Two weeks later as the night was winding down, Lucinda wiped the tables and swept the floor while Raif counted out the register. The night had been busier than expected with the local senior citizen chess club using the place for their weekly tournament again. The game had run well over closing time, but Raif let the members finish up, happy that they brought in business for the night. Later once they were all gone, he appeared from the back office with Lucinda's share of the tips.

"We did good today. What do you say we visit Chuck over at the Riptide?"

"I'm really tired Raif," she replied with a droop of her shoulders. "I just want to get home."

"Oh come on Lucinda. You've been working hard for the last two weeks. You deserve to have a little fun. Just one drink... I'll buy." He smiled.

"Ok... but just one," she huffed, trying to hold back her own smile. "My feet are killing me."

He grinned at her. "Didn't have to twist your arm much, did I?"

"Oh hush!" Lucinda narrowed her eyes at him. "I could change my mind and just go home instead."

He held his hands up. "Ok, fine, fine. I won't push it. Now let's get out of here."

After locking up, Raif and Lucinda walked over to the Riptide a few doors down and were greeted with a cheery welcome from Chuck. A few of the locals who frequented the Barrel Wave, gazed up from their pint glasses and nodded in their direction. It was the first time Lucinda had ever been inside the Riptide and she was suprised by its decor. She had imagined it being a dark dive bar with scuffed wood floors, tattered faux leather booths and barstools with deflated cushions. Except it was actually charming with it's two toned colored walls meant to resemble the ocean and sky. There was even a mural on one of the walls, showing life under the sea with crustaceans crawling along the sand, fish swimming in clusters, and sea otters playing in a forest of kelp. A row of pub tables ran down the middle of the room and against the walls were booths with each of them having glossy surfboards as table tops. Scattered about the ceiling were wrought iron chandeliers, which had been carefully bent and crafted to look like octopuses giving off dim light.

"It's so nice in here." Lucinda regarded as she and Raif settled onto a barstool.

"Thanks, hun," Chuck replied and slid a pint of amber beer in front of Raif. "What's your poison, Lucinda? That way I can start making it for you as soon as you walk through the door next time."

"Um..." She thought it over, except she had no clue what to order. She hadn't been inside a bar since being with her ex fiancé and even then he always ordered for her because she never knew what to get. "I don't know. I've never been good at figuring out what I like."

Chuck narrowed his eyes as if studying her and then slapped the bartop. "I think you look like the kind of girl who enjoys a fruity drink, but with a kick."

"Sounds good to me." She smiled with a bounce of her shoulders.

She watched him go to work as he did bottle tricks that consisted of juggling liquor bottles while simultaneously letting the fluid stream into the mixing tin on the counter. When he was done with the theatrics he slid her a yellowish, orange colored drink in a pint glass.

"That will put some hair on your chest." Chuck winked. He was right. The drink was strong but still tasted like passion fruit, which was a perfect mix for trouble. She turned to Raif and raised her glass to him.

"Cheers, Raif."

He tapped her glass with his and smiled. It wasn't often that Raif felt completely comfortable and relaxed around a woman that seemed to hijack his every thought. Plus, he liked that she kept her word about being a fast learner and she was also helping him save money. When she placed that reimbursement check on his desk... it had been like an answered prayer. SHE had been an answered prayer. Not only was she helping him figure out where he was bleeding money, but there were so many times that he wouldn't even have to ask for something. Instead she would already be passing him the mustard bottle or bag of coffee beans as if reading his thoughts. He was glad he hired her after all.

"To a good shift," he replied.

"Alright you two, here's a couple of shots on the house," Chuck said while placing three empty shot glasses in front of them. Lucinda started to protest but Chuck was already pouring a dark liquid into the glasses. "On the count of three we're gonna throw them down the hatch. Last one to slam their glass on the counter has to do another one. One... Two... Three!"

Chuck slammed his glass down first, then Raif and Lucinda last.

"Bleh! What was that?" Lucinda grimaced while massaging her sternum.

