Salt Water Taffie (Boardwalk Brides Book 1) (9 page)

“Lobster?”

“Mmm. Maybe.” She glanced at the price on the menu and stopped cold, pointing at something that caught her interest. “Or maybe something else. I’m a shrimp cocktail fanatic. And salmon. I love salmon.”

“I love a girl who loves salmon.” Ryan’s cheeks turned red the moment he said the words, but he didn’t take them back. Taffie’s heart swelled with joy.
Well, then. I’ll order the salmon.

The waiter reappeared and they placed their orders. Then, as a goofy love song played overhead, Taffie turned her attention away from the food. . .and to the handsome man who sat across the table. What a night this was turning out to be.

THIRTEEN

Ryan spent every moment of his time in Taffie’s presence completely relaxed and drawn into her easy conversation. As they ate, they talked about their families, their dreams, and their faith. Specifically, he told her the story of his wandering away from the Lord as a teen—how he’d almost let the most important decision of his life fade to the background as he searched for fulfillment in other ways.

She responded by telling him about everything she’d gone through during her mother’s cancer struggle. . .primarily, how she’d nearly given up on God.

“Isn’t it funny. . .or rather, sad, that we claim to have all the faith in the world one day, then plummet the next?” she asked. “I mean, God has done so many wonderful things in my life over the years. He healed my mom, for instance. In spite of my lack of faith. And yet I turn around just a few days—or even hours—later and forget.”

“I’m the same way.” He paused to think about some of the issues that had arisen after his father’s stroke. “I think I get so self-focused at times. And I’m like you, at least from what I’ve observed so far. I’m a fixer. And not just appliances.” He sighed. “I want to make everything right for everyone.”

“I hear ya.” She gazed into his eyes and they had a moment of quiet recognition.

“But we’re not
called
to fix everything,” Ryan added. “And I’ll be the first to admit I can’t go on much longer taking care of the business for my dad. I don’t mean that out of a lack of respect; it’s just not what I’m called to do.”

“In some ways, I’m just the opposite,” Taffie explained. “I don’t mind staying at the shop. I’ll work there for the rest of my life. I love the candy making, the people, and all that. But when I look at the whole business end of things. . .” She shuddered. “It stops me cold.”

“We’re a fine pair, aren’t we?” Ryan reached across that table and took her hand, then gave it a squeeze. “But God has all of this figured out. We just have to trust Him.” After a few moments of embarrassing silence, he released his hold on her hand and shifted into lighter conversation. The time passed all too quickly, and before he knew it, they’d finished the meal. After Ryan took care of the check, he glanced at his watch, stunned. “Whoa. It’s almost seven o’clock.”

“Oh?” Taffie gave him a what-does-it matter look.

“The movie. We’ll never make it.”

She laughed. “Want to hear something funny? I forgot all about the movie. To be honest, I was having such a good time talking that it slipped right out of my head.”

“Yeah, me, too.” They paused to gaze into each other’s eyes for a moment, neither saying a word.

“I have an idea.” Her eyes lit up as she spoke, making them prettier than ever. “Let’s just watch the sunset out on the boardwalk.”

“And maybe play a few games at the midway?” he suggested.

“Skee-ball?” Taffie’s excitement seemed to grow.

“Sure. Why not.” He rose from his seat and walked to her side of the table, then pulled out her chair.

“Thank you, kind sir.” Taffie rose with a flourish, then gave a little curtsy, her cheeks turning pink.

“Wow.” He grinned. “That was very. . .dramatic.”

“Good grief.” She slapped herself on the forehead. “I have no idea what’s wrong with me tonight. It’s got to be that movie. Or Casey. Something’s had an effect on me.”

“I don’t mind a bit.” Ryan bowed at the waist, hoping to look as dashing as the prince in the movie. “But we must make haste.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and gently led her out of the restaurant, enjoying their closeness. Once outside, the glare from the setting sun nearly blinded him.

