Page 3 of Whispers at Seaside
You remembered?
“Said with the love of a mother, of course,” he added with a warm smile.
She banged her forehead on his hard chest, which she’d done a few times before. They were friends; it wasn’t so weird of a thing to do. But now it felt intimate. She forced herself to take a step back. “You remembered that, too?”
He tapped the side of his head. “Hear it, read it, see it. Once is all it takes. Like that brilliant boy of yours. Now pick out all your mouthwatering treats before the hungry crowd behind us riots.”
She stared into the display, but her mind was still onthat brilliant boy of yours. People outside of her family called Hagen a lot of things—nerdy, quiet, different (the one that bothered her the most)—butbrilliantwas never tossed his way, except by her, which didn’t really count. Her brothers called him smart, and bless their hearts, they talked about manning him up when he was older. Of course, as much as she appreciated their efforts, they couldn’t know that the suggestion also stung. She loved her boy just as he was. She liked that he enjoyed learning more than he liked kicking a ball.
Matt’s hand pressed more firmly against her, bringing her mind back to the moment.
“How about we choose together?”
“Yes,please.”Anything to get my mind to behave.
He pointed to a piece of decadent chocolate cake, chocolate-covered strawberries drizzled in white chocolate, and raspberry cheesecake. “What do you think?”
“Um…” Her mouth watered as she tried to decide. “Which do you want?”
“Which? I was thinking we’d get all three and share.”
“All three?” She imagined smearing all that richness on her hips, where it was all going to end up anyway. That led to her thinking about Matt spreading it on her hips and his big hands moving along—
Gulp.
Time to shut her brain up.
“And a piece of milk-chocolate fudge,” he added casually, sending her brain right back to the gutter.
“Or should I order a bucketful?” he said into her ear. Then a little louder, he asked, “Is water okay?”
“Yes. With ice. Extra ice, please.” Chocolate and Matt together kicked off an avalanche that caused her brain to tumble south. Although his very impressivesouthwas outlined nicely by his jeans.
She tore her eyes away. She was an educated, responsible mother, and it was time to act like one.Thiswas the trouble with being around him. Other guys were easy to ignore, or at least resist, but Matt was different. She knew his family and friends. She’d seen him with her son. He was the epitome of a good friend, and a reliable, smart Princeton professor—which was probably where her naughty coed fantasy came from, considering she’d never had that particular fantasy while she was in college.
Pushing that thought away took many hard swallows and thoughts of butterflies and puppies, and…Hagen. Once again clear-headed, she focused on having a night of clean fun.
The tables were all taken, so they headed outside to the patio.
“What do you think, sunshine? Would these taste better on the beach? Or do you have someplace else in mind?”
Her mommy brain kicked in. “Cell phones don’t work on the beaches, and I want to be available in case Hagen needs me.”
“I forgot about the cell reception issues around here. Sorry about that.” With a hand on her back, he guided her toward the parking lot. “Provincetown? Cell reception is fine on those beaches.”
“P-town? You don’t have to drive that far. We can—”
“Thatfar? On your one free night? No such thing as too far, unless I’m boring you already?”
“No, definitely not. I’m just not used to having free rein over my time. P-town sounds great.”
They headed across the parking lot toward his car. Between Mira’s job at the hardware store and the bookkeeping she did on the side, she made a solid living, but her Subaru paled in comparison to the luxurious Mercedes she was climbing into. She’d been in it before, but it was just another friendly reminder to her crazy hormones not to get too excited. She’d spent years dealing with daycare and menial part-time jobs that allowed a modicum of flexibility for her to miss work when Hagen was sick. Her life had finally become stable, thanks to Matt’s father. Neil Lacroux was a wonderful, caring boss, and he understood the often-changing schedule of a single mother. The hardware store was already on shaky ground, trying to compete with bigger companies who could offer deeper discounts. She didn’t need to further jeopardize her job by acting on her crush on her boss’s son.
She stole a glance at Matt, and her stomach tumbled. Apparently her hormones hadn’t gotten the memo.
Chapter Two
PROVINCETOWN WAS AN artsy community that never slowed down, and tonight was no different. The pier was bustling with people from end to end. Mira and Matt crossed over the boardwalk and weaved through the crowd toward the beach. Mira glanced at Commercial Street, the main drag through town. Music and laughter carried in the air. Colorful lights lit up the eclectic shops, men dressed in drag waved cards undoubtedly promoting comedy clubs and shows, and couples meandered by taking it all in.
