Bayside Heat

by Melissa Foster

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.

  Only she told herself she no longer craved Drake in the same way she once had, with a fluttering in her chest or holding her breath at his every word. No, things had changed a long time ago. She’d grown up, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate a little eye candy from her first crush.

  Drake held the door open and motioned for her to pass through.

  “You keep grinding your teeth, they’re liable to break,” she said as she walked into the nearly empty space.

  “I’m not grinding…” He shook his head, and a half scoff, half laugh fell from his lips. It was a familiar sound, one that said he was annoyed but also amused.

  He was a broody guy sometimes, but it was always driven by a clear cause, and he didn’t mince words, play games, or hold grudges. She liked and respected those things about him, which was probably what made them such good friends. Neither one took shit from the other.

  “Oh, good,” she said as she set her bag on the counter. “You’ve gotten over yourself.”

  “Over myself?” He paced the floor.

  “Yes! So I got another job? You know I’ve always wanted to do interior design.”

  He crossed his arms, leveling a serious stare on her. “I’m happy for you, but it leaves us—me—in a lurch. I’m just trying to figure it all out.” He waved at the space. “I’ve got to get my arms around doing this alone.”

  “You’ve opened four other music stores.”

  “We, Serena. We’ve opened four other music stores.”

  “What…?” She thought back to the first store he’d opened, during her junior year of college. She’d helped him revamp it and had come up with a theme that they’d since carried over to the other stores. “That’s not true. You opened the first one. I just helped make it attractive after you made it look like a garage.”

  “Exactly. It was a joint effort,” he said sharply.

  “I guess you’re right.” She stepped closer, knowing the best way to center his mind had always been to be near him. She knew he was calculating project times, divvying himself up between the resort and the store. Some guys were like bears, all claws and scare tactics. They bullied their way into projects, creating more havoc than good. Drake was a methodical thinker, as fierce and powerful as any man she’d ever seen, but he didn’t attack. He was like an eagle ready to land, circling his prey until he knew the exact second to swoop down and make a clean getaway. She admired those qualities in him as a friend and as a businessman.

  “But this isn’t new to you, Drake,” she said calmly. “I’m not leaving you high and dry. I’m here now, and it’s only Monday. I have five or six more days before I go to Boston, and you know damn well I’ll work every minute to get as much arranged as I can. And then I’ll be only a phone call away. I love working with you and setting up the stores. You know that.”

  “Do you?” His voice was tense, but his eyes filled with something much deeper.

  Curiosity? Longing?

  Wishful thinking much?

  “Are you really asking me that?” she challenged.

  FUCK. WHAT AM I doing? Drake had no idea when he’d stopped seeing Serena as just a friend—again—or when he’d begun noticing her womanly curves, the way she twirled her hair around her finger when she was sleepy, or the wanting look that came over her sometimes when they were working together late at night. But when the thrum of heat he’d felt when they were teenagers returned years ago, he’d known he had to mentally draw a line between them. He’d once again promised himself he’d never stand in her way or hold her back. She’d had big dreams since she was a kid, and after what she and her sister, Chloe, had gone through when they were growing up, he was bound and determined to make sure she achieved everything she ever wanted.

  No matter how much it stung that he couldn’t be on that list.

  But as he gazed into her entrancing eyes, shades of sea green glimmering against soft cocoa, even with his promise in mind, he was powerless to stop the guilt-inducing questions from coming out.

  “Then why leave? You left your first interior design job because you were bored, remember?” Serena had worked for several years as an interior designer right after college, and after boredom had consumed her, she’d spent the next two years helping a retail company establish their offices in Hyannis. She’d been on fire, and lucky for Drake and his partners, when that job ended, they’d been able to swoop her up to help them get Bayside Resort off the ground. The last thing he wanted was for her to go backward in her career.

  “Yes, but that was years ago, and it was a tiny firm where all I did was decorate. KHB has huge clients. They assured me I would be an integral part of the client teams, involved with all design-management decisions, not just picking out fabrics and pictures. If I ever want to make a name for myself, it’s the place to do it.”

  He was glad she’d thought it through, but that didn’t take away his heartache over her leaving. “You’ve been doing interior design for months with Shift. We gave you an office in the community center so you wouldn’t have to drive to Hyannis. I thought you were happy here.” He’d even sent her a number of design clients over the winter, hoping to help her get off to a good start so she could build a reputation for herself.

  “I am happy, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, giving me the office to work out of and sending clients my way. And I love helping you get the music stores up and running, taking a blank slate and creating something amazing like we did with the resort. All those cottages, the office, the community center…We made them gorgeous and homey enough so customers feel like they’ve come home when they arrive each summer. I love doing that, and I adore our friends. You know I do. But I need more, Drake. I need something of my own. The resort just doesn’t need me anymore.”

  B
ut I do.

  Every iota of his being wanted to give her more, but he couldn’t give her the kind of more—the career—she wanted. He turned away to try to regain control of his emotions.

