Page 106 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
Candace, with her pouty, pink lips when she was trying to get her way; all her meticulous outfits that so perfectly toed the line between professional and sexy; those eyes…
If Daisy had the choice, she would do it all over again. From that very first bagel to now, she only regretted that they had not gotten over their stupidity sooner. Candace was the one for her. Spoiled, adorable…
And, as it turned out, wildly reckless.
“Daisy? DAISY?? Are you—?”
“Here!” Rushing to the door, Daisy let loose something between a sob and a laugh. “Holy fuck, I’m in here!”
Candace’s face appeared on the other side of the window. She was drenched, shivering in an oversized hoodie and the same shorts Daisy lent her that morning; she never looked hotter, like some kind of magnificent mermaid girl-next-door.
“Dummy,” Candace chided, though the love in her voice was obvious. “I warned you Janice would call security!”
“What can I say? My girlfriend was in trouble, and I wasn’t about to let some assholes take her away again.”
“Well, she wasn’t going to let them either.”
Candace mirrored Daisy’s giddy smile. However, separated by two inches of steel-plated plywood, their happy reunion turned serious.
“You wouldn’t happen to have that employee key card on you?”
“I don’t, but…”
Candace’s attention drifted to the side. In tandem, they had the same idea. Thankgoodnessfor home renovation knowledge. They owed the Property Brothers a fruit basket. If you could not unlock a door, take it down.
In a single breath, Candace promised, “There’s a maintenance closet down the hall—be right back!”
Daisy waited and did her best to keep calm while the water continued to climb up her calves. The lights flickered until only a few struggling emergency bulbs remained. Under her feet, all around, she could hear the waves beating against the pier’s foundation. How long would the bulwark supports withstand the violent undercurrent? She forced visions of falling deep into the ocean depths, sharing the same fate as her parents, from her mind.
As Candace returned, screwdriver in hand, she set to work on the hinges. From the top down, she removed the bolts until the door fell under its own weight. Daisy stumbled over it and into Candace’s embrace. She wished they had the time for a passionate kiss or a repeat of last night’s activities. Instead, Daisy was distracted by the sand castle pail Candace lugged onto her shoulder.
“What the—?Is that…?”
Inside, looking none too pleased as she scuttled against the side of the bucket, was Horace the Horseshoe Crab. Daisy blinked down at the crab and swore she flipped the finger with her needle tail.
Candace explained, “I saw her clinging to the boardwalk right where I docked and couldn’t just leave her there. Now, c’mon! We’ve got a rough ride back!”
“Ride??”
Together, Daisy and Candace stumbled through the flooded office halls to the exit. They burst out onto the pier in an alcove near the Manta Coaster’s line queue. Outside their shelter and its emergency lighting, it was difficult to make out much of anything. Sideways rain that was littered with debris ripped past at a roaring volume. Mountainous waves crested up over the pier guardrail and even broke through loose boards to burst up like geysers.
Candace pointed.
“There! I tied Ted’s boat right to the pier, it’s—”
Gone.
Whatever boat Candace came in on was nowhere to be seen. Daisy did not feel particularly upset about sticking to land. Same problem, same plan:stay alive. Holding Candace’s arm, she tugged.
“Screw it! We’ll go to the cafe.”
“No,” a genial voice told them, “you won’t.”
Steady despite the howling wind, Vinny Lamarka rounded the corner of the building. The gun he held was trained straight on Candace and Daisy. They froze at the edge of the coaster alcove, facing the man as he advanced on them.
A spitfire even in the face of certain doom, Candace snarled, “I should’ve known you’d follow me. You’ll do whatever your boss wants, won’t you?”
The smug upturn of Lamarka’s moustache spoke loud and clear. He did not feel remorse for what he had done or what he was going to do. This was a job, one he enjoyed doing.
