Page 7 of Bayside Heat
Drake’s door opened, and Serena shoved her phone in her purse, trying to read his expression.
“Thank you for coming out,” he said to Mina, the petite blond applicant. “We’re interviewing for the rest of the week, but we’ll get back to you as soon as we make a decision.”
Something in his tone told Serena he’d decided against her.
“It was a pleasure meeting you.” Mina shook his hand, and then she offered her hand to Serena. “And thank you, Serena. Good luck with your new endeavor.”
“Thank you. We’ll be in touch.” She watched Mina leave, and the second she was out the door, she turned a stern glare on Drake. “What’s wrong with her?”
“We can’t have a Mina around here. We’ll get her confused with Mira.”
Serena hoped he was kidding. “Seriously? You can’t tell the difference between a petite blonde and your tall, brunette sister?”
He shrugged. “She’s too…”
“Experienced?” she said sarcastically as she gathered her notes for the music shop and shoved them into her bag. “Drake, she worked for three summers running the office for a cottage community. How can that not be good enough?”
“She didn’t lack experience,” he said casually. “She lacked personality.”
“She was sweet and friendly. What more do you want?”
His lips quirked up. “Sweet and friendly will never cut it when something needs to get done. We need sweet, strong, and warily friendly.”
“What does that even mean? And when did you become a psych major?” She grabbed her bag and dug out her keys.
“You’ve worked here for years. Do you really think sweet will cut it when Rick and I disagree and she needs to intervene or make a final decision? Or how about when guys come in and hit on her? Will friendly send the wrong message? Will she be able to deal with a handsy renter?”
“She won’t have to. You always bulldoze anyone who comes near me.”
“She’s not you,” he said, and stalked into his office.
“Well, maybe you can pretend she’s your younger sister or something.”
He looked over his shoulder, glowering at her.
Serena stifled a laugh. “I’ll miss that scowling face when I’m gone. Maybe you can send me a selfie every once in a while.” They texted each other often, hung out after work, and were partners in all their group activities with their friends. But the idea of Drake sending a selfie made her laugh.
“Oh, I’ll be in touch. Don’t worry. Someone’s got to look out for you.”
“My butt they do.”
“How about we keep men away from your ass,” he said a little too sharply.
“Ha ha,” she said sarcastically. “You’re going to hate not being able to watch me like a hawk, aren’t you?”
He was glowering again.
Teasing him was so much fun. “How did you ever survive when I was away at college?” As she turned to leave she remembered how often he’d come to visit Mira when they were away at school. She spun around, gaping at him. “Oh my God! You weren’t visiting your sister—you were checking up on both of us, weren’t you?”
A cocky smile spread across his face. “Like I said, someone has to look out for you.”
“Geez. You’re…” Her phone vibrated with a text, and she snagged it from her purse as Chloe’s name appeared on the screen. “Shit. I’ve got to go. I have to shop for clothes for my new job, find boxes, and start packing. It’s going to be another late night.”
“You okay, Supergirl?” he called after her.
She turned, struck by the concern in his eyes. Not for the first time in the last twenty-four hours, and probably not for the last, sadness swept through her at the reality that the friends who were as close as family and the man who had been always there for her would no longer be just a few minutes away.
This is my dream job, my chance to have a better life, she reminded herself.
Breathing deeply, she said, “I will be,” and headed out of the office.
The drive to The Now, a new upscale boutique in Orleans, was long enough for Serena to pull herself together about leaving and to think about the clothes she needed to buy. Business-appropriate clothing for the small beach community was a world away from the posh clients she was sure to work with in Boston.
