Despite her frustration, Serena feigned a smile and agreed, quickly ending the call.
“Sorry, Suzanne. That was Crystal Bernard. I’m meeting with her Saturday at eleven.”
“Good. The pool house project.” She crossed her legs and flicked an imaginary piece of lint from her skirt.
“Yes.” Serena wrote the appointment in her calendar beside Desiree’s tasting session, trying to ignore the tweak to her heart. “Was there something you needed?” Like maybe giving me more difficult, time-sucking clients?
“I just received a call from Seth Braden. It appears he and Jared Stone are quite pleased with you.”
“The feeling is mutual. They’re a joy to work with, and their project is coming along nicely.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Muriel Younger also contacted me. It seems she’s taken your advice for a change in her new offices. Kudos to you.”
Serena sat up a little straighter, soaking in the compliment. “Thank you.”
Suzanne rose to her feet and said, “I know we have our differences of opinion, but when it comes to professionalism and quality, I’m glad to hear we’re on the same page.” She headed for the door and said, “Good job,” as she walked out.
Serena’s mouth was still hanging open when Gavin wandered into her office.
“What are you gaping at?” He sat down in the chair across from her.
“A compliment from Suzanne.”
“Nice. Pocket it away. They’re few and far between. You’re heading back to the Cape again this weekend for that wedding-cake thing, right?”
“Nope. Thanks to the Bernards, I’m stuck here checking out their pool house.”
“Aw, that bites.”
“No kidding,” she said with a sigh. “We were all supposed to go tubing, too. I haven’t gone tubing in forever. Why do I feel like my life is passing me by while I make everyone else’s life prettier?”
He gritted his teeth. “Because it is?”
“Thanks,” she said sarcastically. “You want to know what’s worse?” She lowered her voice and said, “When that new client said she would take her business elsewhere, I was ready to let her. Until Suzanne walked in.”
“I have something that might make you feel better. Be right back.” He left her office, and when he returned, he placed a big chocolate chip cookie on her desk.
She snagged the cookie. “Where’d you steal this from? Are there more?”
Gavin closed the door.
“Oh no. You’re not going to get all creepy on me, are you?” She couldn’t resist teasing him. They’d had lunch together a few times and had become close, sharing the trials and tribulations of their days and getting to know each other better. He was not the least bit creepy, but his confused expression was hilarious. He reminded her of Rick and Dean, funny, a little protective, and he never crossed lines with her. She had a feeling he missed his own family and friends back home, because he loved hearing about her trips home and about her friends.
“What do you think it is? A nookie cookie?”
She laughed. “If it is, you should know that I have a mean knee.”
He sat down again and shook his head. “I bet you do. Eat the damn thing. I want to tell you something.” He leaned forward, elbows on knees, and said, “A headhunter contacted me last week about a job with Taylor, Fine, and Rickter.”
“Shut up!” She couldn’t hide her surprise. “They’re our biggest competitor.”
“I know. I met with them yesterday, and today they offered me the job.”
“Great. So my best friend in Boston is leaving.” She shook the remaining cookie at him. “Can you please go steal about five more of these for me?”
“Relax. I’m not taking it.” He sighed loudly and sat back.
“What? Why not?” She came around the desk and sat in the chair beside him. “They’re bigger. They have more awards. It would be a step up.”
“Listen to Cape girl go all bigger is better on me.”
Her mouth dropped open again. “I don’t understand.”
“If you got an offer from them, would you take it?”
“No, but that’s because I haven’t decided if I’m cut out for this type of company. I love the work, but it’s very…prestige driven, and I’m not like that.” She waved at his designer suit and said, “You fit right in, and you never go head-to-head with your superiors. You know how to play the game.”
“That is why I’m not going. I’m not prestige driven. Or maybe I’ve become that way, but it’s not who I want to be, and that’s on you, girly. You reminded me of the person I used to be, and now I’m determined to get back to being myself.”
