An hour later, walking into Jillian’s coffee shop, a head jerk from the barista indicated her friends were upstairs. The murmur of voices blended together with the hissing of the espresso machine. The old, brick building had been bought by Jillian’s parents, who turned it into a coffee shop.  They kept the solid wood paneling, carved wooden support poles, and the glass display cases on the sides of the long room downstairs. 

Antique tables and amber sconces on the walls, to soften the sunlight that came from the front, gave the quaint shop its ambiance. The unused upstairs had become Jillian’s joy as she restored the second floor to the same glory as the coffee shop downstairs and showcased local artists’ paintings on the dark paneled walls.  Patrons could take their food upstairs and sit at the tables surrounding the area to enjoy the arts while relishing the treats, but usually she and her friends commandeered the upstairs when they needed a place to sit and talk.

The scent of the roasting coffee beans followed her as she ascended. Rounding the corner at the top, she observed Jillian, Katelyn, Tori, and Belle already sitting at a table next to a tall window overlooking Main Street. Tori’s reddish hair glowed in the sunlight streaming through the glass. Jillian, with her blonde, girl-next-door looks and Katelyn, with her Irish blue eyes and dark hair always made Jade think what an interesting trio the original Baytown Girls made. Add in Belle’s sweet face, and the kind hearts they all exuded, and she loved spending time with her friends. But now, approaching the gathering, she tried to meet their friendly smiles with one of her own, but failed.

Belle, more sensitive than most, immediately jumped up, her hands extended as Jade walked closer. “Oh, sweetie, what’s wrong?”

Having gained the rapt attention of the others, whose faces now mirrored Belle’s concern, she shrugged. “Just had an embarrassing encounter this morning, that’s all,” she replied, accepting Belle’s hug.

“What happened?” asked Tori, patting the seat next to her.

She gratefully slid into the delicate chair, twisting her head toward the barista who had followed her upstairs with another coffee. Taking a sip of the sweet, steaming brew, she sighed as she leaned back. “I was out on the beach, checking out the ships and looking for sea glass. I had no idea that part of the beach was private.”

Katelyn frowned, her head giving a slight jerk. “The Baytown beach isn’t private. What on earth made you think that?”

“No, no, not the town beach. But south of town. Beyond the Dunes Golf Course.” Seeing the now shared frowns of the others, she continued her explanation. “I sometimes go way past the golf course and walk along the beach. There’s almost no one out in the early morning and the beach is so peaceful.”

“And?” Katelyn prompted.

“Well, I didn’t know that the beach was part of someone’s private property.”

“It’s not,” Katelyn and Jillian exclaimed in unison.

“Oh, but it is,” Jade contended. “I met the owner.”

Jillian shook her head, her blonde braid swinging back and forth. “Jade, I’m telling you the beach is not private. People can own to the dunes, but the actual beach is not private.”

Her brow furrowed as she sucked in her lips, now more confused than ever.

“Tell us what happened—” Tori began before her attention jumped to the stairs, “oh, babe, hi!”

The others looked over, seeing Mitch Evans round the top of the stairs, his smile aimed at his wife. “Sorry to interrupt, ladies,” he said, as he made his way to Tori’s side. Leaning over, he placed a sweet kiss on her lips as his hand slid gently to her still-flat tummy.

The women smiled amongst themselves at the loving gesture.

Standing, Mitch said, “I hated I didn’t get a chance to greet you this morning, with the call I got.”

“Was everything okay?” Tori asked. She turned to the others and said, “There was a car accident past the diner on the way out of town.”

Nodding, Mitch replied, “Yeah, it was. No one was hurt, but Zac checked them out anyway. Jason got an early morning call and towed both cars into his shop.”

Jade knew Jason was another new transplant to town, like her. He came at the invitation of Zac, both having served in the Navy together. As the town’s only mechanic, he snagged all the towing business as well. Zac was the fire chief and EMT.

Mitch was turning to leave when Tori halted him with her hand on his arm. “Sweetie, Jade was just telling us that someone told her the beaches south of town were private.”

Blushing again, she quickly offered, “Oh, no, it’s no big deal. I don’t need Mitch to hear about my embarrassing morning.”

Mitch turned his full attention toward her, his brow creasing. “What happened? Were you harassed?”

“No, not at all. I just wandered onto someone’s private beach and had no idea I was trespassing. The owner made sure to let me know I was on his land.” Offering a slight shrug, she added, “I was just embarrassed, that’s all.”

“He? Who told you this?”

“I…uh…I don’t know. I was south of the golf course and, after I was stopped, I did see a low house over the dunes.”

Mitch’s hands landed on his hips, his brows still drawn down. “Can you describe him?”

“Uh…well, he was tall. Dark hair. Slightly scruffy beard…more like he just hadn’t shaved yet. He was in good shape.”

