A Shore Thing Read online

  Rise and Shine

  I awoke the next morning to the bright sunlight shining through my bedroom window. I looked at my alarm clock. It was only 5:45 am. I tried falling back to sleep, but it was no use. I trudged to the kitchen to find something to eat and saw the back door was open. Surprised that Gran was awake so early, I wandered outside to find her. I peered out past the sand dune and saw a lone figure strolling along the shore.

  I headed down to the beach to meet her. The early morning sun sparkled on the ocean and the seagulls flew overhead. I called to Gran, but she couldn't hear me over the roar of the waves. I jogged towards her, my feet sinking into the sand. Finally, she turned around and saw me, a big smile in her face. "Good morning, Colby."

  I rubbed my eyes, squinting in the early morning sun. "Hi, Gran. How come you're out here so early?"

  Gran smiled. "This my favorite time of day."

  "Why?" I asked.

  "Because in the early morning this is all mine. The sand...the ocean...the sun...It just surrounds you with a sense of peace. It has a way of putting things in perspective. Makes your troubles feel smaller. Let's you know that everything will be okay.

  I closed my eyes and breathed in the salty sea air, feeling the cool morning breeze. She was right. Things did seem much calmer here. We strolled along the shore, as the waves washed against our feet.

  Gran didn't ask about the party. I'm sure she knew about it, but she acted like it wasn't a big deal. She was more interested in finding out about me.

  "So, tell me, Colby, how have you been?"

  "I'm good, Gran."

  "I can't believe you are half way finished with high school already. Have you given any thought to what you'd like to do when you're finished with school?"

  I felt a familiar knot in my stomach. "I really don't know." Whenever I thought about the future, a sense of panic swept over me. Were my grades high enough? Would I get into a good school? Would I choose the right career? My parents talked about it all the time and it always made me freeze up.

  "Well there's no need to worry about that just yet." She paused and smiled. "You're still young to know what you want to do with the rest of your life." She laughed. "In fact, I'm 68 and I'm still figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life."

  She put her arm around my shoulder. "You'll figure it out in time. You are a smart and talented girl. And you don't need to have all the answers right now."

  When we returned to the house, Gran smiled and grabbed my hand. "Come with me, Colby. I have a surprise for you."

  I followed her down the hall to the spare bedroom. She opened the door. I couldn't believe my eyes. Gran had transformed the room into an art studio. Paintings of the ocean and the beach covered the walls. In the center of the room there was a large drafting table. Shelves standing nearby were lined with paints, brushes, and pastel crayons. A large window at the front of the room overlooked the ocean.

  Gran smiled proudly. "This is my special place. It's where I go when I need to get away from the world. I can get lost in here for hours."

  I walked around the room to see all of the paintings covering the walls. "These are great, Gran. Did you paint all of these?"

  Gran smiled proudly. "Yes, I always enjoyed painting. When I was young, I wanted to be a painter, but life has a way of getting in the way. And well...last year I realized that life is too short. I decided to delve back into my artwork. I can just get lost for hours in here. The ocean always provides me with inspiration. When you are doing something that you love, your days are full. " She held a brush out to me. "Maybe you'd like to give it a try. I remember when you were a little girl you loved to paint and you had quite an eye."

  I took the brush and smiled uncertainly. "Okay, I'll give it a shot."

  Gran left the room and I dipped my brush in the blue paint, tentatively brushing waves on the canvas. I added the sun, and the shore. Before long, my brush seemed to have a mind of its own, moving quickly across the canvas, adding different hues to show the sunlight on the waves. When Gran stopped in to see if I was hungry, two hours had gone by already. I couldn't believe how fast the time had passed.

  She took a look at my painting and smiled. "I knew you were talented, Colby." She grabbed my hand and said "Follow your passion and do the things that bring you joy. Life is too short to waste worrying and trying to please others."

  I smiled. "Thanks, Gran."

  "Now let's go get something to eat before you waste away." She winked at me. "I know a place that has the best blueberry muffins on LBI."