“Oh, no, no, no.” She got up and paced. “You cannot put this on me.”
“I’m thanking you.”
“Thanking me? For what? Making you think you’re too good?” She flopped back down into the chair and covered her face with her hands. “I need more cookies. I can’t take this. First I have to miss out on the wedding-cake tasting of one of my closest friends and a day of tubing because of some snotty client. And now this is just the guilt icing on the fucked-up cake.”
He grabbed her hand and moved it away from her face. “Stop. This is a good thing. I called my old man this morning and had a long talk with him. I haven’t made the time to do that in months because of this bullshit job. This is a good thing for me. Like I said before, I don’t know my path yet, but I know I’m finally heading in the right direction. I think we should go out and celebrate.”
“Oh, good. Maybe I can find a small dog to kick along the way.”
“Serena, stop it,” he said with a coaxing smile. “I’m being serious. This is all good.”
“It won’t be when you realize you just turned down your only opportunity to earn more money than you’re earning now. Then you’ll hate me for opening my big mouth at all.”
He looked at her like she was being ridiculous. “I have enough money. I’m taking my cue from the rational girl I met a few weeks ago. You might know her. Stubborn, mouthy, refuses to let anyone walk all over her?”
“Didn’t you get the memo? That girl got trampled over and is missing Desiree and Rick’s wedding-cake tasting.”
“Then let’s get the hell out of here and go find her before word gets out.” He pushed to his feet and hauled her up to hers. “It’s time to celebrate new directions.”
She grabbed her things from her desk and parroted, “New directions. Desiree and Rick are starting a new direction; they’re getting married.”
“Great. Let’s celebrate their upcoming wedding.”
“Drake has a new music store, and Emery and Dean are getting married.” There were lots of reasons to celebrate, but she worried about Gavin making the wrong decision.
He grabbed her arm and headed for the elevators. “We have to get out of here before Suzanne comes back and corners us into discussing something boring.”
“Mira, my bestie, is having another baby. That’s another new direction.”
“Yup.” He pushed the elevator button. “See? We’re due a drink or two.”
The elevator arrived, and they stepped inside. As he pushed the button for the lobby, she said, “What if I accidentally ruined your life by saying those things to you?”
“What if you saved it?”
She thought about that as they rode down to the lobby. “Okay, so there’s a fifty-fifty chance I shouldn’t feel guilty. But either way, you’re going to leave this company eventually. Then who will I commiserate with?”
“Suzanne, if you’re not careful.”
Chapter Twenty
BY TWO O’CLOCK Saturday afternoon, Drake was getting worried. He finally gave in and called Serena. She answered after the third ring.
“Hi.” She sounded like she had a mouth full of cotton.
“Hey, Supergirl. You okay? Where are you?”
“Mm-hm. Hold on.” There was a long silence. “Sorry. I was eating a doughnut.”
Why did that
make him happy? Because it makes her happy, of course.
“I have to put you on speaker to talk to Abby. You won’t believe what she did. Hold on.” She put him on speakerphone and said, “Are you there?”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
“Okay, Abby, tell Drake what you just told me.”
“Hi, Drake. Serena and I have been talking for a few weeks now, and she’s always raving about you, how much she misses you and how happy she is when she sees you. Well, you get the picture. Anyway, I was making a new doughnut, and it reminded me of you and Serena.”
“A doughnut?” Drake wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
“Just listen, Drake,” Serena said.
“It’s yeast-style, which means it’s puffy and light,” Abby explained. “I filled it with creamy Belgian chocolate pudding, which is sweet and rich like the beginning of a relationship. I topped it with Taza chocolate frosting, which is a little coarse but truly delicious, and made right in Somerville, Mass, which also reminded me of you two, because you’ve known each other forever. It dawned on me that coarse and delicious is like the ups and downs of relationships. You know, after the blissful beginning, when real life peeks its ugly head in. And then I topped it with dark and white chocolate pearls, which are shiny and beautiful. They’re rich and scrumptious outside, but when you bite into them, they have a tiny cookie center and pack a little crunch. Like yours and Serena’s relationship, it’s heavenly, but the distance—real life—adds a bit of crunch to it. I call the doughnut Perpetual Bliss, named for you and Serena, because at the end of the day, it’s the love between you that puts that smile on her face. I hope that’s okay.”
