Bayside Heat

by Melissa Foster

  “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.

  She heard the office door close and opened her eyes. Drake was descending the steps with a blanket draped over his shoulder, carrying his guitar case. His shorter hair gave him an edgier look. His scruff did that normally, but the close cut made his jaw seem sharper, his eyes more cutting. He opened his door and set the blanket and guitar behind the seat.

  “Now that you’re a rock star, you can’t leave home without your guitar?”

  He scoffed. “Would you expect anything less?” He reached over, unhooked her seat belt, and hauled her across the bench next to him.

  “What took you so long?”

  He kissed her. “You look beautiful in my truck.”

  “As opposed to outside of your truck?” she said sassily.

  “There, too.” He slid his hand beneath her hair, gazing at her like she was a precious jewel he couldn’t believe he’d gotten his hands on. “All the little things I’ve thought about for so long are finally coming true. This is going to sound cheesy, but every time I see you looking a certain way, or in positions where I never thought we’d be, you look even sexier to me. You’ve been in my truck a million times. But coming out of the office and seeing you smile when you notice me and being able to openly enjoy that feeling? That’s pretty fucking incredible. And this? You and me?” His lips came tenderly down over hers. “Pure perfection, Supergirl.”

  Serena felt like she was riding on air as Drake drove down to Hyannis and parked on a side street. Serena knew exactly where he was headed, and she was touched so deeply, it was all she could do to watch him as he grabbed the blanket and guitar and reached for her hand. He led her down the overgrown trail toward the creek she’d frequented as a kid, and all the worries and questions in her mind subsided. Her beautiful man knew exactly what she needed.

  Drake lifted branches for her to duck under and held her hand as she climbed over rocks and around fallen trees. A pungent, marshy smell greeted them when they stepped into the grassy clearing near the edge of the creek. The rickety old dock was still there, slanted as ever, missing decking in the same places it had been when she was young. He took his guitar out of the case, and she realized he’d brought the first guitar he’d ever owned, from when they were kids.

  He reached for her hand again and said, “Come on. Backstreet Boys are calling us.”

  “Ohmygod,” came out with a squeal. “Are you kidding?”

  A coy grin slid across his face. “You know I’m not. You and Mira made us listen to that damn CD all the time.”

  “Oh Lord.” She went with him onto the dock, holding his hand as she stepped over the missing slats. She kicked off her sandals and sat on the edge, her feet dangling over the inky water.

  Drake remained on his feet and began strumming the tune to “I Want It That Way” as he kicked off his flip-flops and sang, “Yeah-eah.” He winked and sang, “You’re my fire, Supergirl. My only desire.”

  He changed the lyrics and sang about how they weren’t two worlds apart and how he could reach her heart when she told him what she wanted.

  Moved by his humor, his voice, and his generous, loving soul, she jumped to her feet and danced as he sang. When the song ended he went right into “Larger than Life,” once again changing the lyrics to speak of them, and then directly into “When I Come Around” by Green Day and then “What I Got” by Sublime. She sang with him, both of them dancing as he played. He parlayed that song into “Little Red Corvette” and then about a dozen more songs from their youth, fast, slow, funny, romantic. She danced and sang until her cheeks hurt. And later, breathless and happy, they sat on the dock for a long while, talking about their childhoods and their current lives and everything in between.

  “This is why we need a rooftop deck on the community center at the resort,” she said as she lay with her head in his lap.

  He leaned down and kissed her. “Let’s not talk about work right now. This is our time, and there’s something I’ve been wanting to do for way too long.”

  “I’m not stripping naked on this dock.”

  He cocked a brow with a seductive glimmer in his eyes. God, she’d do anything with him.

  “Maybe,” she relented.

  “No wonder I love you.” He pressed his lips to hers and said, “Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about that until you said it. Sit up beside me.”

  He helped her up and handed her the guitar.

  “When we were supposed to sing that duet, you asked me to teach you the guitar,” he said as he helped her position the guitar properly. “It was such a weird time, and I knew if we got that close, I’d
have an even harder time keeping my hands off you.”

  She ran her fingers along the neck of the guitar, remembering how brokenhearted she’d been when he’d said he didn’t have time. “I was so awkward back then, and even though I had no idea what to do with the body I’d developed, I was hopeful it might have caught your attention.”