  Cuppa Jo

  We headed to a little coffee shop about a block from Gran's house called Cuppa Jo. The place smelled terrific, like coffee, cinnamon, and cake. Peering at the glass display case near the counter, it was hard to decide what to order. I felt like I could gain a ten pounds just by looking at all the gooey cinnamon buns and oversized muffins.

  I ordered a French vanilla cappuccino and a blueberry muffin. It was the best muffin I'd ever had in my life. We sat at a little table in the window on high stools. We were just finishing up, when I saw a really cute guy with shaggy brown hair and sunglasses, walking down the street carrying a surfboard. He set the board near the entrance and walked in. I looked down quickly before he could see me staring at him.

  Gran smiled. "Hi, Ethan."

  He took off his glasses and waved at Gran. "Hi, Mrs. Lovett," he said with an easy smile. Then he caught my eye.

  "Let me introduce you to my granddaughter, Colby. She's staying with me for the summer. Colby, this is Ethan. He's my favorite worker here. He makes the best coffee. And his parents have a beach house just down the street."

  Ethan smiled, and brushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes. "Hi, Colby," he said. "Nice to meet you."

  Wow, he's cute, I thought to myself. Play it cool, Colby.

  "Hi," I said, my cheeks burning.

  Gran smiled and looked back and forth between us. "Well, Ethan...since Colby will be here all summer, she might be looking for a job to keep her busy.

  Do you know of any places that are hiring for the summer?"

  Ethan nodded. "Yeah, I think we are hiring here."

  Gran smiled. "Well, how ‘bout that? Colby, why don't you take an application in case you decide to apply."

  I nodded. "Ok."

  Ethan disappeared into the kitchen, just as I saw the "Help Wanted" sign on the counter. I shot Gran a look.

  "Did you have this planned all along? Are you trying to get rid of me?" I laughed.

  "I'm certainly not trying to get rid of you, but it would be good for you to spend some time with other young people. And I think you'd do a great job here."

  Ethan came back and handed me the application. "Let me know if you're applying." He smiled, showing his dimples." I'll put in a good word for you." Then he hurried back behind the counter.

  When we were leaving, Ethan called out. "Bye, Colby. Nice meeting you. Don't forget to turn in that application." He smiled and I could feel myself blushing.

  "Okay, thanks," I answered, trying to stay calm.

  Maybe working there might not be so bad.

  Working Girl

  When I got home, my head was spinning. Ethan was so cute. I knew I probably didn't stand a chance with him, but he was really nice. And it would be great to have a friend at the beach. So, first thing the next morning, I sat at the kitchen table and filled out the application, while Gran made us some bagels and cream cheese.

  “I’m glad you decided to apply for the job,” she said. “I think you’ll like working at that coffee shop. The workers are all very friendly…especially that young man you met yesterday.”

  I took a deep breath. “Yeah, he seemed nice.”

  Gran sipped her coffee and grinned. “Not to mention that he’s a handsome young fellow, too.”

  I shrugged and looked down. “I guess so.”

  “Well, if you ask me, he seemed awfully eager for you to apply for the job.”

  I shook my head. “Na
h, he was just being friendly. Guys like him don’t notice girls like me.”

  Gran tipped he head and looked at me. “Girls like you? You mean pretty, smart, and talented?”

  “No, I mean shy, awkward, and bookish.”

  Gran reached across the table and patted my hand. “Oh honey, you have no idea how lovely you are. And it just makes you even more special.”

  “Thanks, Gran.” At least someone thought I was special.

  When I brought the application back to the shop, Ethan wasn't working, but a manager named Kim interviewed me and hired me on the spot.

  "When can you start?" she asked.

  "I'm available whenever you need me."

  "Great, how about right now?" she asked, handing me an apron.

  I smiled. "Uhh ...sure."

  "Okay, great.” She said as she pointed to a small girl working behind the register who had frizzy ponytail pulled high on her head. “This is Mouse.”

  The girl turned to me and grinned, snapping her gum at a furious pace. “Hey," she said in a squeaky voice.

