by Marie Carnay
Could she stay? Could she make a life here despite her mother and New York and the endless quest for…something?
The door opened and she turned in time to see Ivy McClellan walk in. Ugh. She washed down the horrible taste with another sip. “What’s Ivy doing here?”
Mandy rolled her eyes and sighed. “You’ll never believe it.”
Summer opened her mouth to ask when Mandy’s brother Ian walked in. He slipped his arm around Ivy and the pair headed to the bar. Oh my God. “Is that what it looks like?”
“Mm-hmm. She’s gotten her claws into my brother. Damn barracuda.”
“Oh, no. Mandy, that’s awful.” Summer remembered how Ivy would fawn over the rich guys at the bar with one hand on their Rolex as she shoved her fake boobs against their arm and asked for a drink. Always searching for the next meal ticket. “Has anyone told him what she’s like?”
Mandy nodded. “Everyone’s told him. But he’s smitten. I swear she’s got a magic vagina.”
Summer choked on a sip of champagne. Midnight Cove might be beautiful and stunning and the source of endless art. But with her mother there and people like Ivy all over… How could she ever want to stay?
* * *
BLAKE
“You’re sure we have to be here? Isn’t being in the wedding enough?” Devin pushed his shirt sleeves higher up his arms before snagging another drink off a tray. “I’m not into champagne and girly snacks.”
Blake rolled his eyes. “Of course we have to be here. It’s Richard and Mandy’s wedding.”
“No, it’s Mandy’s wedding. Richard’s just showing up.”
“You have a point.” Blake couldn’t get over the conversation they’d had with Richard. If he had a woman like Mandy—no, if he and Devin could find a way to be with Summer—even marry her somehow—he’d be tripping all over himself to give her anything she wanted.
Princess wedding at a fairy castle? Sure. One hundred bagpipers and the Rockettes? Of course. Getting married in your hometown at your own Inn with friends and family all around? No brainer. “I don’t get him. Why’s he so freaked out?”
Devin shrugged. “You know Richard. He can’t stand not being in control. You remember when he handed the Swallow Tail over to Donny? I thought the man would have a heart attack.”
Did he ever. Devin and Blake had picked up jobs at the restaurant when they were barely old enough to wait tables with a whole summer vacation to do nothing but work. Richard had ridden their asses hard. A few months of that and they could have waited tables at the best spots anywhere in the country.
It’d been their thing. Summers at Swallow Tail between high school and college. Working to earn enough to buy a new board or a wetsuit. Anything to get them out in the waves, riding ’til sunset. Beyond.
“This isn’t like it’s a restaurant. It’s his wedding. You think he’d at least try.”
“He is. Look at him.” Devin pointed at Richard chatting up the guests. Donny stood next him—the spitting image of his older brother.
“Sounds like Donny’s handling the restaurants well.”
“He must be. Otherwise, Richard would never expand like he is without Ian as a partner. And he definitely wouldn’t spring for all this.”
Blake glanced around at the tables teeming with food and all the guests. Behind him, Summer and Mandy leaned toward each other, laughing.
Summer. He still remembered that first night. She’d walked into the Swallow Tail, twenty-one and gorgeous with chestnut hair cascading down her back and a body any man would worship all night.
At first he’d hinted at a date, but she’d shot him down. Devin, too. So they’d fallen into friendship. Goofing off on the beach after closing. Sneaking into the lifeguard stations and swimming under the moonlight. Climbing over rocks and dune grasses like kids.
One night it had all poured over into more. He’d hoped the heat and fire she stirred in him would fade. After she’d said goodbye and cut them off, what was the point? But he couldn’t shake her.
Blake ran his tongue over his lip, hoping to catch a taste of her on his skin. Summer.
“Who let the riffraff in?”
Blake blinked and turned around. “Ian! How are you?”
Ian stuck out his hand and grasped Blake by the forearm to lean in for a quick hug. “Good, man.”
“I thought you were stuck in the middle of some deal?”
Ian shrugged. “What can I say, I had a reason to finish early.” Ian squeezed his date by the waist and Blake swallowed. He never understood what anyone saw in her.
Blake gave her an obligatory smile. “Hey, Ivy.”