"Fernet. It's so bad that you end up loving it. Which soon enough you will cause you lost our game. Time for another one, darling." As Chuck poured her another shot, Lucinda didn't want to be a poor sport so she took the second round like a champ. "Yes! That a girl! I knew you had some life in you deep down." Chuck joked.

"I don't know..." Lucinda coughed. "This just might kill me!"

"Nah, you'll be fine." Chuck waved his hand. "Anyway, you kids have fun," he said before moving on to refill someone's beer.

Raif tapped Lucinda's knee, grabbing her attention. "Come on Champ, what do you say we burn off that booze?"

"Sure." She laughed softly as she bounced off of the stool to follow after him.

He guided her over to the pool tables and began setting up a game for them. "Any good at this?"

"Me?" She pointed at herself, already feeling the affects of the booze.

"I don't see another gorgeous blonde in this bar, do you?" For a moment Lucinda frowned as she glanced about the area, until Raif let out a hearty laugh. "Yes you, silly woman."

Warmth bloomed across her cheeks as she tried to bite back a smile. "Oh... right, and no, I suck at playing pool."

"I'll go easy on you then."

Lucinda gasped in exaggeration with a hand to her chest. "What? Oh no, don't you dare! I'm a tough cookie, I can handle a real game of pool."

"Tough cookies are stale, Lucinda," Raif replied as he rubbed a piece of chalk against the tip of the cue stick. He glanced up at her with a bit of mischief in his eyes as he added, "and you are far from stale."

Lucinda ducked her eyes and began applying chalk to her cue stick, unsure how to respond. She was so rusty at flirting, not to mention how whenever he said things like that and looked at her the way he did, her mind instantly turned to pudding.

"Would you like to go first?" she asked instead and she could feel just how hot her cheeks had become as she nonchalantly pressed her cold drink to her face.

"Ladies first." Raif motioned to the pool table.

"Ok." Lucinda exhaled and then finished off the rest of her drink. "I've got this..." She rolled her shoulders back and shook out her arms. "I'm going to kick your butt!"

"Hmm, didn't you say just a moment ago that you suck at pool?"

"Maybe I was lying?"

"I guess we'll see." Raif folded his arms, grinning.

Lucinda's head was feeling light and airy as she lined up her shot. When she pushed the stick forward she practicality tore a hole in the pool table, prompting a very giggly outburst from her as she missed her first shot. "Whoops!"

Raif smirked and grazed her lower back as he squeezed by to line up his shot. Like her, though, he missed horribly and then chewed his lip as he said, "yeah... maybe this isn't our game..."

"Well I suppose you can't be good at everything," Lucinda replied.

"Oh? Am I good at a lot of things?" He cocked a brow.

"Wouldn't you like to know..." She said with sass, and then spun on her heels to head for the arcade games.

Raif ordered a round of beers for the two of them and then joined her in a battle of Pac-Man. Lucinda felt a little drunk, but she couldn't tell if it was from the booze or from the butterflies she felt whenever Raif bumped her. But she needed to keep the feelings at bay and keep herself focused. Especially because of the way things had ended the night of the party. Regardless of what Isabel had said, Lucinda had succumbed to the fact that his feelings weren't mutual. Raif was a flirt, and that was all. Once her flower shop was open, and her ducks were in a row, then she would give romance a try, but no sooner than that. Maybe she would even give Tanner another shot? As Raif bumped her again, and her body betrayed her with another roll of flutters, she knew that it was a good time to get home.

"Mind if we call it a night?"

"Hm, what?" Raif asked with his eyes still focussed on the arcade game. His fingers tapped wildly on the buttons like an urgent telegram being typed out.

"I'm exhausted." Lucinda let out a yawn and it was followed by the sound of the game chirpping a sad little song, indicating Raif had lost.

"Well, I guess that's that." He rested his hands on his hips and frowned at the game. "But it is late, so let's get you home, sleepy head."

