She opened the refrigerator and found a single bottle of Diet Coke with a red bow around the neck. A Post-It note was attached to the bottle that read, “Enjoy your wallowing.”
Swigging the soda, she made her way to the front porch. She folded her legs into her lap and laid her head back on the rocking chair, letting the sun warm her chest while a cool breeze passed by, kissing her toes. She could get used to this life quickly. But this wasn’t real. This was an escape, a temporary asylum from the mountain of worry that awaited her back home.
She was dreaming thinking she could take a day to relax. There was no resting when it came to her life. She had no money coming in but plenty going out. And it wasn’t like Jason was going to be kicking in any cash. He was desperate, no doubt about it. Probably had thugs threatening to break his kneecaps or worse.
Now she felt guilty. The vicious cycle of living with a gambler was eating her alive. The constant guilt when she tried to stand her ground and exercise tough love always gave way to one last helping hand. There was no way to win…hell, there was no way to exit the game.
Her computer beckoned her. She needed to start applying for jobs. Asking her parents for money was not an option, because they’d help without question. She wasn’t about to drag them down into this abyss with her. They lived modestly and were looking at retirement. She wouldn’t take even a day of that from them.
She shouldn’t have come here—she knew that. But after this last bit Jason pulled, she could not stay one more day in that apartment and there was nowhere else for her to go. She’d been putting on a façade for her family and friends for nine months now, and the pressure and lie of it all had finally taken her down.
She stood without even making the decision to do so. She took a shower, washing Nashville out of her hair, and then dressed in cut-off shorts and a halter top she’d found at a cute boutique in her neighborhood in Nashville back when things like boutique shopping weren’t laughable for her.
Resettling herself in the rocking chair on the front porch, she placed her laptop on her legs and pulled up her old resume, the pathetic little thing. It wasn’t often that her lack of a college degree got to her. She took a moment to seethe and blame Jason for her situation, but she’d have to quit that nonsense. It wasn’t helping her move forward, and it certainly wasn’t going to help her find a job.
Parking in front of Cassidy’s house, Blake found Seanna sitting in a rocking chair glaring at a computer on her lap. He swallowed hard as he approached the porch, gripping the bag in his hand. Her large breasts were covered with a short, red shirt that tied behind her neck. She had her wavy hair pulled up on top of her head, a few stray strands falling down her cheeks and her neck. Damn, did he want to tug on that tie and see what was underneath that shirt.
She glanced up at him, and then back to her computer without changing her expression. “Did you go to college?” she asked. He stopped, not sure how to answer that question. She looked up from her computer, meeting his gaze. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that as a trick question.”
He shuffled a little. “Yeah, for a while.” He’d been lying about his past for three years, but it never got easier. And now, somehow, lying to her was even harder.
“Did you graduate?” she asked, point-blank. He frowned and gave a weird sort of shake of his head. He should be a better liar by now. She pursed her lips. “Good. I don’t feel so bad now.”
“You didn’t go?” he asked.
“For three years…until I got the brilliant notion to follow my boyfriend to Phoenix.”
He hesitated. “Is this the guy that you…” He trailed off, not sure how to continue.
“Oh, God no. This guy was from when I was like twenty.” She looked up in thought. “Twenty-one? Anyway, old news. I only think about him when I go to apply for a job and have to list ‘some college’ instead of ‘degree’.”
“He’s to blame, huh?” he asked.
She chuckled. “No. Unfortunately that burden falls squarely on my shoulders. I’m the dummy who followed the penis, not him.” She fingered the mouse pad, her expression impassive.
Blake couldn’t help a chuckle. “The penis?”
She let out a frustrated sigh and rested her head on the back of the chair. “Certain silly, young girls follow penises across the country, leaving their banked college hours to wither up and die.” She held up a hand like she was waiting to be called on. “Guilty.”
He didn’t know what to make of her candor. He wasn’t used to people who laid all their cards on the table. “How long did you live there?”