  “God, Drake, what do I have to say to make you understand?”

  He faced her again, and she crossed her arms. Her long dark hair lay sexily over her bare shoulders, contradicting the angry press of her lips. The look summed her up perfectly. She could be tough as nails or sweet as sugar, depending on the situation. She’d spent her life fighting for everything she’d ever had just to overcome a mother who worked too many hours in order to keep a roof over her girls’ heads and spent her nights prowling for men. There was no way in hell he was going to make it any harder for Serena to chase her dreams.

  With a softer tone, he said, “There’s nothing more to say, and I’m sorry I was a dick. It was totally selfish of me. Let’s get started on the space designs. I’m sure you’ve got a billion things to take care of before you leave.”

  “Whoa. That was a complete turnaround. You sure you’re not going to secretly chain me up in the office or something so I can’t leave?”

  “Or something,” he said with a laugh.

  “Why are you laughing?”

  “Because I don’t chain women down to get them to stay.”

  Her jaw dropped open. “But you do…chain women down?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Oh my God! You do!” she said. A hint of intrigue in her eyes warred with the shock on her beautiful face.

  “Tie, not chain,” he clarified, struggling against an image of her bound to his bed, her hungry eyes and her fuckable mouth begging him to take her. As he’d done for years with such fantasies, he gritted his teeth, forcing the thoughts away, then added, “And only if they ask me to.”

  “They ask you to?” She mouthed, Wow.

  Jesus, why did he say anything? “We are not having this conversation.”

  “How did I not know this about you?” she asked incredulously.

  He grabbed her bag and handed it to her. “Dig your notebook out of there, Supergirl. It’s time to get to work.”

  Her beautiful eyes were wide with curiosity that he wanted desperately to satisfy. “But—”

  “Serena,” he said sharply, leaving no room for negotiation. “We are not going there.”

  Chapter Two

  SERENA RACED FROM the file room into her office Wednesday evening and grabbed her phone, typing a quick group text to Mira, Desiree, Emery, and Chloe. Leaving in five minutes. I’m sorry!! I promise I’ll be there soon. She was supposed to meet them in Orleans in five minutes to shop for clothes for her new job, but Drake was still behind closed doors with the last interview of the day. She hoped that was a good sign, considering he’d nixed the first two candidates she’d brought in.

  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.

  “Uptown Funk” was playing in the boutique when Serena arrived, immediately lifting her spirits. Colorful skirts and blouses filled racks and dressed mannequins. The walls were lined with upscale fashions of varying styles. At least it wouldn’t be hard to find a few nice outfits.

  A tall blonde called to her from behind the cash register. “Hey there. Welcome to The Now.”

  “Thank you!” Serena spotted the girls in the back of the store and weaved around the racks toward them. Chloe, having come directly from work, looked elegant as always in a simple blue shift and heels. Mira looked fresh and gorgeous in a cute maternity sundress, which was similar to Desiree’s more revealing outfit. Emery wore her usual yoga pants and tank top. Serena should have felt like she fit right in with her blousy top and miniskirt, but she was still so harried from her busy day, she was sure she looked as frazzled as
she felt.

  “Finally!” Emery said. “I was beginning to think you and Drake had decided to christen the music shop.”

  “You’re getting more like Violet every day. We weren’t even there,” Serena said flatly. “He took forever interviewing a girl for my position. I’m sorry I’m late. It’s been an insane day.”

  “Did he hire her?” Mira asked.

  “No, the big dork. He said she didn’t have the right personality. She was too sweet and too friendly. Can we please not talk about Drake? He’s pissing me off. I can’t believe how much work there is to do before I leave. Between organizing the office so the next person can walk in and understand how we do things, setting up the new Bayside Music and Arts, and nailing down everything for my move, I swear I’m going to lose my mind.”

  “Don’t lose it before the wedding, please,” Desiree said. She and Rick were getting married in September.

  “No promises if Drake keeps being a pain,” Serena said.

  Chloe sifted through a rack of blouses and asked, “How many lists have you made?”

  “One for the music store, one for the resort, and one for the work I just finished up for Shift Home Interiors,” Serena said proudly.

  Chloe arched a finely manicured brow. She was as blond as Serena was dark, but she wore her hair in a cute pixie cut and had a soft, pretty face to pull it off. “Keep going, baby sister. I know you’ve got more—like what to pack, what to buy, what you don’t want to forget…”

  Serena groaned and began looking through a rack of dresses. “So I’m a list maker. It keeps me sane.”

  “I make lists, too,” Desiree said.

  “Not me,” Emery chimed in. “I’d lose them, or one of the cats would steal them.”

  Emery and Dean’s cats, Tango and Cash, were always stealing things. Emery told tales of missing underwear, keys, jewelry, anything the little thieves could get their paws on.

  “Serena’s been making lists since she realized there were certain kinds of boys she needed to avoid.” Chloe grabbed a sharp-looking royal-blue blouse and held it up to Serena. “I love this color for you.”