Drake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His girl had talked about their relationship in such a way that she’d inspired a doughnut? Was there anything she couldn’t do? “Okay? It’s amazing, Abby. Thank you. I can’t wait to try them.”
“They’re delicious!” Serena said loudly, and he imagined her radiant smile and that luminous spark in her eyes. “Hold on one sec, Drake.”
He heard her thanking Abby.
She took him off speakerphone and said, “I’m leaving her shop now. I just love her! Isn’t that just the coolest thing you’ve ever heard? A doughnut named after us.”
“Yes. Beyond cool.” Just like you.
“Sorry I didn’t call earlier,” she said. “The meeting took forever. My client’s husband was more than an hour late. Can you believe that? After she told me not to be late? Anyway, when we finally finished, I was starved, so I went to eat at that place we got sandwiches by the doughnut shop. And then, well, Kane’s Donuts. You know…”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I do.”
“I’m on my way home now. I’m just going to change and then drive down. How was the tasting? Did the girls have fun? Are you out on the water?”
“The tasting was good, but everyone missed you, and yeah, we’re on the water. I miss you, babe. Call me when you take off.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you more.” He ended the call and turned to their friends. “We’ve got to move fast. She’s walking home.”
He started the engine on the boat and sped toward the overpass on Seaport Boulevard.
“There she is!” Rick pointed toward the road.
Serena was walking toward the overpass, looking hot in a sexy red dress, high heels, and the sunglasses they’d bought together. She had on the bracelet he’d given her. Her hair was pinned up, and she wore a happy expression. Drake imagined she could still taste that doughnut. Their doughnut.
He turned on the boat’s PA system and spoke into the mic. “Attention, Supergirl! Serena Supergirl Mallery!”
Serena’s head whipped in their direction, and she ran toward the overpass, grinning and waving. Her hair tumbled out of its tethers and over her shoulders.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please clear the way,” he announced. “My girl’s coming through.”
The people on the overpass cheered and clapped as Serena ran to the railing. She grabbed it with both hands and hung over, yelling, “You’re here!”
Desiree, Emery, Rick, Dean, Matt, Mira, and Hagen waved from the deck.
Serena squealed as a crowd formed around her. “You’re all here!”
“Hey there, beautiful,” Drake said into the mic. “We missed you. Head on down to the boardwalk. We’ll pick you up there.”
She took off running in her heels like they were sneakers. Their friends, and people on the overpass, whooped, cheering her on and waving. Drake’s heart was so full of her, his chest ached.
Hagen jumped up and down. “I can’t see her!”
Matt lifted him up so he could see better.
Drake put the mic in front of Hagen, and the little cutie said, “Go, Auntie Serena. Go!”
A few minutes later Drake climbed over the railing by the boardwalk, and she leapt into his arms, pressing her smiling lips to his. Mira captured the whole thing on video.
“You’re crazy! I love you!” Serena said between kisses, her happy, salty tears slipping between their lips.
“Crazy in love with you, baby. Did you think I could go tubing without my girl? My sun goddess? Not a chance.”
“Hurry up!” Mira urged. “Before we get in trouble for stopping here.”
“Come on.” Drake knelt and removed Serena’s heels and handed them and her bag over the railing to Emery. With Dean and Rick’s help, they lifted Serena over the railing and onto the boat, where all the girls hugged her at once.
Hagen wiggled from Matt’s arms and hugged Serena’s legs. His bright-blue life preserver made it difficult for him to get close. “We brought you cake!”
“Cake! I love cake!” Serena said, hugging him back.
