Page 6 of Secrets at Seaside
“Amy.”
Bella’s voice startled her, and when she lifted her eyes, they were all there for her. Her saviors. Her Seaside sisters. Bella, Leanna, Jenna, Jessica, and even Sky.
“Hey.” Amy smoothed her royal-blue bridesmaid dress. Jessica had chosen short dresses that were chic enough to wear to the wedding but casual enough to wear again to a fancy dinner or out on the town. Jenna had kept her dark hair longer this summer, nearly the same length as Bella’s, Leanna’s, and Amy’s, to the middle of their backs, which would look nice in the wedding pictures.
“Come on, gorgeous.” Bella reached for her hand. “We’re not going to sulk over surfer boy.”
“No, I’m definitely not,” she lied.
“Besides, your father is about ten feet behind you. I figured you needed backup.” Bella shifted her eyes over Amy’s shoulder.
“Oh no,” Amy whispered. Her mother and father had divorced when she was twelve, and while she’d split her time between the two of them during the year, after their divorce, she’d continued spending the summers with her father at the Cape. It had been her mother who’d initiated the divorce with a need to find herself, whatever that meant to her, and Amy had always felt bad for her father. She was very much a daddy’s girl before the divorce, and after, having felt bad for him, she’d tried even harder to please him.
She felt his hand on her shoulder and smelled his Old Spice cologne before he said a word. She feigned a smile and turned. “Hi, Dad.”
“How’s my princess?” He hugged her close, and before she could get a word out, he said, “I’m so proud of you, Amy. When you called to say you increased your business revenue by thirty percent, I had to brag to all of my cohorts.”
Of course you did. “I’m glad you’re proud, Dad.” Her father was in his late fifties. His once-thick blond hair was now flecked with white and thinning on top. He wasn’t a heavy man, but his face had lost any signs of youth, and his jowls showed his age.
“I told you Brown would pay off. A chip off the old block, that’s what you are.” He draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her in close. “That’s my girl.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“It’s your focus that has you rising to the top, princess. You’re smarter and more determined than any other woman out there.”
As if he only just realized the others were there, he smiled at them. “Girls, you all look lovely.”
“Thank you,” they said collectively.
Bella reached for Amy’s hand and pulled her out from her father’s grasp. Amy wanted to thank her, but she knew better than to let on that she was being saved.
“Mr. Maples, if you don’t mind, we have some bridesmaidy things to attend to,” Bella said.
“Oh.” His thick brows drew together. “Princess, I’m proud of you. We’ll catch up. Call me sometime soon. I want to go over your business plan for next year.”
It was all Amy could do to keep from rolling her eyes. “I will, Dad.” She took the opportunity to turn away and speak to Jessica, hoping her father would take the hint. “Jess, that was the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever been to.” Luckily, her father turned his attention to someone else. She breathed a little easier with him out of the picture. “Thanks, Bella.”
“The man would rule every minute of your life if you let him, but I think he means well,” Bella said.
“He does mean well. He just…means too well. Anyway, now it’s time for you, Leanna, and Jenna to get married.”
“No way.” Jenna draped an arm over her shoulder. “We made a deal. The four of us are getting married together, remember?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not even dating.” Amy smiled at the thought that they would even consider waiting for her after last night’s debacle.
“Ha! I see eligible bachelors.” Jenna pointed across the room to Blue Ryder, standing with Duke, both looking incredibly hot in their suits. What was it about men in suits that made them look sexier?
“I’m sure Sky wouldn’t want me to go out with Blue, and Duke might be my new boss. I think I’m okay by myself. Besides, I have you guys. I don’t need a man.”
Sky rolled her eyes and flipped her long brown hair over her shoulders. She was a total throwback from the seventies, with her bohemian style and laid-back nature. “Blue and I are just friends. I’ve told you guys that a hundred times.”
“Whatever. Then you’re crazy.” Bella laughed. “What is it with people being so obviously interested in each other and fighting it?”
“I’mnot fighting a darn thing. Or at least I wasn’t trying to.” Amy glanced at Tony as a tall, curvy brunette made a beeline for him.
Jessica followed her gaze and cringed. “Sorry, Amy. That’s one of my symphony friends. She’s a Worthington. Very rich, a little snotty. Not the type of woman Tony would like, I’m sure.” Jessica played the cello for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Bella spun Amy around so her back was to Tony. “Anyway… About that job. I think that regardless of what happened with Tony, you shouldn’t take it unless you can get summers off.”
