Rose (Beach Brides Book 9) Page 6

  “Do you want coffee?” she asked, taking a step toward the coffee maker.

  “Nah. Juice is fine,” he said. “Should I take the pitcher outside?”

  “Yes, please.”

  While he carried it onto the porch, she removed the ham from the oven and checked on the French toast.

  Tanner returned and, without being asked, carried the platter with the ham and a bowl of fresh raspberries she’d set on the counter outside.

  “Thank you for helping me,” she said when he walked back into the kitchen.

  “If I don’t help the cook, I won’t get to eat. At least that’s the rule at my mom’s house.”

  She laughed. “Smart woman.”

  Tanner chuckled and watched as she lifted the pan of French toast from the oven.

  ‘That smells amazing.” He leaned close, inhaling the fragrant steam coming from the pan.

  “My grandmother used to make this sometimes. It’s usually tasty.” Rose motioned with her elbow toward the bowl of whipped cream. “If you grab that, I think we’re ready to eat.”

  Tanner followed her to the door and held it open as she carried the casserole outside and set it on a hot pad on the table. With a bow and flourish of his hand, he seated her then took the chair across from her.

  “So what are we eating this morning?” he asked as Rose placed a serving of the casserole on his plate.

  “This is overnight French toast. I like it with whipped cream and berries on top. If you’d rather eat it with syrup, please just say so.”

  Tanner shook his head. “No, it looks great.”

  Rose passed him the platter with the ham then helped herself to a small piece. As they ate, Tanner asked her questions about her shop and businesses in the area.

  “Thank you for emailing me your employer’s information. I’m sure you are exactly who and what you claim to be, but…” Rose didn’t know how to politely say she wanted to verify he wasn’t a lying scumbag up to nefarious schemes.

  He cocked an eyebrow at her and grinned. “You need to be certain you haven’t just fed an incredible breakfast to some slimy degenerate up to no good.”

  She released a sigh. “Exactly.”

  “I hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.” He took another bite of the French toast and rolled his eyes. “This is seriously good stuff. Do you cook like this often?”

  “No.” She wouldn’t admit that some mornings she ate toaster pastries or bowls of sweetened cereal for breakfast. She tried to balance those days with healthier options like yogurt or granola with fruit. Still, she rarely fixed a big breakfast. Not unless Zetta and Lucille joined her, which didn’t happen often. The two older women were set in their ways about how they started the day.

  “But you bake treats, right?” he asked with an interested gleam in his eyes.

  She smiled. “I do bake treats. I try to do two or three things at once, and then keep them in the freezer until I need them. That way, I only have to bake once a week. I do enjoy it, though.”

  “Was that something your grandmother taught you?” Tanner helped himself to a second serving of the French toast.

  Rose passed him the bowl of raspberries. “Grams taught me everything. How to cook, bake, clean, sew, to run a business.”

  “Well, she did a great job.” Tanner grinned at her as he took another bite.

  Rose blushed and fussed with her napkin a moment before disappearing inside the house. She returned with a stack of brochures and visitor’s guides. “Last night, you said you wanted to see some of the area while you are here. These should help.”

  Tanner wiped his mouth on a napkin and browsed through the stack of travel guides. “These are great, thank you.” He lifted those incredible blue eyes to hers and she felt her stomach flutter in response. “But I’d love to hear your suggestions of what I should see while I’m here.”

  Rose took the stack from beside him and thumbed through a thick magazine. “I know you enjoy history, so you should definitely go here. The Salt Works are close to the Prom. The Corps of Discovery ran out of salt for seasoning food and preserving meat by the time they reached our area. Good food was important to morale and the ability to preserve meat was vital to their survival. Members of the Corps decided to set up a salt work operation here in Seaside. There were Clatsop and Tillamook Indians nearby who could help them. Five men built the camp and constructed a furnace, gathered wood to burn and collected salty ocean water to boil. Five big kettles boiled non-stop, twenty-four hours a day while they collected the salt. The men left Fort Clatsop at the end of December in 1805 to set up the Salt Works and left Seaside near the end of February 1806, with almost thirty gallons of fine, white salt.”