  The manager explained, "She'll be working the morning shift with you. If have any questions, just ask her. She knows the ropes. Ethan will be in at noon. I have an appointment this morning, so it's up to you two to hold down the fort."

  Mouse grinned and saluted. "Aye-aye, Captain. We've got it covered. Right, Colby?"

  I nodded uncertainly. "Uh...right.”

  The morning flew by. There was a steady stream of customers ordering coffee, cookies, and muffins. Mouse rang up the orders and I served the customers and wiped down the tables.

  When there was finally a little break, she grinned and held out a coffee for me. "We make a good team."

  I smiled. "Yeah, we do."

  Mouse told me she was from New York, but she had spent every summer at LBI at her family's beach house since she was three.

  She smiled. “It’s great here. Do you know your way around the island?”

  I shook my head. “No, whenever my family comes to visit, we usually just stay for a few days and hang out at my grandmother’s house.”

  "So, you’ve never been to Beach Haven?”

  I shook my head.

  “Oh, you've got to check it out. It's only about 10 minutes from here and that's where all the action is. We'll have to go sometime."

  "Yeah, that would be great," I said.

  She took a sip of her coffee. "So how come you decided to spend the whole summer here with your grandmother this year?"

  "Well... it's not like I decided, more like it was decided for me." I started to explain about the party and the police and how my parents shipped me off. The words were coming out so quickly, she didn't have much time to respond. And before you knew it, I started crying. Not just little sniffles, but big ugly sobs.

  Mouse patted my shoulder and handed me a tissue. "Awww...Honey, it will be okay. Don't worry about it. I get in trouble all the time. And for worse things than that. Last year, my friends and I decided to cut class to go to an Imagine Dragons concert. Too bad my dad was working security at the concert. If I had known, we would have picked a different show... or gone in disguise." She laughed. "Anyway, what you need is something to help get you mind off of things." She patted my shoulder. "I know...there's a party at the beach tonight." She squeezed my arm and smiled. "You've got to come."

  I sniffed and nodded. It might be good to get out for a while.

  Just then the door opened and Ethan walked in. He grinned and said, "Hey, look who's here- French Vanilla Cappuccino." But when he saw that I had been crying, his smile melted away.

  "What's wrong? Bad day here?" He asked, his brow furrowed. I wiped my eyes quickly. I was so embarrassed that he saw me blubbering like a baby.

  I shook my head. "I have to go," I whispered. I took off my apron and hurried toward the door.

  "Hey, Colby, don't forget about the party tonight," said Mouse.

  I nodded and hurried out, before I could embarrass myself anymore.

  Washed Away

  When I got back to the house, I locked myself in the bedroom and flopped on the bed. Just when things were looking up, I had ruined it all by blubbering like a baby in front of Ethan. I was embarrassed to show my face in that coffee shop again. And as far as the beach party, there was no way I was going now.

  Around three o'clock, I heard a knock on my door.

  “Is it okay if I come in?” Gran asked.

  “Sure.” I sat up and wiped my eyes.

  The door slowly opened and Gran entered carrying a tray with a turkey sandwich and some iced tea.

  "I thought you might be hungry."

  "Thanks," I said half-heartedly.

  She looked at me and paused for a moment, like she was thinking about what to say. Then she placed the tray down on the night stand and asked, "Bad first day?"

  "Yeah, you could say that." I shook my head. "I just always manage to make a fool of myself."

  Gran smiled. "Well, first days are like that. That's what makes second days so much better. You know, it's okay to mess up. Everyone does.” She laughed. “I can still remember my first day working at my Uncle Jack’s diner. I was fifteen years old and I felt like a big shot because he had hired me to work a few hours after school, cleaning the tables and washing dishes. Anyway, on my first day he had me fill all of the sugar jars. I had them filled in no time flat and I was proud of myself for doing such a good job…until a Mr. Brown spooned some sugar into his coffee and took a long sip. His face puckered and he spit that coffee right out on the counter.

