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handsome he was in the early morning light. Or maybe it was pregnancy hormones.
     
    “Hey, Addy,” he said with his dimpled smile. She stood slowly, trying to suck her stomach in a bit, and hugged him. He smelled as incredible as he looked, a mixture of salty water and some kind of cologne. And their hug lingered a bit longer than she’d thought it would.
     
    “What are you doing out here so early?” she asked as she sat back down and he joined her on the rock.
     
    “I love getting to the beach early in the morning and watching the sunrise. Helps me focus better during the day,” he said, taking another sip of his coffee. “I heard you were back.”
     
    “You did?” she said, a little shocked that the town was already finding out she was home.
     
    “Yeah. I saw Jackson and Aaron yesterday. And their ladies,” he said, putting air quotes around the word “ladies”.
     
    “Ohhh…” she said. “I was probably at Jolt trying to figure out the stupid cash register at the time.” Clay laughed, and it was the kind of laugh that’s so genuine. Jim never had a genuine laugh. Now, when she thought of him - which she tried to avoid - she imagined him as the Joker from Batman, maniacal laugh and all.
     
    “You doing okay?”
     
    “Why wouldn’t I be?”
     
    “Aaron told me about you and Jim. The divorce…”
     
    “I’m going to kill my brother,” she said softly, her inner hormonal rage issue creeping to the surface.
     
    “Please don’t kill him. We play on the recreational softball league together, and he’s a fairly good first baseman. Not the best, but then you take what you can get in January Cove…” he trailed off, his dry humor apparent.
     
    Addison smiled. “Sorry. I’m a little stressed lately. What else did my fabulous brothers tell you?”
     
    “Not much except that Jim is a jackass.”
     
    “True story,” she said nodding her head.
     
    “Need me to kick his ass?” Clay asked with a wink.
     
    “Maybe. Can I take a rain check on that one?”
     
    “Of course. Seriously, though, if you need to talk to someone… you know, just to vent, if nothing else… I’m here. I know it can be hard talking to family sometimes. They aren’t always impartial.” She appreciated the sentiment.
     
    “Thanks. I just might take you up on that one day,” she said. “Well, I’d better get to Jolt. Don’t want to get fired on my first full day. Wish me luck!”
     
    “Good luck, Addy,” he said as they both stood. “You’ll do fine.”
     
    She smiled and started to walk toward the road when he called out to her.
     
    “Hey, Addy?”
     
    “Yeah?” she said, turning to see the sunrise in full force above the ocean, streaks of orange and yellow almost blinding her vision.
     
    “For what it’s worth, I always thought Jim was a jackass.” He grinned, those dimples making her legs feel a little weak.
     
    “Well, I wish you would’ve told me!” she said, laughing as she turned and walked toward Jolt.
     
    ***
     
    “Okay, so when you take their order, you just press this button here and then hit total. Take the receipt and give one copy to the customer and then take this copy and put in under the drawer…” Rebecca explained again as Addison’s eyes felt like they were crossing. Why was this so hard for her? She’d been a highly successful businesswoman in Atlanta, designing million dollar houses and high rise condos. Now, she was having problems deciphering how to work a simple cash register in a small coffee house in January Cove. My, how things change in a flash.
     
    “I’m sorry, Rebecca. I know I seem like a complete dunce, but I think it’s my hormones,” she whispered.
     
    “Sweetie, it’s no big deal. Trust me. I’m very laid back. You’ll catch on,” she said, smiling as she held Addison’s shoulders. “You know, I came from New York where life is fast paced and hectic. It was an adjustment moving to January Cove, as I’m sure it has been for you