Sweet Heat at Bayside

by Addison Cole

  Drake’s throat thickened. He lifted Hagen into his arms, stepping aside for Rick to drive the boat. “You’re right, Hagen. I do miss her.”

  “So bring her home,” Hagen suggested.

  “I want her with me every day, buddy, but sometimes adults aren’t sure if they’re going to be happiest in one place or another.”

  “Daddy moved here to be with us,” he said matter-of-factly. “So maybe you can move to Boston to be with Serena. But you need to still come visit us, or I’ll miss you both.”

  “I will, too,” Mira said.

  “That’s good advice, buddy,” Matt said as he took Hagen from Drake’s arms. “What do you say you and I see if we can spot any fish while Uncle Drake tries to figure things out?”

  After they walked away, Emery said, “I bet we can come up with whatever she needs to buy the business. I have some savings.”

  “Me too. How much does she need?” Desiree asked.

  “No, you guys,” Drake said sternly. “Don’t you think I’ve already told her the money is hers if she needs it? I could buy three companies for her if that’s what she wanted. I appreciate you wanting to help, but this is Serena. She’s not going to take money from any of us.”

  “Not in a million years,” Rick agreed.

  “She doesn’t know what she wants right now,” he explained. “I just don’t want her to make the wrong decision and regret it, whether that’s staying where she is, buying this company, or something different altogether. I laid all my cards on the table. The next move is hers.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  SERENA TRUDGED INTO the office Monday morning thanking the heavens above that she didn’t have any face-to-face client meetings today. She’d been up late last night talking to the girls, who had each pressed her for details about her thoughts on Shift. Chloe had given her the best advice. Don’t think about Mom while you make this big of a decision. Once she’d taken their mother out of the equation, her thoughts had become clearer. She’d called Drake, and he’d tiptoed around their earlier conversation. She knew it was killing him that she was suddenly unsure of what she wanted to do with her future. Drake was a fixer. A planner. A guy who had stepped back just so she could move forward. It was that, and all the unknowns, that had kept her tossing and turning all night and left her looking like a zombie this morning. Hopefully the makeup she’d used to cover the dark circles under her eyes would do the trick and no one would notice.

  She checked in with Laura and Spencer, passed by Gavin at the coffee machine and kept on going, ducking into her office to hide out for the day. She was so exhausted and confused, she didn’t trust herself not to snap at Suzanne if the opportunity arose.

  A hand with a coffee cup appeared in her doorway. “Is it safe to come in?” Gavin asked in a cartoonish voice.

  “The coffee, yes. You? Probably not.”

  Gavin sauntered in with a cocky grin and a cup of coffee in each hand. He guided the door closed with his foot and said, “I’ll take my chances.”

  “You’re either brave or foolish.” She waved to the chair across from her.

  He set a coffee cup in front of her, then sipped from the other as he sat down. He crossed an ankle over his knee, sat back, and said, “Definitely both, but wow. You look awful. Breakup, nookie night, or PMSing?”

  “None of the above.” She came around the desk and sat in the chair beside him.

  “Don’t get handsy with me,” he warned.

  She smiled. “I need advice.”

  “Should I get cookies?”

  “Probably, but there’s no time, so just go with it. Let’s say you got an opportunity for a new job.”

  He wrinkled his brow. “Didn’t we just play this game?”

  “Different job, and it’s in a place you love.” She sighed. “It’s too hard to be hypothetical. I’m exhausted, so I’m just going to say it, but it stays in this room.”

  He pantomimed slipping something over their heads. “Cone of silence. Go.”

  “The woman I used to work for, Justine, is selling her company, Shift, the small design firm in Hyannis I told you about. I just found out yesterday. She has an offer on the table and is supposed to sign the papers Tuesday.”

  He leaned closer, listening intently. “My interest is piqued. That’s the place you said you loved working, but they didn’t have the business to hire you full-time, right?”

  “Yes. But if I bought the business I could market it and, honestly, she said she earns fifty thousand working part-time. I could live off that if I needed to.”

  “But is she going out of business because the business is failing? Can the local economy handle it? Was there too much competition?”

  “No. She had a baby and wants more time with her. I know Justine. I know how much she loves Shift. She built it from the ground up. But when she had her baby, she changed. She became a mom, and I get that.”

  “Will she let you look at the books?”

  “Yes, but I don’t even know if I want to buy it.”

  He blinked hard, like he was trying to make sense of what she said. “Doing what you love in the area you love. What’s the issue?”

  “A couple things. I have a solid job here.”

  “With a boss.”

  She was too tired for games. “What does that mean?”

  “You have issues with authority. Did you not know that? Sorry. I thought you did.”

  She couldn’t suppress her smile. “Okay, that’s fair. I do, but only when I think my ideas are better.”

  “Like I said. Issues with authority. What else?”

  “I don’t know. That’s the problem. What if I haven’t given this place enough time? What if things fall into place and my weekends become my own? What if Suzanne eventually respects me enough to let me handle Laura and Spencer the way I want to?”

