Bayside Heat

by Melissa Foster

  “You’re serious?” Her pulse quickened with the idea. “You’d move to the Cape? You know sand and designer suits don’t mix well.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. “You know I’m itching to get out of here. Let’s blaze a path together. Shift into success with Mallery and Wheeler. The perfect tagline.”

  Goose bumps rose on her arms. “Mallery and Wheeler. I like it. You’re sure? Because you know I have strong opinions.”

  “I wouldn’t respect you if you didn’t. Of course, we’d want to review Justine’s books, just to make certain everything’s on the up-and-up, have a partnership agreement drawn up, and that sort of thing. But I say we make this happen. Why spend our lives working for other people?”

  “You know what? I’m in!” She pushed to her feet, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. She thrust out her hand and said, “To Mallery and Wheeler.”

  There was a knock on the door, and they both turned as Suzanne peered into the office.

  “Serena, can I see you in my office, please?”

  If Serena looked half as guilty as Gavin, she was in deep shit. But the twisting in her stomach told her she was making the right decision.

  DRAKE POPPED OPEN a beer Monday evening and threw a steak on the grill behind the office. He’d spent the day working at the music store with Carey and Maddy. They worked well together, and the store was already starting to get a following of twentysomething musicians who liked to hang out there. He had no doubt that was due to Serena’s brilliant surprise and the fact that Boone had signed all sorts of paraphernalia before leaving. They’d sold out of it the same day, but people still came by to see the place where Boone Stryker had played.

  His phone rang, and Serena’s name appeared on the screen. “Hey, babe.”

  “Hi,” she said breathlessly. “Sorry it’s so late. I had a late meeting. I have so much to tell you. Are you sitting down? You might want to sit down for this.”

  “Nope. Standing by the grill, what’s up?”

  “I’m doing it. I’m buying Justine’s business! Gavin’s brother, who’s some kind of accounting wiz, looked over Shift’s books this afternoon, and we met with an attorney to draw up the offer. She’ll have it in her hands by nine tomorrow morning, but I’ve already given it to her verbally, and she said it’s good. She’s going to take it. And today Suzanne gave me a hard time about not charging enough billable hours. I will be so glad to get out from under that corporate stuff. I can’t believe it, but I’m doing it, Drake! I’m buying Shift!”

  “Whoa, babe. Slow down,” he said, trying to keep up with her and tamp down the sting about how much she’d done without even communicating her decision to him first. He knew he had no business being irritated. This was her decision, her life, but he still felt left out. “That’s great news, but how did you get the money?”

  “Oh my gosh. I’m so excited I forgot to tell you! Gavin and I are partnering together. Fifty-fifty, right down the middle. Mallery and Wheeler! Can you believe it? It’s perfect!”

  Drake bit back a curse. “Babe, you won’t take my money, but you’ll take money from a guy you’ve known for a month?”

  “I’m not taking his money. We’re business partners, Drake, like you, Rick, and Dean.”

  “Whom I’ve known my whole life. How do you know you can trust this guy?”

  “I just know. Why are you so upset?”

  “Because I don’t want you making a mistake,” he said as he paced. “Partnering in business is complicated on so many levels. You have no idea if this guy is honest or not.”

  “Actually, I do,” she snapped. “He’s been nothing but honest with me about everything—work, life, friendships. I trust my instincts, and you should, too.”

  “You’re talking about a ton of money, babe. You’re sinking twenty-five grand into this with him. Anything can happen.”

  “It’s twenty-nine grand,” she said harshly. “We have to pay for the attorney and our partnership agreement and other things. But you know what?” Her voice escalated. “I’m not arguing about this with you. You’re right, Drake. Anything can happen, and I’m confident something wonderful will happen. Tomorrow, after Justine officially accepts our offer, I’m giving my notice, and in two weeks I’ll be back at the Cape, with you, and that’s pretty damn wonderful if you ask me.”