Desiree pointed to a box with several pieces of cake in it. “We brought the tasting to you!”
“You’re the best friends ever!” Serena said, hugging everyone again. “The best! I can’t believe you’re all here!”
When she finally landed in Drake’s arms again, she wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to speak, then crushed herself to him, hugging him so tightly, he didn’t know how she could breathe.
“Thank you,” she said against his chest. “I might have to strip down to my bra and undies, though. I have no bathing suit.”
“I brought one. Shorts, sandals, even your hair stuff to pin it up, just in case.”
She gazed up at him, her hazel eyes brimming with love. “Just when I don’t think I can stand another minute away from you, you make everything feel possible. If I’m your Supergirl, you’re definitely my Superman.”
“I like Superman!” Hagen piped in. “Can I call you Superman, Uncle Drake?”
Everyone laughed.
Gazing into Serena’s eyes, Drake said, “You can call me anything you want, buddy.” He leaned closer to Serena and whispered, “As long as you call me yours.”
“I love you, Drake Savage,” she said as she pressed her lips to his. “You are my perpetual bliss.”
“Guess what, Serena? We’re sleeping in a hotel tonight!” Hagen said excitedly, pulling them from their reverie. “But you’re sleeping on the boat with Uncle Drake and everyone else. I wanted to sleep on the boat, but Mommy said it’s too uncomfortable for her with her baby belly. But that’s okay. I love hotels, too. We’re going to order room service.”
Serena and Mira shared a laugh. Mira patted her belly and said, “I need my creature comforts.”
“We’re sleeping on the boat? All of us?” Serena bounced on her toes. “Mira, you guys can stay in my place if you want. I don’t have room service, but there are stores on the ground floor of my building, including BJ’s ice cream.” She waggled her brows at Hagen. “And Insomnia Cookies delivers all night!”
Hagen’s eyes brightened. “I love cookies! Please, Mom? Please can we stay at Auntie Serena’s and get cookies?”
As Mira bent to talk to Hagen, Serena leaned closer to Drake and said, “This is the
best day ever!”
“You seem to say that a lot.” And he couldn’t love hearing it more.
She wrapped her arms around Drake’s neck and said, “Must be because you make me so happy.”
“Look at them. Where is Vi when we need her?” Mira grabbed Serena’s hand and lowered her voice. “Before you two get all handsy in front of my boy, let’s get you changed into a bathing suit.”
“Oh yeah, that’ll help,” Dean said sarcastically, making all the guys laugh.
“Where is Vi, by the way?” Serena asked.
“At the inn,” Desiree answered. “She said she’d never survive overnight on a boat full of lovebirds.”
“What did she really say?” Serena asked Mira.
Mira glanced at Hagen and said, “Pretty much that, but a little more descriptive and inclusive of the F-bomb.”
“Aw, Mom cussed!” Hagen said.
Serena and the girls went belowdecks so she could change into her bathing suit, and Drake drove the boat out into the harbor.
“Look at me, Superman!” Hagen hollered into the wind. He was sitting on his knees on a cushion, eyes closed, the wind blowing his hair away from his face and plastering his shirt against his little chest.
He reminded Drake of Rick as a kid, always wanting everyone to see what he was doing. “This is pretty cool, huh, buddy?”
“I love it!” Hagen grinned into the wind.
“No more fake girlfriend for you,” Dean said as he sidled up to him with Rick and Matt.
“Damn right.” No more fake anything.
He’d been thinking a lot these last few weeks about what he wanted, and at the top of that list was a life with Serena. Everything else could fall into place around that.
“You know, I had concerns about this whole long-distance relationship thing,” Matt admitted. “But you two make it look easy.”
“It’s anything but easy,” Drake admitted. “Every night apart feels like a fucking week, but don’t tell her that.” He glared at each of them in warning.
“Dude, we’d never do anything to make things harder for you guys,” Rick said. “How can you fix that? She’s pretty set in this job.”
Bayside Heat Page 25