“And what did he tell you?”

She replied, “Well, that I was trespassing. I told him I was sorry but that I hadn’t seen any signs. He stayed pretty mad at me so, after I apologized again, I started to leave. Oh, yeah, he also seemed really irritated that I had been picking up sea glass.”

At that, a collective gasp went up as Tori, Katelyn, and Jillian all exclaimed, “Lance!”

Mitch dropped his chin, his head shaking, whether in irritation or mirth, she did not know.

Katelyn, blue eyes snapping, spouted, “I can’t believe he told you that.”

“That makes me furious,” Jillian added.

“Girls,” Tori’s voice cut through, her eyes on her husband’s face. Gaining their attention, she said, “Let Mitch deal with it.”

He lifted his head, a slight smile playing about his lips. She watched as he squeezed his wife’s shoulder and felt their powerful love expressed in a glance and a touch.

Mitch turned to her, saying, “I’ll talk to him, Jade. The beach is not his, but…well, Lance likes his privacy.” With one last kiss for Tori, he nodded to the others and headed back down the stairs, leaving her mouth hanging open.

“I…how…oh, my God!” she fumed. “How dare he! That man stood there, fire pouring from his eyes and dared to berate me for trespassing on his beach? His beach? What a jerk!”

Katelyn’s temper flared as well, shaking her head in derision. “I’ve only been around him a few times, ‘cause ever since he’s been in town, he lives like a recluse—”

Belle, ever the peacemaker, her hands fluttering about, quickly said, “Maybe he was confused…or maybe he just didn’t know…or maybe—”

“Nope, no excuse for assholery,” Jade quipped, slapping her hand down on the table. The quartet was quiet for a second before laughter burst forth. She looked over in surprise, her frown still in place.

“Assholery?” Jillian giggled.

Rolling her eyes, she fought her own grin. “Well, that’s my word for when someone has been an asshole.”

“I like it,” Katelyn declared, her eyes dancing.

“I hate to say this,” Tori said, hesitating as she held Jade’s eyes, “and I have no excuse for his behavior this morning, but I’ve gotten to know Lance…just a little…since he and Mitch became friends when they met in the Army.”

Jade respected Tori’s opinion so she sucked in a deep breath and said, “So, what was this morning about?”

Tori shrugged before replying, “Well, I know he is intensely private. I know he gives virtually no information out about himself, but he’s made a few friends with the guys through the American Legion.”

“I never see him around town,” Belle commented, her voice heavy. “That’s kind of sad, isn’t it?”

“Well, he still didn’t have to be so mean to Jade,” Katelyn defended.

Beginning to rethink her anger, she sighed heavily. “Now, I don’t know what to think.” She noticed Jillian had grown quiet and, turning toward her, she cocked her head.

Jillian bit her lip as her fingers twisted the napkin on the table in front of her. “I just thought of something,” she said, looking at her. “I know he searches for sea glass too—”

“Well, big deal,” she huffed, trying to hang on to her irritation, curiosity getting the better of her. “Sorry, Jillian. What does the sea glass have to do with him berating me?”

Jillian stood and walked over to one of the pieces of local art she displayed in her galleria, an exquisite mobile created from sea glass. “This...” Jillian said, touching the piece reverently, “is Lance’s work. He creates these.”

She eyed the breathtaking artwork, her heart beating erratically in her chest. “Oh,” she whispered, feeling foolish that she had never learned the identity of the creator of the beautiful sea glass works of art. “Well, damn, now I feel bad.”

“Don’t,” Katelyn declared. “Honey, first of all, he was lying through his teeth when he told you that he owned the beach. And to do it in a way that embarrassed you and made you feel bad…well, that’s just downright mean.”

Suddenly Belle jumped up and threw her arms around her, saying, “Oh! I have to get to the nursing home, but sweetie, don’t let him upset you. You should walk wherever you want!”

She returned Belle’s hug and, standing, smiled down at the others. “You guys are the best. I’m exhausted and since it’s Saturday, I’m heading home to spend the day relaxing.”

Tori hustled over and placed her hands on her shoulders, peering into her eyes. “Are you okay? I promise Mitch’ll talk to him.”

“Oh, he shouldn’t bother,” she replied. “I’m a big girl and can take care of myself. And honestly, now that I think about all y’all have told me, there’s no battle to fight. He was wrong to lie to me, but I’ll just avoid that part of the beach in the future.”

After hugs all around, she headed out to her car, sliding her sunglasses down as she turned her face toward the sun, allowing the rays to warm her heart. Realizing what good friends she had made actually had her feeling sorry for Lance. The sea glass artwork stayed in her mind as she tried to reconcile the creative talent with the grumpy man she met this morning. He must be awfully lonely to be such an irritable man.