  “Wow! I definitely want to see that.” He leaned back in his chair. “What else is on the must-see list?”

  Rose handed him a brochure. “The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse is interesting because it was built on a rock a mile out in the ocean. You can’t actually go out there, but you can see it from the beach. None of the locals would work on it, so they had to bring in a construction crew from out of the area and kept them sequestered on the island so the locals wouldn’t frighten them.” She tipped her head to the side and smiled. “They should have been frightened and in fact were after a horrible storm swept over the rock and washed most of their tools and provisions out to sea. It took around two weeks for anyone to reach them with new supplies.”

  “That’s horrible. Did they all survive?”

  She nodded. “They did, and went on to finish building the lighthouse. It’s not used anymore, but it’s still something to see.” She leafed through the brochures, pulling out another one. “You should definitely visit the Astoria Column.”

  “What’s that?” Tanner asked, taking the brochure she handed to him.

  “The Astoria Column was modeled after the Trajan Column in Rome and dedicated in the 1920s. It’s since undergone several renovations, but it features a spiral frieze and stands about six hundred feet above sea level. If you climb to the top, which is a workout going up all the winding steps, you’ll have a spectacular view of the Coast Range, the Columbia River, and the Pacific Ocean.”

  “Cool. I’ll definitely check that out.”

  “Oh, and if you go to Astoria, you have to go here.” She handed him a brochure for the Oregon Film Museum. “It’s The Goonies museum. I have to assume since your email address includes ‘geeks’ that you might be a fan of the movie.” There wasn’t a single geek-like thing about the good-looking, engaging man sitting across from her, at least not in his appearance.

  Tanner took the brochure, clearly interested in hearing more. “I am a fan of the movie. I knew it was filmed in Oregon, but didn’t realize there was a museum.”

  “The Oregon Film Museum is in the old county jail. They have a whole section on The Goonies, as well as information about movies filmed in Oregon. You might be surprised how many movies have been made in my home state.”

  Tanner gave her a cocky smile. “By the twinkle in your eye, might I assume you, Miss Prim and Proper, are a fan of The Goonies, too?”

  Rose laughed. “Guilty as charged. Why don’t you let me know what day you visit the museum? After I close the shop, we could have dinner and watch the movie, if you like.”

  “I’d love that. I think I’ll plan to go tomorrow. Would that work into your schedule?”

  “Absolutely.” Rose didn’t care what she might have had planned, nothing would keep her from spending time with Tanner. Still somewhat taken aback by his unexpected arrival, she wasn’t so shocked she would squander the opportunity to spend time with him, though.

  “I don’t suppose I could talk you into going to see some of these places with me, as my personal tour guide?” The look he gave her held a measure of pleading mixed with boyish charm.

  She wondered how often that same look had gotten him out of trouble as a youngster. Probably more times than he’d admit. “As much as I would love to do that, I can’t just
close my shop. I do have a few high school girls who work for me part-time, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving them unsupervised for an extended period.”

  “Of course not, Rose. I didn’t even think about that.” Tanner leaned back in his chair again. “Would it be presumptuous to ask you to spend your day off with me? I’d really like to get to know you better.”

  “I’d like that very much. The shop is closed Sundays and Mondays. You’re welcome to join me for church on Sunday. Or, if you don’t want to do that, we could meet for lunch and have the afternoon to do something fun.”

  Much to her surprise, Tanner seemed eager to be with her as much as he possibly could. “Church would be great. Would you like to go on a picnic for lunch?”

  “I’d love that. I’ll pack the picnic basket if you want to choose the place.” She handed him another brochure. “Three of my favorite options are in this list.”

  “It’s a date,” Tanner said, rising to his feet. “As much as I’d like to keep you out here all day, enjoying your company, I know you need to open the shop. Let me help you with the dishes.”

