It was well after dusk on a Friday night, in the beach town known as Breeze Bay. A young man in his early thirties was wiping down counter tops as he conversed with locals while making coffee for customers and restocking products. Many of the older woman who frequented his coffee shop didn't understand how such a young, successful and attractive man could still be single. But not Raif. For the first time in years, he was utterly content with the hand life was giving him and he didn't need a woman to complete it. He was perfectly happy as long as his dog, Frank, was by his side.

Meanwhile, Lucinda pulled onto the main street that ran through the middle of the little downtown. She was tired but relieved that she had finally made it. It was too late to look for any places to rent so she checked in at the closest hotel. The Oyster Pearl Motel, which was easy to spot since it had a giant oyster shell in front that held the vacancy sign. After checking into her room for the night, Lucinda asked the courtesy desk where she could go for a bite to eat.

"You're visiting us during our off season ma'am. A lot of the restaurants close early this time of year. I'm afraid the only place I can suggest is the Barrel Wave. It's a coffee shop just about two blocks that way on the main strip in town. The owner keeps it open till ten. Come daylight you'll see that the street has a lot more life to offer."

Lucinda thanked the clerk for his suggestion and walked in the direction he pointed.

She was glad she brought her jacket with her. A cold breeze was coming in from the ocean so she zipped her jacket all the way up to the collar and stuffed her hands in her pockets. The cold air made it seem like more of a walk than it really was but after turning a corner she could see the front of the coffee shop. The lights inside were fully lit and illuminating the sidewalk in front of it. Surprisingly there were more people inside than Lucinda had expected. As she opened the door she was welcomed with reggae music, the sound of laughter, the smell of coffee and a flush of warm air.

At the counter Raif stood in mid polish, with a rag in his hand still pressed against the counter as he joked around with a customer. He had overgrown, wavy brunette hair that sometimes fell in his face. He tucked part of it behind his ears and kept wiping the counter while listening to his customer, Hector. From the corner of his eye he saw that someone had walked in. He turned to greet the person and was surprised to see an unfamiliar woman. Usually during this time of year there weren't many tourists and it made the town feel like a huge family.

He didn't mean to, but he stared and was at a loss for words as he took in her long, wavy, blonde hair which framed her slender face and shoulders. Her cheeks were rosey from the cold and her lips even had a slight hue of purple that looked more like lipstick against her creamy skin. Jesus, was he really examining her features with his mouth hanging open? Yes, yes he was, because as she walked toward the counter in her tight skinny jeans, he could see the outline of lean muscles under them. Who was this attractive stranger?

"Welcome to the Barrel Wave ma'am," he cleared his throat. "What can I get started for you?"

"Ma'am?? Do I really look that old...?" She asked herself, but then waved her hand dismissing his wording and pulled on a smile. "Lucinda is fine. I'm actually pretty hungry and the clerk over at the Oyster Pearl Motel recommended that I come here."

"Well that was nice of Charlie! Remind me to thank him. I have a small menu listed right over here." Raif pointed to a chalk board above him. "The Coastal Sub is the most popular. It has turkey, bacon, avocado, provolone cheese and my special garlic habanero spread on it. If you want something heated the Mediterranean Panini is another favorite amongst my customers."

"The Coastal Sub sounds great, I'll take that."

"Ok. Would you like to have that here or to take back to your hotel room?" Raif asked with a warm smile.

"Here is fine. I like the atmosphere."

"Alright. Take a seat right over here at the counter and I'll get you all set up."

Raif wiped down the counter and laid out a linen napkin, silverware, salt and pepper. He did it all while saying goodnight to a couple of locals that let him know they were heading on over to the Riptide, a local bar. Lucinda took a seat and removed the scarf around her neck, revealing a fitted long sleeved v-neck sweater. Raif's eyes caught a glimpse of cleavage peaking out as she got comfortable, and he quickly darted them back to the men leaving.

"I won't be meeting up with you guys tonight. I'm pretty exhausted. Have one on me fellas, just let Chuck know."

"Suit yourself," Hector said with a goodbye salute and off they all went.

Turning his attention back to Lucinda and trying hard not to stare down at her small perky chest, Raif asked, "Would you like some coffee? There's also a variety of teas you can choose from."

"I'll have some tea," she replied gazing up at the menu. "I'll take that one right there, the Peppermint Bliss. It should help me sleep tonight since it has chamomile."

