Seaside Kisses: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 4) (12 page)

Amara had brought up the idea of donating some candy to Rafael's event to Alex, and he liked the idea of helping out his old buddy. Even if he wouldn't have been supportive of the plan, Amara was ready to donate some of the candies she used for her website. It would be easy enough to just order more supplies. Overnight shipping was her favorite thing about the business.

Amara pulled her coat tighter, trying to warm herself. She glanced over at Rafael's shop. It appeared to be open. She could see light coming from inside.

She walked over, not giving herself the chance to let her nerves talk her out of it. She would just walk in and make her offer. It was what neighbors did, and the proximity of their two shops made them just that. Not to mention the fact that Rafael kept saying how neighborly she was.

Opening the door, a bell dinged over her head. Rafael looked her way from behind the counter. His eyes widened and his mouth curved upward.

Amara relaxed. "I hope I'm not bugging you."

"No, not at all. Come in. How are you?"

She shivered. "Freezing. I can't believe how chilly it is out there. I'd almost believe it could snow before Halloween. That's actually what brings me in here."

"The weather?" Rafael looked confused.

"No." She laughed. "Halloween. Well, candy, actually. I saw your sign for the grand opening, and I wanted to donate some. Everyone loves sweets. You can give them to customers, or whatever you want."

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

Amara nodded, suddenly feeling shy.

"That would be great. We're doing door prizes, including a grand prize package."

"Oh, fun. Well, whatever you need, just ask." She walked over toward the counter and leaned against it. "Do you have anything in mind? We have all kinds of festive candies. Or if you don't want the holiday theme, I can help you come up with something more… sophisticated."

He moved his laptop aside and leaned against the counter. Their faces were only inches part. "Actually, I was going to ask you to help with something else."

"You were?" Her pulse pounded in her ears, and she hoped he couldn't hear it.

"I was thinking of a fashion show, and I thought,"—he cleared his throat—"I mean, would you like to model some of the women's clothing?"

Amara's mouth dropped open. She never would have seen that coming.

"If you don't want to," Rafael said quickly, "don't feel pressured. I just thought they would look nice on you." His face reddened, and he took a deep breath. "Sorry. Usually, I'm much more professional when I ask for things with my business. I don't know what's wrong with me today."

She felt her own face warm. "I'm honored. I don't know what to say."

"Yes?" he asked, looking hopeful.

How could she say no to that? "Of course," she said. "What does it entail?"

"I'll pick out some of my newest designs, and you'll show them off. We'll have the store set up differently for the day, and I think there will either be a path or carpeting to use for the runway."

"So, is anyone showing off the men's clothing?"
Please say you
, she begged silently.

"My brother seems to think I should. I've never modeled my own clothes, though. Do you think that would be obnoxious?"

Amara's heart nearly pounded out of her chest. "Not at all. I think it would be fun to share the walkway with you."

He looked pleased. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You should listen to your brother, he has good ideas. Is there anything else you need? I'll bring some prize packages. What time should I plan on being here?"

"If you could bring the packages here in the next day or two, that would help a lot. Or at least let me know how many you'll bring. Do you want to put anything into the grand prize?" he asked.

"Sure. I can find something especially cool."

Rafael smiled. "Perfect. I'll let you know what time to arrive on the day of."

"Sounds great. Well, I'm headed for lunch, so I'll see you later."

"Mind if I join you?" he asked.

Mind
? She nearly laughed. "Of course not. I was just going to grab a quick bite."

"Perfect," he said. "And it's my treat."

"You don't have to."

"After last weekend, I do, actually." He grinned.

Amara would have melted into a puddle if it was physically possible. Instead, she smiled. "Do you have anything in mind?"

He looked into her eyes. "Are you in a rush?"

She glanced at the clock behind him. "No. I just don't want to leave Alex to fend for himself when the after-school rush hits. The kids have serious sugar cravings lately."

"It's the time of the year. I remember stashing candy all over the place." He stepped away from the counter and grabbed a black leather coat.

Amara couldn't help giggling. "I remember you sneaking bites during class."

He raised an eyebrow, slipping his arm into the jacket. "You do?"

"We used to sit next to each other in a lot of classes because of our last names," she said.

"I know. I didn't think you even noticed I was there."

They stared into each other's eyes.

Amara's breath caught. "I noticed everything you did," she whispered.

"Really? You never looked at me. Not once that I can remember."

She bit her lower lip. "I was shy, and you were Mister Popularity."

He gave her a curious expression. "Too shy to say hi?"

Amara shrugged, feeling a bit like she used to back then. She nodded.

Rafael frowned. "I should have said hi first. It's just that I had the feeling you didn't like me."

"What?" Amara exclaimed. She took a deep breath. "Truth be told, I adored you. But I was terrified of what I would do if you ever would have called me Four-Eyed Fowler."

He looked ashamed. "I can't say I never did, Amara, but I swear if I knew how nice you were, I never would have. I'm sorry you never felt you could talk to me."

She shrugged. "Like you said, I was shy. You hung out with kids who tortured me."

"Torture?" His eyes widened.

"Can we talk about something else?" she asked, squirming.

He held the door open, and a gust of icy wind blew in. "I'm going to wear a scarf," he said. "Do you want one?"

"Oh, I—"

"It's on the house. Consider it an apology for anything I did as a stupid teenager." He grabbed her hand, and led her to a different part of the store.

