Page 6 of Blue Moon

Holy hell! I wiped the drool from my mouth.

His sexy blond hair skimmed his eyebrows, and his cornflower-blue eyes melted me. Physically, he was exactly my type—the kind of man I fantasized about every night. Though in reality, I had never dated a bad boy.

I was dying to see how he acted in person.

Well, I would soon find out. I was meeting this handsome blue devil tomorrow morning.

I took another deep breath—I needed to relax.

I walked into the kitchen of my Bay-view condo and filled my teakettle, placed it on the stove, and turned on the heat. As the water slowly boiled, I arranged some blush roses, freshly cut from my small garden, in a golden vase. They would make the perfect Instagram picture.

I paused.

That was the problem with me. Instead of taking the time to smell the roses, these days I waited until they had the perfect bloom so I could take an original picture. I didn’t care about their fragrant scent, the unexpected burst of joy I felt when gazing at them, or the overwhelming sense of calm that came over me when I gardened.

For now, my life was all about the picture.

The kettle whistled and jolted me from my introspection. I chose an orange ombré mug I’d bought last week at Home Goods from the cupboard. I hadn’t used this cup in a picture before. And once I took a snapshot of my tea, I would probably never use it again.

I placed my loose-leaf chamomile tea in a sun-shaped silicone tea infuser. After I poured the boiling water into my mug, I put it on a tray with the vase of roses in the background.

I snapped a few pictures, edited the best one in my favorite photo app, applied my signature filter, and then posted to my Instagram.

Take a moment for yourself. Hope you all have a beau-tea-ful day!

I added a few emojis, and then copied and pasted my hashtags in the first comment.

#solanasanchez #marincounty #tea #ilovetea #tealovers #tealover #teatime #teacup #sausalito #teapot #teaaddict #teaparty #teas #teaofinstagram #teasofinstagram #teastagram #teastory #marin #marinite #sausalitocalifornia #californiagirl #afternoontea #teabreak #sausalitoliving #afternoonteatime #afternoonteaparty #chamomile #chamomiletea #looseleaftea

Thank god I had a list of tea hashtags already stored in my phone’s notes. I counted again—twenty-nine. I needed one more for the requisite thirty hashtags for maximum visibility.

I paused and looked at the picture. I wanted to hint to my followers what I was going to do tomorrow. So, I added another hashtag:

#onceinabluemoon

There. Posted. Only two more posts today to go.

I finally grabbed my mug and took a sip of my tea. The lukewarm liquid was bitter.

Served me right for caring more about the picture of my mug than the warmth or strength of my tea.

I took my tepid, over-brewed drink and sat on my balcony. The views of the picturesque houseboats and the Golden Gate Bridge filled me with joy. Normally, on the weekends the Blue Angels were in town, I would sit on my balcony and watch the whole show while sipping margaritas and eating guacamole.

But this time I was getting my wings.

Kill me now. I took another sip of tea and prayed the chamomile would calm my nerves. What if I puked on Sawyer tomorrow?

I was certain all the ladies he took up in his plane must swoon over this hunky pilot. A fly-along was the perfect gimmick to meet women.

But with his sexy looks and prestigious job, I was sure he didn’t need any tricks. A man that hot probably had a girlfriend anyway or was a complete player. Not that it mattered—he would only be in town for the weekend, and I wasn’t interested in having a fall fling.

I gazed out at the bay. It was so beautiful out here. I appreciated this simple moment and was grateful for the freedom my lifestyle afforded me. My parents sacrificed so much in order to send me to the best schools. Now, they spent most of their lives traveling, and I only saw them on vacations. I wished we could be closer. But we weren’t. And that was what I was missing in my life. That deep emotional connection. I had no one who was really there for me.

I finished my last drop of tea and said a silent prayer that I would have a safe flight tomorrow.

But as scared as I was, I couldn’t wait for morning to come.