“So what do you do for Chase?” Maya asked.
“Well, lots of things. We’re sort of fine-tuning my title. He’s gotten too big for his company. It’s growing fast and branching out, and he needed someone to be his right hand and be able to take meetings for him and that kind of thing.” She glanced around the place and then met Maya’s gaze, eyes wide. “I’m in over my head to be honest. He’s trusting me with some really important stuff. If it weren’t for Sebastian these past few months, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. He’s brilliant, right?”
Maya huffed a laugh. “He was class valedictorian in high school.”
Seanna tossed up a hand. “Of course he was. So you live in Indianapolis, where you all grew up?”
“That’s right. And you just moved here last fall?”
“Yes. My Aunt Cassidy lives here. I’ve been staying with her. I know she’s ready to kick me out though. I’m almost ready to move in with Blake, but honestly, we just haven’t had the time to physically move me.”
The server came over, and Seanna opened her menu. “Sorry, we’ve been chatting. How do the mushrooms and the scallops look for appetizers?” she asked Maya.
“Good,” Maya said, impressed by the way she took charge.
“We’ll start with those and order in a bit.” She turned to Maya. “Are you in a hurry?”
“No, not at all.”
“Great.” She smiled at the waiter, and he nodded with his exit. “So tell me all about yourself. What do you do?”
“I’m an operations director at a marketing firm.” VP. She should have said VP, but she didn’t want to correct herself now. She had to get used to saying that. She’d earned that title.
Seanna looked pleasantly surprised. “Oh, really? Now, what does that entail?”
Maya wasn’t sure if Seanna was really interested or just being polite, so she gave her the short explanation. “I sort of organize the place. I run the traffic department and oversee production in the art department. We’ve got a hundred employees, so the job is fairly high-level, probably more than I’d like it to be, honestly. I love getting my hands dirty.”
“Oh really?” Seanna asked, sounding unusually interested.
“Yes,” Maya said. “I’m a bit of a control freak. The higher level your job gets, the more control you’re forced to let go of and have confidence in your staff. Finding people you trust to manage departments is key.”
Seanna’s eyes widened, and she set her elbow on the table. “Girl, it’s why I have this job. Chase trusts me for some odd reason. He’s even put me in charge of hiring for the new clinic he’s building. Can you believe that?” Seanna sort of eyeballed her as she picked up her wine again.
Maya wiggled in her seat. “Wow, that’s a big job.”
“I know, right? I mean…I don’t have any experience in hiring. My background is in construction management. I know how to build stuff, not hire people.” She narrowed her gaze. “So what qualities do you look for in a great hire?”
Maya tucked hair behind her ear, starting to wonder if she was on a roundabout job interview. “Well, it really does depend on the position. I think managing expectation levels is key, definitely the salary budget makes all the difference in the world. Have you Googled any of this?”
Seanna sat back. “Oh, yes. Of course. I will. But honestly, I’d love to make one fantastic hire, a person who would run the whole operation and then do all the hiring for me.” She shrugged, looking less casual than Maya suspected she was going for. “An operations person, sort of like you.”
The server appeared with their appetizers, and Maya took the moment to process what Seanna was talking about. Was she suggesting that Maya work at this clinic of Chase’s?
Seanna took a mushroom and two scallops. “Don’t be shy. I’m an eater. That’s a warning.” She smiled at her, and then put the mushroom in her mouth. Her eyebrows drew together. “Mmm. So good,” she said through a mouthful.
Maya took a scallop and cut into it, still a little perplexed by their conversation.
After Seanna cleaned her plate, she pushed it forward slightly. “So I hear you’ve been seeing Bo some this week.”
Maya’s cheeks heated at the sound of his name. “Um…yeah.”
Seanna placed her hand on the table dramatically. “I adore him. He’s seriously one of the most incredible men I’ve ever met. I can’t believe he’s still single.”
Neither could Maya, but she wouldn’t share that. “So they’re traveling together today, Blake and Bo?”