“Hi, Blake.”
“Ivy tells me you guys are having some trouble with the permit for the bar? She’s been showing me all sorts of ideas. She’s got this open concept—tons of space to mingle and network—I think you guys’ll love it.”
Devin stiffened next to him. “I thought we were all going to approve any concepts before we broke ground?”
“Totally.” Ian squeezed Ivy again. “My girl’s just so excited. This bar’s her first big design gig.”
Blake frowned. When Devin’d suggested turning the space above the surf shop into a bar, he’d been hesitant. Run a surf shop and a bar? The shop already took most of his time. And where would they ever come up with the capital?
Bringing in Ian as a partner had seemed like the perfect solution. But Ivy, too? If he’d known Ian would hand the whole thing off to her as a pet project, he’d have squashed it months ago. “I still think we should all meet. Discuss options before anyone gets carried away.”
“Relax, guys. I promise it’s not all pink frills and taffeta. You’ll like it.” Ivy grinned and clutched Ian’s arm. Her boobs mashed against his shirt sleeve and Blake looked away.
Devin spoke up. “We still need to come to an agreement on everything, Ivy. It’s our space, remember.”
She batted her lashes. “Of course.”
Gag me. With bleached blonde hair, pencil-thin figure and personality to match, Blake never understood how Ivy did it. It seemed like every party in the Cove, she’d show up with another guy on her arm. Each one richer than the last and falling all over himself to show her off. She didn’t seem like much of a prize to Blake.
Or to Devin. Not now anyway. His friend held up his beer. “Just making sure we’re on the same page.”
“Well, I’ve got to make the rounds. As soon as you hear on the permit, let me know okay? Ivy can’t wait to get started.”
Blake watched them walk off and exhaled in relief. Compared to Summer, Ivy was nothing but a bottom-feeder. One he wished didn’t come attached to Ian Knowles.
He turned back to where Summer’d been standing with Mandy, but she was gone. He scanned the room when the swish of green silk caught his eye. Shit.
From her hunched back and crossed arms, he could tell it wasn’t good. Her mother had cornered her. Overbearing wench. He knew she’d been controlling, but until Summer’d opened up earlier that night, he never knew the intensity.
Now he could see the strain. The wear. Blake tapped Devin on the arm. “I think Summer needs help. Come on.”
She might try to blow them off again, but neither one of them would get anywhere if her mother poisoned the weekend.
* * *
SUMMER
“Mom, I’ve told you. The Hillside Gallery isn’t interested. I know you spoke with the owner, but they don’t care.” Summer inhaled and forced her voice to stay even. Causing a scene would only make it worse.
“Did you mention my name? I’ve been on the same committee as Rosalind Hillside for the past three years.” She smoothed back an imaginary misplaced hair. “The Kidney Foundation even asked me to chair it this year.”
Don’t roll your eyes. “That’s great, Mom, really. And I did mention your name.” Summer shifted her weight back on forth on her heels. “It isn’t a good fit, anyway. They only showcase modern expressionists. That’s not my style.”
H
er mother’s frown would have wilted Mandy’s corsage. “Well. You can’t blame me for trying to help you. You’ll never get anywhere at the rate you’re going.”
“That’s not true! I’ve got an exhibit at Palladium next week.”
“That’s a mid-tier gallery full of, what do they call them—” Her mother waved her hand in the air. “Hipsters. It’s beneath you.”
Summer’s shoulders sagged. She might as well have been four-foot-tall with pigtails and a runny nose. She glanced down and scuffed a spot on the floor with her toe. “It’s still an exhibit. I know it’s not what you want, but—”
“I think what she’s achieved to date’s remarkable.”
“So do I.”
Summer glanced up and her stomach lurched. Oh, no. This can’t be happening. She plastered on a smile. “Devin. Blake. Hi. Have you met my mother?”
“Haven’t had the pleasure, no.” Blake stuck out his hand. “Blake Turner.”
Summer’s mother glanced at it like it might be diseased, but she gave it a limp shake. “Jane Crenshaw.” Blake let her hand go and she turned to Devin.
“Devin Rogers. Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
She gave Devin a tight smile and shook his hand. “Thank you.”
