Page 99 of Bayside Heat
“You see me differently than anyone else does. I doubt any guys are looking at me that way.” She pointed to an older man with a protruding belly, sitting in a lawn chair beside a table of antiques. “Except maybe him.” She waved to the man, and he nodded.
“Right.” Drake turned her by the shoulders and said, “Ten o’clock, dark-haired guy stealing glances, and just beyond him, that bald guy was checking you out the last two times we stopped walking.”
“The dark-haired guy isn’t bad,” she said playfully.
He pulled her against him, glaring at her even though he knew she was kidding.
“Kiss me, you proud peacock. Claim your woman.”
And he did.
Ravenously.
They finally found Leanna’s booth, where she was surrounded by a crowd of customers who were tasting and buying jams. Leanna talked animatedly to each person, spouting off ingredients and flavors. She was perhaps the messiest person Drake knew, and also one of the sweetest. She was always in a constant state of disarray, with jam on her clothes and tousled hair, while her husband was the neatest, most organized man on the planet.
“Hey, you two!” Leanna finished helping the customers, then came around and hugged them both. “Oh gosh. Sorry.” She tried to wipe jam off Drake’s sleeve, where she’d accidentally smeared it.
“No worries. Hagen got me worse last night,” Drake assured her. “How are you?”
“I’m great.” Her gaze moved between him and Serena. “How are you guys? Together, huh?”
“I’m a lucky guy,” Drake said proudly.
“Darn right you are, and don’t you forget it. Serena’s a catch.”
“Thanks, Leanna, and thank you for all your help with the opening,” Serena said.
She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh gosh, anytime. We came by after the flea market, and there were so many people. It was wild! And, Drake, I always knew you could sing, but holy cow. You’re a YouTube sensation. You sounded awesome.”
“Thank you. Luckily Boone’s voice drowned mine out.”
“Hardly,” Serena said.
“It was pretty crazy. I still can’t believe Serena pulled it off without me even having a clue.” He draped an arm around Serena and kissed her cheek.
“Actually,” Serena said, “Leanna’s the reason I was able to get Boone to come. She hooked me up with Kurt’s sister, Siena, who is married to Cash Ryder. Cash is Trish’s brother. That’s how I made the connection. And they were all so nice and willing to help me connect with Boone.”
“From what I’ve heard, they had a blast,” Leanna said. “Trish said they’re hoping to come back to the Cape in the fall and meet up with you?”
“I hope so,” Serena said. “I really want to meet them in person.”
“Let me know if you guys put something together. If we’re back in the city, we’ll come for the weekend.” Leanna and Kurt lived on the Cape during the summer and in New York City the rest of the year. “I’d love to see them, too.”
They talked for a while longer, and Leanna sent them home with a few jars of Sweet Heat, Strawberry Spice, and Frangelico peach jam, their favorites.
On the way back to the truck, Serena asked, “Do you want to stop by the music store?”
“Only if you’d like to see it. Carey texted earlier. They’re pretty busy today.”
Serena was quiet for a moment, and when they reached the truck, she said, “As much as I would like to see it, I’d rather go someplace and hang out. Just the two of us. I feel like my life has become a mad dash, running from one place to the next. Not that I mind, and I know I did this to myself by moving to Boston, but I really want some downtime with you, without any pressure from other people or work or anything.”
That sounded perfect to him. “I’ve got just the place.”
“I JUST HAVE to grab something really quick,” Drake said when he parked in front of the office of Bayside Resort. “I’ll be right back.”
He gave Serena a chaste kiss, and she watched him jog up the steps and disappear into the office. The scents of the sea and the sounds of families brought life to the otherwise-still air. She closed her eyes and tipped her face toward the sun. It was warm without the breeze rushing in the open windows as it had been when they were driving. She thought about how much her life had changed. She had almost always spent at least some time at the beach each day, whether she and her friends were taking walks, sitting around a bonfire, or lying in the sun listening to the water kiss the shore. She missed eating lunch on the dunes and kicking off her sandals after work to go down to the beach with Mira and Hagen or with the girls. Sand between her toes had been a daily occurrence, and she’d taken it for granted. Had she done the right thing by moving away? While she’d always had dreams of working in a big design firm, she hadn’t been one of those people who disliked the Cape and wanted to escape it. She just wanted to do her own thing, to move forward and make her mark.