“A year and a half. That was how long it took me to resent the heck out of him and my waitressing job at Chili’s. It’s amazing how quickly the puppy love fades when you’re dropping trays of food and getting stiffed on tips by poor college kids. Are you going to sit down?”
He eyed the chair next to her. He could sit, but then he’d want to stay. And he’d be closer to that string that dangled on her neck. “No, I just came by to give you this.” He handed her the bag Cassidy had given him.
She peeked inside. “Yum,” she said with a waggle of her eyebrows. She pulled out the croissant and took a bite. “Oh, this is fantastic.” She dropped the bag on the table next to her and then set her computer beside it. She stood and headed toward the door. “Sit and eat with me. I’m going to grab my Coke. What do you want to drink? I think she has iced tea.”
He didn’t need to stay. He needed to go for a dozen reasons, none that seemed strong enough to make him walk in the direction of his truck. “That sounds good, thanks.”
As she headed into the house, his eyes were drawn to her ass in those jean shorts. She worked curves like no woman he’d ever seen. Her legs were stout but toned with just a touch of muscle working in her calves. Jesus Christ, he’d been way too long without a woman’s touch. He was behaving like a horny fifteen-year-old.
He reluctantly sat down in the chair next to hers. What was he doing? Getting to know her? She wasn’t here to stay. She’d already made that clear. He needed to drink his damned tea and leave.
She opened the screen door and handed him a glass of iced tea. The chair squeaked as she sat and tugged her bare foot under her leg, the other dangling off the rocker. Her purple-painted toes wiggled as a breeze hit. He hadn’t been turned on like this for half a decade.
She handed him a croissant. “So, I’ve worked out you’re not actually dating my aunt.”
He pulled a piece off the bread. “You thought I was with your aunt?”
“Why wouldn’t I think that? You answered her door with no shirt on.”
He huffed a laugh at the idea of him and Cassidy. Not that Cassidy wasn’t a beautiful woman, but he didn’t see her like that. She was way too good of a friend. He nodded at Seanna’s computer. “Are you applying to colleges?”
“No, jobs.”
“Down here?” he asked.
“I wish. Back home in Nashville.”
“What’s wrong with here?” He looked down at his bread, wishing he could learn to keep his mouth shut. He wasn’t typically a talker, probably because he forgot how to communicate properly three years ago when his life became a sham.
“Because I’m not willing to settle again. I’ve been settling since the Phoenix fiasco.” She picked at her croissant. “I’ve worked hard these past four years, built something. I’m not stepping back…not this time.” Her playful demeanor turned serious.
“What’s your work?” he asked.
“Construction management.”
He held back his smile. Why was he surprised? While she was female through and through on the outside, he could just as easily see her with a hardhat and a jackhammer. He let a smile slip through with that thought.
She poked his leg with her toe, which gave his midsection a wiggle. “What’s so funny about that?”
He straightened up. “Nothing.”
“God, all you penises are the same.”
“Now I’m a penis?”
&
nbsp; “You have one don’t you?” She dropped her gaze to his lap, which gave him a twitch he hoped she didn’t notice.
“Last I checked.”
“What are they good for, anyway?” she asked. He raised his eyebrows, and she held up a hand. “Don’t answer that.” She finished off her croissant and drew both her legs up into her chair.
“So is that what you were in school for? Construction management?” he asked.
“Hardly. I was doing sociology. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.”
“But you figured it out, right? You can go back. Get your degree.”
She let out an exhaustive sigh. “I’m getting ready to be thirty.”
“So?”
“So it’s not that simple. I don’t have—” She stopped herself. “Nothing. Sorry.” She fidgeted in her seat.
“You don’t have what?” he asked.
She held up both hands. “I’m over-sharing. It’s not your problem.”