“Yes, Blake hated to take Bo from you this week. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, of course not. We’re just hanging out.”
Seanna nodded. “Well, that’s great. He’s a really good hang.” She picked up her menu, wine glass in her other hand, a grin tugging at her lips as she perused it. “I’m looking at the shrimp and grits. I know I shouldn’t, but they’re so good from here. What are you thinking about?”
That was a loaded question. Maya’s phone buzzed. “Sorry, I’m sure it’s work. I picked a bad week to take off, I think.” She picked up her phone and answered a question from one of the production managers, and then set her phone down. It buzzed again right away, a notification about a printer who was upping the price halfway through a catalog job they were running. She pushed her hair back from her face. She should handle this. Andy, who was over that job, was a great production guy, but he was way too nice and he stank at standing up for himself or the company. That was what she was for.
Maya was just about to ask Seanna if she minded if she made a quick call, but then watching Seanna across the table as she breezily stared at the ocean, waiting for Maya, and remembering that Seanna had tossed her phone in her purse when Maya arrived gave her pause.
“Sorry,” Maya said, and the phone dinged again. She closed her eyes, willing herself not to look. “I’m just going to turn this down.”
“No problem for me,” Seanna said. Maya decreased the volume and then gave Seanna her full attention. “So what do you think about the South Walton area?” Seanna motioned at the ocean roaring to the shore beside them.
“It’s amazing. We went running over in the Alys Beach area yesterday, Bo and me.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and sort of looked down at her plate, feeling presumptuous for using the word we so casually.
“Oh yeah? You’re a runner too, huh?”
“Yes, I just finished my first marathon in Nashville.”
Seanna pointed at her chest. “I’m from Nashville. I grew up in Franklin.”
Maya smiled. “That’s where Bo’s sister lives.”
“I know. I met her when she was here over the holidays, and then I hung out with her when I was home in March.” Her eyes widened. “You should see this girl. She wears no makeup, just combs out her hair and it falls perfectly straight, and she’s breathtaking to look at.” Seanna put the back of her hand to her mouth, leaning in. “If I were gay…”
Maya’s neck filled with heat.
“I’m totally kidding,” Seanna said. “I mean I’m not kidding about how pretty she is…never mind.”
Maya wished she wasn’t so uptight all the time. Seanna was loose and casual. How did that come so natural to her? Maya sat up straight, repositioning her fork. “I saw a picture of her, I think, at Bo’s house yesterday.”
Seanna pointed. “The one where they were at Dale’s wedding?” That seemed to fit the description, so Maya nodded. “You know that smile she has on her face in that picture, the one where she’s all like…” Seanna cocked her head to the side, lowered her eyelids, and gave Maya a cool, closed-mouth smile that was pretty spot-on with the picture. “That’s totally her personality. She either has no idea she’s gorgeous or she couldn’t care less. I absolutely hate her.”
Maya smiled to herself, thinking about how Shayla was on the phone that first night she met Bo. That seemed like a year ago.
“Have you been to Blue Mountain yet?” Seanna asked.
&n
bsp; “Um, no. Where’s that?”
“It’s up the street. There’s an ice cream shop there that will ruin you for all other ice cream. Have you walked around the shops here in Seaside?”
“No, but I think we’re going shopping tomorrow morning.”
“Do you love music or books?”
“Both, actually,” Maya said.
“Make sure Sebastian takes you to the bookstore in Seaside. There’s a record store on top that I could live in. Oh, and behind that horseshoe, there’s this whole other section of shops and art galleries. The cutest stuff ever. Ruskin Place is the name of that area. Oh, and walk around back behind all that. You’ve got to see the elementary school. It’s precious. And it’s actually a really good school system.”
Maya nodded, feeling a little overloaded with the hard sell. The shopping she got, but the school system comment put her past her limit.
Seanna sat back in her chair. “Okay, I’m totally not getting kickbacks from the chamber of commerce even though it sounds like I am. I just get really passionate about the area.”
