When Saturday finally arrived, Raif had already listened to several earfuls from both Emma and Hector about forgetting about the party. He promised to try his best to get the Senior Chess club out of the cafe early and rush over to at least enjoy a drink and whatever was left over from the cake. Truthfully, he really was upset with himself about forgetting and a part of him felt like he should've just let Lucinda close, but at the same time he wanted her to go have fun. Ever since he hired her she had been working six days a week and putting in extra hours to do his bookkeeping. She deserved a break.

In fact his decision couldn't have been more solidified as he watched her walk into the cafe while pushing her windblown hair out of her face. Her cheeks were pink from the cold and she immediately smiled upon seeing him. He couldn't help but smile back. Seeing her happy, instead of the sad and lost stare she had when he first met her, was better than any buzz from alcohol.

"Tonight's the big party. Got your outfit planned out?" he asked as she walked through the short swing door and behind the counter. Her light scent of vanilla floated up to his nose as she made her way past him and he savored it.

"Sort of," Lucinda replied as she tied her apron on.

"Uh oh, sounds like you're still undecided on what to wear," Raif said as he continued spreading habanero aioli onto a bread roll.

"No, I've got something picked out, it's just... old and I was hoping to find something new, but it's ok." She shrugged. "I'm sure there will be other opportunities for me to get all dolled up for a party."

"Hmm..." Raif hummed as he layered on slices of turkey to the sandwich. "I tell you what, you can get off an hour early and that way you have time to do some last minute shopping before the party."

"What? No." Lucinda shook her head as she began pouring herself a cup of the house coffee.

"Yes," Raif replied.

"No," she repeated. "It really isn't that big of a deal. I'll just make due with the dress I have at home. Plus I already feel guilty that you'll be staying here, closing, and missing your friends party while I'm there having fun."

Raif sliced through the sandwich and then turned to completely face her. "Lucinda, my cafe, my rules. You're getting off an hour early and you're going to go find yourself a new dress for tonight. Ok?"

"Raif. No."

"Yes," he said with a nod and a stern look on his face. "In fact, I think it's time for your bonus."

Lucinda widened her eyes as she pulled her head back, confused. "My what?"

"Your bonus. You're past your probationary period, so that means it's time for your bonus. Which is perfect timing since you're going shopping for a dress." He smiled and turned back to the sandwich, placing it on a plate.

"Raif." She raised her hands, shaking them. "You never said anything to me about a probationary period when you hired me or a bonus, so NO, I'm not accepting it!"

"My cafe. My ru-"

"NO!" she shouted, causing the few customers in the cafe to turn their attention to them. She lowered her voice. "I cannot accept it."

"Listen honey," an elderly woman's voice said to them from across the counter and when they looked in her direction they saw it was Mrs. Rita. "When a man like Raif wants to give you money, you just take it cause one day you'll be too old, wrinkled and fat for a handsome man to offer you anything."

Raif stifled a satisfied laugh as Lucinda slid her gaze to him, shutting him right up. "Thank you Mrs. Rita." He bowed. "And because you're so kind I'm giving you this sandwich on the house."

"Why thank you, Raif." Mrs. Rita bowed her head to him in return. "Has anyone ever told you that you're so sweet you make sugar taste like salt?"

"Can't say anyone has," he replied.

"Well you are and I hope that whichever girl captures your heart next that she realizes just how lucky she is to have you!" She nodded her head, pleased with her words and Raif's eyes automatically shifted over to Lucinda, the woman who wouldn't stop invading his thoughts.

"I hope so too," he said quietly as Lucinda proceeded to take a customers drink order.

Mrs. Rita leaned over the counter and cupped her hand over her mouth as she whispered loudly, "If she doesn't see how special you are, then just remember how I've still got that granddaughter I've been telling you about!"

"I haven't forgotten." Raif smiled, nervously wondering if Lucinda heard Mrs. Rita? He rubbed the back of his neck with a bit of a blush rushing to his cheeks.

"Take care honey." Mrs. Rita waved as she walked away with her lunch.

As Raif continued to work his way through the afternoon, it seemed to breeze by with a steady pace of customers. He and Lucinda fell into a rhythm as she prepared drink orders and he took care of the soups and sandwiches. Then when things slowed down he went into the kitchen to prepare veggies while Lucinda cleaned the dinning area. Later as she restocked merchandise and items in the deli counter, he took inventory of the products in the walk-in fridge and freezer. Before he knew it the clock on the wall showed that it was four in the afternoon and he decided he would be generous by letting Lucinda get off work two hours early instead of one. He figured it would earn him brownie points!