They were both quiet on the walk to Lucinda's apartment, but she didn't mind it since her eyes were so tired that all she could do was think of her bed. Raif even yawned a few times, which prompted her to yawn too and her eyes to water because of it. Once they reached the steps to her apartment, however, Lucinda found herself not wanting to say goodnight quite yet. So she invited Raif inside with an offer to make him a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. There was no way he could turn it down as his tummy rumbled with the sounds of hunger. Moments later they stood in her kitchen picking apart pieces from the sandwiches and eating them. Lucinda sat on the counter, while he stood to the side of her and leaning against the sink.

"When I was in my early twenties, my girlfriends and I would make these after a night of drinking." Lucinda smiled at the memory and popped a gooey bite into her mouth. "By the way, if you're interested in dessert, I've got blueberries."

"A woman after my own heart..." Raif closed his eyes with a goofy grin and broke off a piece of ham and cheese. "I suppose it's a good thing that we close early tomorrow cause I get the feeling my head will hurt in the morning. I'm starting to feel drunker than I was at the bar. Is that even possible?" he laughed.

"Well you did slam back your beer pretty quickly," she giggled as she hopped down from the counter. Searching for another snack, she pulled the blueberries from the fridge and held them out to him. "Your favorite."

She stood with her arm outstretched waiting for him to take it, but his semi bloodshot glassy eyes rolled over her from head to toe. Even with a sleepy and drunk stare, he still managed to look at her so intensely that her stomach tightened under the scrutiny. She never knew what to do when he stared at her. Should she stare back? Dart her eyes away? Sometimes it made her anxious and excited at the same time.

"You're so damn pretty," he blurted and then quickly took the container from her as if he had embarrassed himself.

At that, Lucinda darted her gaze away, feeling a bit self conscience and looked at her feet to avoid his eyes. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Don't you believe me?"

"Well... when my ex and I broke up, he said some really awful things to me, but the thing that hurt the most..." Lucinda leaned against the fridge as her eyes scanned the kitchen tile. Why did it still hurt so much to talk about him? "He said being with me was just a midlife crisis and that he never even loved me, he just really wanted to screw a hot bimbo. It wasn't so much the hurtful nature of his words, but it was the way he looked at me. It was a face of complete disgust. As if drinking acid wouldn't even be enough dissolve the distaste he had for me and I've never before felt so...so..." she swallowed and said in a whisper, "worthless."

Raif set the blueberries onto the counter and lifted Lucinda's chin to look her deeply in the eyes. "Lucinda you are incredibly beautiful. That man took away your confidence, I can see that, and you need to know how strong you are, determined, kind and overall incredibly sweet to the people you meet. You are beautiful. Inside and out."

"I... " Lucinda stuttered and nervously picked up a few blueberries, then popped them into her mouth.

Was he feeding her a bunch of lies? Or was he being sincere? Suddenly Raif pressed his lips against hers so softly that she didn't even realize they were there. He pulled his mouth away and nuzzled her nose with his before kissing her again. Then she felt herself lean into him and return the same amount of pressure against his mouth. He shifted over while lifting her onto the counter and positioned himself between her legs as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in closer. The kiss quickly intensified as Lucinda felt a hunger for him that she worried she might regret, but she didn't stop moving her mouth against his despite it.

Then he pulled away just enough as he breathlessly said, "Exactly what I thought."

"Um...what?" Lucinda blinked, dazed from the kiss.

"The taste of blueberries on your tongue is my new favorite thing." He grinned as Lucinda recalled a conversation about blueberries at the grocery store.

He crashed his mouth back down to hers and then slipped his hands under Lucinda's shirt. The surprising warmth of his fingers caused her to suck in a gasp. He smiled against her kiss and took a playful nibble of her bottom lip before he hurriedly lifted her shirt over her head. It dropped to the floor with a soft sound as he began placing kisses on her neck, devouring every bit of it. Lucinda's hands gravitated toward his belt buckle as her desire for him had become stronger within seconds, but at the same time something in the back of her mind was starting to shout that it was not ok. It was all too fast. She barely knew Raif and again, he was her boss! What if he broke her heart?

