Page 73 of Bayside Heat
“Stop with work already,” Chloe said. “We want details about your love life, which I might remind you, you haven’t had in a very long time.”
“No sexy details, please,” Mira said as she tried to keep pace with one hand beneath her belly, as if she could make it lighter. “My son nearly got an eyeful this morning.”
“He did not!” Serena insisted. “We were just lying there, and we were totally covered up.”
“On a mattress on his deck,” Emery pointed out.
“How do you know?” Serena glared at Mira.
Mira held her hands up. “Don’t look at me. Thank God we weren’t out catching fireflies in the middle of the night.”
“Mira didn’t spill the beans,” Emery said. “I have eyes. I was on my way to the inn to teach my early class this morning and I saw something on his deck. A closer look showed me two pairs of feet tangled up in sheets.”
Desiree gasped. “Seriously? Right there above the office? I thought I was risqué being naughty in the crow’s nest at the inn.”
“You’re still learning how to spell risqué, sis,” Violet said as they maneuvered around a family sitting on the front steps of a bakery, eating delicious-looking pastries.
“Serena, you and Drake were naked on his deck?” Chloe went wide-eyed. “And this is the first I’m hearing of it?”
“We weren’t naked!” she lied. “At least not this morning when Mira saw us.” God, this was embarrassing. How could she joke about sex so easily when it was other people’s love lives under the microscope?
“Trust me. You would have heard last night had you been within a five-hundred-foot radius.” Violet flashed a satisfied smirk.
“We won’t make that mistake again,” Serena said under her breath as they walked by a crowd that had gathered around three young musicians.
“I should hope not,” Desiree said. “What if someone saw you?”
“Someone did,” Violet said, earning another harsh glare from Serena.
“Oh my gosh,” Desiree said. “That’s so embarrassing.”
“It’s not so different from everyone knowing about your sex life,” Emery pointed out.
Embarrassment flushed Desiree’s cheeks. She motioned ahead of them to an alley sandwiched between Puzzle Me This, an elaborate game store that was painted in vibrant shades of purple and pink, and Coconuts, a cedar-sided sunglass store. “Swank, the boutique where I bought the dress, is right down that alley.”
Serena was glad for the change in subject.
“We should stop and see Sky afterward,” Violet suggested. “I could use a new tat.”
Sky Lacroux-Bass owned Inky Skies, a tattoo parlor on the other side of the game store.
“You need another tattoo like I need more yoga clothes,” Emery said.
“I would like to stop into the flower shop and talk to Lizzie,” Desiree said. “And if there’s time, Brandy, too.” Lizzie Barber owned P-town Petals and was handling the flowers for Desiree and Rick’s wedding. “I know we have to be back in time for Serena to meet Drake, so if we run out of time, it’s okay.”
“Anything else, Queen Bee?” Violet asked as they turned down the alley.
“Oh gosh. Do I sound like that?” Desiree looked frantically from one friend to the next. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to thank Lizzie for answering all my questions this past week and to confirm the tasting session date with Brandy. The tasting is set for the weekend after Drake’s grand opening. You guys are all still planning on coming, right?”
They all answered at once as they approached the boutique, assuring her she didn’t sound stuck-up and that they wouldn’t miss the tasting. The boutique was located in a narrow, two-story house that had seen better days. Remnants of teal scuffed the wooden siding. The windows were shrouded behind big leafy plants, and a pink diamond-shaped sign hung over the door with SWANK! painted in vibrant yellow.
An adorable blond guy sat on the steps, reading. His hair was several shades of blond, cut military-short on the sides, longer on top, and brushed back from his face in a puffy, trendy style. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned four buttons deep. The sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows. He wore a stylish pair of navy shorts with white polka dots.
