Page 10 of Sweet Heat at Bayside
“Then whatdoyou want?” Dean asked so casually it pissed Drake off even more.
He stopped pacing. “Not to be given crap by you two. She’s not walking out of my life. She’s walking into the start of hers. Do you even realize how lucky we were that she helped us get this place off the ground?”
“Yeah, we do.” Rick rose to his feet. “Unfortunately, you’ve wasted four years being too chicken to tell her how you feel.”
Drake grabbed him by his shirt with both hands. Through clenched teeth, he seethed. “I’m not chicken, you idiot. I’m man enough to not mess with her head.”
“You want to hit me? Get your aggression out? Go ahead,” Rick challenged. “But it won’t help.”
Drake shoved him away as his fingers curled into fists. “I don’t want to hit you. Don’t you get it? She wasalwaystemporary. We knew she was heading out of here at some point, and if she were mine, it would mess up her plans.”
“Dude.” Dean put a hand on Drake’s shoulder, and Drake shrugged him off. “Whoa, Drake. We’re on your side. We didn’t know you’d thought it through. But even so, how can you be so sure she can’t have both?”
“Because I know Serena. I was there when she broke her arm on the skateboard when she was eight, and I was there that night when she got back on the skateboard, determined to prove to everyone that she couldn’t be dissuaded from making the jump she’d spent all day practicing. I was there when she was fourteen, watching over her as she walked home alone after work at the diner—where she was paid under the table so she could save up for college—because she refused to rely on anyone else to drive her or walk with her to and from work. She’s stubborn, and she’s driven. Do you really think she’d even consider going to Boston if she and I had been together the past four years? The last thing she needs is to choose between her heart and her dreams. I have never—and I willnot ever—do that to her. If you know what’s good for you, you won’t mention this again.”
They both held their hands up in surrender.
“And what about you?” Rick asked. “What happens to your heart?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Rick’s phone rang, and as he withdrew it from the pocket of his hoodie, Drake sent him a silent warning, reiterating the message to keep this bull to himself.
“Hey, baby,” Rick said into the phone as Dean’s phone rang. “Great. See you soon.”
As Rick ended the call, Dean looked at his phone. “It’s Em. Girls must be done shopping.” He put the phone to his ear. “Hey, doll.”
Drake grabbed his empty bottle.
“Sorry, man,” Rick said. “But at some point you’ve got to stop looking out forherand look out for both of you.”
“Leave it alone, Rick,” Drake warned.
“Just sayin’. You’re almost thirty-five. Soon you’ll go gray, and then how many chicks are going to want you?”
“Getting women has never been an issue for me,” Drake ground out as his cell phone vibrated. “This is a choice, Rick. Don’t you get that? Making her life harder to make mine easier is not the kind of guy I am. I’m out of here.”
As he headed back toward the resort, he pulled out his phone and read Serena’s text.OMG. Know where I can get boxes this late?
See, idiot?Drake thought to himself.I know exactly what she needs.
Chapter Three
SERENA DROPPED THE movies she was holding onto the floor and checked her phone for a response from Drake. Nothing. He was clearly upset at her for taking the job in Boston, despite his efforts to appear okay with it. She groaned and tossed her phone on the couch. Tired, hungry, and sad about moving away from everyone she loved was no way to approach packing. Serena and the girls had shopped until the stores closed, and then Chloe had left to prepare reports for work the next day and the others had wanted to get back to their men instead of grabbing something to eat. She went into the kitchen and poked her head into the refrigerator, cursing herself for forgetting to buy milk. She opened the pantry and stared at the shelves until everything blurred together.
Ugh.Nothing looked good.
She grabbed a bottle of wine—a poor substitute for milk and cookies—and filled a glass. She polished it off without taking a breath, then refilled her glass and carried both into the living room. If she had to pack, she didn’t have to do it sober. She sat on the floor by the couch and picked up a movie.How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.She hated that movie, but Emery loved it. She set it in the box and picked up another.Animal House, one of Drake’s favorite movies.
Drake.
You big pain.
She’d known he’d drive her crazy finding a replacement, and she didn’t blame him. It would be as difficult for her to adjust to a new boss as it would be for him and the others to adjust to a new person in her position. Serena had met her new boss, Suzanne Kline, the daughter of one of the owners and the only corporate namesake running the show, when she went in for her interview. She was friendly enough, but she definitely had an edge to her. Serena had been mentally preparing herself for the difference between the laid-back environment at Bayside and the professional nature of KHB. She was ready, or at least she hoped she was.
She set the movie in the box and picked upFifty Shades of Grey. Drake had watched it with her as payback for her watchingDirty Harrywith him. He’d made her promise not to tell the guys he’d seen it, and now she wondered about his sexual habits.
What had he been thinking while they watched it?
