Page 20 of Better than Yesterday
Tessa: I need advice. Get together?
Her responsewas immediate.
Lila: Ice cream for lunch? Meet at the Corner Scoop at noon?
Ice cream for lunch.Why not? I’d spent the morning in our cramped office at the marina, trying to focus on pH levels and salinity with Kaia and Zane while my mind drifted to what I’d say over lunch.
Now here I was, my stomach doing flips. I pushed through the door and was enveloped by the scent of waffle cones and sugar. The interior was slightly different now—the same white subway tiles and long glass case of colorful ice cream, but the small round tables and chairs were decidedly more modern. The whole place looked refreshed. Lila was already at our old favorite spot in the corner, waving me over with a grin.
“Tessa!” she called as I approached. “I’m so glad you texted. I was hoping we’d reconnect.”
I slid into the chair across from her. “Sorry it’s taken a few days. Blame it on the data. It’s a demanding mistress.”
Lila’s grin widened. “Don’t tell me you need help identifying a new species of sea sponge. I have a hunch this conversation is a little more... human-sized.”
I shrugged. “Definitely not sponges. Unless they’ve suddenly developed feelings.”
“Uh-oh. Feelings on your part or someone else’s?”
“Both. I spent most of yesterday with Braden.”
Before I could expand, a woman with warm brown eyes and an easy smile appeared at our table. She wore a Corner Scoop T-shirt, her dark hair pulled back in a practical ponytail. “Lila, good to see you. The usual?”
“You know it,” Lila replied, then gestured to me. “And Brynn, I want you to meet an old friend. This is Tessa Donovan.”
The woman’s eyebrows rose in recognition. “Dr. Donovan? The one running the Scripps project? It’s nice to finally meet you. The town’s been buzzing.”
“Just Tessa, please,” I said, managing a smile despite feeling suddenly self-conscious. I glanced around the renovated space, looking for the owner who was a fixture of the place. “Where’s Doris?”
The woman, whose name tag readBrynn, smiled. “Retired and moved to be closer to family. The Scoop is mine now. What can I get you?”
I thought quickly. “I’ll have?—”
“Key lime pie in a bowl,” Lila interrupted with a grin. “It’s still your favorite, right?”
The fact that she remembered after all these years made my chest warm. “Yeah. It is.”
Brynn nodded at us. “Two key lime scoops coming up. And Tessa, welcome home.”
She disappeared behind the counter, leaving me staring after her.
“That’s Brynn Mercer,” Lila explained. “She bought this place and completely revitalized it. Married to Dean, who set up a financial planning business. They’re good people.”
I nodded, still processing the warmth and the differences. In California, I was Dr. Donovan, the researcher. Here, I was just Tessa, the girl who used to eat too much key lime pie ice cream.
“So,” Lila said, leaning forward with obvious interest. “Spill. What’s going on with you and Braden?”
“We worked together yesterday morning when hehelped me at the dive site. After we finished, we had lunch and ended up talking for a couple of hours.”
Brynn returned with our ice cream, setting the bowls down with a flourish before retreating. I stared at the pale green swirls, my appetite suddenly uncertain
“Okayyy…” She drew the word out. “And that had you agreeing to ice cream for lunch?”
“He kissed me. Yesterday. After the dive.”
Lila’s eyebrows shot halfway up her forehead. “Kissed you? Like,actuallykissed you, or a friendly peck on the cheek?”
“Like... full on the lips.” The memory sent heat flooding through me, and I cooled it with a spoonful of the tart, perfect confection. “And then this morning, he showed up at my boat with this whole speech about boundaries and keeping things simple.”
