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“It’s nothing fancy, but it’s much better than living over Ima’s Beauty Salon, that’s for sure.”
“Living on the beach takes some getting used to, but it does beat inhaling chemicals and listing to blow dryers and Frank Sinatra all day.”
“Just Frank Sinatra?”
“Ima’s a big fan of Ol’ Blue Eyes.” She shook her head. “Don’t worry. There’s a barber shop up on the main highway, so it’s likely you’ll never have to experience it unless you’re called on to do a fire inspection or something.”
He gave the front window of Ima’s a quick glance then grinned. “I’ll take your word for it. Now, other than Pop’s—where I’m sure you’ve dined a time or two—is there a good place for lunch in this town?”
“Lunch?” She thought a minute. “There’s the Pizza Palace, but I don’t know if it’s open for lunch. Frankly I avoid it unless I’m babysitting for the Wilson girls because the noise is deafening and the pizza isn’t exactly gourmet fare.”
He glanced up at the sky then down the street. “I have an idea. Where’s the nearest deli?”
“Inside the Beach Mart on Vine at Main,” she said. “Just around the corner. Why?”
“How about we have a quick lunch, so I can thank you for all your help? Maybe a few sandwiches on the beach?”
Leah’s first thought was that she should turn him down. After all, he was a stranger. And also the new fire chief.
She looked at Ryan’s hopeful expression, and changed her mind.
It was just lunch. Not a date. Just a thank-you. And apparently it would be deli food from the Beach Mart.
Just then, the mayor stepped out of his truck. “Great,” she said under her breath.
“Leah?” the mayor called.
Ignoring him, Leah regarded Ryan with a smile. “Sure. Why not?”
“Great,” Ryan said. “Let’s take my Jeep.”
“Wait right there,” Leah said as she held up her hand to silence him. “I need to...” She pointed to her toes then headed for the front door of Ima’s, escaping the mayor easily. “Just hang on, okay?”
Once inside, the sound of Frank singing “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” chased her across the room and into the corner devoted to Ima’s boutique items. There amid the rhinestones and sequins that covered all of the clothing and most of the accessories, Leah found the adorable sandals she’d been eyeing for the past month.
Snatching up a pair in her size, she found Ima and retrieved her debit card. A sly glance out the front window told Leah that Ryan was leaning against the Jeep, arms crossed and his attention focused down the street. Mayor Murdoch was heading for the courthouse door.
The music paused then switched to the unmistakable introduction to “Strangers in the Night.” “I thought you were waiting until these went on sale.” Ima rang up the purchase then handed back the card to Leah, her heavily mascaraed eyes sweeping the length of her. “Guess you can’t go on a date in a pair of throwaways, can you?”
Leah slipped out of the disposables and then pulled the sandals from the box. “It’s not a date,” she said as she balanced on one foot to carefully slide into the shoe. “It’s just...” She paused to repeat the process then tuck the temporary sandals into the empty box. “Ryan’s new to Vine Beach and...never mind. It’s just lunch. Not a date.”
“I don’t know, hon,” she said as she turned her attention out the window. “That handsome fella? I doubt he’s thinking it’s just lunch.”
She slid another covert glance outside. Ryan had shifted positions and now watched her through the window. When their gazes met, he grinned. Oh, my, but he was handsome.
Leah looked away, collecting her idiotic thoughts. “Don’t be silly,” she said as evenly as she could manage. “He’s taking Pop’s job as fire chief. Why would I want to invite that kind of trouble? Can you imagine what my father would say if he found out?”
“Carl didn’t take it well when he had to step down, I’ll give you that,” Ima said. “And then there were the questions about...” She shook her head. “Never mind. Strictly speaking, as someone who knew your pa since we were knee high to a grasshopper, I guarantee he’d like anyone you like.”
“Miss Ima, really it’s—”
“Not a date. Yes, I know. Still your father would be pleased. Or at least he would have if that Alzheimer’s hadn’t...” Ima waved a hand that sparkled with a hefty sample of the rings and bracelets she offered for sale. “Forget I said anything. Just go and enjoy your date. And, girl, those sandals look adorable with your outfit.”
“It is not a date.” She looked down at the denim capris and plain black T-shirt she’d thrown on this morning when her entire plan was to have a pedicure then read on the beach until it was time to head over to Pop’s for the evening crowd. “But thanks.”
Ima nodded, her expression indicating the moment the door closed she’d be on the phone telling someone what she’d just seen. And heard. Though likely she’d forget to mention that Leah had indicated several times over that this was not a date.
She emerged into the November sunshine and offered Ryan a penitent look. “Sorry you had to wait.”
He opened her door, then closed it behind her. When he’d settled behind the wheel, he offered a sideways look. “Nice shoes.”
Leah couldn’t help blushing for the second time in ten minutes.
* * *
Ryan tried not to cringe. Nice shoes?
He mustered a smile as he buckled his seat belt and started the car. “So, that grocery store? Where was it again?”
Leah nodded toward the south. “It’s on the corner of Vine and Main.”
He backed out of the parking space and headed in that direction. “So you’re okay with a picnic?”
“Definitely pro-picnics,” she said with a chuckle.
“Great.” If she’d said she preferred some kind of indoor dining, he’d be back at Pop’s again. Not where he wanted to take her on their not-a-date.
Besides, Burkett had mentioned that the spot offered a good view of the burned-out ruins of the Berry home.
The Beach Mart was easy to find, situated as it was on a corner just beyond the church and nursing home. He parked the Jeep but lagged a step behind Leah as she headed inside.
He wanted to thank Leah, absolutely. But he also had become more than a little curious about the fire at Leah’s family home. After all, he was the new fire chief.
Of course, there was another reason for this picnic—a tiny spark of hope that threatened to flare into something really nice. Maybe even a friendship. Nothing more, of course. Just friends.
Because this was just lunch.
A get-to-know-each-other lunch.
A thank-you lunch.
Get a grip, he told himself.
“So,” Leah said, “where are we going for this picnic?”
“Mr. Burkett told me about a place he takes his grandkids fishing. It’s over by the lighthouse. I thought it might be nice to go take a look,” he said as they headed back to the Jeep with their food.
“I know just the place you’re talking about. Pop used to take me there. It’s perfect.”
A few minutes later, Ryan stopped the Jeep in front of the old lighthouse. According to Mr. Burkett, the place had been standing longer than any building in Vine