Page 2 of Sweet Heat at Bayside
Oh geez.She felt like she was betraying everyone and reminded herself she wasn’t.
“You guys knew I took the job at the resort only temporarily, to help get it off the ground,” Serena reminded them. “That was fouryearsago, and I told you last summer that I was applying for interior design jobs to finally get my career moving in the right direction.”
“Yes, but I thought you were looking around here. You’re moving toBoston?” Mira said with a pained expression. She’d been Serena’s best friend since childhood, and they’d always been there for each other. She placed one hand on her burgeoning belly and said, “I’m happy for you, but I’m going to miss you.”
“I know. I’ll miss you, too,” Serena said, feeling the heat of Drake’s stare. She tried to distract herself from looking at him by mentally ticking off a list of things she had to do to get ready for her impending move. At the top of which was finding someone to fill her position at the resort. She hoped to still help out with the music stores. “I promise to come back as often as I can and of course when the baby is born, and we’ll FaceTimea lot.”
“You better,” Mira said in a softer tone. “Our new baby will need Auntie Serena around, and Hagen will miss you so much.” Hagen was her eight-year-old son.
“I’ll miss him, too,” Serena said.
“Poor Matt,” Mira said. Matt was her husband. “Forget gaining baby weight. I’ll probably pack on another twenty pounds from ice cream as I eat my sadness away.”
“Enough guilt tripping. This is great news,” Rick said with a genuine smile, which faded as his gaze shifted to Drake. “It’s what you’ve always wanted.” He seemed to direct his comment at Drake instead of her, as if reminding him of her plans.
“I know. Ever since I was a little girl. Isn’t it fantastic? I’ll miss you guys so much, but I couldn’t turn down an interior design job with Kline, Heinan, and Bruce, or rather, KHB. They’re one of the most sought-after design firms around.”
“You’ve wanted a career in the big city for as long as I’ve known you,” Desiree said. “So even though I’m going to miss you, I’m happy you found something so amazing.”
“Boston?” Violet said. “Our small-town girl’s growing up.”
“Congrats, Serena,” Dean said as he draped an arm around Emery’s shoulder. “I appreciate all you’ve done for us.”
It wasn’t lost on Serena that Drake hadn’t said a word. “Thank you. I still can’t believe they called. I had almost given up.” She’d interviewed with KHB last winter and had thought they’d written her off. The resort had only a few winter clients, which had freed her up to get back into the industry by working part-time for Shift Home Interiors. Although she loved the work she’d done for Shift because it included space planning and helping to set up offices from scratch, and not just decorating work, the owner had recently had a baby and cut back to working only part-time. She couldn’t afford to hire Serena full-time. But even with a degree and several years of design experience prior to her current job, most of the bigger firms had turned her down.
Cosmos ran into the yard and leapt into Desiree’s lap. He began licking her face, making them all laugh. Except Drake, who remained stoic and still beside Serena, save for the muscles bunching in his jaw. She might as well get the worst part of it over with.
“There’s one tiny hitch,” Serena said, finally meeting Drake’s gaze. “They want me to start next week.”
Drake dropped his fork with aclank, a scowl twisting his handsome face into a mask of frustration. “Nextweek?”
“Hard to lose your bed buddy, huh?” Violet mumbled.
Emery choked on her drink. Dean patted her back, chuckling along with Rick. Mira went wide-eyed, and Drake turned a scowl on Violet.
Serena rolled her eyes. She was used to Violet’s insinuations. There was no doubt that she and Drake were close. He’d always looked out for her, but that didn’t mean they were sleeping together—despite the fact that Serena had spent too many nights thinking about what it might be like to have his strong arms wrapped around her and those piercing eyes boring into her…
Drake’s dark gaze slid to Serena, and her stomach skidded to a halt. Yeah. She needed to get out of town all right.
“I’m sorry. I did everything I could to try to get more time,” she quickly explained. “Two employees left them without giving notice, and they basically said if I couldn’t start right away they’d have to hire someone else. But don’t worry. I’m going to start interviewing right away to fill my position. I’ve been collecting résumés for months. I’ll start interviewing candidates tomorrow. I know I can get Harper to fill in at least part-time if we don’t find someone before Friday.” Their friend Harper Garner was a screenplay writer, and she was supremely organized. When Serena had first mentioned looking for a job, Harper had offered to help. “I’m sorry, Drake. I’ll turn it down if you really think it’ll cause a problem for the resort.”
“Don’t be silly,” Rick said, shifting a narrow-eyed look to Drake. “You were there for us when we needed you most, Serena. We’ll figure things out.”
“No sweat,” Dean agreed.
“I can help out part-time, too,” Emery offered. “I’d just have to rearrange a few classes, but it’s doable.”
“I’m sure, between all of us, we’ll be just fine,” Rick reassured Serena. “This sounds like a great opportunity for you.”
The air rushed from her lungs. “Oh, thank goodness. I didn’t want to turn it down. I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance like this again.” She looked at Drake and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll still help get the music store up and running.”
He nodded curtly. “Have you told Chloe yet?”
She and her sister, Chloe, had practically raised each other while their mother was out looking for a man to foot her bills. Chloe was the director of the Lower Cape Assisted Living Facility (LOCAL), and she was as determined to succeed as Serena was. Serena knew Chloe would be happy for her, even though it meant she was moving away. “I haven’t had time yet. They just called me this morning with the offer. I’m really sorry about giving so little notice.”
Drake grumbled something she couldn’t make out.
Violet pointed at him and said, “Maybe if shewereyour bed buddy she wouldn’t be leaving.”