Taffie gazed upwards and mumbled something he didn’t quite understand. When he asked her to repeat it, she looked at him, embarrassed. “Oh, I was just saying
tangerine
. That’s what Tangie always said when we were kids. Whenever the sunset was more orange than red, she’d call it tangerine. When it was more red than orange, she called it raspberry.”

“So, it’s a tangerine sky.” He gazed up again. He glanced at his watch and gasped as he realized how much time had passed. “We’d better get a move on if I’m going to beat you at skee-ball.”

“Beat me, eh?” Her posture changed immediately. “I’ll have you know I’m the Carini family champ. No one can even come close. So, I’d watch my words if I were you.”

“Ah. Now I see what I’m up against.” He paused to stare into her eyes. He saw what he was up against, all right. But it had nothing whatsoever to do with skee-ball. His heart was slipping away in pieces, like the snippets of taffy paper floating around the room the other night. He didn’t want to snatch them back. No, he was having far too much fun watching things progress.

Working their way through the crowd, they finally arrived at the arcade. With a groan, Ryan looked through the mob of people at the skee-ball machines. He hadn’t expected so many kids. “Do you mind waiting?” He looked at Taffie, who simply smiled.

“Of course not. It’s going to be worth the wait when I win the prize.”

“Win the prize?”

She pointed up at the large collection of stuffed animals hanging on a rack overhead. “I want that one.”

He followed her pointed finger to the fluffy white dog in the third row. “Wow. That looks just like Snickers.”

“No way.”

“Yes way. So, if you want a challenge, you’re on. I’m going to win that. . .and give it to my mom.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I would.” He did his best not to laugh.

“In that case, the challenge is on.”

Like the Red Sea parting, the crowd in front of them dissipated and Ryan stepped forward to a skee-ball machine. Taffie took the one next to him. He dropped coins in the slots on both machines, and the battle began.

Approximately thirty minutes and thirty dollars later—after much whooping and hollering from both Taffie and the ever-growing crowd around them—Ryan had to admit defeat. The white pup, which he could’ve purchased at the store for less than ten dollars, was now snuggled in Taffie’s arms. The look of sheer contentment on her face made his defeat less painful.

As they turned back toward the boardwalk, Taffie leaned in and whispered, “Thanks for letting me win. I think the crowd actually thought you were trying.”

“
I─
I was!”

“Okay. Whatever. But thanks, either way. I love my puppy.” After a moment’s pause, she added, “I think I’m going to name him Vanilla.”

“Vanilla? A little boring, don’t you think?”

She turned to give him a pensive look. “But vanilla is your favorite, right?”

Okay, she had him there. But he was finally ready to branch out, ready to try new things.

“Want to play any other games?” Ryan asked, gesturing around the midway.

“What? You don’t mind if I whip you in something else? Won’t hurt your pride?”

“Just because you’re good at skee-ball doesn’t mean you can pitch.” He pointed to a booth with milk cans. “Are you game?”

She flexed the muscles in her right arm to show off. “Just so you know, lifting those mounds of taffy has given me a great pitching arm. Check this out.” She flexed her muscles and a couple of passersby let out a whistle.

Ryan sighed. “Ah. Well, never mind then. Don’t think my manly pride can take another defeat like the last one.”

With a giggle, Taffie turned her attention back to the crowd. “I wish it was like this year-round. The people. The noise. The excitement. But this is the last weekend of summer, and before long, everyone will be gone.” Her expression changed right away and he noticed the somber tone in her voice. “I always get a little sad at this time of year. Can’t seem to help myself.”

“Why don’t we sit awhile and talk,” Ryan suggested. “Losing twenty-five skee-ball games in a row took all the wind out of my sails. And I happen to know of a great bench, just outside the best candy shop on the boardwalk.”

“The best candy shop in the
world
,” she corrected him.

“Yes. The best in the world.” As they turned toward Carini’s Confections, Ryan looped his arm through Taffie’s, feeling so carefree his feet might just take to dancing. She looked up with a hint of a smile, and for a moment—a brief moment—he expected her to burst into song.