Wanting to throw caution to the wind she unbuckled his pants and thought, who cares if he breaks my heart, but she was only fooling herself to think she could be so cavalier. Right then, a pang deep inside her gut twisted, so she broke their kiss, but his hands pulled her mouth back to him. For a split second she gave in again, but the noise in Lucinda's head, however, kept growing louder.

"I can't, Raif. We can't. This is too fast." she pulled away.

"I'm sorry." He stepped back and ran his hands through his hair while trying to catch his breath. His voice came out deep and rattled as he said, "I'm sorry Lucinda. I don't want to make you feel pressured. I'm sorry if I did."

"I... I don't feel pressured, I just... we need to slow down. I haven't been with anyone in three years and I'm going through a big change in my life... I'm just... I'm just scared."

Lucinda was surprised to hear herself say she was scared. She had no clue whether her plans for her new future would pan out. It was the first time she realized that she really was terrified but she knew that the possibilities lying ahead were there only if she went after them.

Raif pulled her in for a hug, embracing her so that his arms wrapped around her like protective wings, and he kissed the top of her head. "Good night, Lucinda."

🌊🌊🌊

In the morning Lucinda's phone rang several times. At first the ringing sounded distant but then grew louder as she became conscious. She jumped out of bed and stumbled toward the phone. When she answered she heard a familiar voice on the other end.

"Lucinda? Did I wake you?"

"Merrill! Hi, how are you? And no, you didn't wake me, I'm, I'm just feeling a bit... under the weather." Lucinda fibbed, but was actually feeling as if jackhammers were drilling into her skull, thanks to drinking the night before.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Merrill said genuinely. "Well I've got good news. I'm coming to visit you at the end of the month!"

Lucinda was completely awake now. "That is good news! It'll be so nice to have a friend around and I can introduce you to the people I've met. You'll like the apartment I found too. It has its own private garden. You'll love it!"

"That does sound nice. We can BBQ out there." Merrill suggested.

"I miss your cooking so much, Merrill."

"And I miss having you around. My kids came to visit me and it was awful. They want to sell my house, my land and then use the money to put me in an old folks home near my daughter Sylvia. Can you believe it! Me, of all people in a community for seniors??"

"No, I certainly can't. Not with your active lifestyle."

"And then the night ended in bickering and they all left early." Merrill sniffled.

"I'm so sorry Merrill. That must have been awful. It'll be good for you to get away for a while. I can't wait for you to be here."

Carrying on their conversation, Lucinda talked to Merrill about working at the Barrel Wave but tried her best not to give away her feelings for Raif. Merrill talked to Lucinda about fishing with his grandchildren and teaching them to milk the cows. As little time as Merrill and Lucinda had spent together, their connection and friendship felt timeless. Shortly after ending the conversation with Merrill, the phone rang again. Lucinda rubbed her eyes and for a second she thought of ripping the phone wire from the wall and crawling back to bed. Reluctantly she answered the phone.

"Hello..."

"Hi. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Oh... Hi. Um..." Lucinda facepalmed herself as she felt her cheeks blush at the sound of Raif's voice. "I'm feeling ok. Do you need me to come into the cafe?"

"No, no, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about the way I behaved last night. I crossed the line."

"Raif, it's really ok... I don't regret anything." Immediately Lucinda wanted to take back the last part and she felt panicked.

"You don't? Well in that case, I've been thinking about what happened all morning. I even messed up a couple of coffee orders." Raif laughed to him self. "I close up at six... would you like to come over tonight? For dinner I mean. You can meet Frank."

"Frank? Your roomate?"

With a throaty laugh he said, "Yes, my roommate. I'm around the corner from you on Vista Lane. So you'll come over? Around seven?" Raif asked.

"Sure, I'll come over." she grinned through the phone.

Not being able to help herself, Lucinda sunk to the floor with a blissful sigh. Her promise to herself about staying on track with her goals, were officially out of the window, yet she didn't care. She moved to Breeze Bay for a change of pace and to enjoy life. What better way to enjoy life than with a man she was falling for more and more? Lucinda smiled with that thought. She was fully capable of multitasking, so that was precisely what she would do!