Salt Water Taffie (Boardwalk Brides Book 1) (8 page)

TWELVE

The following Saturday morning Ryan picked up the phone to call Taffie. When she answered, something caught him off guard. Was she. . .singing?

“Taffie, is that you? This is Ryan.”

“Oh, I uh. . .”

He heard the strains of music in the background and couldn’t resist asking the obvious. “Were you singing?”

“Who, me? I, um, I don’t usually. . .”

“Sure sounded like singing to me,” he said. “And on key, at that. So what was all that stuff about your not being able to carry a tune in a bucket?”

“Not sure what’s going on,” she confessed. “I guess I was singing along with the overhead music and didn’t even realize it. Strange, huh?”

“Yes. And very suspicious, though I’m sure Casey would have plenty to say about it. She would probably cast you in her next movie.”

“No doubt. And Tangie would try to put me in one of her plays.” She laughed, temporarily breaking the tension. “But I can assure you, I couldn’t act my way out of a paper bag.”

A momentary silence followed, just long enough for Ryan’s nerves to kick in once again. Time to give his reason for calling. “I, um, just wanted to check in with you. What time should I meet you at the shop?”

“Five would be fine. I’m looking forward to it.”

Me, too.” Should he say how much? Nah, better leave it at that.

They ended the call and Ryan spent the rest of the morning and the better part of the early afternoon working alongside his father to repair a commercial refrigerator at one of the city’s larger restaurants. Afterward, dripping with sweat and completely exhausted, he headed home to take a shower. Casey met him at the door of the house. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him.

“Uncle Ryan!”

“Hey, pip squeak. What are you doing here?”

“Grandma is watching me. My parents are on a
date
.”

“Really?” Ryan had to smile at that idea. “And what do you think of that?”

“I think it’s romantical.” Her smile broadened. . .for a moment. “But. . .”

“But what?”

She shrugged and led him by the hand in to the living room. “They still fight a lot. I heard them last night really late. They thought I was sleeping, but I wasn’t. They were so loud.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” He reached to give her a hug.

“I’
m─
I’m scared. D
o─
do you think my daddy’s gonna leave again?” Her eyes filled with crocodile tears.

Ryan sighed. He hated this part. “I hope not, honey. But we’ll pray about that. I know that God is bigger than any problems your parents are facing. Want to pray with me?” When she nodded, he took her by the hands and prayed a simple but heartfelt prayer.

Afterward, Casey looked up at him with a confident smile. “I feel better now.”

“Me, too.”

Her eyes twinkled as she asked, “Are you still going on your date tonight, too?”

“Yes, but no singing. And definitely no dancing. I’ve got two left feet, you know.”

“You do?” She looked down, clearly confused.

Ryan laughed, wondering if he should explain that statement or just move on. Nah, just move on.

“Uncle Ryan?”

“Yes, baby?”

She paused for a moment and her eyes glistened as she asked, “Even if you don’t sing and dance, you’re still gonna kiss her, right? Like the prince in the movie?”

“It’s just our first date,” he argued. “A gentleman would wait until later.”

Casey released an exasperated sigh. “You’re never gonna find a wife, Uncle Ryan. And I’m never going to get to be a flower girl.”

“Ah.” Realization struck. “Is
that
the real issue here?”

“I’m getting old.”

“Old?” He gave her a curious look.

“All of my friends have already been flower girls, but I never have. And everyone knows flower girls have to be little. I’m still pretty short, but I won’t be forever, so you have to hurry up.”

“Ah. Well, kiddo, I’ll see what I can do about that, but I can’t make you any promises but this one: If and when I
do
get married, you can be a flower girl.”

“I’m gonna look pretty goofy if I’m, like, twenty or something. I guess I’ll just have to be a bridesmaid.” Casey rose from the sofa and skipped off into the kitchen.

Ryan thought about her words as he showered. Was he looking for a wife? Was that the plan? He hadn’t really thought about Taffie as wife material before, had he? In fact, he hadn’t given much thought to marriage at all, not with the problems going on between Vic and Mallory. No, right now marriage seemed more like an illusion of some sort. All smoke and mirrors, but not real.

On the other hand.
. . He allowed his thoughts to shift as he got dressed. His parents had a strong marriage. So did Taffie’s. Maybe Vic and Mallory just needed to take a few lessons from the older generation.

At four-thirty, Ryan bounded down the stairs, headed toward the front door.

“Stop right there, mister.” His mother entered the room, beaming like the late afternoon sunshine. “I hope you don’t think you’re blowing in and blowing out that fast. You didn’t even say hello. And now you’re not saying goodbye?”

“Sorry,Mom. I’m jus
t─
”

“I know, I know.” She chuckled. “Casey told me. You have a date with Taffie.” Her eyes reflected genuine curiosity. “Though why you never told me, I don’t know. I remember when you used to share the details with good ole mom. Now I have to hear the juicy tidbits from a seven-year-old.”

Ryan sighed. “That’s just it, Mom. There are no juicy tidbits. I want to be really careful about all of this. I really like Taffie. A lot. But we haven’t even been on our first date yet, and Casey’s already got us married off. She’s got her heart set on being a flower girl. Can you believe it?”

“Pink.”

“E–excuse me?”

“Casey is hoping you’ll choose pink for your wedding color. She wants you to know she looks best in pink. Cotton-candy pink. Not hot pink or anything like that. And by the way, she wants to carry pink sweetheart roses and wear a tiara with lots of sparkles in it.”

“Good grief.” Ryan sighed, ready to stop the conversation as quickly as possible. “I’ll keep that in mind. But for now, I’d just like to have a quiet dinner with a really nice girl from a great family. No pressure. And no wedding bells. No pink roses. And definitely no tiaras.”

