Page 31 of Sweet Heat at Bayside
Forget it.He took a picture of the photograph in the hall and typed the caption,The dude on the left misses you.
That was frigging lame. They had never been sappy types.
He deleted the message, took a selfie, and sent it off with the captionDoes this sweat make me look hot?
SERENA KICKED HER bare feet up on the coffee table in her new loft apartment Saturday evening and sank into the plush, teal-blue art-deco sofa as she video chatted with Chloe and Mira. She had given them a virtual tour and clued them in to some parts of last night’s extracurricular activities. Chloe had peppered her with questions, but luckily, Mira had demanded a PG summary. She had gotten away with saying,Being with Drake surpassed my wildest dreams and we didn’t even sleep together.It wasn’t like Serena wanted to share all the details of her and Drake’s incredible night, but she knew Chloe would have continued pushing had it not been for Mira.
“What on earth are you eating?” Serena squinted into the monitor.
“Sushi,” Chloe answered.
Mira wiped her mouth and said, “Chicken. Matt and Hagen grilled it with all sorts of veggies. It’s delicious. What are you eating, Serena?”
Serena held up a pint of her new favorite ice cream. “BJ’s. Kinky Pleasures!”
“I didn’t know Ben and Jerry’s had that flavor.” Chloe lifted her chin as if it would help her see inside Serena’s container. “Show it to me. What’s in it?”
Serena tilted the container toward the screen. “It’s not Ben and Jerry’s, and it’s full of pieces of chocolate, walnuts, cherries, and toffee. BJ’s ice cream servesonlydirty flavors, like Moaning Mocha Masterpiece.” She snort-laughed, making the girls crack up. “This apartment building isinsane. Everything I need is right downstairs, including my dinner.” She shoveled a scoop of ice cream into her mouth. “I might never leave the building.”
“I don’t think your boss would like that,” Mira said.
“You’re so responsible.” Serena’s phone vibrated, and Drake’s name appeared on the screen. Her stomach fluttered, as it had been doing every time he texted. Although he had yet to text anything about last night or about the card she’d left at his apartment. She read the text and said, “Hold on. I need to reply to this.”
“Is that Drakeagain?” Chloe pulled her sweater around her shoulders. She was sitting on her deck, talking to them by candlelight.
“Yes. A bunch of stuff was installed at the music shop today. He’s just catching me up, and he’s also asking questions about the people we interviewed. It sounds like they’re taking another look at the candidates I brought in,” Serena said as she replied to his text. She wanted to ask him what last night had meant, and she worried that maybe she’d been too honest with her feelings in the card.Drake, there was a time when I thought we might end up together. And then I let that thought go. But never fully. Even now, knowing how you feel about me and why you want to keep distance between us, I still can’t let it go. You’ll always be the first boy I fell in love with. I wonder, though, if you’ll also be the last.
It had felt like the right thing to say at the time. She drew in a deep breath and said, “Can I ask you guys something about dating?”
“Hold on. Let me get away from little ears.” Mira got up, carrying her phone.
“I know you mean me, Mom,” Hagen said as she passed him.
Mira bent and kissed his head. “Say hi to Auntie Serena.”
He looked up from the puzzle he was working on with Matt, and his normally serious blue eyes widened. “Hi! Do you like Boston? Did you go to the library yet? Are you eating ice cream? What flavor? I had ice cream after lunch.” Hagen loved libraries, museums, and basically any place where he could learn new facts. Matt and Mira were always taking him on educational outings.
“That’s a lot of questions, buddy,” Matt said to Hagen, then he turned his face toward the screen. “Hey, girls. How’s it going?”
“Hi, Hagen. Hi, Matt.” Serena waved. “I haven’t gotten to the library yet, Hagen, but I will report back when I do. And I am eating ice cream. It’s called—”
“Watch it!” Mira said.
“Yummylicious,” Chloe chimed in.
Matt shook his head with a stifled chuckle.
“On that note, I’m taking this call outside.” Mira held the phone closer as she went outside and whispered, “Eight-year-olds are like little spies. They collect intel and bring it out at the worst possible time. Just this morning he asked Matt if he remembered to stop by the girls’ shop and get newtoys.”
Serena and Chloe howled with laughter. Desiree and Violet had first come to the Cape under the guise of their mother needing help due to her failing health. They’d been tricked into running their mother’s art gallery, Devi’s Discoveries, which was on the grounds of the inn. They’d later discovered an adult toy shop in the back of the gallery, which their mother had failed to mention owning. They ran that now, too.
Mira sat down on a deck chair. “Poor Matt had to run out and buy Hagen toys so he didn’t parrot it right back to everyone else.”
“I’m sorry,” Serena said, still laughing. “But that’shilarious.”
Mira narrowed her eyes. “You just wait until you have children.”
“Not happening anytime soon for me,” Chloe said.