"Oh? Long day of travel?" Raif asked as he put together her sandwich.

"Yes, I've been on the road since yesterday, so after this I'm ready to crash."

"Where are you traveling from? Up north?" Raif asked before adding the finishing touches and then handing her the sandwich.

"North but east of the coast. I used to live in Redwood Village. It's near the national park." Lucinda trailed off and remembered she promised Merrill she would call him as soon as she got in town. "May I use your phone? I almost forgot to call my friend to let him know I got here safely and my cell phone is out of juice."

"Sure."

After handing her the cordless phone over the counter, Raif continued on to make her tea and tend to a few customers. While the phone rang she watched Raif move back and forth between the coffee machine, the register, then to the sink to wash his hands and back to the coffee machine again. It occurred to her that he was the only one working in the coffee shop and she wondered how he was able to keep up? Surely the owner came in to supervise from time to time, one person couldn't possibly do all the work.

"Hello. Lucinda?" Merrill's soothing voice said.

"Yes, I made it safely. I was so hungry that I forgot to call you when I checked into the hotel. I'm at a coffee shop using their phone. I didn't want you to worry."

"That's alright, no need to explain. I'm just glad you called. Hey guess what?"

"What?" Lucinda asked.

"My son called just this afternoon. He said he and my daughter will be coming up to visit me next month. He didn't specify when, of course. They just like to show up because they think I never do anything. I hope they come when I'm out of town visiting you. That ought to teach them!"

Merrill chuckled and Lucinda could picture him smiling through the phone. The thought of it warmed up a smile of her own. It was good to hear the voice of someone who genuinely cared. They carried on their conversation for a couple more minutes and then said goodbye.

"Thank you for letting me use your phone," Lucinda said while handing it back to Raif who stopped over to check in on her.

The tips of their fingers grazed as he took it from her causing their eyes to flash to one another. Their gazes held for a few seconds as a warm current seemed to pass through them. Pulling his attention away, Raif set the cordless phone in its cradle and looked at her again.

"No problem. So what's brings you to Breeze Bay? If you don't mind me asking. We don't usually get tourists this time of year so I'm just curious."

To the old Lucinda, this question would have been too intrusive but to the Lucinda that was blossoming into a new person, she welcomed the curiosity.

"I'm searching for a new beginning," she said with a smile. "I came to a crossroads in my life and decided I needed a change. Plus I've always fantasized about living near the ocean. This is actually the first time I've ever seen it in person."

"Well hey, a change in scenery is always a good start! I recommend going out to the beach right before sunrise. Then you'll really see why coastal living is best," Raif said while winking and then clearing her plate from her.

Lucinda was a bit taken back by his wink. In fact, she was taken back by everything about her encounter with him. Was he flirting? No one had bothered to flirt with her in quite some time. Sighing, she then thought that maybe he was just being friendly and it was probably that way with all of his female customers, even the elderly ones.

"Thanks for the suggestion. I'm usually an early riser anyway. I like to jog before sunrise."

"Early bird catches the worm, right?"

"Right." Lucinda nodded.

When she was all finished with her tea, she paid for her meal and slid off the stool to make an exit while Raif busied himself with other customers. As she made her way for the door, she couldn't help but feel that leaving without saying goodbye would be a bad start to her new future. She simply couldn't have that so, before completely exiting she turned back to take one last look at Raif.

"Thanks for dinner..." she called across the cafe and several heads turned in her direction, including Raif's. Feeling embarrassed by her audience, she rambled, "I mean, thanks for feeding me at this late hour, not thanks for a date or something." When Raif looked at her puzzled, she corrected herself, quickly. "Not that dinner dates are bad or anything! I just mean..." she slapped her palm to her forehead and shook out her head to compose herself. "Thank you. Just, thank you."

"No prob." Raif chuckled. "I understood you the first time." He winked.

"Right." she nodded again and could feel her face flushing red.

A corner of Raif's mouth lifted with a slight grin. "See you around."

As soon as Lucinda was outside, she exhaled a breath. First night in town and she was already a laughing stock. Great. Walking quickly back to the hotel, she couldn't get in fast enough to set her alarm for five-thirty in the morning. After brushing her teeth she slid into bed and under the covers with a sigh. Her bones seemed to ease as she nestled into the mattress and she dozed off quickly with peace in her mind.