His mom put her hands up in the air, feigning innocence. “I’m not saying another word. Go. Have a good time. But don’t think you’re sneaking in here late tonight without giving me details.”

“I feel like a kid again.”

“Well, you should. It’s been awhile since you’ve been on a date. Now, skedaddle.”

With an unexpected smile on his lips, Ryan turned and skedaddled. . .all the way to the car.

***

“Mom, can you and Pop do without me now?” Taffie looked across the shop at her mother.

“Um, sure, honey.” Her mom looked up from serving a chocolate malt to a customer. “Go ahead and get ready.”

Taffie slipped out from behind the candy counter and made her way to the office in the back of the store, where she located her change of clothes. Looking at the beautiful pink blouse and black slacks, she had to smile. People always said she looked great in pink. Well, her mom and sisters always said she looked great in pink, anyway. Maybe Ryan would think so, too.

She rushed to the ladies room, where she changed out of her work clothes, then worked to transform herself. A little makeup, a few minutes with the curling iron, and before long, she was good to go. Taffie gave herself another once-over in the mirror, startled at how changed she looked from just a few short minutes ago. Or was it just the sparkle in her eyes? Possibly.

Why not sparkle? Just the idea of spending time alone with Ryan made her smile. In fact, every time she thought of him, a delicious sense of joy rose up inside her. Surely tonight she would get to know him better, find out for sure if he was the sort of guy she would want to. . .

To marry?
Strange, how the words flew into her mind. Not even one date yet, and she was thinking of marriage? Odd, but not really, in light of her upbringing. What was it Pop always said? “Don’t waste your time dating ’em if they’re not the sort of fella you’d want to marry.” Consequently, her dating life—if one could call it that—had been very limited. There just weren’t a lot of guys out there she’d want to spend the rest of her life with.

Till now.

Just the thought of a “happily ever after” with Ryan reminded Taffie of the fairy tale images in that silly movie they’d seen together. Had it really only been a week? Were the people on the screen singing and dancing their way into her heart?

Taffie eased her way back out into the store, noticing an incoming rush of customers. Could she—should she—really leave her parents alone without help? Her Pop took one look at her and let out a whistle. “You look like a million bucks, kid. That Ryan is one lucky fella.”

A handful of customers looked at her with curiosity. She drew in a deep breath, then turned her attention to a woman ordering ice cream. As she scooped up a beautiful round ball of Toffee Almond Delight, her thoughts drifted to Ryan. For some reason, she felt like a silly schoolgirl, waiting to see if the boy she had a crush on might look her way.

Well, nothing wrong with feeling young, right? And it wasn’t like she was given over to flights of fancy, like the girl in that movie. No, she had a good head on her shoulders and was a hard worker, to boot. Rarely thought about things outside of work and church, and certainly never focused on boys. . .er, men.

Minutes later, just as the clock struck five, Ryan entered the shop. She watched from a distance as his gaze went first to the candy counter. When he didn’t locate her there, he turned toward the ice cream area. The minute their eyes met, Taffie’s breath caught in her throat. She took one look at him in that sharp looking dress shirt and slacks and found herself caught off guard by his looks. He’d been handsome in his work attire, and nice-looking in his jeans and t-shirt that night at the movies, but the sight of him in that blue shirt sent her into a tizzy.

“Ryan.” She finally managed his name. “I’m nearly ready.” She turned back to a customer, filling the order. All the while, he looked on, his eyes sparkling.

She finally broke away from the crowd, and turned to her parents with a smile. “I’ll see you guys later. Have fun.”

“No,
you
have fun.” Her mother winked, then went back to work.

Taffie followed Ryan to the door, which he opened for her. After they stepped out onto the crowded boardwalk and took a few steps, he paused for a moment. “Do you mind. . .I mean, would you mind stopping for a minute?”

She paused, then turned to look at him. “Everything okay?”

“Yes. I just wanted to say
”─
his cheeks turned a rosy colo
r─
“that you look. . .wonderful.”

“Thanks.” Taffie fought to keep the edges of her lips from curling up as she drank in his sweet words. “Pop always says, ‘Powder and paint make a girl what she ain’t.’ It’s amazing what a little lip gloss and mascara can do.”

Ryan shook his head. “No, it’s not the makeup—though that looks great, too. You’re just like a. . .” He paused for a moment. “A scene from a movie.”

“Yikes.” She slapped a palm against her forehead. “Romantic comedy or action suspense?”

He gave her a knowing look, but said nothing.

“What? You’re not going to tell me?”

“No.” He shrugged. “You’re going to have to guess.”

“Well, it had better be action suspense, that’s all I have to say. ’Cause I’ve had just about enough of all that musical comedy stuff.”

“Mm-hmm.” He slipped his arm around her waist and gently led her through the ever-growing maze of people.

A few seconds later, as Taffie’s heart danced its way into her throat, they arrived at the restaurant with the words HIGH SEAS above the door. Just one step inside and her senses were overwhelmed with the smell of fried fish and the sound of clinking silverware. She looked around at the fish motif and smiled. “I like this place already. I’m a sucker for a themed restaurant.”

“Yeah, me, too.” He followed her gaze. “We’ll have to come back with our families. Soon.”

Is that another date you’re asking me out on, Ryan Antonelli? ’Cause I just might have to say yes.

As if in response to her ponderings, he flashed a playful smile, then melted her once again with his brown eyes.

The hostess seated them in short order and left them to review the menu.

“What looks good to you?” Ryan asked.

“Mmm. Everything. I skipped lunch today.”

“Busy day?”

“That’s putting it mildly.” She felt a wave of joy wash over her as she contemplated the business the shop had done today. “It’s nearing the end of the season, so folks are coming into the shop in droves to buy taffy.” She gave the menu a thorough read. “But I’ve had my fill of sweets. I want some real food.”