  Rose stood and lifted both of their dirty plates. “That’s not necessary, Tanner. It won’t take me long to put things away.”

  “I insist.”

  He helped her carry the food inside, put it away, and place the dishes in the dishwasher. When Rose wiped her hands on a dishtowel and removed her apron, he gave her a long, interested look.

  “That’s a pretty dress, Rose. What time period is it from?” he reached out and fingered the edge of her wide cape sleeve.

  “The thirties.”

  “It suits you,” he said, then kissed her cheek. “Thank you for a delicious start to my day.” He offered her a rascally wink. “And the food was good too.”

  Her cheeks filled with color and he chuckled as he turned and walked down the hall to the front door. “Have a great day, Rose. I’ll check in with you later.”

  “Enjoy your day, Tanner.”

  She watched him stride down the steps and along the walk to the street until he was out of view.

  Before she let her dreams of Tanner muddle her thinking to an even greater extent, she sat down at her desk and tapped out an email to Tanner’s employer, asking for a reference.

  Within an hour, she received a reply that set her fears to rest. Apparently, his boss thought Tanner was some sort of super hero from the glowing referral he shared. He even sent along the names of two other people she could check with to verify Tanner’s employment and background.

  Rose didn’t feel the need to contact them. She went to the park’s website and found a photo of Tanner there along with a description of the work he’d done. On a page with testimonials from guests, Tanner’s name popped up in many of the messages, affirming her initial thoughts that he was a good guy.

  It bothered her that he’d just shown up in town without giving her any warning, but not enough she wouldn’t see him again. Not when she wanted to spend every second she could with him before he returned to Colorado.

  Chapter Six

  Tanner sat on a surfboard, enjoying the sun warming his back and the sound of seagulls in the distance as the cool ocean water lapped around him.

  Some of the best waves for surfing in the entire Pacific Northwest region were found right at Seaside. He’d been surprised when Rose told him Seaside was the first coastal resort city in the state. She’d even shown him some old bathing suits from the early 1900s she had in her extensive collection of vintage clothes. He could just picture early beach-goers wearing the knee-length outfits and splashing in the water.

  Ready to surf, Tanner paddled further out and waited. When a wave came in, he caught the swell and rode it, angling his weight on the board to stay upright and make it to shore.

  He spent an hour in the water then returned the rented board and wetsuit to a surf shop Rose recommended he use.

  Tomorrow was her first day off since he arrived and he couldn’t wait to spend the entire day with her.

  Last night, she’d made him dinner and they’d watched The Goonies. She pointed out local landmarks throughout the movie. While it was fun to see them, what held his attention was the girl on the couch beside him.

  The morning he’d eaten breakfast with her, he wondered if she lived at the shop, but when she invited him for dinner, he confirmed that she did. After eating a tasty meal of roasted chicken and seasoned potatoes, they made their way to her private rooms above the antique store.

  Upstairs he discovered she’d converted what must have once been a master suite into a comfortable family room with overstuffed couches and a big screen television. The room had a definite beach vibe with white slipcovers, navy and white striped throw pillows, and minimal decorations. A large painting of a Victorian woman walking on the beach holding the hand of a tow-headed child dominated the room from its position on the wall across from the door. A variety of old blue glass jars on a table behind the couch held tiny shells and colorful sea glass. The short, wide bookcase beneath the window held dozens of books along with an assortment of interesting shells and pieces of driftwood. Two lamps on the end tables near the couch were fashioned of driftwood. Whitewashed lanterns with creamy candles and a tall hurricane vase full of sand and beach grass completed the room’s decor.

  “I’m shocked, Miss Lawson, that you would allow such modern conveniences in your very Victorian home.”

  She shrugged and handed him a bowl of buttery popcorn. “Sometimes a girl just wants to watch a movie and needs a comfy place to do it. If you’d rather, we could go downstairs and sit on the horsehair settee and watch the movie on my laptop.”