  “It did, and that was the problem. You weren’t awkward at all. You rocked those curves under those secondhand shirts and shorts you dolled up. You could have had any guy you wanted.”

  “There was only one I wanted.” She cradled his guitar. “You’re really going to teach me to play?”

  “Yup. Then maybe you can play me those songs you wrote when you were a teenager.”

  Her eyes widened. “How do you know I wrote songs?”

  “Do you really think you and Mira were quiet when you’d spend the night? Two thirteen-year-old girls hunkered down around your notebooks giggling about lyrics. And at night, when you thought no one could hear you, you sang so loud, I bet the neighbors heard them.”

  “No way! And there were only three songs.”

  “Way, Supergirl, and I know there were only three, but you sang them endlessly. I think my favorite line was ‘boyfriends with big muscles and lots of brains.’”

  She snort-laughed and covered her face. “I forgot about that!”

  “I assume that was me, and if it wasn’t, then lie to me, okay?”

  “They were all about you,” she gushed. “Because they were about the love of my life, so even if I didn’t know it then, you were always on my mind.”

  He moved closer, angling himself so he could put his arms around her from behind, and repositioned her hands. “Be loose. Get comfortable with the instrument.”

  “If you say ‘make love to it,’ I’m going to bite your neck.”

  “Oh, baby. Make love to it,” he said in a raspy voice.

  She turned and bit his neck, then sucked, leaving a tiny mark that she knew would fade, but the groan it earned was one she’d not soon forget. She tenderly kissed the red spot, then leaned against him and said, “How did you know I needed this?”

  “Because I love you, and when you care about someone, you usually know what they need.”

  “If only all life’s answers were that easy.”

  “Maybe we can find whatever answers you’re looking for in the music. Now, make love to the guitar.”

  She nudged him with her elbow. “Watch it, buster.”

  He taught her the basics, and later, when they were back at his place and she was getting ready to leave, he set his guitar in the back seat of her car.

  “I can’t take that to Boston. It’s always been with you.”

  “I want you to learn on the same one I did. Besides, you’re part of me now, so in a sense, it’s still with me.” He brushed his lips over hers and said, “Thank you for arranging for Boone to fly in and for fighting traffic and coming home last night. I’ll come see you next weekend so you don’t have to drive back again.”

  “I would love that. We can knock a few things off of our explore-Boston list. Thank you for today. It was just what I needed. Now the week won’t seem so long. I’m going to practice the guitar, but you know I have no music for my ridiculous thirteen-year-old-girl songs.”

  “Ah, but I do.”

  “What?” She was stunned. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Nope. They’re written by my ridiculous teenage-boy heart.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  He held her tighter. “Because I can’t reveal all my secrets to you at once.”

  “Yes, you can! If you wrote them back then, then we really are meant for each other.”

  “You doubted that?” He looked perplexed.

  “No, not at all. But you know what this means. When you come up next weekend, we’ll have to play your music to my songs.”

  “There’s nothing I’d rather do.” He nuzzled against her neck and said, “Except maybe make my name come off your lips in the throes of passion.”

  She clung to his shirt, wishing they had another night together. “That does not make me want to leave. I want to spend all my nights in your arms.”

  “I’m far more selfish than you are. I want you in my arms at night, I want to see your beautiful face every morning, and I want to monopolize every minute of yours in between.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “DO YOU THINK it’s possible to have a happiness hangover?” Serena asked Chloe over the phone more than a week later. She leaned back in her office chair Tuesday afternoon, looking out at the cloudless sky and thinking about how busy last week was and how glad she was that Drake had driven up for the weekend. He’d brought buckets of sand and a baby pool, just as he’d mentioned the first weekend she’d moved to Boston. They’d sat on the rooftop deck Saturday evening with their feet in the sand, and later, they’d lain on the sand stargazing. It was heavenly.

  “I think you mean an orgasm hangover,” Chloe corrected her. “You said you didn’t even leave the apartment Sunday until he left to come home.”

  “But we went out on Saturday,” she reminded her. “We had breakfast in the café downstairs—”

  “After hours of sex, I’m sure,” Chloe interrupted. “It’s totally unfair that my baby sister gets more action than I do.”

