Page 35 of Dreaming at Seaside
After his comment about calling her, she made a point of bringing her cell phone with her today. She pulled it out now, and her cheeks flushed with the thought of the selfie she’d sent him. The first racy picture she’d ever sent a man. Boy, he sure was tugging her toward the edge of Love Mountain. She looked at their picture, which she’d set as the wallpaper on her phone.
Bella was nothing if not practical, and as she stared into his dreamy eyes and ran her finger over the image of his windblown hair, she knew the feelings that were making her feel warm all over were coming too fast. They went against her plan to figure out her life, but, boy, did she like Caden Grant. He was about as committed as they came, having raised his son alone for all those years, but that didn’t necessarily mean he’d be as committed to her. Or even if he started out as such, that he’d remain that way. She knew men didn’t come with guarantees, the same way she didn’t come with one.
Her mind drifted to Evan. He was a sharp, respectful kid, and she could tell by the way he interacted with Caden that they had a good relationship. Mr. Healy’s adamant rejection and Wilma’s speculation about wayward teens fueled her desire to get the program off the ground for kids like Evan, who wanted to do and learn more than what was readily available to them. She finished her fudge, which took the edge off her frustration, and headed to her next appointment with rejuvenated hope.
Almost three hours—and three rejections—later, Bella drove down the back road that ran parallel to the ocean on her way to Seaside. Four kids on bikes came flying out of Payton’s Campground directly into her path. She slammed on the brakes, and with her pulse racing, she recognized Evan’s mop of chestnut hair and long, skinny legs as he pedaled away. After the initial shock of almost running them over subsided, a flood of childhood memories came rushing back.She and the Seaside girls pedaling their own bikes to the beach, flaunting their bikini bodies, waving to cute boys, then spending all day in the sun. Evenings spent gathered around the pool, rehashing their long afternoons in the sun, and sneaking out to sit in the darkness and whisper about things they hoped to do when they were older.Not much had changed. They were still the same close-knit friends they’d always been, and she hoped, as she drove into Seaside and parked in front of her cottage, that Evan was building the same type of cherished memories.
“Hey, girlfriend.” Leanna waved from her deck as Bella stepped from her car. She held up a muffin. “Come over and try my newest creation.”
“Thank you,” she said as she took the warm muffin from Leanna. “Somehow the peanut butter fudge I bought from the Chocolate Sparrow didn’t hold me over. I’m starved.” She took a bite and her eyes widened with the delicious burst of banana and cranberry melting in her mouth. “Leanna, this is…” She swallowed the last of it. “Scrumptious.”
“Hmm.” Leanna crinkled her nose. She wore a pair of cutoffs and a tank top streaked with red jam and muffin batter. “Jenna said it was orgasmic, so I’m thinking that scrumptious is a level below that.”
“Was Pete here when she said it?” Bella asked.
Leanna’s eyes widened. “Oh, right. She was talking about Pete. I swear, you guys are always much quicker on the uptake with things like that than I am.”
“Nah, it’s just that it’s Tuesday, and every Tuesday morning, Jenna’s thinking about Pete and orgasms she hopes he’ll one day induce.”
Kurt came out of their cottage. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to hearing you guys talk about men like we’re here only to pleasure you.” He wrapped his arms around Leanna from behind and kissed her neck.
“Mm.” Leanna reached up and stroked his cheek. “Why? Because you hate doing it so much?”
“No. Because it makes me wonder what you guys said about me.” Kurt kissed her again and sat down at his laptop.
“We didn’t have to say a thing. You guys said it all by leaving your windows open.” Bella blew Kurt a kiss.
He shook his head and began typing.
“How’s the project? Did you get any companies to sign on yet?” Leanna walked with Bella over to her cottage.
“No. I met with four today, and two turned me down flat. The other two were receptive, but noncommittal. I just don’t get it. It’s like everyone’s afraid to hire teenagers.” Bella hadn’t asked Leanna to take part in the program with her jam business because she knew Leanna would say yes just to help her out, and she didn’t want to put her in that situation in case she really didn’t want to be part of the program.
Leanna followed her inside. “I’m sorry it didn’t go well, but I can’t imagine that all of the businesses will be that way. If anyone can sell this, you can.”
The fact that Leanna didn’t offer to join the program confirmed to Bella that not asking her had been the right thing to do. “I hope so.”
“I know so. Want to get your mind off of it and go down to the pool with me? Kurt is writing for another few hours, so I thought I’d hang out there. Jenna and Vera are already down there.”
“Sure.” Bella went into the bedroom and changed into her bathing suit, and then they headed down to the pool.
Jenna and Vera sat beneath an umbrella, engrossed in a game of gin rummy. Jenna had a glass bottle of Perrier on the table.
“Jenna, if Theresa sees you with glass by the pool, you are dead meat. Rule number seventeen: no glass on the pool premises.”
“Theresa’s not here, but I’ll keep an eye out for her car. Thanks for killing the joy, babe.”
“Nice to see you, ladies.” Vera wore a floppy white sun hat and the same white cover-up she’d worn for the last three summers. Dark spidery veins mapped her pale legs. She smiled up at them and pointed to the empty chairs. “Sit, please. Jenna is letting me win again.”
Jenna blew out a breath. “Oh, please. I think Vera was a card counter in a previous life. Either that or she’s using marked cards.” Jenna ran an assessing gaze over Bella. “Uh-oh. Hard day at the office?”
“You could say that. I didn’t think this was going to be easy, but I didn’t think I’d be shot down every time.” Bella sprayed sunscreen on her arms and legs, then handed the bottle to Leanna. “Maybe my pitch is off or something.”
“Gin.” Vera laid down her cards.
Jenna rolled her eyes and put her cards on the table. “Okay, I’m out for a bit. Congrats, Vera. I owe you about a million dollars.”
“You owe me nothing. It’s kind of you to play with an old lady like me.” Vera patted Jenna’s hand, then turned her attention to Bella. “You know, Bella, Evan was quite a gentleman when he was at our house. I enjoyed spending time with him.”
