Page 38 of Sweet Love at Bayside
“It doesn’t matter what it will cost,” Violet said. “I’ll sell everything I own. Except my bike. No way. Or maybe you’ll take a few nights on the widow’s walk with Des as payment?”
“Violet!” Desiree covered her face.
Violet splayed her hands. “I’m just thinking of creative financing.”
“Nobody needscreative financing, and you’re not selling anything,” Rick assured them. “I’ll make the time, and we’ll get this all worked out.”
RICK CROUCHED BESIDE the bookshelves he was building in the new recreation center later that afternoon and eyeballed the level.Perfect.He pushed to his feet as Drake came down the hall.
“The old place doesn’t look too shabby, does it? You have to admit, we make a great team,” Drake said.
“We’ve done quite a job. Once we get furniture, stock it with games and books, it’ll be a great gathering place. The patio and fire pit will really make it, though. Put on a holiday event, advertise it during the weeks before and during the Oyster Festival to get the word out. If we advertise it well enough, we should be pulling in solid bookings by year three.” Winters were harsh on the Cape, and tourism was almost nonexistent then, but they’d winterized the cottages with the hopes of making their mark as a Cape winter destination. “And if not, we’ve lost nothing by ridding ourselves of the restaurant overhead and headaches.”
“I agree. Like I said, we make a great team.” Drake gave himthe look. The one that said,You know you want to stay.
Rick didn’t respond. Drake had been on him to move back for good ever since he arrived last year. When they’d first bought the resort, Rick had agreed to stick around until it was fully renovated, which should have been this past March. But they’d made a last-minute decision to turn the restaurant into a recreation center, and he’d agreed to stay and handle the renovations. He had a feeling the late decision had been driven by Drake’s wanting him to stick around. If Drake knew how hard Rick was falling for Desiree, he’d try to use that to get him to stay, too.
“Guess things went well last night?” Drake was relentless. “You missed our run this morning.”
Rick moved to the other side and began securing a shelf to the wall. “Yeah, we had a good time. Thanks for lending me your guitar.”
“No worries. You need all the help you can get to turn a girl on.” Drake smirked.
“You realize I have tools in my hand, right?”
Drake laughed. “It’s been a long time since you’ve had a girlfriend. Everyone really liked her.” He grabbed a shelf and set it in the bookcase they’d installed earlier.
“I had no doubt they would.”
“Bring her sailing Friday night with Pete and Jenna? Pete’s father is watching Bea and we’re going out around ten.” Pete and Jenna were Matt’s brother and sister-in-law, and Bea was their almost-four-year-old little girl. “Mira’s waiting to hear back from Mom to see if she can babysit Hagen so they can go, too. It’ll be fun. Dean and Serena are going.”
“Sorry. I’m taking Desiree out. I was hoping you could help me get a few things set up on the dunes.” He’d been thinking about it all morning, as they’d walked around her house and made a list of the things she and Violet wanted to change. Renovating the kitchens and bathrooms and replacing some of the windows were the biggest aspects of the project; the rest was cosmetic—drywall, paint, replace a few fixtures. They even wanted the hardwood to remain scuffed to retain the home’s character. Depending on the fixtures and appliances they chose, the renovations should come out to be less than the initial budget. He’d have a talk with Rob on their behalf when it was time, and ensure they received whatever money remained. They’d also checked the fence off of the kitchen, where Violet had let Cosmos out yesterday morning. But they hadn’t found any missing pickets, holes, or cracks the pup could fit through. Cosmos, it seemed, was as elusive as Desiree’s mother.
“The dunes?” Drake laughed. “Not exactly your usual date.”
“There’s nothingusualabout Desiree, and I don’t have a ‘usual’ date.”
“Sailing is more romantic than the dunes. Come on. Change your plans?” Drake stroked his jaw. With two or three-days’ scruff, he looked even more like their father. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Rick crossed his arms, meeting Drake’s serious gaze. “Like what? Like you’re pressuring me to do something I don’t want to?” The familiar stare-down ensued. How many years would it take for Drake to back off?How long will it take before I can stop seeing Dad when I look at him?
Mimicking his brother’s stance, Drake planted his legs like tree trunks and crossed his arms. “You haven’t gone sailing with us once since you got back.”
“I’ve been a little busy.” He motioned toward the stairs. “I’m heading up to”—escape your pressure—“check out the tiles in the bathroom and make sure they set properly.” They’d renovated the second floor into an apartment.
“I’ll go with you.” Drake followed him up. “Mira and Serena said you looked at Desiree like you were totally into her.”
“Yeah? Like you look at Serena?” He crossed the living room and went down the hall to the master bathroom. Eyeing the tiles, he wished Drake would back off.
“You have to get past this.”
“No idea whatthisis.” Rick moved through the spacious bathroom, checking the shower tiles, the caulk lines, anything to keep from looking at Drake.
“Rick. You haven’t gone sailing since Dad died.”
“What are you, my therapist?” He pushed past Drake and headed down the hall, into the other bathroom. “It’s not like I have time, or live on the water when I’m in DC. I’m lucky if I get home before eight or nine most nights.”
“Look at me,” Drake demanded in the commanding eldest-brother voice he’d adopted in the years after their father died.
