Page 46 of A Shore Fling
And I have one for fancy, disaster-laden women who poison me.
CHAPTER 13
NINA
The beach is already buzzing by the time I plant my chair in the sand next to Willow and Ginger. Seagulls fly overhead, crying out to one another, while toddlers run toward the water and shriek as the incoming tide chases them. Someone near us has soft rock playing, and it’s the perfect complement to a day spent relaxing with new friends.
“Okay,” Willow says, adjusting her oversized aviators. “You’re officially late.”
“There’s no such thing as late when you’re on beach time,” I correct, kicking off my glittery flip flops and settling into my chair. “And I brought margaritas for you two, so technically I’m a hero.”
With a dramatic eye roll, Ginger accepts the plastic water bottle I poured the beverage into. “This better be accompanied by a full recap of last night.”
“It will,” I say, handing Willow hers. “Jeez, Ginger. I thought you were the nice one.”
Willow snorts. “It’s all an act.”
Ginger shakes her head. “Don’t believe a word she says about me. I’m an angel.”
“As long as you don’t piss her off. If that happens, you’re screwed.”
Ginger shrugs. “I only get angry when it’s deserved.”
“So back to last night. Spill the details,” Willow orders.
I take a long sip of margarita to prepare myself. “It was going fine. Until I poisoned him.”
Both women sit up straighter. I’ve got their attention now.
“I’m sorry, what?” Ginger grins. “You poisoned him?”
“Well, not on purpose.” I explain about the lemon bars, the allergic reaction, the Benadryl, and how Travis ended up knocked out cold on my couch all night. By the time I finish, Willow is laughing so hard she has to take off her sunglasses to wipe her eyes. “Oh my God.” She presses a hand to her stomach. “That man is never going to live this down. Travis Thorne, taken out by a lemon square.”
“To be fair, it was a healthy lemon square,” I clarify.
“He’s going to be so mad we know,” Ginger says. “He hates looking even slightly off his game.”
Willow fans her face with a magazine. “You don’t understand. That man has been in charge since he was like fifteen. Old ladies call him when their cars make weird noises, he keeps the harbor and boat yard running better than anyone before him, he’s on the town’s board of selectmen, and you brought him to his knees with a baked good.”
“And not even one of the more popular ones,” Ginger adds, laughing.
The way they speak about him is comforting to me. They’ve known him since they were young enough for skinned knees and braces, which means their high opinions of him hold value.
“Sooo anything else interesting happen?” Willow asks. I hesitate just a beat too long.
She lets out a gasp and grabs my arm. “Oh my God. You kissed him, didn’t you?”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” I protest. “It was brief. He was kind of out of it. Honestly, it might not even count.”
“But you kissed him,” Ginger says with a huge grin.
“It wasn’t something I thought about beforehand. His lips were swollen, and I kissed him to make them feel better.”
They both silently stare at me.
“What?” I ask, slightly unnerved.
“You like him,” Willow says, looking smug as hell.
