A Haven on the Bay - Nicole Ellis Page 0,48
date. Sam didn’t have any illusions that Taylor would turn out to be the love of her life, but going out with him would get her family off her back. They seemed convinced that she was falling into depression and being out in public would reassure them she was fine. Besides, she deserved some fun, right?
The voice in the back of her head pushed its way through to the forefront of her thoughts: Do I deserve it? She’d broken Brant’s heart. Did she really deserve to find happiness with someone else?
She hadn’t meant to hurt him. He was her best friend, and she’d thought he was the love of her life. But after they were engaged and she couldn’t muster up excitement over their wedding, she’d known something was wrong. The feelings she had for him were more brotherly than romantic. They’d broken up about a month ago and she still thought about him every day, although they hadn’t talked since the breakup. Falling in love with your best friend was wonderful while it lasted, but devastating when it ended.
Getting back into the dating world wasn’t a bad idea, but a blind date with her sister’s ex-boss wouldn’t have been her first choice. How often did that type of thing really work out? Besides, she’d seen Taylor a few times when Meg still worked at the Willa Bay Lodge, so it wasn’t exactly a blind date. He was reasonably attractive and, per Meg, “a really great guy”.
She looked down at the living room carpet, almost surprised that her repetitive pacing hadn’t worn a path from the kitchen to the sliding glass door that led to the deck. A sound interrupted her thoughts and confused her for a second, until she realized what it was—the doorbell. She spun around and hurried to the front door. A quick glance out of the peephole confirmed that Taylor had arrived.
She opened the door and stepped back to give him the option to step inside or wait in the interior hallway of her apartment building. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He stuck out his hand. “I’ve seen you around, but I don’t think we’ve ever formally met. I’m Taylor.”
She laughed and accepted his handshake. “Well, I’m Samantha, but you can call me Sam. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.” He smiled widely at her, then chuckled nervously. “This feels a little awkward.” He shifted his weight from one polished leather oxford to the other. He was taller than she’d remembered, with black spiky hair that came close to hitting the top of the door frame.
“Yeah. I know what you mean.” Looking up at him, she was reminded of when she was a preteen and had pined over the boys in her older sisters’ circles of friends. “Uh, I’ll go get my purse and jacket, and then we can go.”
“Sure.” He leaned against the doorframe, making no move to enter her apartment.
She returned less than a minute later, wearing a pair of high heels that matched the red flowers on her sleeveless sundress. After she locked the door, they went out to the parking lot. The temperature earlier in the day had been the hottest all week, and the pavement still retained some of the heat, making the evening seem warmer than it actually was.
“I made a reservation at a new restaurant in Paddle Creek,” he said. “Their chef has been getting a lot of good press and I’d like to check out his food. Does that work for you?”
She nodded. “I’m not too picky.” Paddle Creek was about thirty minutes north of Willa Bay. Like her hometown, it was located on the Salish Sea, but Sam hadn’t been there since she was a kid.
He turned on the radio to an easy listening station as soon as they got in the car, but didn’t make much of an effort to chat with her. After she’d made a few attempts at small talk that were met with single-word responses, she focused on the passing scenery. The tulips the area was known for wouldn’t be in bloom again until next spring, but there were plenty of scenic farms to admire along the way.
They arrived at the restaurant, located in a large, old house a few blocks from the water and pulled into one of the last spaces in the parking lot next door. As they walked along the path to the front door, Sam peered at the building.
“This house must have belonged to one of the original settlers in Paddle