed as her hand rested on the railing and she looked up the long flight.
“That rough of a day, huh?” She jumped at Sean’s voice behind her, then smiled as she leaned back on the railing and nodded to him. He shook his head. “After getting home, I had to chop two whole cords of wood for my dad.” He sighed and rubbed his shoulder with his other hand. “My arms haven’t hurt this bad since boot camp.”
She smiled at him. “When you’ve been on your feet since four thirty in the morning, you’d do anything to stay off them for the rest of the night.”
He nodded and then surprised her as he swung her up in his arms and started up the stairs. “What are you doing?” She gasped and looked around quickly. It was too late; they’d been seen by at least two people in town. Closing her eyes, she groaned.
“Just helping you out.” He chuckled.
“I thought you said your arms hurt,” she said, keeping her eyes closed.
“They do, but you’re as light as a feather.” He stopped at the top of the stairs and set her down. “See, wasn’t that better than climbing them yourself?”
She nodded her head and pushed open her do
or. “Well, come on in.” She waved to the women who had stopped in the grocery store parking lot to watch the show. “Great, now that’s going to be all over town by dinnertime.”
He chuckled. “Speaking of which, my mother heard it from your sister that I was going on the cruise with you.” He walked over and sat on the sofa.
“What?” She shut her door and leaned against it. “I didn’t think you’d decided yet.”
He turned and looked at her. “Didn’t your sister tell you?”
She shook her head, and he moaned as he shut his eyes. “Leave it to women to spread the word to everyone except the one person that matters most.”
Her heart skipped. “Are you going?”
He looked at her again and nodded. “If you still want me to.”
She nodded and felt her palms getting sweaty. She wiped them on her jeans after she hung her jacket up.
“Would you like to stay for dinner? I’ve got…”
He chuckled, stopping her. “I know what you have. What about heading to the Golden Oar. I haven’t been back there since I’ve been home, and I’m dying to see what new things Iian has on the menu.”
“Sounds good. Let me just change.” She looked down at her flour-splattered shirt and work pants.
“Sure, take your time. I’m just starving here.” He chuckled.
“If I remember correctly, you’re always hungry.” She smiled as he nodded, and then she walked out of the room to change.
They walked into the Golden Oar less than an hour later. It was still a little early for the dinner rush, but the place was already filling up. It was the first nice evening after three days of rain, and most people in town were looking to get out on the town.
They were shown to a table near the wall of windows that overlooked the water.
“I’ve always loved this place,” Sean said, sitting back in his chair. “The food, the atmosphere, the art.” He nodded up to the half-naked mermaid.
Becca laughed just as the waitress walked up to take their orders.
When they were alone again, she tilted her head and looked at him. “You’re pretty good at cooking. Have you ever thought about opening your own place?”