Chapter Ten

D espite the many fast-food restaurants or other small-town cafes crammed into the rural side of Cape Fremont, Olivia and Brock had decided that Breakers was going to be their go-to place as much as possible. Tonight especially, as they hoped to catch Susanna to talk to her. Starting tomorrow, they decided to try somewhere else to avoid looking obvious about continually returning, but if Mila was suspicious of their constant presence at the small restaurant, she didn’t show it. She made a point to seat them in her area which happened to be the bar counter again. She didn’t have her usual casual pace, though, and it was no wonder. There were people crammed at every table, even combining some tables for bigger parties. The noise of chatter was loud enough that Olivia had to yell over it to talk to Brock. Josh was back, playing pool with some other friends in the pool room, but so far, no Susanna. But being at the bar gave them a chance to observe everyone else, not that there was anything more than what they had already discovered. Mae, Josh, the kid he was playing with, and everyone were occupied with another round of pool and acting annoyingly normal. Nothing to see here.

Mila dropped the menus in front of Olivia and Brock with the drinks they had previously ordered. “I’m really sorry about that wait!” She dug two straws out of her apron pocket.

“Considering how busy you guys are, it wasn’t that bad of a wait.” Brock slid his drink closer to her.

She hinted at a smile, but the dark circles under her eyes indicated she was ready to go home hours ago.

“They’re working you pretty hard tonight,” Brock said, probably noticing the same thing.

“Oh, yeah. Saturdays are always crazy.” Mila gave a playful roll of her eyes. “Tourists, kids, no school or work the next day. And of course, I always get stuck closing on Saturdays!”

Always get stuck closing on Saturdays . Not exactly the smartest thing to confide in two total strangers. For all Mila knew they could be intending to do her harm. Or one of these days, she could confide said information to a serial killer and never work another shift again.

Olivia’s opinion must have shown on her face because Mila looked over and laughed a bit. “Oh, don’t worry. My boyfriend’s here.” The stars returned to her eyes and she nodded her head down the bar where the same blond guy sat. Olivia had noticed him sitting there on their first night here, watching the teens play pool. He was nursing a milkshake today, his back to everyone as he faced the bar. He looked over at Mila and an attractive smile just for her crossed his face. The world fell away for Mila in those few seconds as he nodded to her, half-winking his eyes in acknowledgment before facing forward again. He was very attractive, someone Olivia might have awarded a second glance at one point in her life, but of course, his attractiveness could never rival Brock’s in her eyes.

Mila didn’t look away, but rather gazed at him adoringly, despite the fact that he wasn’t looking at her. “He always hangs around with me when I close. He makes sure I get to my car safely, no matter how late it is. He looks out for me like a true gentleman. Who says chivalry is dead?” She giggled a bit, grabbed the rag and wiped down the counter as she spoke. “He’s one of the good ones, you know?”

“I see.” Olivia smiled, loving it when someone finally found their person. By the look in Mila’s eyes and the way she described her boyfriend, they seemed to be a one-of-a-kind couple. He had better treat her right.

Mila left to attend to another table somewhere in the back. Olivia turned to lean into Brock and let her smile ignite her eyes. She murmured warmly to him while a deeper love than Mila could brag brimmed in her eyes. “He’s one of the good ones,” she repeated, getting Brock’s attention. “But not as good as you.”

“Oh, enough of the mushy stuff.” Brock huffed a laugh and playfully rolled his eyes.

“No, no, it’s not mushy,” Olivia insisted, then paused. “Okay, maybe a little bit, but it’s true!” She loved this, the banter between them but in that moment, she wasn’t feeling playful for once. She was only feeling happy. She let her gaze wander over the familiarity of his face, his eyes, his expression so exclusive to him. “I can’t believe we’re here.” Her thoughts came out. “After everything we’ve been through.”

Here. Not just at Breakers but with each other. Brock gave her a quieter smile and reached for her hand. Beneath the counter, his fingers intertwined with hers, palm pressing to palm and he leaned in. She felt his warm breath in her ear as he whispered, low under the din of the restaurant. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be. ”

Nor could she. They’d been through hell and back more times than she could count. Way back when Olivia’s confidence in herself had dwindled into basically nothing, he had helped her find it again. Find life, find pleasure in life. Find love. They had healed through so much, the loss of friends, family, even. Veronica. Caro. Yara, even Brock’s grandfather in a way. The trials they had faced had only served to bring them together and in moments like this when their lives weren’t endangered, when grief wasn’t knocking at the door of one of their hearts, they were special. Just the two of them. Her heart overwhelmed her with love and she brushed a kiss against his cheek before turning away, lest Mila tell them they were being too romantic and throw them both out. She let the moment die, sweeping the room again for Susanna, but didn’t see her.

“You know,” the tease to Brock’s voice was back and brought her attention back to him. “We’ve been doing mostly work since we got here.”

“That’s kind of what we are getting paid to do.” Olivia joked.

“I know, but we’re here, by the ocean. On our ‘honeymoon’.” He squeezed her hand, again. “You and me, romantic setting.” Brock nodded to the door. “What do you say we take in a nice moonlight walk by the beach before we turn in for the night?”

Wasn’t that what every girl dreamed of? Well, this girl sure did. She could barely keep the eagerness out of her voice. “I’d love that.”