“I can see why. It’s beautiful down here.”
The waiter showed back up, and Seanna smiled at Maya. “Ready to order?”
As Maya headed for the public beach access, she couldn’t get her mind off of her lunch with Seanna. She’d never flat-out asked Maya if she wanted to interview for a job, but Maya got the distinct feeling that was why she’d been called to the lunch.
She hesitated at the crosswalk, looking both ways. Even though it was clear, she stopped and considered her surroundings. People lived in this paradise, people she knew. Stepping out of the way of two rollerbladers, she re-shouldered her beach bag. She could live near the beach. She could go to the beach anytime she wanted. Not that she was a beach girl, but she could become one.
The powdery sand massaged her toes as she kicked off her sandals and made her way toward Sebastian and Felicity, who were lounging in chairs just outside of Sebastian’s cabana. Who had their own permanent cabana on the beach?
Sebastian patted the empty lounger beside him. “All you, sweetie. How was lunch?”
“Good.”
He looked worried. “Uh oh.”
“No, she was lovely. Really sweet. We talked for like two hours. I felt bad for keeping her so long from work.”
“I’m sure it was her pleasure.”
Felicity flipped a page of her magazine. “Did she live up to the hype?”
“Yeah, she kind of did. She’s really easy to talk to. But I got the feeling the lunch was more of a job interview than anything.”
Felicity shut her magazine. “A job interview? What for?”
Maya dropped her bag in the sand and shimmied out of her cover-up “I’m not sure. Office manager maybe? For that clinic they’re opening.”
“Office manager?” Felicity asked. “Does she know you’re a VP?”
Maya waved her off. “It’s fine. It wasn’t offensive or anything like that, just interesting.”
Sebastian eyed her. “Interesting in a you’ll consider it kind of way, or just interesting?”
Maya shrugged. “I don’t know.” Was she considering it? Leaving Indy? Leaving her steady, well-paying job? Rolling the dice on a brand new career when hers was finally paying off? “What am I talking about? No, of course not.” Sebastian’s eyebrows went up. Maya sat in the chair and pulled her sunscreen out of her bag. “I can’t do that. I live in Indy. I’m starting the position I’ve worked a decade for on Monday. This is stupid.”
“Well, it’s not totally stupid,” Sebastian said.
“Yes it is,” Felicity said. “You’re not taking her away from me that easily.”
Sebastian nudged her. “You come, too.”
Felicity gave him a look, and he gave her an understanding smile back. They all knew Felicity couldn’t leave Indy as long as her mother was still there. She’d been in a mentally abusive relationship with Felicity’s father their whole lives but refused to leave. Felicity stayed for moral support and for the hope that she could one day get her out.
“This is all silly talk. So what have you two been up to today?” Maya asked.
“You’re looking at it,” Sebastian said. “Did Meade ever get ahold of you?”
“Meade? Did she call you?” Maya asked.
“She texted a little while ago. She was trying to reach you.”
Maya’s heart quickened its beat as she fished in her bag for her phone. “Is everything all right?”
“I assume so. She just asked if you were with me, and I said you were at a lunch.”
Maya had three texts from her and a voice mail. She dialed her number before checking any of them. “That’s yours, right?” Maya asked, pointing to the cabana.
“Yeah, go on in.”
Maya stepped up through the wide opening and sat on a couch, a finger plugging her exposed ear. Meade picked up on the third ring. “Hey.”
“Hey, sorry I’ve been out of pocket. I was at a lunch, and then I forgot to turn my ringer back up. What’s going on?’
“Oh, nothing.”
Maya sat silent for a minute. “Meade, you’ve been texting and calling both Sebastian and me. What is up?”
“I just wanted to say hi.”
Maya shut her eyes tightly. For one of the great minds of their country, Meade was the worst liar on the planet. “Okay, what’s been going on with you today?”