  “I’ll pass,” he said, sitting beside her on the couch. It sorely tested both his patience and control to sit so close to her yet keep his hands to himself. Aware of Rose’s very old-fashioned way of seeing the world, he knew taking things slow with her was best. Even though every part of him wanted to rush ahead, to hold her in his arms and lavish her with kisses, he’d bide his time.

  As Tanner drove back to the yurt after surfing, he thought about their plans for tomorrow. He’d picked a state park that looked promising for their picnic. Rose told him her three favorite places to picnic, and the site he selected was on the list. He just hoped the one he chose was her absolute favorite. Since it would be the first full day they spent together, he wanted it to go well.

  The following morning, he parked outside Rose’s place ten minutes before their allotted meeting time. Glad he remembered to pack a pair of dress pants and a nice shirt, he adjusted his tie and stepped out of the SUV. The gunmetal gray skies didn’t look promising for their picnic, neither did the cool breeze blowing in off the ocean. If necessary, they could have an indoor picnic at the yurt.

  Purposeful strides carried him down the walk and up the porch steps. He’d just reached out to ring the bell when Rose opened the door. She greeted him with a smile that filled his world with sunshine despite the clouds overhead.

  “Good morning, Tanner.” She stepped back and left the door open as she grabbed a purse and her keys.

  “Good morning, beautiful. Am I too early?”

  “No, you’re just fine,” she said, stretching up and shyly kissing his cheek. “I’m ready to go.”

  He watched as she locked the door and preceded him down the steps. Today’s dress looked like something he might have seen in an old Annette Funicello movie with its tiny sleeves that extended just past the curve of her shoulder and full skirt. He liked the way it swayed and swished as she walked.

  Rose was such an enigma to him, so different from any woman he knew. He’d spent the last few days trying to figure her out. No closer to solving the mystery that was Rose, he gave up. What mattered was spending time with her, getting to know her better.

  On the surface, Rose might seem simplistic as the owner of an antique shop and a woman who liked to play dress up on a daily basis. However, he suspected she had far more complex layers than anyone knew.

 
; After settling her in the passenger seat of the SUV, he drove, following her directions to a quaint church. Lucille and Zetta stood in the entry, waiting to walk in with them. It took some fancy maneuvering on his part to sit by Rose instead of being sandwiched between the two old women. Lucille winked at him and handed him a hymnal as the pastor took his place at the pulpit.

  The sermon held his attention and afterward, he joined Rose in speaking to the pastor and meeting the man’s young family.

  “I hope you’ll join us again, Tanner,” John West said, shaking his hand with friendly warmth.

  “I’ll most likely be back, at least while I’m in town.”

  “Wonderful. We’ll look forward to it,” the pastor said then turned to greet other parishioners.

  Zetta and Lucille tried to insist on taking Rose and Tanner out to lunch, but Rose shook her head. “We have plans, but thank you, again, for the invitation.”

  “Well, if you change your minds, we’ll be at Bigfoot’s,” Zetta said.

  “Bigfoot’s?” Tanner asked,

  “It’s a restaurant with a Sasquatch theme,” Rose said, squeezing close to Tanner as a group of people pressed by them, clearly in a hurry to leave. “They have really good burgers. Perhaps we can go some evening.”

  “Sure. Sounds like fun.” He held the door as the women walked outside. During the service, the rain disappeared and the air warmed until it felt like a typical summer day. Glad he and Rose wouldn’t have to change their picnic plans, he placed a hand on the small of her back as they walked down the sidewalk.

  “You two behave,” Zetta warned, giving Tanner a cold glare.

  “And enjoy yourselves,” Lucille added, offering an encouraging smile.

  Tanner nodded and guided Rose over to his SUV.

  Once she was settled on the seat, he closed the door and jogged around to the driver’s side. “Where do you want to go now?”

  “Back to my house, please. I have everything ready for our picnic lunch, but I do need to gather a few things from the fridge. And I’d like to change my clothes.”