"Here you go," he said as he held out a white envelope to her with her name on it. "Your bonus."

"No." She batted it away and turned back to the coffee machine she was cleaning. "I told you, I'm not accepting it."

"Lucinda..." He arched a brow as he pulled on a stern face. "Do I have to threaten to fire you again in order for you to accept your bonus?"

"Oh come on! Don't be ridiculous!" She huffed.

Raif folded his arms as he bit back a smile. "You know, I could say the same thing about you. Give me one good reason why you can't accept this."

"Because..." Lucinda began to say and then tossed her hands in the air in frustration. "Because I just can't!"

"Why?"

"Because I can afford to buy my own dress, ok?"

"I know you can..." Raif cocked his head with a bit of a frown and then quickly explained. "I wasn't trying to imply that you couldn't or make you feel bad and I'm sorry if I did. You can use your bonus money on whatever you want, buying a dress was just a suggestion. You work hard and I just wanted to reward you to show my gratitude."

Lucinda stopped cleaning the coffee machine and set the rag in her hand down. She sighed and kept her eyes to the floor. "I am grateful for the job and your generosity, Raif. It's just that in my experience, men don't give things to women without an ulterior motive, so I guess I just feel weird accepting extra money from you."

"Hey." Raif brought the tips of his fingers to her chin and turned her face toward him. She avoided his eyes as she kept her attention on the floor, so he bent his knees to be eye level with her and said, "I'm not one of those men who do that. I'm giving this to you because you've earned it. Thanks to you I've been able to afford repairs to keep this place running, and it's all because you combed through my records and found where I was losing money." He pressed the white envelope into her hands. "You've earned this. I'm not asking for anything in return."

Lucinda curled her fingers around the envelope, causing their hands to briefly clasp around one another's. Her hand felt so cold against his warm one and he couldn't help but bring his other hand up so that both of his hands were encasing her's like protective wings. There was a soft pulsing under the skin of her neck, just below the chin, indicating that her blood was racing just as fast as his heart was thumping. She finally shot her gaze up to him and for a moment they just stood there, gazing at one another, with her hand wrapped in his two large ones.

Raif noticed how her attention kept darting back and forth between his mouth and his eyes, followed by the slightest glide of her tongue over her lips to wet them. It was exactly the way she had done in the grocery store. He could feel his abdomen tightening as he faught the urge to lean in and plant his mouth on hers. Gosh she was pretty with those round eyes and long lashes! For a moment Raif even forgot they were still in the cafe as the sounds of the machines and light chatter from customers faded out. It was strange how something so simple, such as holding Lucinda's hand, could make everything else dissolve.

"Could I have another cup of coffee whenever you two are done doing whatever it is you're doing??" A customer's voice said.

Raif watched Lucinda's eyes widened as she ripped her away and practically jump back as if he was on fire. He grinned at her sudden panic, but bit back the smile as he turned to the customer and reached for their empty cup. "Yeah sure, I'll get this filled for you Mr. Lee."

"Guess I'll get going then!" Lucinda exclaimed with a nervous laugh. There was a rosy hue of blush blooming on her cheeks as she began fumbling with the ties on her apron and Raif chuckled.

"Need help?"

"No, no, I got it!" she said as the knot finally came free and she ripped the apron off. "Guess I'll see you Monday?"

"Yep, till Monday..." He sighed quietly and began filling up the customers cup with amusement still lingering on his lips.

He watched as Lucinda scurried out of the cafe, but was caught off guard as she glanced back and caught him watching her. A shy smile curled at the edges of her mouth as she raised a hand to wave a goodbye. He nodded back to her and she ducked her head down to hide the blush forming on her cheeks before disappearing from his sight and taking a piece of him with her.

🌊🌊🌊

As soon as Lucinda was down the street she felt like she could finally breath again. Sometimes she forgot her lungs even existed whenever Raif stared so intensely at her and the way his hands felt around hers... warm, always warm and with a hint of roughness from hard work. She shook off the embarrassment of being caught oogling her boss and continued speed-walked down the street. In the distance she could see a sign that read, Mademoiselle and as she got closer the window display had mannequins posed in pretty frilly dresses. Undoubtedly it was the boutique Emma and Isabel had raved about, so she went inside.

