She cracked a smile. “You’re joking, right?”
Cade grinned before he leaped to his feet and brushed the sand off his backside. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back before you know it.”
She watched Cade walk away, and there seemed to be a bounce in his step. “Well, well,” she said to Shadow. Her pet placed his chin on her thigh as he relaxed. Gently petting his head, she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “Will wonders never cease,” she whispered.
Within fifteen minutes Cade returned with a large container holding two large drinks and a paper bag.
“That didn’t take long,” she said.
“I didn’t go far. I didn’t want to risk you changing your mind.”
“No chance,” she said, smiling up at him.
Cade’s returning smile was huge as he sank down into the sand next to Shadow, closer this time. He handed her the soda and then set his own aside before he opened the brown paper bag.
“Are these from Wee Willie’s Wiener Wagon? I didn’t realize he was still at the beach.” The wiener wagon was her favorite of the food trucks, although several sold hot dogs. She thought Wee Willie had left for the season, as she hadn’t seen him in his usual parking spot up from the beach.
“It’s his last day. He took over one of the more popular spots since it was vacant,” Cade explained.
He handed Hope the hot dog wrapped in shiny foil. “I should have asked what you like on your bun. I guessed and added mustard and relish.”
“That’s perfect.”
He removed a second hot dog, unwrapped it, and then tore it into small bites to feed Shadow a little at a time. Given to him whole, Shadow would have immediately inhaled the entire hot dog in one giant gulp.
As she expected, Shadow was in doggie heaven. Wieners weren’t the best diet for him, however, today would be the exception. After everything he’d endured, he deserved to be a little spoiled now and again.
Hope had eaten half her dog before Cade had a chance to dig into his own meal. As the sun started to set and sink below the horizon, they ate in companionable silence, content to simply sit side by side.
When they’d finished, Cade gathered all their trash and delivered it to the proper container before rejoining her. When he sat back down, she noticed Shadow seemed to have completely accepted him. Her faithful friend rested his chin on Cade’s thigh the way he’d done with her earlier.
“My hope is that this will be the first of several dinners.” He looked her way as if this was a question rather than a statement.
“I’d like that.”
He stretched his arm across Shadow’s back and reached for her hand. They linked their fingers together. “Tell me what brought you to Oceanside.”
She inhaled and held her breath. Certain details of her life were private, Hunter’s death being one of those. The pain of his loss was her own and she held it close, not wanting sympathy or welcoming it. Talking about Hunter made her realize how alone she was and often brought tears to her eyes. This was a path she wasn’t ready to walk with Cade, since they were just getting to know each other.
Unsure where to begin, she started with her childhood. “My mother abandoned my brother and me when we were toddlers. We grew up in southern California and were raised by my grandparents.”
“That’s rough,” he said.
“Our grandparents loved us to the best of their ability. I’m sure raising two rambunctious children wasn’t how they’d expected to spend their retirement years.” More than once, Hope had felt their resentment that they couldn’t travel and do all the things they had planned, because they were saddled with her and Hunter.
“Hunter, that’s my twin brother, joined the army as soon as he graduated from high school. I was smart enough to get a scholarship for college, and moved out as soon as I could, to give my grandparents the freedom from responsibility of looking after us.” Hope had worked two part-time jobs, plus concentrating on her studies. Hunter helped her out financially when he could.
“Why did you decide to become a teacher?”
He didn’t know she had a double degree, and this wasn’t the time to point that out. “California had a shortage of teachers at the time, and I knew I’d be able to get a job.”
He nodded, as if urging her to continue.
“Then I lost both my grandparents within a short amount of time, which was really sad. Grandpa went first and then Grandma with breast cancer. I had no idea that older women are more prone to that form of cancer.