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He’s asked me plenty of questions about my favorite furry guests that I’ve gotten the chance to care for. Another point in his favor.
By the end of our meal, we are laughing so hard, my sides and cheeks ache. I can’t help but get lost in his smile, his gentle eyes. I realize as we are making our way back to the inn that I don’t feel like I have to put on a mask like I do with every other first date. With Drew, I can just be myself.
Is this how a lunch date is supposed to be? Because I could get used to this.
“So have you always lived in Seaside?” he asks.
“Pretty much. This place is all I’ve ever really known,” I say.
“It’s home.” He nods.
“Yup. But I know not everyone feels that way about where they live. Do you feel like that about your home?”
“That’s a really good question,” he muses, as he slows down again so I can match his pace. “This might sound bad but I don’t think I do,” he says finally.
“Have you traveled to other places that feel more like home?” I ask, trying to make it better.
“They say home is where your heart is.” He shrugs. “I guess I’m still searching for mine.” He locks eyes with me and for a second, I wonder if he’s entranced like he was when we met.
“I would love to travel someday,” I say, breaking the silence.
He smiles. “What would you like to see?” This makes it sound as though he can make any wish come true.
“It sounds cheesy but I’ve always had a soft spot for Paris and Rome,” I admit. “It’s not so much the things I can do there. I just want to be able to say I was there at one point, you know? I think visiting the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum would be incredible.”
“I can promise you it is.” He nods.
“You’ve been to both?” I ask, sounding like a kid who just learned about Santa Claus.
“My family and I took a tour of Europe when I was a kid and I got to see Paris and Rome among other big cities. Paris was great but I wanted to go to Rome mainly for the pizza.” He chuckles.
“I bet it’s to die for. I wish we had a pizza place that was straight out of Italy itself,” I say. “I would put it right next to the inn so people would always come for either a nice stay, nice food, or both.”
“That’s a smart business move,” he chuckles. “The inn is really something. I’m surprised a small town like this gets as much attention as it does.”
"I think that’s because people need a break from their big city lives,” I theorize. “It’s always fun to compare how guests are when they come in versus how they are when they leave.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen couples snapping at each other the minute they walk up to the desk to check in, similar to my snapping at you,” I tease. “But when they leave, it’s like they’re completely different people. They’re relaxed, well rested.”
“They haven’t been exposed to the high-stress big city life that most of them came from for a while, and it does them good. I always hear how a lot of them aren’t ready to leave.”
“That’s pretty impressive,” he nods. “What do you think is the secret?”
“I think it’s just a wholesome place where people can relax,” I shrug. “Seaside doesn’t have to try to be perfect, it just is. Maybe guests pick up on that and follow suit. I think that’s why my grandfather decided to open the place here.”
“He told me he wanted to retire in Florida like most people his age. He joked that the inn was a way to give the younger crowd a taste of what retirement could be, even if it was for a weekend.”
Before our walk, I changed into a flowing orange summer dress, while Drew looked like he belonged on the cover of Ralph Lauren’s magazine with his white shorts and blue button-down beach shirt.
He let me lead the way to the shore that was quickly emptying at the setting sun. Families and couples gathered their things as they packed up and headed back to the hotel for some much-needed rest and a meal. As the sky began to burn with those bright orange colors, it was just the two of us, slowly taking our time walking along the beach.
“Can I ask you something?” I say as I look over to him.
“Anything.”
“Why did you want to take me out to lunch after I bit your head off?”