He sat silent for a few minutes while he ate the rest of his croissant. She rocked and stared at the slit of ocean peeking through the houses on the cliff. He wanted to dig in, talk her through whatever was holding her back from finishing college. Time? Money? Interest? Age?
But digging into her life meant getting to know her, getting close to her. He was already painfully aware of his physical attraction to her. That was as far as this needed to go.
He stood and wiped his hands off on the back of his pants. “You don’t strike me as someone who lets a little thing like a lack of a degree get in her way. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” He nodded at the computer, and then met her gaze. “Good luck on your job applications.”
She tilted her head to the side, her brow slightly furrowed, and then she smiled genuinely. “Thanks.”
His heart clenched. With a smile like that, no, it wouldn’t take long at all to get hooked.
Chapter Three
Something about Blake stuck with Seanna and wouldn’t leave her. He was good-looking…okay, gorgeous. But that wasn’t it. Sure, his full, kissable lips were part of it. She wasn’t interested in dating at the moment, but she wasn’t dead inside. She hadn’t been kissed in nine months. If being kissed properly counted, it’d been way longer than that. She’d have to learn to ignore those lips. There was something mysterious about him that left her wanting to know more. He had this strong, silent type thing going on that made him not only sexy but interesting.
She ran her hand through her hair. She had to focus, get at least five resumes sent before lunch. That had been the goal she’d promised herself.
Six job applications later, her stomach begged for more food. The croissant had only gone so far, and Seanna was an eater. She found Cassidy’s bike in the garage and hopped on, deciding to make her way to Cassidy’s shop where she was certain to find food. Rounding the corner onto 30A, an aqua and pastel pink, retro-looking sign boasting the name of Cassidy’s shop, Seaside Sweets, came into view. She chained her bike to the rack out front.
As she opened the door the aroma of fresh-baked cinnamon rolls wafted up to her like a hug from Grandma. She soaked in the smell as a thin man at the front counter whipped around. He turned to Cassidy with a grin. “This is her, isn’t it?” Cassidy nodded confirmation with a smile. “She’s beautiful.” He backhanded Cassidy lightly on the arm. “You didn’t tell me she was beautiful.”
“Actually, yes I did.”
“Okay, you did.” He walked across the room, his fancy leather shoes that looked like they cost more than her car clacking on the aqua tiles, and he embraced Seanna in a hug. He pulled away from her, still grasping her shoulders. “For years I’ve been listening to your aunt drone on about this fantastic niece of hers, and I’m always like, ‘Make her come visit,’ and she’s always like, ‘I know, I know,’ and then all of the sudden, you’re here. Poof.” He made a hand gesture in front of her face, causing her to flinch.
He walked toward the counter and picked up a bag. “We’ve got lots to discuss, but I’ve got an appointment. I’ll pick you up at six.” He shuffled toward the door, his pale pink Ralph Lauren button-down blending with the walls of the same color. “Welcome to 30A!” The door shut behind him, the bell ringing in his absence.
Cassidy smiled at Seanna, who was standing speechless. “Meet Sebastian Peyton.”
“The fabulous guy you’re always mentioning. Who is he picking up at six, you?” Seanna asked.
“Afraid not.”
“He’s picking me up at six?” Seanna asked.
“Mmm hmm.”
“For what?”
“Music on the Lawn at the Seaside pavilion. You should go. You’ll get a chance to meet some of our friends.” She waved a dismissive hand. “You’ll love them.”
Seanna approached the counter, getting a peek at the variety of sweet treats in the case by the register—black and white cookies, whoopie pies with strawberries protruding, key lime squares dipped halfway in white chocolate, raspberry cake swirls, and a blondie with big chocolate chunks. Seanna’s mouth watered as she selected her lunch. But she wasn’t sure if she could have any of this. Inventory was running low on all the selections.
She pointed at the case. “You did all this?”
Cassidy wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “I did.” Her eyebrows went up as the bell dinged on the door. “Excuse me.” She readied herself with a genuine smile behind the counter as two families with more kids than Seanna could count came bouncing in.