The door chimed above her, prompting a voice from somewhere in the back to call out a hello. At first Lucinda let her eyes roam around as she took in the brick walls and the ceiling which was painted to look like the midnight sky with clouds and stars. Racks of clothing hung on long horizontal pipes along the walls, giving an industrial feel along with the chandeliers made from copper wires. In one corner a small grey poodle was spread out on a fluffy shag rug, taking in the last rays of sun coming in through a skylight. The dog lifted it's head and looked in her direction but then went back to sleep.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?"

When Lucinda searched for the melodic voice greeting her, she zeroed in on the statuesque woman with creamy skin and chin length hair that was so blonde it almost looked white. If she didn't know any better she would've assumed she was staring at Breanne of Tarth from Game of Thrones. Instead of a knights armour, however, this woman wore a simple tan colored dress which was tailored to perfection to show off her statuesque curves.

"Um... hi." Lucinda waved, completely taken back by how unconventionally stunning the woman was with her blonde eyebrows and blonde lashes that framed her blueish-grey eyes. "I'm just doing some last minute shopping for a party tonight. You must be Annie?"

The woman's face brightened, adding color to her pale skin and she strode over to Lucinda, crossing the room in large, eager strides. "Yes, that's me! Annabella Juliet by birth, but Annie is what everyone calls me."

"Beautiful name," Lucinda commented as she shook the woman's outstretched hand.

"Well thank you!" She motioned to the poodle that had gotten up to stand by their feet and added, "oh and this is Gus. So, were you talking about Hector and Emma's anniversary party?"

"Yep!" Lucinda smiled.

"Well, come right this way." Annie motioned. "I'll show you to the back where I keep some of my best dresses for special occasions. In fact, I think I know just the one that will look perfect on you," she said over her shoulder as she lead the way. "I got in a new shipment just a few days ago from Rodrigo. He and I used to work together back when I studied abroad in Paris, so when I told him I had an important event coming up, he sent some dresses right away but they were all too short on me. Certainly the one I'm thinking of will be perfect on you though."

They walked through velvet curtains that separated the front of the boutique from the back. Lucinda anticipated it being a storeroom with boxes of unpacked clothing and racks of items being outdated or marked down. However, it had fitting rooms bordering the walls and rows of dresses in various colors, shapes, lengths, shimmers, feathers and fluffs all down the middle of the room.

"Wow..." Lucinda chirped as her eyes took in the room. "This place is huge."

Annie walked over to the dresses and began sifting through them. "It used to just be the front room but I expanded it a few years ago when business picked up."

"You're able to stay busy during off season?"

"Off season doesn't really affect me that much since I get a lot of online shoppers from all over the world. The right clientele will always be there to hunt down one of a kind pieces." She shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. "Ahh, here it is!"

Lucinda's eyes widened as Annie pulled out an emerald green wrap dress that shimmered like metallic fabric under the chandeliers. When the dress was held out to her she brushed her fingertips across the material and could feel how soft the velvet garment was.

"It's gorgeous, but I think it might be too fancy for the party..." Lucinda looked up to meet Annie's eyes.

"Are you kidding? This is perfect!" Annie gushed.

"But Emma said it was semi formal attire and this dress is... well... it's something I could picture an actress wearing to the Oscars."

Annie tossed her head back with a laugh. "You haven't lived here long, have you? When Emma throws a party you end up feeling as if you've stepped into the pages of the Great Gatsby! Now go on, go try it on. I won't take no for an answer."

🌊🌊🌊

By the time the party rolled around, Lucinda's stomach was in a ball of knots. As she walked up to Hector and Emma's front door she self consciously pulled on the low neckline of the wrap dress, which was revealing more cleavage than she was used to. It was probably the most sexy outfit she had ever owned and she was glad that Annie had convinced her to buy it... even if she felt a little uncomfortable. But at least it meant she was trying something new instead of being a scaredy cat.

With a deep breath she knocked on the door and then shivered as the evening breeze intruded up her dress. It was twilight, with the sun already kissing the horizon and scattering the last bits of sunshine across the ocean. She closed her eyes, listening to the distant ocean waves crashing when the door swung open. A swarm of noises spilled out in a mixture of jazz music, laughter and chatter. A young man dressed in a formal waiters uniform greeted Lucinda with a silver tray full of champagne flutes as she stepped through.

"Good evening, ma'am." He nodded as he handed her a fizzy looking drink.