“Nothing. Actually, I’m going to be late for work. Can I call you later?”
Maya tossed up her hand. “Sure.”
“Thanks. Love you!”
“Love you—”
But the line went dead before she could even finish her sentence. She headed back out to the chairs, where Sebastian was typing into his phone. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. False alarm I guess.”
“So, since Bo and Chase are both tied up tonight, we’re having a girls’ night,” he said. “I’ve got a reservation for seven o’clock.”
Felicity put the back of her hand to her head. “More fabulous food and drink. I’m not sure I can take it.”
Maya sat in her chair, watching the waves rolling in. This was a moment to grasp and appreciate. Beautiful beach, close friends beside her, the sun’s sweet rays warming her body. But between the job temptation and the call from Meade, she couldn’t relax. She checked her phone for a message from Bo. There wasn’t one, of course. Not that she expected there to be one. She had no idea how often he texted or called girls he was dating. He could be one of those guys who waited three or four days before calling, or a week. It’d only been a few hours.
She fired off a few work emails, and then resigned herself to relax. She imagined telling Bo that she’d decided to move there. Everything between them now was all desire and heat, but it didn’t escape her thoughts that those feelings could easily be due to the fact that neither of them had any expectations past Saturday. She huffed a laugh at the potential look on his face. Surprise! I’m moving here. She shook her head at her own ludicrousness.
Sebastian looked over. “What?”
“Nothing,” Maya said. “Nothing at all.”
Bo sat at a booth looking at a menu while Blake talked to Seanna on the phone just outside the door of the restaurant. It crossed Bo’s mind to wonder why he couldn’t talk there at the table, but then he figured he better mind his own business. Catching a glimpse of Blake’s guilty smile through the glass, Bo understood Blake was just in love and was probably sparing Bo the stomach ache.
Blake sat down at the same time the server brought their beers. “What’d you guys decide to eat?”
“I’ll have the crawfish etouffee,” Blake said.
Bo handed her his menu. “Sounds good.”
“Can I bring you both a cup of gumbo? Ours is the best. I promise I won’t let you down.” She gave them both a grin with plenty of innuendo.
Bo shrugged. “I’m never one to turn down gumbo in Louisiana.”
“Me, too. I like to
conform.” Blake smiled and handed her his menu.
Bo gave him a look after the waitress left to put in their orders. “You better be careful with that grin. You’re spoken for these days.”
“I’m just goddamn happy in general. Can’t help it if that comes across like I’m flirting.”
Bo would give him a hard time, but he was enjoying his best friend’s newfound well-being. He’d been through some dark days in the past few years and was finally starting to pull out of it. Bo didn’t want to do anything to rock that boat.
“Doing what you love and who you love agrees with you,” Bo said.
Blake shook his head. “I feel like I’m among the living again.”
“Welcome back.” Bo held up his bottle, and Blake did the same.
“So,” Blake said. “How did it go with Maya?”
Bo rubbed his hand over the top of his head. “Good, I guess. I mean real good, actually.”
Blake nodded, gauging him. “I can see that.” His brow furrowed.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“I’m not looking at you any way,” Blake said.
“You are, too. I’ve got this under control. I swear I do. I’ve flipped the switch in my head. I’m just focusing on right now, this week, enjoying this time, and next week I’ll move on to somebody else.”
Blake gnawed on the inside of his cheek. Bo noticed he did that when he got nervous. “What?” Bo asked.
“Oh, nothing.” Blake moved his beer bottle around in circles.
Bo leaned in. “What’s your deal? You look like you’re up to something.”
“I’m not.” He shrugged. “I was just going to say Seanna had lunch with Maya today.”
Bo’s radar went off, that eerie feeling starting to swirl in his gut. “Yeah, I heard Seanna invited her. How did it go?”
“Good, I think. You know Seanna. She’s never met a stranger.”
“Mmm hmm. Maya has.”
Blake smiled. “Yeah, she’s a little tentative, I guess?”
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