Butterflies danced in her stomach. She loved the feel of his hand on hers.

"Pick a scarf. Any of them."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Rafael picked one up a pretty multi-colored one. "This is my top-of-the-line one. I think it'll look gorgeous on you." He held it up to her face. "It does."

Amara's face burned. "I couldn't."

"I insist." He pushed her hair back and slid the scarf around her neck, brushing his hands against her cheek and neck. Amara held her breath. He adjusted the scarf and stepped back. "Beautiful."

She wasn't sure if he meant her or the scarf. She couldn't find the words to thank him for the compliment, so she changed the subject. "I'll accept the gift if you let me pick one out for you."

"Deal." He nodded.

Amara found a black one that matched his coat and wrapped it around his neck. Her hands shook the entire time. She hoped he didn't notice. She felt an odd mixture of her current confidence blending with her old insecurity.

Rafael gazed into her eyes, and they held the contact. Amara wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything that didn't sound lame. She knew her silence wasn't helping her show him that she was no longer the shy nerd, but it was better than saying something stupid since her mouth always ran ahead of her brain.

He reached for her, and for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. He readjusted the scarf, pulling some hair out from it.

"Perfect," he whispered.

She continued staring into his eyes, her heart pounding like a wild stallion. If she knew how he felt about her—if she knew she was picking up the right vibe—Amara would have kissed him herself instead of waiting for him. But with him awake, she wasn't nearly so bold.

Rafael stepped back. "Are you ready for lunch?"

Amara released a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. She nodded, but she wasn't nearly as hungry as she'd been before entering his shop.

He went back over to the door and held it open for her again. The icy wind blew into the shop, blowing some papers over. Amara sprinted over and picked them up, stacking them away from the breeze.

"Thank you," he said, and then locked the door behind them once they were outside.

Another gust blew before she could reply. She shivered, and then he put his arm around her. Amara warmed instantly, both from his body heat and from the joy of him wrapping himself around her.

"Does that help?" he asked, his deep voice gentle and near her ear.

"More than you know." She swallowed.

"Would you like to take my car?" he asked.

And have him remove his arm? "We can walk. I'm happy like this."

"Me, too." He held her a little tighter.

They made their way to one of the closest restaurants, which was busier than normal for this time of year.

"Everyone must have had the same idea," Rafael said. "Nothing beats Miss Marjorie's soup on a wintry day." He removed his arm from her shoulder and ran his fingers through his windblown hair.

Amara went over to a mirror by the waiting area and looked at her hair, knowing it had to be a mess. She was right. Digging around her purse, she found a small brush and fixed it as best she could. It wasn't perfect, but it would do.

She turned around to see Rafael talking with Marjorie, the owner of the restaurant.

Rafael waved her over. "Marjorie is going to give us the best seat in the house."

Amara glanced around the busy waiting area. "But all these people were here first."

Marjorie smiled, showing deep lines around her eyes. "When one of our own returns to town, they get special treatment. Come on." She led them to a booth near a fireplace that had a roaring blaze.

"This is perfect," Amara said. "Thank you."

"My pleasure. I'll have one of my kids bring out the soup of the day for you two."

Rafael waited for Amara to sit, and then he sat across from her, smiling. They discussed his grand opening until the soups arrived. Amara looked back and forth between the fire and Rafael as she ate. She both warmed and relaxed, almost forgetting the crisp air outside.

Just as she finished the chowder, a man with a bouncing toddler walked by their table and stopped.

"Rafael?" he asked.

Amara studied him. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't place him. He had thinning hair and dark circles under his eyes.

"Jackson?" Rafael asked.

Then Amara realized where she'd known him from. He'd been in their class—one of the main kids who had picked on her. In fact, Amara was pretty certain he'd been the one who'd coined her nickname. He'd stuck a wad of gum in her hair in math class freshman year and she'd had to cut it out and get an ugly hairstyle which only made her more of a loser.

It was hard to believe he was the same age as them. He looked a good ten years older.

"Yeah," Jackson said, picking up the little boy who pulled on his arm. "Are you back in town, too?"

"Just came back near the end of the summer. How long have you been back?" Rafael asked.

"Earlier this month. My parents have been whining about never seeing the grandkids, so I finally talked the old lady into moving here."

"Old lady?" Rafael asked.

"My wife," Jackson said, giving Rafael a look that clearly said
duh
.

"Nice," Amara muttered under her breath. Felt like junior high all over again.

Jackson glanced her way. "Who's this?"

"Amara Fowler," Rafael said.

Jackson's eyes widened. "Four—"

"Just Amara," Rafael interrupted.

"Wow. Time has been good to you. Both of you." He gave Amara a once-over. "Contacts?"

"Yes," she said. "You know, they have things you can take for hair replacement."

Rafael snorted and then covered his mouth.

The toddler squirmed out of Jackson's hold and ran for the fireplace.

"Gotta go," Jackson said, and ran after the boy just before he reached for the fire.

"It's too bad they don't have surgery for personality," Rafael said, shaking his head.

Amara smiled. "Time hasn't been so kind to him."

"Karma in action."

Thirteen

Rafael watched Jackson from the corner of his eye as he ate the next bowl of soup. Had he been like that in school? No wonder Amara had never talked to him back then. His old friend had been completely rude to her. Rafael brought his attention back to his table and looked at Amara until they made eye contact.