Love In Logan Beach. Shirley Hailstock
day. We all need them now and then.”
There was no one except the two of them, but Rose didn’t point that out. She nodded and moved to stand, but he was directly in her path. David got up and his hand went under arm, helping her to her feet. Rose felt steadier than she had before he appeared in her office, but she didn’t protest his touch. It was warm and she wanted to put her hand over his and turn to face him. Stifling the urge, she stood and pulled away, using the need to gather her purse and briefcase as a reason to remove the contact between their two bodies.
* * *
Logan Beach wasn’t a large place, even though its population swelled in the summer to thousands.
“Is it all right if I ask you a question?” Rose asked when they were driving in his car.
“Sure.”
“You’re a trained lawyer. How did you come to manage the Logan Beach store? Wasn’t the New York legal scene more your style?”
David negotiated around a tractor trailer and made a left turn before speaking. “About a year ago, my parents called a family meeting. There are five of us. My two brothers and twin cousins. The twins were raised by my parents and are more like brothers than cousins. Our parents announced their retirement.”
“Ah,” Rose commented.
“It wasn’t going to happen that fast. My mother is a visionary. She started out as a stay-at-home mom, but wanted more to life than rearing children. She loved to cook. So she started selling cakes from her kitchen in DC.”
“DC? I thought you were from New York.”
“No,” David said. He stopped at a light and glanced at Rose. She didn’t look as tired as when he’d found her asleep at her desk. “We moved to New York after she started baking. My father was transferred there and she had a few clients in Washington who recommended her to stores in New York. That was the beginning. Eventually the business grew so that she had to move production out of our house and into a small store, where she added ice cream and cold drinks to her menu.”
David remembered those days. He loved the ice cream.
“Soon it was evident she needed help. We all helped out after school and in the summer, but we were probably eating more than we sold.”
Rose laughed at that.
“My father quit his job when the store was making more profits than he made as a retail salesman. And he was tired of always traveling, especially after his brother died suddenly and my twin cousins came to live with us.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
David felt the depth of emotion in her words. She must have lost loved ones, too.
“That must have been hard on you as a family.”
“It was, but I think because we had one another—we got through the grief faster than those who have no one.” Before he realized what he’d said, the words were out. He wasn’t sure if Rose had anyone, but he didn’t get the impression that she did, at least no one close. And so many people were going through the same trauma as she was.
“Go on,” Rose prompted. “How did you get from a baked-goods store to a department chain?”
“My uncle left a small retail business that my father took over. People in the retail store would ask about ordering from the bakery and my father would take their orders and pass them on. It was my mother who came up with the idea of putting a bakery in the retail store, giving people a one-stop-shopping experience.”
“Good idea,” Rose said. “That’s a staple of the House of Thorn.”
“Every Thorn store has a bakery. The idea proved to be a perfect arrangement. After a while the bakeries were doing equal business with the retail store. My parents decided to open more stores, one at a time until, in addition to the original bakery, they had five stores in as many states and my father was back on the road, managing them.”
“So did you decide to help out by managing the new Logan Beach store?”
He shook his head. “That’s where the family meeting came into play.”
Rose leaned her head back on the seat, her neck rolling until she faced him. He felt a small twinge of awareness under her scrutiny.
“When the twins went to college, my parents announced they planned to retire after the twins graduated. They would stay in business until then. After that they planned to go on an around-the-world cruise and the empire would pass to the next generation.”
“So obviously the twins graduated.”
“Two years ago.”
He looked at her. Her eyes were closed, but they opened, looking directly into his. David turned back to concentrate on the traffic.
“When they asked which stores we wanted to manage, I chose this one.”
“Why?”
“I love Logan Beach. All my memories here are fond ones. I expect to make more in the future.”
The drive from the store to Rose’s apartment was only twenty minutes. Their conversation hit a lull and when David glanced at her again, she’d fallen asleep. He smiled at her and pulled her head against his shoulder.
David drove slowly, not wanting to wake her. He also wanted to prolong the drive. He couldn’t believe what she’d done with the plans for the store. The design was better than good. Smiling to himself, he thought of their argument over the placement of display cases, and the best method of directing the flow of customers, yet she’d incorporated it into her design. It wasn’t a battle or a war that he’d won, but he felt it was a crack in the glass case she’d protected herself with.
Pulling up in front of her apartment, David cut the engine and looked sideways. Rose didn’t move. He leaned over and released her seat belt. She fell against him.
Her breath was warm on his neck and he didn’t immediately move back or push her head away. He turned his face slightly, taking a more comfortable position, one that was a prelude to his mouth seeking hers.
David stopped himself. He knew if he moved another inch he’d kiss her, and while the thought was foremost in his mind, the timing was wrong.
“Rose,” he whispered.
She stirred, yet remained asleep.
“Rose,” he said again, this time his voice a little stronger.
Her eyes opened and she looked up. It only took a moment for her to realize where she was. Quickly, she pushed back and shifted in her seat.
David knew she would react that way, yet he’d hoped she wouldn’t.
“Excuse me, I must have dozed off. I guess I’m more tired than I thought.” She glanced out the window. “We’re here.”
“I’ll see you in.”
“There’s no need of that,” Rose insisted.
“You were asleep in seconds. I want to make sure you get to your apartment safely.” He didn’t wait for her to agree or disagree. He was out of the car and coming around to her side. The truth was, he wanted to make sure she got safely inside.
The hallway was still dim, but his eyes adjusted quickly. He followed her up the steps and stopped at her door.
“I’ll be in tomorrow,” she said.
David nodded. He knew there was no reason to argue. And he didn’t want to.
“I won’t be in until noon,” he told her.
“Oh.” She frowned. “I don’t remember anything on the schedule.”
“It’s not there,” David said. “I’ll be at Legal Aid to see how I can help out. I promise I’ll get back in time to take care of whatever is on my