Meanwhile, Raif closed up shop and slowly walked to his cottage. On the way home he thought of the new shipment of coffee coming in. It was supposed to have a hint of caramel flavor mixed with an Ethiopian blend of beans, which he just knew his customers would love. Then he thought about whether he would play with his dog, Frank, when he got home or go straight to bed? Certainly if he didn't play with him then he'd never hear the end of Frank's sulking in the form of grunts. Then Lucinda suddenly crept into his thoughts.

He was often curious about the lives of newcomers and couldn't help but notice that despite her friendliness, she seemed sad. Her smile never quite lifted completely when she gave one. She was even a bit awkward when she departed, but Raif didn't mind a little oddness. Heck, everyone in town was strange to some degree, but at least Lucinda was easy on the eyes. Arriving at home Raif found Frank curled up on his king size bed, so he moved him aside and slid in next to him. Frank grunted, lifted his head and then flopped it back down.

"You're lucky I'm too tired to make you go sleep on your giant pillow in the living room," he mumbled to himself, causing Frank to let out another grunt. "Oh hush, you know I'd never kick you out of bed!"

While rubbing his canine companions back to help him drift to sleep, Raif decided that he would ride a few waves in the morning. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a shift of change in the air and he would welcome it.

🌊🌊🌊

The cold salty water slapped hard against Raif's wetsuit as he maneuvered his surf board through the waves. Managing to get to a good watch spot, he waited for a wave to come his way. Maybe tonight he would meet the boys at the Riptide? He had a rough week of being busier than usual and losing one of his main coffee suppliers. So Raif felt that he deserved to enjoy a couple of cold brews with his buddies. Cupping his hands over his eyes, he scanned the horizon for a good wave. Off in the distance he saw a big one coming and was preparing to take it. Laying down flat on his board, he began paddling out to it.

On the beach, Lucinda jogged close to the edge just enough for the tide to kiss her running shoes. It had been the first time in about four weeks since she last jogged. It felt so good to be back out in the fresh air and getting exercise, especially with the sunrise. After finishing her jog, she stretched her muscles while watching what was left of the sun's debut. It was more than beautiful, in fact it was indescribable as the orange and purple colors merged across the sky like a painter smudging his brush across a canvas. But it was more than that too, because this sunrise meant the start of a new life for her and Lucinda promised herself to never look back at her old life. Never. Resting her bottom down, she sat peacefully on the sand thinking about what to do next, until she was interrupted.

"So, I see you took my advice and came out." Looking up she saw Raif dripping with ocean water as it rolled off of his wetsuit.

"Yes. I told you I'm an early riser. Well, except for this last month I haven't gone out and honestly I've missed it."

Inviting himself to join her, Raif started to unzip his wetsuit. "So what's kept you from jogging? If you don't mind me asking."

Lucinda wasn't sure how to take his casualness with her. He sure liked to ask questions. Plus it had been years since a man last undressed in front of her, even if it was just to remove a wetsuit.

"Oh...um." Lucinda tried to think of a reasonable explanation while trying to avoid gawking at his abs. "I was visiting my friends farm and helping him out."

"Sounds like fun." He grunted as he peeled the suit away from his skin. "I admire farmers. They're hard workers and only have themselves to answer to at the end of the day."

"I take it the owner of the Barrel Wave isn't too great to work with?" Lucinda asked while trying not to stare at the small black Speedo Raif was left standing in.

With a grin from ear to ear, Raif responded while taking a seat, "Well he's not too bad. He's less on edge during peak season when he has employees and isn't doing everything on his own."

"Well he has you help...ing..." Right then Lucinda realized that Raif was the owner of the Barrel Wave and she wanted to facepalm herself. "I'm sorry I didn't realize... I... I just assumed you were an employee. I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright." He patted her knee and Lucinda could feel how warm his hand was through her yoga pants. "No offense taken here. So how are you liking things so far?"

"So far I'm just happy to be somewhere new, but I will need to look for an apartment and find some work so I can get settled into this town."

"Ah, well it's a good thing I sat down with you. There's a 'for rent' sign on an apartment around the corner from my house. Come with me and I'll show you."

They didn't have to walk far, just a few short blocks and fell into silence as their shoes crunched against the sandy sidewalk. The morning breeze was cool on Lucinda's still sweaty skin from jogging and she shivered.

