"Yes!" Arabella stopped when she spotted a giant pink cupcake with THELMA'S SWEET TREATS scripted across the top. Surely, they sold sugar cookies. Hopefully, they also had coffee. Yes! There was a parking spot in front of the shop. "Okay, I can do this," she mumbled as she craned her head over the back seat to parallel park. On her second attempt, she finally managed to get close enough to the curb.
Glad to have found a reason to delay her arrival at Grady's house, she opened the car door and stepped into the balmy Florida breeze. After fishing out a quarter for the old-fashioned parking meter, she headed to the cheerful-looking bakery.
A tinkle of a bell over the door announced her arrival. "Well, hello there, welcome to Thelma's!" A rosy-cheeked, elderly woman looked up from a tray of perfectly crowned muffins and smiled.
"Are you Thelma?"
"The one and only, and I'm told they broke the mold after me. What can I get you today?"
"Mmmm . . ." Smiling back, Arabella inhaled the sweet, buttery scent mixed with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. "Let's see. . . ." She peered at the shiny glass case filled with delicious-looking pastries. "Everything looks amazing." Her stomach rumbled in anticipation of finally being fed. "Do you have any sugar cookies?"
"We sure do, and they absolutely melt in your mouth." Thelma pointed to the opposite side of the bakery. "The cookies are over there." She dusted her hands on her apron and hurried over to the cookie counter.
"Wow." Arabella looked at the wide variety of cookies, from chocolate chip to macaroons, but nothing could tempt her away from a good old sugar cookie. "I'll take two sugar cookies and a large coffee with cream and sugar."
"Coming right up." The sweet little lady slipped the cookies into a white paper bag and put it on the counter while she poured the coffee. "In town for business or pleasure?"
"Business," Arabella said, but the world pleasure had her thinking about Grady in a way she needed to steer clear of. She pulled a ten-dollar bill out of her wallet.
"Well, I hope you get time to see some of the sights. The beach here is spectacular, and right now the ocean is as warm as bathwater."
"Thanks, I plan to head to the beach as soon as I can break away from work." Arabella took the change but then spotted a big glass jar with SUSAN HEART LUPUS FOUNDATION written on the side. A sharp pang of sadness gripped her. She put her change in her wallet, took out a twenty-dollar bill, and stuffed it into the jar.
"Bless you, sweetie. Susan Heart was an icon in this town. We sure do miss her. Thanks so much for the donation."
Clearing her throat, Arabella nodded. "You're welcome." She remembered Susan's warm smile and easy laugh, and in that moment, she knew that no matter how difficult facing Grady Heart was going to be, she was doing the right thing by coming here.
"Have you heard of the boy band Heartbeat?" Thelma asked with a touch of pride in her voice.
"I have."
"They're from right here in Sea Breeze. Susan was their mother," she added with a sad smile. "I remember when she used to come in here with all those boys in tow. They were a handful! And twins? Don't know how she did it. Cute as buttons, though." She waved a hand through the air. "Sorry, I get emotional thinking about it."
///
Arabella nodded. "It's okay. I understand."
"Ah, well, hope you enjoy your cookies and your stay here in Sea Breeze. Come back and see me soon."
Arabella raised her cup of coffee in salute. "You can count on it," she said. After leaving the bakery, she opted to sit on a shaded park bench to sip her coffee and munch on one of the cookies. The sweet, buttery taste made her think of her granny, and she calmed down just a little bit. She people-watched, feeling a touch of envy at the laughter, the hum of conversation . . . lovers walking hand in hand.
"Mommy, can we get a treat?" A cute little blond girl, about the age of three, looked at her mother with pleading eyes as they reached the entrance of the bakery.
"Okay, Chloe, but only if you promise to eat all your vegetables at dinner."
"I will! I will!" Chloe danced from one foot to the other but then paused. "Wait, we're not having kale, are we?"
"No." The mother laughed. "Not tonight."
"Good! Kale is gross." The relief on the child's face was priceless, and she tugged on her mother's hand. "I want a smiley-face cookie."