Page 65 of Summer on Sunshine Bay

Willow grinned. “What can I say? I have a thing for a man in uniform.”

Lila’s phone pinged, and she glanced at the screen. “Nonna and Zia haven’t had any luck. They’re meeting us back at the car.”

They walked into Surfside, the last bar on their list and one of her mother’s favorite hangouts. Her mother wasn’t at the bar, but Lila’s fiancé was. He was sitting at a table near the back with ten people, and he seemed to be having a really good time.

“Someone’s having fun,” Willow murmured.

Sage leaned forward, squinting as she removed her sunglasses. “Isn’t that Sam?” she asked Willow.

“Who’s Sam?” Lila asked as they made their way to the back of the bar.

“The brunette with the big boobs whispering in your fiancé’s ear. She used to work at La Dolce Vita. She left to take a job at Windemere,” Willow said, sharing a glance with her sister.

Lila rolled her eyes. She wasn’t a jealous person, and it didn’t bother her that an attractive woman was whispering in David’s ear. The bar was loud, so it made sense she’d have to lean in to talk to him. But what did bother Lila was that David looked happy and relaxed. Happier and more relaxed than she’d seen him in a while. He threw back his head and laughed, and Lila’s jaw practically hit the floor. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard him laugh like that.

Sam nudged him, nodding in Lila’s direction. His laughter dried up, and he pushed back his chair, awkwardly coming to his feet.

“Hey, honey, what are you doing here?” He leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Looking for my mother. It’s a long story,” she said when he frowned. “I’ll tell you about it later. You haven’t seen her, have you?”

“No, and we’ve been here about an hour.”

“What are you doing here, David?” Sage asked.

He gave them a sheepish smile, gesturing to the people sitting around the table, who were mostly women. “The staff decided to throw me a shower.”

There were a gift basket, wrapping paper, and what looked like a couple of gag gifts on the table.

David introduced them around the table. They all offered Lila their congratulations, although a couple of women wore self-conscious smiles. Lila imagined they were the ones who’d worked at Windemere. Sam didn’t seem self-conscious about it at all.

“How are you ladies enjoying working at Windemere?” Willow asked.

Sam lifted her chin. “It’s great. David’s a wonderful boss.” Three other women murmured that they liked it.

Afraid of what else might come out of her cousin’s mouth, Lila said, “We should get going.” She leaned in and kissed David’s cheek. “I’ll let you know if I’m going to make dinner tonight. I have to talk to my mom.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve just ordered, so I probably won’t be hungry anyway.”

“Oh, okay, so I shouldn’t drop by tonight, then?” she asked, a little embarrassed that he had brushed her off so easily in front of his staff.

“Of course I want you to come. I just meant you don’t have to rush on my account. You obviously have things you need to talk about with Eva.”

“You know what, you’re right. You just stay and party here all night. I’ll catch you tomorrow.” She cast a smile around the table, gave David a friendly pat on the arm, and then walked away. “Don’t say one word,” she warned her cousins.

“Okay, don’t bite my head off,” Sage said as they left the bar. “But that was nice what they did. David doesn’t have any friends in Sunshine Bay, and he probably could use a break from Windemere. And you were a little harsh, Willow. Mom and Zia haven’t been able to give the servers as many hours as they need, and some of those women are single moms.”

“I sounded pretty harsh too, and just for the record, it’s not because I’m jealous,” Lila said.

“You’re right. Mom and Zia would be the first to tell them to apply at Windemere. It’s just that they’re short-staffed, and they already work so hard. I’ll take on some hours,” Willow said, before adding, “Hang on a minute,” and heading back into Surfside.

“I can take on some hours too,” Lila said as she texted David. She apologized for how she’d acted, explained what had happened, and then told him to have fun.

Willow came out of the bar, linking arms with them. “I bought them a round from us.”

Sage’s cell phone rang. She glanced at the number. “I have to take this,” she said, unhooking her arm from Willow’s and bringing her phone to her ear. She walked ahead of them, putting her finger in her other ear as she talked to whoever was on the other end.

“That doesn’t sound like a work call to me,” Willow said, glancing at Lila, who was looking at her own phone. “It’s pretty loud in the bar. I’m sure David doesn’t know you texted him.”

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