Page 31 of Under Pressure

They came to a stop outside a shop called Leather and Lace Boutique and Soda Shop.

Sean blinked. “Uh—” Please don’t let this be the kind of shop this sounded like it was. “You all know I’m shopping for mymom, right?”

“You’re not afraid, are you?” Winnie asked, clearly provoking him.

“Buck up, SEAL, you can handle it.” Polly smacked him on the back. Hard.

“Could Gramps handle it?” Sean smiled at them.

Rosa laughed. “Why don’t you tell us?”

“Ooo, a dare.” Sean stood tall, jumped up and down like a boxer, and wiggled out his muscles, then, said, “Let’s do this.”

That made the ladies laugh.

They lead him inside. The shop was filled with leather boots, buckles, lacy tops and dresses, leather pants perfect for bikers of the female persuasion, jewelry, riding gear, and more, all intermingled in a way that made everything seem like it belonged together. Against the back wall was a row of dressing rooms with yellow and aqua drapes covering the fronts. A bar sat against the far wall with a woman behind it cleaning glass shelves filled with different soda flavorings in all colors: purple, green, lime green, red, maroon, blue, orange, brown, yellow, purple, and more reflected in the mirrored wall. There were a good fifty or more flavors there. The counter that separated the woman from the rest of the room kind of reminded Sean of a bar with a beer tap, only instead of beer, it had a soda station. It also had a long glass counter with jewelry on display and a register.

Déjà vu hit him again, everything about this place screamed familiarity, the name of the woman he’d desperately tried and failed to forget for almost a decade. But there was no time for that right now. He clamped down on those feelings, and faced the ladies. “So, where do we start?”

“Jewelry?” Polly asked.

Sean shook his head. “No, ma’s forbidden us from buying her jewelry.” And tickets of any kind. “We’re all in such different income brackets, she didn’t think it’d be a good idea.” That was after Johnny had bought her diamond earrings a few years ago and Axel had gotten her tickets to one of his shows in Italy, along with round-trip flights, and a room at a fancy hotel. Sean had gotten her a SEAL carafe and had taken her to lunch. Yeah, that’d been a fun year. Mom hadn’t minded, but Sean had. Now that he owned his own company, he was doing much, much better, but the rules stuck. “We’re not supposed to spend over a hundred dollars.”

Nancy patted his arm. “Don’t worry, we’ll find the perfect thing. Your mom loves boho chic.”

She did. This place was the perfect place to buy her a gift. He wondered when it’d opened. He’d never noticed it before.

The group dispersed and within a few minutes, they’d found multiple items. Between the five of them, they picked a top and skirt that Sean could admit were not just a good gift, but the right gift for his mom. She’d feel young, and “hip,” her word, and—he cringed—sexy. This outfit would be flattering on her, and she loved yellow and white. Really, it was perfect.

Sean headed for the counter with the register and spoke over his shoulder. “Anyone want a drink from the soda bar?”

A chorus of nos followed as he set his items to the left of the register—the soda fountains, which looked like bar taps, were to the right. Well, he was getting sarsaparilla, and Gramps wasn’t here to stop him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen it from a fountain machine and it called to him.

He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and glanced up. The woman behind it was facing away, folding clothes on a table along the wall. He couldn’t see her face in the mirror—too many soda flavorings in the way, but man, from what he could see, this woman was a looker. Her short, light blond, almost silvery hair, hung in waves just past her nape, showing just enough of the long line of her neck and her golden skin. She wore a long pearlescent coral-colored skirt with a beaded brown belt, that perfectly showcased her curvy hips, and a white tank that showed off the smooth muscles of her arms.

He cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”

The woman turned. The woman’s dark blue—indigo—gaze settled on him, her eyes going wide. Her plump lips formed a perfect “o” and Sean’s heart about thudded out of his chest.

“Blue?” he rasped in disbelief.

“Sean?” She blinked rapid fire, then rubbed her eyes.

A smile started to crack his face. It had been her he’d seen at the beach that morning. The cliff diver. Part of him had known,even though he hadn’t seen her clearly. Part of him would always know.

She was stunning. Her cheeks were dusted with sunshine, her skin was bronzed, and her muscles toned. Her long, lean limbs and the soft curve of her neck, were as familiar as the steering wheel of his boat.

She frowned, grabbed the soda gun, and fired. Sticky sweet water sprayed him in the face and soaked his shirt.

“Blue!” he yelled through the spray, as he covered his head, and ducked back.

The spray stopped, and before Sean could get his bearing, she was gone. Like a wisp in the wind. Like she’d never been there. His soda-covered shirt the only proof that she’d stood in front of him seconds ago.

Rosa grabbed his elbow. “Ven, mijo.” She tugged and loosened his feet from where they’d grabbed onto the floor. “Come, come.”

She led him outside with Nancy taking up the rear. He allowed them to guide him, his mind locked on the fact that Blue was in Diamond Cove with preciseness. He didn’t know where Polly and Winnie were, and at this moment, he didn’t particularly care. He felt like the world had just turned upside down. After nine years, he’d finally seen Blue again, and she’d spritzed him in the face with soda from a fountain hose.

The Pier Shops were beginning to fill with people, and many passed, staring him down with curious looks on their faces. He just hoped he didn’t run into anyone he knew. He was not up for explaining the—he licked around his lips—Ginger ale covering him.

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