"What is it?" She asked, examining it.

"A French 75." He nodded again and then returned to his post on the wall.

As Lucinda looked around, she found herself standing in a formal sitting room with plush, oversized chairs that were occupied by a few guests. The women looked so beautiful in their elegantly beaded, lacey and sparkly dresses and Lucinda was relieved that Annie was right after all. The jazz music, the fizzy coctail, the flashy dresses... the party was like walking into the pages of the Great Gatsby. A few men looked her way, appraising her quickly before returning to their conversations.

She proceeded down a hallway that was dimly lit by glass chandeliers and casting flickering shadows across the canvas paintings on the walls. Her best guess was to just follow the music, which turned out to be right because the hallway opened into a large living room with more guests mingling away. A big flatscreen TV was playing music with guests sitting in front of it on a grey sectional couch. Others stood around a coctail bar off to the side which was set up as another sitting area with leather loveseats. Hector and Chuck were sitting down on one of the them and looking handsome in their black suits while smoking cigars.

As Lucinda's eyes continued to scan about, her attention landed on a wall of windows with gauzy white curtains pulled back, revealing the last bit of twilight. The French doors were open, leading out to a patio with a firepit and what looked like more guests as they huddled around it with white Christmas lights twinkling behind them.

"Hello! Hello!" Emma's voice sang as she stepped through the French doors and into the living room. She hooked an arm around Lucinda's waist, pulling her into a sideways hug. "Well don't you look beautiful!"

"Thanks." Lucinda smiled and self consciously tugged on the opening of her dress again.

"Oh honey, leave those beauties alone," Emma scolded as she batted Lucinda's hands. "You are young, gorgeous and can get away with wearing something so coquettish. Us old bags couldn't dream of showing off our cleavage. Those days for us are over!"

"But you're not old..."

"Oh, God bless you!" Emma beamed as she began guiding Lucinda towards the kitchen. "Hearing that is music to this fifty two year old woman's ears. Gosh I swear once you turn fifty gravity pulls on you no matter how many Pilates classes you take."

"I think you look great."

"It's this dress. It's absolutely beautiful!" Emma twirled, causing the lacey skirt of her black dress to expand like an umbrella and Lucinda wondered if Emma was already a little tipsy? "Now come on," she said as she tugged on Lucinda's arm. "There's a few hunky single men here I want you to meet." She bobbed her brows.

"Oh... no, it's ok, I'm not-" Lucinda began to protest, but Emma rambled on as they turned into the kitchen.

"I highly encourage you to speak to all of them and while you're at it set up some dates! You're young, single and now is the perfect time to be a little wild and date lots of men. Trust me, when you're my age and have been with the same man for over twenty five years, you'll be so glad you took my advice."

Lucinda let out a nervous giggle. Truthfully, she just wanted to enjoy the party and being put on the spot to chat with single men was making her palms sweat. She had never been good at flirting and could picture herself stumbling over her words or getting food stuck in her teeth while trying to talk to one of them.

"Are you hungry?" Emma asked, shoving a tray of appetizers in front of her.

"Yes, actually I am." Lucinda smiled as she plucked some sort of bacon roll from the tray.

"These are SO good!" Emma gushed, her eyes rolling into the back of her skull as she popped one into her mouth. "They're cream cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon," she said with a mouthful. "It's the perfect balance of sweet and savory." Then without missing a beat she pointed over Lucinda's shoulder excitedly. "Zechariah!! Come meet my friend!"

Lucinda winced, not wanting to turn around, knowing that it was most likely one of the single men Emma wanted her to meet.

"Mom, are you drunk?" his deep voice asked and the word Mom rang in Lucinda's head, bringing her relief. She turned to face him and was surprised to find a baby-faced young man, which contrasted with his deep voice. His hair was dark like Hector's and he had dimples that accentuated a smile identical to Emma's.

Emma rolled her eyes. "No you big twirp! And besides, it's my party, I can do whatever I want. Your dad said so." She turned to Lucinda and proudly placed her hand on Zechariah's chest, presenting him. "This is my beautiful first born. Can you believe he's going off to college?"

"Moooom," he whined. "Please don't cry again."

"But you're my baby." She frowned.

"No, Isaac is your baby. I'm your first born," he said with mock pride.

Emma sighed. "In a few years he'll leave me too, but I guess that's my fault for not having more kids..." her gaze shifted to Lucinda. "Make sure you have lots of babies, that way you'll always have one of them by your side instead of a couple of sons that want to leave the nest as soon as they graduate high school!"