"Cold?" Raif asked as he began rubbing her shoulder and arm. Again Lucinda could feel the warmth of his hand throught the fabric of her windbreaker, soothing her even though it made her shiver.

"A little, but not in a bad way. I don't mind it after a run."

"Yeah, I hear ya. You would think that with the cold ocean water I'd be freezing after surfing, but you can really work up a sweat out there. The breeze is refreshing."

"It is." Lucinda closed her eyes briefly to enjoy the feel of the wind on her face.

"Well, here we are." He motioned to the white building in front of them. It had blue shutters and magenta flowers that vined around the balcony on the second level.

"So far I like what I see," Lucinda replied.

Raif swung open the small door on the white picket fence and motioned for her to pass through. A brick pathway stretched up to the front door which was painted blue to match the shutters.

"I don't have a key, but we can peek into the windows," Raif explained.

"So... are we technically trespassing?"

Raif leaned his head back with a laugh. "No. I know the landlord. He's a loyal customer, trust me, he won't mind. Since it's off season this place has been empty for a while."

"Oh." Was all Lucinda could say as she imagined the cobwebs that might be awaiting her. Not to mention the spiders.

"Go ahead." Raif pressed on her back. "Take a look."

Lucinda leaned forward and felt the warmth of his hand disappear as he removed it. He was very touchy, and the old Lucinda would've been skiddish to have a strange man dressed in a Speedo, randomly touching her, but the new Lucinda didn't mind. Plus, it wasn't as if he was trying to be a creep. He was keeping his gestures friendly, so there really wasn't a reason for her to feel alarmed. In fact, she kind of liked his touch. It was warm. Gentle. And his Speedo... oh lordy, his Speedo. Well, she didn't mind that at all either.

Pressing her forehead to the glass window, she could see that the place was cute with lots of charm. Raif explained that the master suite was on the second level and the spare bedroom was on the first level with a cummunal full bath. From what she could see, there was also a brick fire place, arched doorways, crown molding and original hardwood flooring.

"The building only has two units," he went on saying. "Which is nice because it allows each tenant to have their own private garden."

Lucinda pushed away from the window. "This place seems perfect! Especially since it would allow Merrill to have his own space when he visits."

"Merrill?" Raif began rubbing the back of his neck. "Your boyfriend?"

Now Lucinda was the one to chuckle. "No, just a friend."

"The one you called when you arrived to the Barrel Wave?"

"Yes..." she replied with hesitation. Had he been eavesdropping on her conversation?

Turning away from her and staring up at the apartment, Raif changed the subject, "so what's the verdict? You want it?"

Lucinda liked the place alot and wanted to call the landlord right away but Raif told her to wait. Since he knew the owner of the building he could help her get a better deal on the rent. Trusting him, Lucinda agreed to let Raif work his charms on the landlord. As they walked away, she reached up and released the messy bun from on top of her head, allowing her long waves to cascade down her back. She shook out her hair with her hands to get rid of the dent, but when they came to a stop on the sidewalk, Raif was just staring at her.

"What's wrong?" She crooked a brow.

Reaching out, he took a ringlet of her hair and twirled his finger around it. "It's silky, just how I imagined it would be..."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You just have beautiful hair. It's so soft."

Lucinda pulled the lock of hair out of his grasp and eyed him suspiciously. "Have a thing for hair?"

"Not particularly." He retracted his hand. "But I do like yours."

"Thanks...?" Lucinda replied.

Pointing at the breast pocket on her jacket where part of her cell phone was sticking out, he said to her, "You should take down my number and then text me with yours so I can save it into my contacts."

"Oh, um..." Lucinda's eyes widened for a brief second.

"So I can call you once I've struck a deal." He clarified.

"Oh! Of course." She shook her head with a pink blush blooming across her face.

"Don't worry, I won't text you dirty photos." He teased and then added, "unless you want me to."

She wasn't sure, but she couldn't help but wonder if Raif was just trying to charm her? He was an attractive man that lived in a tourist beach town, so it wasn't far fetched to believe that he might woo every woman that was passing through. Despite liking the attention she was getting from him, Lucinda decided to keep her guard up. This was a new start for her and she wouldn't muck it up by falling for the first guy who paid attention to her.