  “Let me just enjoy this moment of achievement.” Serena listened to Chloe’s heavy sigh. “Anyway, we spent most of Saturday out. Remember the list I told you Drake made? We went to the Institute of Contemporary Art and hung out at the bar the show Cheers was based on. That was cool. And after lying out under the stars on the rooftop deck of my building, we had Insomnia Cookies. It was a perfect weekend. So maybe it’s a duo hangover of happiness and orgasms.”

  “Okay, before I choke on my jealousy, how’s work these days? Any more confrontations with your boss?”

  “Kinda sorta, but last week was amazing. The clients I told you about, Seth and Jared, loved my team, of course, and our concepts, and everything I showed them at the design center. I think they’re my favorite clients, although the Wilkinsons are close. They’re the home-library remodel project. The husband is hilarious, and the wife rolls her eyes at him, then asks me to do whatever he wants anyway. They’re really cute together. It’s like she just wants him to be happy.”

  She told Chloe about going out with Laura, Spencer, Chiara, Carolyn, and Gavin for drinks and karaoke last night. She’d had a good time, but with the exception of Gavin, it wasn’t anything like going out with her friends from home. The others were nice, but a little too buttoned-up for her taste.

  “That’s a bummer,” Chloe said. “But hopefully you’ll meet other people.”

  “I do like the girl who runs Kane’s Donuts, Abby Crew. She’s divorced, and she bought the doughnut shop on her own. I’m a little envious, to be honest. She doesn’t have to report to anyone.”

  “Oh God, Serena. How many doughnuts are you eating that you know this woman’s entire life story?”

  “Probably too many, but it’s more fun to eat doughnuts and talk to her than eat dinner by myself. Besides, I like her. She’s easy to talk to. Oh my gosh. I almost forgot to tell you! Remember my first client? The attorney, Muriel Younger? She decided she wants glass in her conference rooms after all.”

  “The woman who wanted no creative input? She reminded me of the Devil Wears Prada boss.”

  “That’s the one. Her assistant called last week to tell me. I was afraid her architect, Drew Ryder, was going to chew me out for even suggesting it, but he was really cool. I actually think we might use him for Seth and Jared’s project.”

  “Aaaand…? The kinda sorta run-in with your boss?” Chloe pushed.

  “It was nothing, really,” she lied, because she didn’t want to hear Chloe tell her how she needed to take a step back and play the corporate game, like Mira had. She was still having a hard time wrapping her head around doing things in order to eke out billable hours when it seemed a waste of her t
ime.

  Serena’s office phone rang, and she said, “Chloe, I’ve got to take that.”

  “Okay, go. And, sis, don’t get too big for your britches,” Chloe said. “You need that job.”

  “I know. Gotta go. Love you.” She ended the call and picked up her office phone. “Serena Mallery.”

  “Serena? This is Crystal Bernard returning your call.”

  “Yes, thank you.” She flipped through her notebook and found the notes on the client Suzanne had referred to her yesterday. “I’ve been trying to reach you about remodeling your pool house. I’ve got some time available later this week if you’re free.”

  “Actually, we’re in the Hamptons until late Friday night. We were hoping you could come by Saturday.”

  Shit. She didn’t want to miss the tasting for Desiree’s wedding and going tubing with her friends Saturday afternoon. “I have a prior appointment on Saturday, but I can do any day next week.”

  “That won’t work,” Crystal said sharply. “We’ll be in town for only the one day, Saturday. We’re leaving Sunday morning for my niece’s wedding, and then we’ll be gone for two weeks. We know exactly what we want, and I’m sure it will take only a few minutes.”

  Nothing ever took only a few minutes, especially if Serena was going to gather enough information to actually start working on the job. “Perhaps it would be better to do this when you return in two weeks and aren’t pressed for time?”

  “No. We must do it now,” Crystal said, and listed a litany of reasons why she had to meet Saturday or move on to another designer.

  Serena was this close to telling the snooty woman to do just that when Suzanne peered into her office. She waved Suzanne in and reluctantly told Crystal she’d be there Saturday morning. “How is eight o’clock?” Maybe if they met early enough she could still make the tasting.

  “That won’t work. I have an appointment at the salon. We can do eleven o’clock, and please don’t be late. My husband has a difficult time with people who aren’t punctual.”