friendly, and put off a good vibe. A great setting for fun times and good memories. Grandpa and her late grandma made this little deli bar a beach icon. Apparently, everyone in Perdido Key knew about Gracie’s. It was the place to go for good music and good times.
Kayla didn’t want to change any of that. All she wanted to do was add to it. Make it a site to hold weddings and receptions. Surely that could be incorporated into the small space. Somehow. First, she had to convince Colton. Whoever he was. Her visits over the last years had been too scarce with her tied up in her own business, so she never had the opportunity to meet the man. She only knew he was in charge of running the operation for Grandpa. But that would change soon enough. It had to. She took a huge leap of faith by selling her restaurant in New Orleans and moving to Florida after her grandfather suffered a stroke.
So now, instead of running a famous restaurant, she would try her hand at managing a beach deli bar. And at the persistence of Christi and Paul, she took the steps to start her dream business of planning weddings. If only she could tie the two together.
Kayla spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and getting the beach house ready to be lived in once again. It had been years since there had been a permanent resident living there. Christi and Paul rented it out to tourists after they moved into a bigger house farther up the coast. Kayla was thrilled when Christi offered her a month-to-month lease. Her friend’s help made the move a lot smoother.
Just as they finished breaking down the last of the empty boxes, Christi’s cell phone rang. With Christi’s “Hello, baby,” Kayla knew it had to be her husband, Paul.
Kayla pulled out mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, and ham for sandwich fixings while Christi talked to him.
A few minutes later, Christi strolled back into the kitchen to help with the supper. “Fix one for Paul too. He’s on his way.” Christi pulled out a vegetable tray from the refrigerator. “I’m starving. Must be the pregnancy.”
Kayla laughed. “I’m sure. And we were pretty damn busy today. I can’t believe we got it all done. Thanks for the help.” Kayla pulled out a bag of chips then burst out laughing. “We have enough food here to feed an army. I hope Paul has a big appetite.”
“Believe me, he always has an appetite.”
A thought occurred to Kayla. She would like to see the action at the bar in the evening. See what kind of crowd it attracted. “After we eat, let’s go back to the bar and scope it out again. Even though I want to make it a wedding venue, I still want to keep that open and active.”
“Sounds good to me, I could use a drink,” Paul said as he walked into the kitchen and kissed his wife. “Didn’t mean to barge in, but the patio door was open.”
“No problem. I left it open so the breeze could cool it off in here.”
After eating, they headed back down the beach to the bar. It wasn’t even dusk, but the inside was already full. They found a table just outside of the opened side doors. The screens that earlier enclosed the bar were now pulled back, letting the warm evening breeze flow through. Kayla listened to the music, chatted with her friends, and actually felt a touch of jealousy when Paul placed his hand over Christi’s enlarged belly. He did it absentmindedly, which made it so genuine. Kayla pushed the feelings away. She didn’t have the time or energy to think about babies or husbands for herself.
Paul leaned over to the man sitting at the next table and carried on a conversation about sports. Kayla scooted her chair closer to Christi. “He makes friends anywhere, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah. It’s like all male sports freaks have an internal magnet that identifies them.” Christi squeezed Kayla’s hand. “Oh, Kayla. I wish we didn’t have to leave tomorrow. It’s been a lot of work getting you settled in, but it has been so much fun. We loved our little
Kayla didn’t want to change any of that. All she wanted to do was add to it. Make it a site to hold weddings and receptions. Surely that could be incorporated into the small space. Somehow. First, she had to convince Colton. Whoever he was. Her visits over the last years had been too scarce with her tied up in her own business, so she never had the opportunity to meet the man. She only knew he was in charge of running the operation for Grandpa. But that would change soon enough. It had to. She took a huge leap of faith by selling her restaurant in New Orleans and moving to Florida after her grandfather suffered a stroke.
So now, instead of running a famous restaurant, she would try her hand at managing a beach deli bar. And at the persistence of Christi and Paul, she took the steps to start her dream business of planning weddings. If only she could tie the two together.
Kayla spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and getting the beach house ready to be lived in once again. It had been years since there had been a permanent resident living there. Christi and Paul rented it out to tourists after they moved into a bigger house farther up the coast. Kayla was thrilled when Christi offered her a month-to-month lease. Her friend’s help made the move a lot smoother.
Just as they finished breaking down the last of the empty boxes, Christi’s cell phone rang. With Christi’s “Hello, baby,” Kayla knew it had to be her husband, Paul.
Kayla pulled out mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, and ham for sandwich fixings while Christi talked to him.
A few minutes later, Christi strolled back into the kitchen to help with the supper. “Fix one for Paul too. He’s on his way.” Christi pulled out a vegetable tray from the refrigerator. “I’m starving. Must be the pregnancy.”
Kayla laughed. “I’m sure. And we were pretty damn busy today. I can’t believe we got it all done. Thanks for the help.” Kayla pulled out a bag of chips then burst out laughing. “We have enough food here to feed an army. I hope Paul has a big appetite.”
“Believe me, he always has an appetite.”
A thought occurred to Kayla. She would like to see the action at the bar in the evening. See what kind of crowd it attracted. “After we eat, let’s go back to the bar and scope it out again. Even though I want to make it a wedding venue, I still want to keep that open and active.”
“Sounds good to me, I could use a drink,” Paul said as he walked into the kitchen and kissed his wife. “Didn’t mean to barge in, but the patio door was open.”
“No problem. I left it open so the breeze could cool it off in here.”
After eating, they headed back down the beach to the bar. It wasn’t even dusk, but the inside was already full. They found a table just outside of the opened side doors. The screens that earlier enclosed the bar were now pulled back, letting the warm evening breeze flow through. Kayla listened to the music, chatted with her friends, and actually felt a touch of jealousy when Paul placed his hand over Christi’s enlarged belly. He did it absentmindedly, which made it so genuine. Kayla pushed the feelings away. She didn’t have the time or energy to think about babies or husbands for herself.
Paul leaned over to the man sitting at the next table and carried on a conversation about sports. Kayla scooted her chair closer to Christi. “He makes friends anywhere, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah. It’s like all male sports freaks have an internal magnet that identifies them.” Christi squeezed Kayla’s hand. “Oh, Kayla. I wish we didn’t have to leave tomorrow. It’s been a lot of work getting you settled in, but it has been so much fun. We loved our little
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