Page 3 of Searching for Love

She knew most guys didn’t get into that sort of thing, and apparently, that was true for him too.

“Thanks,” her brother said, shoving it at her and then holding up the towel for her so she could put the top back on. “No more going in the water,” Wyatt said firmly once she was done, then he smiled, took Hannah’s hand, and strolled back towards their towels.

Hannah smiled at her and gave her a little thumbs-up when Lucas remained near her.

“I’m sorry about the show,” Avery blurted out.

Lucas’s smile was quick.

“You could have charged every guy on the beach for it.” He nodded. “I think some of the moms were upset though.” He motioned to a group of women who were staring at her with daggers in their eyes as their husbands all tried to avoid looking in her direction. Heat flooded her face and made her wish she could just disappear. “I’ve been hoping to run into you again,” Lucas added.

“You have?” She suddenly felt breathless as she continued to hold the towel her brother had given her around her shoulders.

Lucas nodded. “Care for a walk?” He motioned with his head towards the beach.

“Sure,” she said and fell in step with him. After a few steps, she felt stupid about hiding the top half of her body when he’d just seen, well, everything, and she tossed the towel towards her things as they passed them.

“Are you still working at the coffee shop?” Lucas asked, glancing at her sideways.

“Yes.” She smiled. “And the pizza shop and the restaurant and—” His chuckle stopped her. “What about you? Are you still working at the restaurant in the mall?”

He shook his head. “Nope, just put a down payment on a building to open my very own restaurant.”

“What?” She stopped walking and turned towards him. “Seriously?”

He chuckled and then dipped his chin in a slight nod. The sound of his chuckle did things to her insides. Things that had her face heating.

“Where? In Edgeview?”

“Nope, right here in Pride.” He beamed.

“Seriously?” She felt like she was repeating herself. “What kind of restaurant?”

“Well, since I’m a quarter Mexican, I figured… Italian,” he said with a chuckle.

She laughed with him at his joke and felt her stomach growl at the thought of food. Pride had never had a Mexican restaurant before. The thought of having a new option excited her, and she knew it would be the same with many others in town. “Are you any good at running your own business?”

He stopped and motioned for them to sit in the sand. After they got comfortable, he answered.

“I have been working nonstop for the past two years at Eddie’s. I’m the one who suggested he get a food truck and start sending us out to local events to spread the word. I’ve been doing books, hiring, firing, orders, you name it.” He shrugged. “Everything but taking home the fat paycheck.”

She was smiling as he talked. There was no doubt in her mind that he loved his work. No doubt that he was good at it either. She had, after all, sampled the food he’d made during the Christmas festival.

“What building did you purchase?” she asked, feeling stupid that she hadn’t asked before.

His smile grew. “The old two-story across from the gas station.”

She frowned. “The one next to Sassy and Classy?”

He nodded. “That’s the one.”

“But I thought they were going to tear it down. Isn’t it condemned?”

“Not condemned, just… in need of some TLC.” His smile never wavered.

“And you can do that? All the repairs yourself?” She dug her toes into the sand when she realized that she’d let Georgia Stevens, one of the many kids in town that she babysat, paint her toenails the night before. Currently, each one of her toenails was a different color.

She should have noticed earlier. She should have repainted them when she’d gotten home.