***

With one arm looped through Ryan’s and the other holding the stuffed dog, Taffie walked toward the candy shop. She did everything in her power to still the exaggerated pounding that went on inside her heart. Could Ryan hear it? She sure could. In her ears. Her wrists. Her neck. Everything inside seemed to have sprung to life when he slipped his arm through hers. She tried to balance these feelings against the sadness that had swept over her so suddenly at the mention of the summer drawing to an end. She shouldn’t get this worked up in front of Ryan, not about business problems, anyway.

And yet, as she gazed up into his eyes—eyes filled with loving compassion—she wondered if, perhaps, the Lord had finally sent someone she could confide in. Someone who might just understand. And possibly help.

They reached the bench just as the last of the evening crowd disappeared. With the glow of the lamplight overhead ushering them on, they took their seats. Ryan slipped an arm around her shoulder, and Taffie found herself comfortable with the fact. She held the prized puppy on her lap and gazed out at the water. “I love it out here at night,” she said with a sigh. “I used to sit out here as a kid and close my eyes, just listening to the waves.”

They both sat in silence for a moment, doing just that. Ryan finally broke it with a question. “So, you’ve grown up with the candy shop as part of your daily life?”

“In the summers, yes. It’s so much a part of me. I don’t know how I could be happy anyplace else.”

“And yet. . .” He drew her a bit closer, and she found herself at ease, snuggling up against him. “You’re worried about what’s coming next with the business?”

She fought the temptation to tell him everything at once. “I’m just a little concerned about the off-season. My parents are leaving soon, but they want me to come up with a plan to bring in customers while they’re gone.”

“Right. They mentioned that.”

She sat up straight and looked him in the eye. “They talked to you about this?”

“Only in passing.”

She relaxed a bit. “Well, I’ve stretched my brain about as far as I can stretch it, and just can’t seem to come up with a workable plan. Not a realistic one, anyway. And to be honest, every time I think about it for any length of time, I just start feeling sick inside. I’m so worried I’ll take this business they spent their lives building and run it into the ground.”

“What?” His brow wrinkled. “But I’ve seen you in action. You’re great with the customers and you clearly love the product. What’s the drawback?”

“I’m not business minded and I’m not great with the whole being-in-charge thing.” Taffie groaned. “My sister Candy is better suited for all of that, but she’s busy with flight school out in Arizona. Not that I’m complaining. She was meant to be a pilot. I wouldn’t take that from her for anything. And Tangie. . .well, you met Tangie. I love her, but she’s no help at the shop. She’s always flitting off to be in this show or that show. And if she’s not on the stage, she’s in school. So that leaves me. Just me. And it’s not that I don’t want to help. I do. But sometimes I just feel like I was told I had to run the whole show. I’ll have to hire someone else to help me, of course. That’s a given. But who? And when? I don’t have a clue how I’m going to do this.”

“Can you just tell your parents?”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. They already have the RV. They’re leaving in a month. This has been a dream of theirs for as long as I can remember.” She shook her head. “Anyway, enough about all of that. I don’t want to talk business tonight.” She gazed into his eyes—eyes filled with compassion—and smiled. “If it’s all the same to you, I just want to talk about other things.”

“Fine with me.”

Determined to change the direction of the conversation, Taffie finally came up with a question. “So, have you lived in Atlantic City all your life?”

“Born and raised.”

“Crazy, that we’ve been this close and never met.”

“Oh, I’m sure we saw each other as kids. Remember, I told you my parents used to bring us to the beach all of the time. We were in Carini’s dozens of times over the years.”

“Just weird that you can grow up in the same town with someone and never meet at all.”

“Well, look at this place.” He gestured to the many buildings surrounding them. “Seems like every week a new building goes up. And the tourists are coming.”

“Not always for the best reasons.” She squinted against the lamplight and focused on one of the larger casinos.

“All the more reason God has planted you and your family right here.” His brow wrinkled. “Hearing your mom talk about your candy shop as a ministry really put things in perspective for me. It’s true, what she said. People are drawn into your shop because of the sweets, but what you guys give them—through your words, your actions, the overhead music, and the scripture above the door is the love of God.”