  His hand curled into a fist. “You’re right, it is. But I’d feel better if I had Gavin checked out. My buddy Reggie Steele is a PI. I’ll call him tonight and get a report before you sign off on the deal. Just in case.”

  “Whatever. You do what you have to do.”

  “It’s for your protection, Serena. Not for me.”

  “Is it? Or is it jealousy?”

  “Jesus. This is business. I trust you. You have to know that. You’re with the guy every frigging day. You have drinks with him, sing karaoke with him. The guy brings you cookies, Serena. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t still be with you. But you’re my girlfriend, and you might not be willing to take my money, but I’ll be damned if I’ll sit back and watch you possibly make the biggest mistake of your life.”

  “Way to trust my instincts.”

  “That’s not what I mean. Damn it. Listen, if he’s on the up-and-up, then I’m all for it. But how can you know without doing your due diligence?”

  He was answered with silence.

  “Serena,” he said in a softer voice. “I love you. If this is what you want, I want it for you. But can’t we agree that having him checked out is smart business? It has nothing to do with not trusting you, or being jealous, and everything to do with wanting to protect you.”

  She was quiet for a second, and then she said, “Shoot. That’s Justine calling on the other line. I really need to take it in case something’s wrong. I’ll call you back after.”

  The line went dead.

  “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

  Rick and Desiree came around the corner of the building. “What’s going on?” Rick asked.

  Drake shut off the grill. “Serena’s making an offer on Shift—with Gavin as her business partner.”

  Rick and Desiree exchanged an oh shit look. “Okay, well, you said he’s a good guy, right?”

  Drake glared at him. “I meant for hanging out with, not handing everything she’s ever worked for over to. She’s so damn stubborn. I told her I wanted to get him checked out. You know, due diligence, as we would on any business partner. We don’t know this guy from Adam.”

  “But she does,” Desiree reminded him.

  He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Yeah, I know.”

  Rick held his stare. “What are you going to do?”

  “You mean besides having Reggie Steele check him out? Fuck if I know.” He stalked toward the office.

  “Drake—”

  Rick started to follow, but Drake stopped him with a cold stare. Then he stormed inside, taking the steps two at a time.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “I KNOW, CHLOE!” Serena said into the phone. “I’m over-the-moon excited. Once you told me to take M-O-M out of the equation, everything fell into place.”

  “You know if you were doing this for Drake, it would be okay, right? You’re not Mom. You could never be her.”

  Serena nodded, even though they weren’t on a video chat. “I know. Thank you. Listen, I gotta go. Justine and I were on the phone forever, and I’ve been trying to reach Drake. He’s not answering my calls or my texts.”

  “He’s probably at the music store or out for a run.”

  “Maybe, but he was pretty pissed at me. He wanted to have a PI check out Gavin and I was…less than okay with it.”

  “Oh shit. You’re so fucking bullheaded. He was only trying to look out for you.”

  Tears burned in Serena’s eyes. “Yeah, I know. I gotta go.” She ended the call and tried Drake again. It rang three times before sending her to voicemail. She didn’t leave a message this time. How many times could she plead for forgiveness?

  S
he called the music store, and when that went to voicemail, too, she realized she was an idiot. If he wasn’t answering his phone, why would he answer the music store phone?

  She called Mira next, and the second she answered, Serena said, “Have you seen Drake?”

  “No. Why?”

  “We had a fight. I’ve been calling him for almost an hour and he’s not answering. If you see him, please ask him to call me.” She pushed the gas pedal to the floor, needing to get rid of her frustrations.

  Less than two minutes later, red-and-blue lights appeared in her rearview mirror. She threw her purse over the bottle of champagne on her seat. “Fucking perfect.”

  By the time she reached Bayside, she was a teary-eyed, angry mess, and so damn relieved to see Drake’s truck, she nearly kissed it. She sprinted up the stairs to his apartment, hearing music vibrating through the closed door. She didn’t even slow down to knock. She pushed open his door and stormed through his living room.

