Page 72 of Words of Love
“You should give John and Patricia a Ferris wheel scene,” she suggested. “Or at least a carnival ride scene.”
“What for?”
“So he can make a BRG.” She stopped in a short line leading to Sugar Spun, a food wagon advertising multiple flavors of cotton candy.
“A BRG?” Sam glanced at her skeptically. “Kane making aburgsounds neither romantic nor sexy.”
“A Big Romantic Gesture.” She nudged him in the side with her elbow. “Like in the movieThe Notebook.”
“Never seen it.”
She stared at him. “What?”
“I’ve never seenThe Notebook.”
“You’ve never seenThe Notebook?”
“There you go turning statements into questions again.” He half-smiled and reached into his pocket for his wallet.
“How many romantic movies have you actually seen?” Brooke asked.
“I don’t know.” He counted out a few bills. “I don’t watch a lot of movies.”
“The Proposal. Titanic. You’ve Got Mail. Roman Holiday. Serendipity. Sleepless in Seattle.” Her eyes widened as he shook his head. “Gone with the Freaking Wind?”
“Yes.” He held up one hand in defense. “AndCasablanca.That’s romantic, right?”
“Well,yeah.” She made a scoffing noise. “We’re having a movie marathon soon. Or at least a clip marathon, where I can show you all the best romantic movie moments. You need ideas because John has got to give Patricia a BRG as an expression of how much he loves her and wants her.”
To his credit, he nodded in agreement rather than arguing. They reached the window of the truck, where a woman in her fifties wearing a white baseball cap peered out.
“Brooke, honey!” She reached out to squeeze Brooke’s hand. “Dan, c’mere, it’s Brooke.”
A plump, bearded man pushed up to the window. “Hiya, Brooke. How’ve you been?”
“Great, thanks.” Brooke smiled and indicated Sam. “Do you know Sam from the bookstore? Sam, this is Mary and Dan. They’ve been running Sugar Spun for…what, ten years?”
“Eleven, now,” Mary said proudly, patting the counter as if it were a beloved pet. “Couldn’t be happier.”
“Dan used to be the CEO of a tech company up in San Jose, and Mary was a lawyer,” Brooke told Sam. “Then one day they decided they’d rather run a cotton candy truck.”
Sam blinked. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.” Dan snapped his fingers.
“We were sitting in our huge house, both of us on our computers, and I couldn’t remember the last time we’d gone anywhere.” Mary leaned her elbows on the counter, her expression growing distant. “We were tired all the time, stressed out, snapping at each other. And you know, Dan and I were college sweethearts. When we met, we had no money, but somehow we managed todothings all the time.”
“Road trips, weekend getaways, concerts.” Dan looked fondly at his wife, a smile appearing in the tufts of his beard. “We did it all.”
“We had so much fun.” She gave his beard a light, affectionate tug. “And then twenty years later, we had all this money and no fun whatsoever.”
“So you decided to buy a cotton candy truck?” Sam asked.
“We sat down and each thought of ten things that we considered especially fun.” Mary’s eyes twinkled. “G-rated, of course.Cotton candywas sixth on my list.Carnivalswas third on Dan’s list. We put the two together, sold the house, and bought the truck.”
“They travel to carnivals and fairs up and down the coast all year.” Brooke glanced behind her to make sure no other customers were waiting to place orders. “But Bliss Cove is their favorite, right?”
“Hands down.” Dan beamed at her. “We come here, what, four, five times a year? Usually we’re here for most of July and August. Oh, we added some new flavors to the menu for the new year. What can we get for you?”