I really needed to get Jorge to one of these cocktail events, but co-owning Nola was about as wild as he got. He was an engineer at the space center, and apparently his sister had the same techie tendencies.
“You’re not supposed to be working. There are like three swimming pools out there.” I returned Gina’s smile and gestured to the sliding doors, where the inviting water sparkled under the palm trees. “I’m Pepper, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you in person. I just wanted to get a few things done before you got here.” She put the laptop aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She wore demure khaki shorts and a plain white T-shirt. “Is this Astra?”
“Sure is. She’s such a sweetie,” Melody said, popping off the dog’s pink harness. Astra bounded over to Gina and stood on her hind legs, putting her paws on Gina’s knees, demanding affection.
“Oh my goodness,” Gina gushed. Her long, brown hair hung in her face as she bent over to pick up Astra, who proceeded to lick her nose. “Oh gosh.” She held the dog away from her, just far enough that her tongue wouldn’t reach. “She’s so rumpled.”
“It runs in the family.” I unfolded the crate and snapped its walls into place. I pulled a blanket from the suitcase, fluffed it and stuck it inside the crate along with a couple of chew toys. I also extracted the dog food container and two bowls. “One of these is for water, one for food. She gets a scoop at breakfast and dinner. She will ask for more. Do not give her more. And don’t give her alcohol no matter how much she asks for it.”
Gina giggled. “She drinks?”
“She does not drink. At least not officially. I try to keep her away from my cocktails, but she sneaks a sip now and then. Mostly she enjoys chewing garnishes.”
“Oh, I don’t drink much anyway. We’ll get along fine.” Gina put Astra on the bed, and the dog leaned against her and gazed up at her with adoring eyes. “She’s so cute!” Then Gina wrinkled her nose. After a second, it hit me too.
“I swear the gaseous emissions will stop soon. Just remember how cute she is.”
Gina nodded and grinned, but she was waving away the fart cloud as she did it.
“She just peed,” I continued, “so if you take her out every hour or so, she should be good. Poo bags are in that dispenser on the leash. If you want to leave, she’ll be happy in the crate for a while. OK?”
“So you’ll be back late, then?” Gina asked.
I nodded. “Probably. Enjoy yourself. I’ll pick you up a wristband so you can sample all the pool party drinks starting tomorrow.”
“They’re going to be amazing,” Melody said. “We’re doing an afternoon shift, and there are bars from all over the world doing pop-ups.”
Gina looked kind of overwhelmed. “I’ll probably just work. You all have fun.”
“You sure you’re OK?” At her nod, I ducked into the bathroom, emptied out and freshened up, then gave Astra a kiss on the head and headed back to the lobby with Melody.
“She’s going to be in for a shock,” Melody said.
“Gina? What do you mean?”
“You’ve never done Hookahakaha before, have you?”
“No. Is it wild?”
“Depends on who you meet.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I laughed. Melody always managed to meet someone fun. “It’s a party scene for sure.”
“Except we’ll be working the whole time.”
Melody wore a knowing look. “Oh, we’ll have a little time for fun.”
“This kind of work is totally fun for me anyway.” Making cocktails was my passion. “There are the guys.”
Barclay had joined Luke and Neil outside by the SUV. Barclay and Luke had changed into loud aloha shirts, and Neil had changed into a more modest one.
Like Luke, Barclay had tattoos—a dragon on one arm and what I’d learned were Korean characters on the other, reflecting a complex heritage he didn’t talk about much. Music notes and flowers swirled up Melody’s right arm.
Neil had no visible ink, and I still didn’t know if he was teasing when he’d hinted he had a tattoo. Mine was hidden, though he’d had a glimpse during a drunken moment. We hadn’t talked about that much, either.
Regardless, the guys all looked deliciously tropical.
“Hey, Barclay.” I smiled.
“Hey, dude,” he said. It was so cute, him calling me dude. “Hey, Melody.”
“Too bad we can’t all fit in the Beamer,” I said.
“I told you, it’s a Bimmer,” he teased.
Neil gave me the side-eye and beeped open the car doors. “Finally.”
I leaned over and glanced at Barclay’s vintage watch. “It’s been thirteen minutes.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’ve got to go,” Luke said. “Fizz Martin called.”
“And?” I asked.
“He sounded a little drunk already.” Neil opened his door. “He was yelling ‘I have the nuclear football!’ and said he needed us right away so he didn’t have to guard it by himself.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I clutched my bag and jumped into the co-pilot’s seat again, leaving Melody to join the guys in the back.
“I’m not sure.” Neil cranked up the SUV and pulled away from the curve, navigating the loop that would bring us back around to the road. “But we’d better go and find out.”
GET THE BOOK
Books by Lucy Lakestone
BOHEMIA BARTENDERS MYSTERIES
These funny mysteries star Pepper Revelle and a team of mixologists who travel to colorful gatherings where life is a cocktail of fun — until it’s shaken into madcap mayhem … and murder.
RISKY WHISKEY
WRECKED BY RUM
VEXED BY VODKA ~ coming soon
FUN SUSPENSE
DESIRE ON DEADLINE
An original novel of light romantic suspense set in the Barefoot Bay World
Ambitious reporter Roz Melander can’t return to her big-city career until she saves the struggling Florida newspaper her family founded. But rescuing the Mimosa Gazette won’t be easy with handsome nemesis Alden Knox in her way. Cynical after working in the tabloids and haunted by an old mistake, he’s starting over at the upstart Times, covering the glitterati streaming to the island’s Barefoot Bay resort.
* * *
When a fishing boat blows up in the Gulf of Mexico with a famous actor on board, both scramble to get the scoop on why. Roz is in it for the news, and Alden’s in it for the gossip — but someone will go to great lengths to stop either of them from finding out. As they chase clues, they face another obstacle: their simmering attraction. Working together against a dangerous enemy might be the only way to survive, but can they get the stories they need when what they really want is each other?
The BOHEMIA BEACH Series
Award-winning hot contemporary romance
In a beautiful small city on Florida’s east coast, artists struggle to make their way. Where creative minds meet and restless hearts yearn, where emotion and ambition vie with lust and dark secrets, romance is impossible to resist. Welcome to the seductive tropical escape they call home – Bohemia Beach.
* * *
These steamy contemporary romances are the perfect escape for anyone who loves a love story with lots of heat, a dollop of drama and a shot of laughter. Though the books have a common setting and the characters travel from one story to the next, each features a different couple and can be read as a standalone novel.
BOHEMIA BEACH
BOHEMIA LIGHT
BOHEMIA BLUES
BOHEMIA HEAT
BOHEMIA NIGHTS
BOHEMIA BELLS
BOHEMIA CHILLS
Read more at
LucyLakestone.com
About the Author
Lucy Lakestone is an award-winning author who lives on Florida’s east central coast, among the towns that serve as an inspiration for the hot romances of her Bohemia Beach Series and the jumping-off point for the Bohemia Bartenders Mysteries. She’s been a journalist,
photographer, editor and video producer but prefers living in her imagination, where the moon is full and the cocktails are divine.
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