  “Drake!” she shouted. “We’re supposed to be celebrating, not fighting!” There was no way he could hear her with the music blaring, and he only played music that loud when he was pissed.

  She plowed into the bedroom, stopping cold at the sight of her clothes neatly stacked inside a suitcase. Tears sprang from her eyes. She clutched the champagne bottle in one hand, the cookie box in the other, feeling like a fucking idiot. Why had she argued with him? Why was she so damn stubborn?

  “Serena.” Drake’s deep voice boomed through the blaring music as he strode out of the bathroom in a towel, his toiletries bag in one hand, shampoo bottle in the other.

  “I’ve been trying to call you,” she shouted over the music. “I’m sorry. I know I’m stubborn and a pain in the ass. I shouldn’t have argued with you about Gavin. You’re right, Drake. I should have checked him out. Oh God, please don’t end us because I’m an idiot.”

  He tossed the toiletries bag and shampoo into the suitcase and closed the distance between them. “I fucking hate fighting with you,” he shouted. “But that’s who we are, Serena. Two bullheaded people.”

  Tears slid down her cheeks. “But we can make it work! I’ll be less stubborn. I promise.”

  He cupped her face, shaking his head. Breaking her heart one move at a time. His thumb brushed away her tears, but it did nothing to slow the river of sadness consuming her.

  “You can’t be less stubborn, and I don’t want you to,” he said loudly.

  “But you packed my stuff! I don’t want you to pack my stuff. I want our stuff together. I can learn to shut up.”

  He shook his head again with a disbelieving smile. “No, you can’t.”

  “Oh God…” Tears blurred her vision, and the music vibrated inside her chest, making her ache with grief.

  “Your unwillingness to sell yourself short or step back for anyone is what makes you so strong!” he shouted. “And my unrelenting need to protect you is what will ensure you won’t get hurt. Don’t you see, Supergirl?” A genuine smile curved his lips. “We are perfect for each other. We were each other’s first loves, and we’ll be each other’s last.”

  “But…?” She looked at the suitcase, trying to process his words against his moving her out.

  “I was packing our stuff, coming to Boston to be with you until you moved here. I called Reggie, and he said he’d have a report on Gavin tomorrow. I wanted to be there with you when Justine called to accept your offer.”

  Happy sobs bubbled out, and Serena lifted the champagne bottle and the cookie box. He took them from her and set them on the bed. Then he lowered his lips to hers, healing her shattered heart one loving kiss at a time. His body was warm and damp from the shower. The deeper they kissed, the hotter he became.

  “Drake! Turn it down!” Mira’s voice approaching from down the hall pulled them apart. “Serena’s trying to reach—” She appeared in the doorway.

  Drake moved behind Serena, his hard heat pressed against her back. She couldn’t suppress her giggle.

  Mira shifted her eyes away. “Oh. Never mind.”

  Rick burst into the room behind her. “What’s all the racket?”

  Drake put his arms around Serena’s waist, speaking above the music. “Just two passionate people talking. You won’t have to deal with it much longer. I’m going to Boston.”

  “For real?” Mira shouted.

  “For real,” Drake said as he turned Serena in his arms, gazing down at her like she was the love of his life—and she knew she always would be. “For very, very real.”

  Epilogue

  SERENA PULLED UP in front of the offices of Mallery and Wheeler Interior Designs and sat in her car for a moment, taking it all in. It had been eight weeks since Reggie Steele’s report on Gavin had come back clean, seven weeks since they’d sealed the deal with Justine, five weeks since she and Gavin had left KHB, and three weeks and five days since they’d opened their new offices. Serena hated secrets, and she’d told Gavin about Drake hiring Reggie Steele to check him out before Justine accepted the offer. She’d been relieved to hear that Gavin had also checked her out long before suggesting they partner together. Apparently, he was as cautious and business savvy as Drake. Needless to say, the two men in her life had since become fast friends.

  “Just in time for me to leave for a meeting,” Gavin said as Serena stepped into their office and set her things on her desk.

