Page 4 of Bayside Heat
Drake grumbled something she couldn’t make out.
Violet pointed at him and said, “Maybe if she were your fuck buddy she wouldn’t be leaving.”
“That’s not true!” Serena snapped. “And I would never be anyone’s fuck buddy, least of all Drake’s.”
She didn’t even want to try to figure out what the screwed-up look Drake was giving her meant.
“Whatevs, little one,” Violet said. Then she glared at Drake and said, “Tell her you’re happy for her. Your resort will survive without her. More importantly, I’m hearing a reason to party.”
“A goodbye party!” Emery said. “Yes, definitely. Mira, can you go to Undercover if you don’t drink?” Undercover was a nightclub in the next town over, owned by Harper’s brother, Colton.
Mira patted her belly and said, “My baby is portable for the next three months. It goes where I go, so I’ll be there.”
Drake leaned closer to Serena and said, “I’ll drive you to the party so you can drink.”
“Okay,” she said, hoping that meant he wasn’t as upset as he looked.
Violet pushed to her feet. Her coal-black hair draped over her shoulder as she leaned across the table for another cherry-cheese croissant. “Keep up the headboard banging, Rick. These croissants are the bomb.”
“Oh, I plan to.” Rick pulled Desiree close and whispered something in her ear that made her blush.
“I’m out of here, sis,” Violet said. “I’m heading to Hyannis to pick up supplies.” She strutted across the grass toward her motorcycle.
“And we have a music store to get in order.” Drake pushed to his feet and pulled Serena up by her arm.
“Hey. I haven’t eaten.” Not that she could eat anyway. Her stomach was all knotted up. “And I need my notebooks for the store.”
“Aw, shit,” Rick said. “She poked the bear.”
“And we have to deal with the bear after she leaves.” Dean stroked his beard, his serious blue eyes locked on Drake, who was glaring at both of them. “Hey, Serena, you sure you can’t give us three months’ notice? Or maybe a year?”
Drake glowered at him and grabbed a croissant. “We’ll get your notebooks and you can eat on the road. We have work to do, and apparently only a week in which to do it.”
THE RIDE TO the music store was painfully tense. Music blared in the cab of the truck while Drake looked like he was chewing on nails and Serena pretended not to notice as she added items to her to-do list. She stole a glance at him in the driver’s seat, where he sat with his arm on the door, his jaw tight. He had a dimple in his right cheek that appeared only when he was angry or frustrated, and the darn thing was so sexy, there were times Serena had pissed him off just to see it. That little tell hadn’t disappeared since she’d mentioned leaving, and right now it was more heartbreaking than sexy.
Getting on better footing with Drake suddenly became her number one priority. They had a lot to do before she left, and if he was angry, it would be that much harder to get everything done. Besides, she truly, deeply cared about him, and the idea of leaving things unsettled between them cut her to her core. She set her phone in her lap as he slowed to a stop, waiting for a break in traffic so he could cross to the parking lot of the new store.
“Sorry about giving you guys such short notice,” she said. “I asked for a month, but they said they needed me right away.”
He shifted a tight look to her. “Mm-hm.”
“Drake, you can’t be that mad. You know I’ve been looking for a new job for months.”
“Yup.” He sped across the road, into the lot, and threw the truck into park in front of the store.
Those dark eyes slid to her for about half a second before they both climbed out of the truck. He strode purposefully toward the door. She hitched her bag over her shoulder, and despite the uneasiness between them, she did what she always did. Her eyes coasted down his broad shoulders and back, and as he unlocked the door to the shop, her gaze moved to his butt. She was forever trying to figure out how the hot hunk of a man before her was the same person as the lanky teen she’d fallen for when she’d been a silly high school freshman and he’d been a cool senior with all the pretty girls after him. She couldn’t help it. She’d crushed on him for so many years, it was as much a part of her as the way she craved cookies dipped in milk.