  He pulled out his phone, navigated around, then handed it to her. “This is my schedule for last month. You tell me—will things change?”

  She glanced at the calendar. He had appointments on almost every Saturday, three evenings each week, and on one Sunday. She handed him back the phone. “Then there’s the biggest problem.”

  “I know. The whole too-good-to-be-true thing.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “No Kane’s Donuts around the corner?”

  “Crap. I hadn’t thought about that. She named a doughnut after me and Drake. Perpetual Bliss. Pretty cool, huh? I bet Abby would mail them overnight delivery if I asked.”

  “First of all, that’s wicked cool, and second, maybe you can convince her to move to the Cape.”

  She sipped her coffee and said, “Look at you, strategizing my life.”

  “Someone has to.”

  “That’s just it. Nobody has ever had to figure things out for me. I’ve done it myself forever. That’s why this is throwing me off so badly.” She got up and went to the window, gazing out over the city. “This was what I thought I wanted. A big city, posh clients, and a job with a big-name firm. I wanted everything my mother didn’t want to achieve.”

  She’d told Gavin about her mother the other night, and it hadn’t fazed him in the least. He’d said, Every strong woman I’ve ever met had a parent who failed them, a parent who did well by them, or siblings to compete with. There’s no magic. We all become who we are because of someone else.

  She turned around, taking in his sharp blue suit and shiny shoes. She had fancy clothes, but she still felt like an imposter in them. Her heart would never be in this company.

  “I know what I want, and it’s not this,” she said confidently. “I want to go to work every day without the fear of being hamstrung by a boss or having to take on projects I don’t want to. I don’t care about the money. I care about doing what I love and being around family—Drake, Chloe, Mira, Rick, Emery. The whole gang.”

  “Great. So what’s the issue?”

  She plunked down into the chair again. “I have savings, but not quite enough, and I’m not sure I w
ant to sink every penny into something so risky.”

  “I thought you said the business was solid.”

  “It is, but what if I mess up?”

  He laughed, then coughed to cover it. “Wait. The woman who has no issue going up against Suzanne Kline has confidence issues? Baloney. What’s this really about?”

  “Okay, fine. I know I won’t mess up, but something could go wrong. The building could catch fire. The economy could change.”

  “Both true. So you get good insurance, and if the economy tanks you get a new job. Or you can sit around here, work six days a week, and hustle to and from the Cape, and if the economy tanks, you start over anyway.”

  She assessed his words and his expression. She trusted Gavin to be honest. He had no ulterior motives to get her to stay or leave. “So you think this is actually a good idea?”

  “You don’t belong here, Serena. You keep telling me that in different ways. ‘If this were my company, I’d do this,’ and ‘If I were the boss, I’d do that…’”

  “I know,” she finally admitted. “I think I’m just scared to get my hopes up. What if I can’t pull it off? What if Justine doesn’t want to change course and goes with the other buyer? What if I can’t get a loan?”

  “Do you want a loan?” He sipped his coffee, casually watching her.

  “Nobody wants a loan. You get them because you have to. She’s asking fifty grand, and I have thirty-two, but I’d be left with nothing. I don’t have a car payment or carry any credit card debt. I figure I can probably borrow twenty-five and still have a few thousand left of my savings. It means giving up the hope of buying the cottage I’ve rented for the past several years, but that’s a trade-off I think I’m willing to make.”

  “There are other ways to make businesses work. Would you consider a partner?”

  “Like Drake buying the business and me being a kept woman? Never.” She crossed her arms against the idea.

  “I said a partner, not a sugar daddy.” He leaned forward and brushed something from her shoulder.

  “What…?” She looked at her shoulder.

  “Nothing. Just trying to get that big ol’ chip off your shoulder.”

  She sighed. “Okay, I’m stubborn. No secret there.”

  “Serena, I’m being serious. I think you’ve got a chance at something awesome. I’d love a shot at partnering with you. I don’t have contacts at the Cape, but I’ve got plenty of contacts here in Boston that aren’t affiliated with KHB. And in case you haven’t noticed, clients like me. I can work the system. I’m an honest guy, and you and I get along well. I know when to toss you cookies and when to back off. I know you’re razor sharp and your ideas are usually spot-on, but when they’re not, I know you can handle a little criticism, if worded correctly.”

  “I didn’t kick you in the butt when you told me I was going in the wrong direction with that one idea I had for Seth and Jared, did I?”

  He shook his head. “That’s how I know you’re not a jerk. We can make this work. We can build something incredible of our own, taking on clients who respect us and, equally important, clients we respect.”

  “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 trouble. 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 darn 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?”

  “C’mon. 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 wit
h 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 no way will I sit back and watch you possibly make the biggest mistake of your life.”

  “Way to trust my instincts.”

  “That’s not what I mean. 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.

  “No. No, no, no.”

  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 uh-oh 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 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? I have no idea.” 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.