  “I’m sensing a pattern here. You left when I arrived yesterday, too.”

  “Two ships passing in the night, I guess,” Gavin said as he gathered his things and pushed to his feet in his jeans and dress shirt. For the most part he’d ditched his classy suits, and he fit right in on the Cape and with her friends.

  “You taking off soon?” he asked.

  “About a half hour or so. I have some things to get ready for tomorrow. Good luck with the meeting. Who is it with?”

  “Small retailer in Brewster. I’ll fill you in at breakfast tomorrow. Rick promised to up his game. I’m hoping for those custard tarts Desiree made last week.”

  She smiled to herself as he left the office. They’d had some bumps and bruises at first, figuring out how to approach certain aspects of marketing and introducing Justine’s clients to their new firm, but they’d worked through them and had continued to work well together. They were learning when to give each other space and when to stock up on cookies.

  She sent a quick text to Drake. Miss you. Home in forty mins or so. She added a kissing emoji and then set to work preparing for her meeting with Seth and Jared tomorrow. She couldn’t retain them as clients for the project they’d commissioned to KHB, but after she’d quit, Jared had contacted her about a restaurant they were opening in Provincetown. She was thrilled to be working with them again and couldn’t wait to get started. She’d been working closely with Donovan for the redesign of Swank, but he was a tough man to please. They’d finally nailed down a concept last week and were ready to move forward.

  Half an hour later she packed up her things and headed home. Her days were busy, and sometimes she had to work on the weekends, but her nights were filled with the man she adored and the friends she loved. Life was better than it had ever been, and as she drove down the dusty road toward her rented cottage, she didn’t regret spending her savings on her future.

  She and Drake had moved into the cottage after Violet had caught them not sleeping on his balcony again. He’d given up his apartment to Daphne, who was working out well at the resort. She had been staying with her sister. Serena’s decision to move back to the Cape had affected Drake and the others more than she could have ever imagined. After much discussion about dreams and the importance of spending quality time with friends and family, the guys had decided to hire Everett Adler to run the resort office on weekends. Everett was a middle school music teacher who was already teaching a few music classes at Bayside Music and Arts. He was young, divorced, and working out fabulously.

  Serena parked beside Drake’s truck in front of the cottage. The sky-blue shu
tters and wildflowers used to bring the sense of relief that only being home could provide. But that had changed over the last few months. As she stepped from the car, she knew it didn’t matter where she lived, as long as she was with Drake. He had become her grounding force, her comfort zone. He had become home.

  An envelope was taped to the front door. She plucked it off and pulled out the card. The top half of the card read You’re my favorite thing to do, with a red heart scribbled next to it. The bottom half of the card showed a picture of a man and woman from their bare thighs down. The woman had on red high heels, a red thong hanging around her ankles. The man wore socks, and a pair of black briefs were puddled around his feet.

  She opened the card and read Drake’s familiar handwriting. Meet me at the beach. He’d drawn another heart and had written Superman + Supergirl inside it.

  God, she loved him.

  She ran inside and stripped naked as fast as she could. Then she slipped on the slinky, backless white halter dress she’d bought a few summers ago and had never had the guts to wear. The neckline plunged loosely to her navel, and two slits ran up the sides all the way to her waist. Perfect.

  She slipped on a pair of flip-flops and rushed out the front door. She ran all the way to the woods and hurried down the path toward the beach. As she stepped free from the woods, she kicked off her flip-flops, the warm sand slipping between her toes. Drake was gazing out over the water, his back facing her. The sun glowed against the night sky, highlighting his masculine silhouette and spreading ribbons of orange and gold over the dark water. Her heart beat faster as she stepped closer, taking in the flames of the bonfire casting shadows over the seashells he’d laid out in the shape of a heart.

  As if he sensed her presence, Drake turned, taking her in with a slow slide of his gaze down her body. He closed the distance between them, his eyes narrowing, filling with lust and love as he reached for her. His hair had grown out a little, giving him that rough look she loved.