Kids bounded up to the case pointing and picking favorites. Cassidy only had one blondie left, so naturally that became the star of the show, the kids battling for possession.
“I think I have another tray in the back,” Cassidy said as another child screeched for a whoopie pie, the parents too engrossed in the choices to call the kids down. Cassidy gave Seanna a look that sprung her into action. She pushed through the teal swinging half-doors to find the baking portion of this bakery. Sure enough, a pan of blondies sat stacked in a rack among several other empty pans and half a pan of whoopie pies.
Cassidy appeared at the door. “Grab the whoopie pies, too. Second to bottom shelf.”
Seanna did as told, mesmerized at this world of sweets and wondering how her aunt managed all of this. By the time Seanna made it out front, a line had formed, the shop alive with chatter and kids. Where were these kids coming from, anyway? Didn’t they have school? It was the start of October after all.
Seanna fell into a groove, handing pastries to patrons, Cassidy manning the register. By the time the place cleared out, the Felix the Cat clock on the wall struck three o’clock.
Seanna collapsed onto a stool behind the counter. “Geez. Is that normal?”
Cassidy shrugged as she leaned on the countertop. “Pretty much. I swear, it used to be like that just in the summer months, but the more people that discover it down here, the more I find myself baking extra pans.”
“Where are all these kids coming from? Don’t they have school?” Seanna asked.
Cassidy shrugged. “Fall break, I guess.”
“Do you not have help?” Seanna glanced around the shop like an apron-donned co-worker was going to magically materialize.
“I did. They left for college a month ago. I hired one girl to replace the two who left, but that didn’t work out.”
“And you’ve been carrying on like this?” Seanna asked.
Cassidy nodded, glancing around the shop, napkins and crumbs covering the tables. “Pretty much.”
“Hire yourself somebody else,” Seanna ordered.
“I will. I just have to find someone I trust. The girl I just let go stole from me. She was so sweet, too. I didn’t want to believe it about her. I kept making excuses for her until one day I left her here to watch the shop. Blake used his key to come in the back door and caught her shoving a stack of bills into her purse.”
A strange disturbance occurred in her belly at the sound of his name. “You trust him though, don’t you?”
Seanna fingered a stray chocolate chip on the countertop. “Thanks, by the way, for sending him over this morning with that croissant.”
“Sure enough,” Cassidy said. “Those were the last two.”
“It was incredible. How do you get those so light and flaky?”
Cassidy winced, glancing at the door. “Place and bake. Don’t tell.” She winked. “So did you share those croissants with Blake?” she asked, all casual-like.
Seanna pursed her lips, narrowing her gaze. “Mmm hmm.”
Cassidy grabbed the spray cleaner and a roll of paper towels and headed into the dining area. “That’s nice.”
Seanna scooted out from behind the counter. “What do you think you’re up to?”
She held up her spray bottle. “Cleaning tables.” She sprayed a shot in the general direction of Seanna for effect.
“I call horseshit,” Seanna said.
Cassidy rolled her eyes as she wiped a table. “I’m not trying to set you up on a date. Don’t be ridiculous. Blake’s a good listener. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone who doesn’t know you from Adam’s housecat.”
Seanna pursed her lips. “Thanks, but the last thing I need is…” She trailed off as she caught sight of a guy very much matching Blake’s description at the building next door to Cassidy’s dipping a roller into a bucket and then pressing it onto a parking lot. She walked to the door and got a better look as he stopped and used the sleeve of his T-shirt to wipe sweat from his forehead, his hands covered in dirty work gloves. The muscles in his tanned calves rippled as he put his whole body into his manual labor.
Cassidy appeared by her side, resting an arm on her shoulder. “You were saying?”
Seanna sucked up the drool and then cut her eyes at her aunt. “That is the very last thing I need right now.”
Seaside Sweets Page 2