Now here came Roman Salazar, all charm and good looks and possessing a heart she suspected might be big enough to carry most of Butterfly Harbor in it. Darn it. The man was so...irritating! So well intentioned. So... Frankie sighed. So appealing. And as far as sparks? The man set them off simply by entering a room.
Thank goodness he was her boss.
“So this was nice,” Roman said, and Frankie had to hide her smile behind her hot chocolate. He really was terrible at the small-talk thing.
“I have to admit, it’s one of my favorite nights of the year. Bigger turnout than usual. Probably because of Mrs. Hastings.”
“And Simon?”
Frankie grinned and toasted him with her cocoa. “And Simon.”
She looked around, taking in the still-milling crowd and the group of kids surrounding the tree. The faint sound of Christmas music from a portable speaker system drifted through the night. She saw Holly and Luke, each carrying one of the twins, hovering near the cookie table now being manned by Abby Corwin. The faint tinkling of bells had her turning as Calliope, Xander and Stella strolled by.
The majority of the Cocoon Club were topping off their hot chocolates with a bit of peppermint schnapps. A wave of affection washed over her. How could she even think of leaving this place? Leaving her friends, her town. Her family? All because she hadn’t gotten the job she wanted. Ridiculous.
“It occurs to me there’s something I haven’t done since I’ve been here.”
Roman’s voice knocked her back to reality. “Oh? What’s that?”
“I have not taken a walk on the beach.”
Frankie arched a brow, stepped back and eyed him head to toe. “You want to do that in your uniform?”
“Why not? Shoes come off. Clothes dry. Come with me?”
“Ah.” She glanced around as if everyone had heard his invitation, but no one paid either of them any mind. “Yeah, sure, okay.” Truth be told, she hadn’t taken a nighttime walk on the beach in a long time. “Just hang on a minute.” She found Calliope’s distinctive hair in the crowd and practically dive-bombed her. “Hey, can you keep an eye on Phoebe for me for a little while? I’m going for a walk on the beach.”
Calliope’s gaze barely flickered over Frankie’s head before a slow smile appeared on her lips. “Of course. Take your time.”
“I won’t be long,” Frankie insisted.
“Take your time,” Calliope repeated and left Frankie shaking her head as she returned to Roman’s side.
He’d already removed his shoes and socks and was setting them behind the dividing stone wall for when they returned. “Something wrong?”
“No. Just Calliope being all-knowing, all-seeing Calliope,” Frankie said. “You picked a good night for your inaugural walk.” She looked up at the full moon and followed its rays over the lapping waves.
“Aren’t you going to take off your shoes?”
“I’m on call.” It wasn’t the first time she’d been asked this question. It was, however, the first time the man asking would understand her answer. “Moonlight’s a-wasting. Let’s go.” She watched him as they stepped onto the beach, saw the familiar veil of contentment drop over his face as his feet sank ankle-deep into the cool sand.
“I might need to make this a nightly ritual.”
They walked a bit, down to where the waves kissed the shore, and stopped. It was there, in the shadow of the moon, she took a step back and appreciated the view in front of her. Not of the ocean, although that was glorious. No. It was the image of a man in his uniform, one hand in his pocket, another holding a cup of chocolate, bare feet sinking into the damp sand that had her heart and stomach battling it out in an odd dance.
“How do you not do this every night?” he asked.
“Well, until recently, I haven’t really had many nights free.”
From over his shoulder, Roman grinned at her and her heart flipped like a dolphin at sea. “Is that your way of saying I was right?”
She grinned back, not only because he expected it, but because she felt like it. “You know me well enough by now that if I thought you were right, I’d come right out and say it.” She pressed her lips together, drank more chocolate and tried not to laugh at the confused expression that creased his forehead. “All right. The change in schedule might be working out okay.” It didn’t mean she wasn’t called when she was off duty, but the dead hours had lessened.
“You are magic with the compliments.” His chuckle echoed out over the water as he began to walk along the shore. “I’m beginning to understand why you love this place so much.”