Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“We’re walking,” he told her as they took the steps down to the walkway. “It’s not far.”
“Okay. Probably best, since your truck isn’t here, unless you planned to drive my SUV.”
Hayden laughed. “I haven’t seen you drive that since you got here.”
“I do on Sundays, when I go grocery shopping, but other than that, what’s the point? Everything is within walking distance.”
“That’s the nice thing about living in a small town.”
“Oyster Bay isn’t just small, it’s like minute,” she said as they crossed the street and headed toward the docks. “I think we give new meaning to the term ‘small-town coastal living.’”
“I like it,” Hayden said. “I’m glad I came back.”
Devy paused and looked at him. “You know what, me too. On both accounts.”
He ducked his head and smiled, appreciating that she was happy he was back as well. Her return to Chicago still lingered, though. “Really? Not thinking about heading back to Chicago?”
She shook her head. “I told Theo this morning to send the papers to Chad. I’m tired of him controlling my narrative.”
“That’s my girl,” he said as he stepped toward her. Now would be the right time to kiss her and tell her how he felt, but people walking toward them had him stepping back.
They continued on toward their destination, and when the ship came into view, Devy gasped. A long vessel rested against the dock, tethered to the cleats, with white lights strung from the mast toward the land. Soft music played while people lingered on board. Some even danced.
“What is this?”
“This,” Hayden said as he held his hand out for her to take, “is a floating bar. I saw a post about it last week and how it was going to be here and made a reservation.”
“But you only asked me tonight.”
“Because then you’d have less time to cancel on me.”
Hayden gave the hostess his name, and they were led to a high-top table for two, facing the harbor. He held the chair for Devorah and offered his arm for support.
“I’m in awe,” she said as she looked around. “This is such a neat idea, and the ambiance is very romantic.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He picked up the menu.
“Do you like sangria?” she asked him.
“I’ve never really had it, but I like a good red every now and again. Shall we order some? Says here we can get a pitcher.”
“I’d love some. It would pair well with everything on the menu.”
Hayden took her for her word. He’d only had red wine one other time, but he wasn’t going to tell Devorah that, because he wanted her to be happy. If that meant he had to drink something he’d never had before and had no idea what it was, so be it.
They put their napkins on their laps, and both smiled when the waiter came to their table. Hayden ordered the pitcher of red sangria, along with their dinner order. Hayden went with a capicola and spicy honey pizza with mozzarella and pomodoro sauce, while Devorah chose roasted vegetable tacos with guajillo salsa, pickled jalapeños, and cotija cheese.
“Can we also order the chips and salsa, as well as two orders of the street corn?” she asked as she handed the menu to the waiter.
Hayden leaned closer to Devorah. “We just ordered a ton of food.”
“I know. We can always take some home,” she said. “Leftovers for breakfast.”
He scrunched his nose. He loved pizza the next morning but wasn’t sure about the one he’d ordered. Not to mention, he’d looked online for photos of the food but could not find any. He hoped the portions weren’t tiny, and they’d end up starving later.
Their pitcher of sangria came. Hayden poured a glass for Devy and then one for himself. He held his glass up and said, “To a beautiful evening with an even more beautiful person. Cheers.”
Devorah’s cheeks flushed. “Cheers.”
Hayden took a sip and then another one. He had to admit: the sangria was tasty. “I’m a fan,” he said.
“I’m going to have to look up how to make it,” she told him. “Colt needs better drinks at the bar.”
“What does he have?”
“Beer and liquor. None of those low-calorie drinks, or hard seltzers. I told him I need to start ordering for the bar.”
“How’d he take the suggestion?”
Devy shrugged slightly. “Doesn’t seem to bother him. He joked that I’m slowly turning into the manager anyway, which was never my intention.”
“I’m sure he appreciates having you there, knowing he has someone he can trust to help run things.”
“I like it there. I never thought I would, but it’s fun, and I’ve been able to reconnect with a lot of people.”
Hayden took another sip, enjoying the fruitiness. “How’s parade planning coming?”
“Really well, actually. I’m very thankful to Laila for asking me to join. It gives me a purpose, and I really do love planning. One of the big things is finding people to help every year. No one volunteers, and when the festival is on the verge of being canceled, a few people step up.”