"Heyyyy," said a familiar voice and the three of them turned to see Isabel walking into the kitchen. She looked elegant with her glossy dark hair cascading over one shoulder in bold waves. She leaned in, embracing Zechariah. "I hear somebody got into the same university as my Joey!"

"I did." The young man beamed.

"You're going to love it. Oh and don't worry, Emma, Joey will look after him."

"Right." Emma smirked. "I can already picture the two of them covering for each other as they get up to no good! I'll have grey hairs in no time, but at least we still have a couple of kids left in the nest right?"

"That's right, we've gotta stay positive. I tell Vivian all the time that she's going to college right here in town. None of this applying far away business!" Isabel rubbed her temples. "I swear I'll cry if she follows after her brothers and moves away."

"It must be so nice having your kids grow up together." Lucinda chimed in.

"It's the best!" Emma squeezed her son and he made a goofy face as if she was squeezing his guts out.

"Alright, I gotta go mom... you ladies have fun," he said as he wiggled away.

As they watched him leave, Isabel turned to Lucinda and said, "Emma and I are also secretly hoping that Isaac and Vivian will fall in love and marry each other. Then we'll officially be family."

"Forever." Emma grinned as she tapped her champagne glass against Isabel's.

Lucinda couldn't help but smile, yet feel a bit of envy at the same time. She used to have strong friendships like theirs, once upon a time, before her ex ruined her life. For a brief moment she wondered what those so-called friends of hers were up to? She doubted they even gave her a second thought. Tipping the champagne glass to her lips, she sighed into it while taking a sip. Both Emma and Isabel linked their arms through her's and it zapped away her melancholy over memories with old friends.

"Come on girly," Isabel said. "It's time for a refill and we need to show off our dresses. We certainly can't do that tucked away in this kitchen."

"I want to introduce her to Tanner," Emma announced, making eye contact with Isabel as they exited the kitchen. "Don't you think they'd be a good match?"

"Well..." Isabel nodded her head side to side as if weighing the possibility. "He's a nice guy, but I think I know of a better match for her." She winked at Lucinda.

"Oh yeah? Who?" Emma asked as the three of them stepped back into the living room.

"Oh you know, he's tall, dark, handsome... owns a little cafe in town."

Emma gasped and slapped her hand to her mouth. "Of course! Oh gosh, he's perfect for her and they already work together..."

The two of them bobbed their eyebrows at Lucinda and she immediately downed the rest of her drink, suddenly very hot with their attention on her. She could practically see fireworks in their eyes as their giddiness over the prospect filled them.

"Here have another," Isabel said as she pulled three champagne flutes off of a nearby tray as a waiter walked by. "Cheers."

The three of them clinked glasses and then took a sip. Emma and Isabel began gazing around at the party-goers, with their arms still linked through Lucinda's. They seemed perfectly content to stand there with her, as if she was automatically part of their fold, the three of them like one unit.

"Let's dance!" Emma blurted out. "Enough talking, let's turn up the party!"

"Let's do it!" Isabel clapped. The two of them took Lucinda's hands and pulled her out into the middle of the living room, not giving her a chance to protest.

"Hector, turn the music up!" Emma shouted across to him and up he stood from the loveseat like a soldier given a command.

He grabbed a remote from the coffee table, pressed a button and the salsa music that had been lightly playing in the background, filled the house with it's sounds like an orchestra. A few guests decided they would join the dance floor too, which caused some of the others that had been chatting outside to come indoors and join. Before Lucinda knew it, the living room was full of guests moving their hips, doing spins and swaying to the sounds of conga drums, trumpets and trombones. She was enjoying herself so much as a light buzz from the fizzy drinks kicked in, that she didn't even realize she was dancing by herself. Chuck had grabbed Isabel and was swaying her with impressive rhythm, but Hector and Emma were the show stoppers as they did dramatic spins that, for normal people, would require Dramamine.

Song after song the dance floor remained packed and somehow Lucinda's drink seemed bottomless as either Emma or Isabel passed her another glass. A thin sheen of sweat began coating everyone's skin as the room filled with their body heat, and Lucinda could feel her hair getting frizzy, but she didn't care.

She didn't care because for the first time since the move to Breeze Bay, being alone wasn't so bad. She was dancing by herself and it was ok.

... To be continued.