[[ON HOLD UNTIL AFTER ONC]]Grace finally has it all together. Her smoothie bar is running and generating profit, she's got a second store in the works, and no one is around to break her heart. Not this time.
When her coworkers decide she needs a vac...
The car slowed the closer they got to the little flag that marked their destination on the map. It felt less touristy there, though no place was ever fully free of wandering visitors. More of the shops were the typical ones you'd find in a city. Grocery, convenience, and drug stores dotted the blocks with only a few gift shops to separate them. The restaurants were less flashy as well, geared more towards consistent business year round rather than single memorable experiences.
These were the locations Grace had considered first since steady year round revenue was the most desirable. Her first store had already suffered from relying too much on trends rather than sustainability. If things had gone differently she'd have been looking at a never ending desk job while she paid off the debt of a failed business. A dark job, or a life playing second fiddle to Reid's wants and desires.
Grace glanced at the lean man in the driver's seat and laced her fingers together in her lap. Just being near him brought back those feelings of needing to support him. She'd laid herself out like an intricately embroidered rug for him to wipe his pointe shoes on before pirouetting off to a new adventure. The car stopped before she could drown herself in pity.
"Thanks for the ride, enjoy your day," Grace mumbled as she slid from the car. The warm breeze slapped her in the face. It woke her up enough to remember where she was meant to be going. The property for sale was just around the corner on the far side of a parking lot. Plenty of teens and families crisscrossed her path. It was absolutely the perfect market she had been hoping for.
A hand settled along her mid back to steer her out of the way of a skateboarder headed straight for her. "Careful there, these kids will bulldoze anyone in their way," said her new guardian angel. His short brown hair was gelled up along the center of his head in a mohawk. The tips of his hair had been bleached to give the hairdo a sunburst effect of sorts.
"Thanks, I'd really like to live past today with all my limbs still attached," Grace joked. A wave of heat flashed through her. For some reason she fell into the more morbid jokes when confronted with uncomfortable situations. Friends found it charming, handsome men not so much.
The man spun her to face him and looked her over head to toe. "Looks like everything is attached still, beautiful," he said. The wind caught his open button down and it moved like a sail on the ocean. "You're not from here."
"Clearly," Grace confirmed. At that moment she was wishing she had never heard of the place. The earth was choosing not to oblige in her desire to be swallowed whole. "I should go. Thanks again for the life and all that." She quickly waved and darted past towards the glass front store with the large for rent sign on it.
This location lacked the easy beach access, not that it was hard to get to the sand and surf there. What it lacked in drastic scenic views it made up for with constant foot traffic. Grace pressed her forehead to the glass with her hands cupped around either side of her face. Light from outside easily lit up most of the storefront but she was most interested in what was behind the spacious counters.
Online, the layout pointed to a simple floor plan with one bathroom and a back office as well as a detached storage building. It was very similar to her original property and it gave her a sense of security. She could run this place as easily as the first, she was sure of that.
A warm body pressed lightly against her side as her savior joined her in looking inside. He mimicked her hand positions on the glass. "When do we break in?" The glass squeaked against his palms as he pushed against it and swiveled his body to face her.
"I'm not planning a break in," Grace corrected while trying not to laugh. "I'm thinking about buying it. "Try to picture it." She stepped back and turned him back to face the interior. His skin was warm under her hands where his sleeves had ridden up. The edge of a tattoo curled around his right bicep. "Turquoise tables and blue green chairs, drinks with little umbrellas in fruit shaped cups. A row of top of the line blenders and the freshest fruits you can find."
"This is a weird place to open a bar, but I'm down," he said after some thought.
Grace shook her head and released her hold on him. "Wrong kind of drink. I'm here for the non-alcoholic smoothies."
"There's a tradition here, you know. When someone saves you from a skateboard you have to give them free goods in exchange for services," he told her.
Someone cleared their throat loudly behind them and they found Reid standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. "That is the most made up bull I've ever heard."
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