Page 7 of Nights at Seaside
Sky knew she was grinning like a fool and didn’t care. “Sounds great.”
“Well, so much for a bonfire tonight,” Blue said.
“I’m sorry, Blue,” Sky said, although she wasn’t at all sorry about accepting a date with Sawyer. “Is that why you came by?”
“Yeah, but no biggie. You guys have fun.”
“Why don’t you ask Lizzie?” she asked hopefully.
Blue shook his head. “I’ll call you later.” He turned his attention back to Sawyer and said, “Nice to meet you. Have fun tracking down Moon’s muse, and take good care of my girl.”
“Yourgirl?” Sky’s jaw dropped open. Blue had never said anything like that before.
Blue smirked. “Myfriend. You know what I mean.”
“Don’t worry,” Sawyer said. “I wouldn’t dream of letting anything happen to her.”
Blue turned to leave, glancing quickly over his shoulder one last time before heading out the front door as a group of twentysomethings came in. They were laughing and talking as they looked over the sample tattoos hanging on the front walls.
“You sure there’s nothing between you two?” Sawyer asked. “I don’t want to come between you guys. You seem pretty close.”
“Of course not. We’re friends. He’s just being weirdly protective.” Although she had no idea why.
“I guess I’m like that with my friends’ sisters. I get it.”
“I’m glad, because I couldn’t go out with a guy who didn’t understand my relationship with Blue. He’s a good friend, and I’d never want to mess that up.” She smiled at the people milling about in the reception area. “Can I help you guys with something?”
“We want to get inked, but we need to decide who’s getting what,” said a tall blond guy wearing yellow board shorts, a tight tank, and a shoulder full of colorful ink.
“Okay, just let me know when you’re ready.”
Sawyer held up the paper he’d brought with him. “Trash?”
She took the paper and placed it in the basket with the others.
“You keep the tats you do?”
“Just the ones that speak to me. Besides C. J. Moon and ice cream, I guess I harbor a little word obsession of my own,” she admitted.
The sensual look in his eyes had returned. “That makes you even sexier. Should I pick you up here?”
“Sure,” she said, or at least she thought she did. She was having trouble thinking past his compliment.
Chapter Three
FOR A WHILE Sky had made Sawyer forget about the warning from his doctor, but when he’d arrived back home and seen the renovations he was making to accommodate his father’s cane—and one day his wheelchair—the thunder rolled back in. He worked out on his heavy bag, and when that didn’t calm the storm in his mind, he’d gone down to the beach to do yoga. He didn’t have time for storms or doctors’ warnings. He was going to win this title fight. His father’s future depended on it.
The combination of working out and yoga helped. Two hours later Sawyer drove into Provincetown no longer thinking of anything but Sky. Honesty was right up there with loyalty in his book, and he hated to mislead her and her friend Blue about his knowing C. J. Moon, but his father had protected his pen name ever since he’d first published, and it wasn’t Sawyer’s place to reveal his true identity.Not even for beautiful Sky Lacroux.
He’d never dated a woman who was interested in poetry or songwriting before. Neither of which were topics that came up when he was boxing or on the rare occasion that he was out at a club—unless you’re Sky, who reads poetry in a bar on open mic night.
He smiled as the image of Sky reading in the club sailed through his mind. She’d looked so at ease reading while everyone around her was immersed in conversation. He wanted to get to know her better, see what went on in that beautiful head of hers.
He parked at the pier and walked through town toward Sky’s shop. He hadn’t known that she worked at Inky Skies when he’d gone looking for a tattoo shop. He’d simply had the urge to get inked, and Inky Skies had been the closest place around. And he was sure glad he’d wandered in, after thoughts of Sky had kept him up all night penning a song. Verse after verse had formed and shifted in his mind, making his fingers twitch until he’d dragged himself from bed to the third-story room that overlooked the bay and penned more of the song he’d started writing at the bar—and was now running through his mind.
She moved like the wind. Every gust a melody. Eyes of umber, heart of gold. Who was she, but a little lost soul.And now the song had a name, “Sweet Summer Sky.”
Like many of the shops on Commercial Street, the doors to Inky Skies were propped open. But while the other shops were overpowered by scents of patchouli and sage, the scent of jasmine and coconut greeted him at the entrance to Sky’s shop. He’d been so surprised to see Sky that everything else he’d seen earlier was blurry. Now he took a moment to look around. The reception area was cozy, with a worn leather couch, two overstuffed chairs, and a coffee table, as if she were hosting a gathering instead of inking people’s skin. The walls were covered with pictures of tattoos and a few watercolor paintings that he recognized as locations around Provincetown. He wondered if Sky had painted them. Also hanging from the walls were colorful scarves and a few necklaces with a handwritten sign above them that read, ASKSKYABOUTME!