  “What’s wrong, Joe? Is the coffee too strong?” my uncle Jack asked.

  “Not strong,” Joe sputtered. “It’s plain awful! It’s just about the worst coffee I’ve ever had in my life. In fact, I’d rather drink a cup of mud sooner than taking another sip of that awful brew.”

  My uncle scowled at him. “Now wait just wait a minute, Joe. My coffee may be a little strong, but that’s how my customers like it…and that’s how you’ve had your coffee every afternoon since I opened this place.”

  Joe shook his head. “It’s not the same. See for yourself,” he said, sliding the cup across the counter towards my uncle. He took a sniff and then carefully sipped the coffee, which he promptly spit back out.

  That’s when my uncle eyed the sugar jars that I had just filled. He grabbed one from the counter, dipped his pinky in, and took a taste. Then he looked at me and started laughing. “You just filled every one of them sugar jars with salt.”

  Gran shook her head. “I couldn’t believe I made such a silly mistake. I was absolutely humiliated! My uncle laughed so hard that his whole face turned red and I ran out of that diner and all the way home. I didn’t want to go back the next day, but I figured I owed my uncle, especially after wasting all that salt and making more work for him. But he was a good sport about it.” She laughed, “After that the customers started calling me ‘Sugar’ and the nick name stuck until I finally stopped working there two years later.” Gran smiled. “Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t give up. I have a lot of great memories from working in that diner.” Gran patted my arm. “You’ll see. Things will get better. Why don’t you try eating something? It might make you feel a little better.”

  “Thanks, Gran, but I'm not really hungry right now. I think I'm going to head down to the beach for a bit," I said, grabbing a book from my nightstand.

  "Great idea," said Gran, "Nothing that some sunshine on the beach can’t cure. Nature’s best medicine."

  I gave her a quick hug and headed down to the shore. I put my beach chair close to the water, sticking my toes in the sand. The warm waves washed my feet as I read. I was probably sitting there for over an hour, when I nodded off.

  I woke up startled, when something splashed me and I nearly fell right out of the chair.

  "What the heck?" I shouted. I squinted in the bright afternoon sun, trying to make out the figure standing in front of me.

  "Hey, Cappuccino. You shouldn't fall asleep right
next the water. You might wake up lost at sea."

  It was Ethan. I took a deep breath. Be calm, I told myself.

  He smiled, showing off his dimples. "So, don't yell at me for splashing you. Actually, I was saving you from spending the rest of your life stranded alone on an island."

  "Oh, well in that case ...thanks," I said. "I didn't realize you were on a life- saving mission."

  He laughed and splashed me again. "Yes, this is purely a good deed."

  I smiled. "Well I'd like to return the favor." I laughed, kicking water back at him."

  He looked up, surprised. "Well… how ‘bout I do you a really big favor," he said, as he pulled me out of my chair and pushed me toward the ocean.

  I was laughing so hard my side hurt, but then a big wave came and knocked us both down. He fell right on top of me and looked me in the eyes for a moment, our faces so close I could feel his breath.

  "Sorry, Cappuccino,” he said, looking suddenly embarrassed. “I didn't mean to knock you over." He reached out a hand and pulled me up, before another wave crashed on us.

  I laughed. "It's okay...I'll survive." But on the inside, I was dying. He was so cute and the way he had looked at me made me melt.

  Just then I heard someone splashing through the water towards us.

  "Ethan, what are you doing to this poor girl?" said a tall blonde in a tiny bikini. "Are you trying to kill her or something."

  He laughed. "Nah, actually I'm trying to save her. This is a Cappuccino, also known as Colby. She just started working at Cuppa Joe and I had to wake her up before she was washed off by a tidal wave."

  "Hi," I said, smiling shyly.

  The girl laughed and looked at Ethan. "You have a strange way a saving someone.” She turned towards me. “I'm Lexie," she said, eyeing me carefully. Then she reached for Ethan's hand. "Come on, Ethan. We promised your mom we'd be back for dinner. Let's go."