All four of them stood there, awkward and uncomfortable and smiling for no reason. God, why is she even here? At last her mother spoke up.
“Well, Summer dear, I still think you should try again. Give Hillside another call. Ask for Rosalind.”
Summer couldn’t help but sigh. “Alright, Mom. If it’ll make you happy, I will. First thing Tuesday morning when I’m back in New York.”
Devin cleared his throat. Oh, no. Don’t—
Before Summer could get his attention, he’d opened his mouth. “If you don’t mind my asking, Ms. Crenshaw, why are you so hung up on galleries in New York?”
Her mother’s lips puckered like she’d swallowed a lemon. “Excuse me?”
“Well, Summer paints West Coast landscapes and abstracts. She’d find a ton of buyers on this coast. Plenty right here in Midnight Cove.”
The indignation hit Summer in a wave as her mother straightened up. How a woman so small could look down on a six-foot-tall man was beyond Summer. But she managed. Her mother did have super powers.
“The Crenshaws are better than a small town gallery in a tourist trap. She could have been a doctor. A politician. Even a lawyer. Instead, she paints. The least she can do is excel at it.” The way the words spit from her mother’s mouth hit Summer straight in the gut. A punch would’ve hurt less.
Devin’s voice dropped and lost its mirth. “What about being happy? Can’t she excel in that, instead?”
Her mother’s eyes widened and she opened and closed her mouth like a puppet on strings. Devin might as well have asked her if the moon were made of cheese.
After a moment, her mother turned to her. “Well. Hasn’t this been nice? If you’ll excuse me, dear, I need to pay my respects to the groom.”
Summer nodded and watched her mother walk away. Back straight, head high. She greeted Richard with a gracious smile and Summer turned away. No matter how hard she tried, she’d always be a disappointment.
“She acts like this is a funeral, not a wedding.” Devin shook his head.
Summer turned to him. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Done what? Told her the truth? Someone should.”
“It’ll only make it worse.” She knew from personal experience.
“I don’t know why you let her get to you. So she doesn’t like your choices? Who cares?”
“She’s my mother, Devin.” Summer frowned and set her empty glass on a nearby tray. She knew this weekend would be a disaster.
Coming back to Midnight Cove after all these years. Running into the pair of them. It was rough enough if she’d had to face it alone. But with her mother swooping in and taking up residence…
Then Blake and that kiss. She ran her fingers over her lip and glanced his way.
Instead of the smug confidence of Devin, Blake was quiet with his hands in his pockets and an unreadable look on his face. His eyes were focused on her. Determined, but not angry.
She dropped her hand. “What is it?”
“If I asked you to leave the party—come away with me and Devin for a while—would you do it?”
She frowned. “What for?”
“To forget all the negative people. The bad vibe. You didn’t come here to be put down. You came here to celebrate a wedding.” His face softened with a small smile. “I know a good stretch of beach that’s empty this time of night.”
Yes! Just say yes! Her whole body screamed in agreement. “Does it have a rocky ledge and a lifeguard station?”
“Sure does.”
“I can’t believe you remember that.”
Blake’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. “I remember everything.”
Oh. She glanced at Devin. “How about you?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
Summer bit her lip. More than anything she wanted to follow them into the dark. The past. The memories that wouldn’t quit her. But could she leave Mandy’s reception? Go down the path to the place where it all started? Bodies crushed against the rocks. Sand in her hair. Lips on her skin.
She glanced up and saw Mandy laughing in a huge group of friends and family. She’d probably never notice if they left. And it would give Summer a chance to find out if what she remembered was even real.
With a deep breath, she turned back to the men. “Okay. Count me in.”
CHAPTER FOUR
SUMMER
“LAST TIME I checked, the beach is that way.” Summer tugged Devin’s hand toward the water.
“I know.” He craned his neck and flashed her a grin. A sexy, take no prisoners grin that had her sucking in her breath and trying not to stumble. Damn that dimple.
“So where are we going?”
He turned back toward the path with a shrug and his voice carried over his shoulder. “You’ll see.”
Summer frowned. Surprises weren’t her thing. And when Devin got it in his head to do something…
“Please tell me there’s nothing criminal involved.”
“Nothing too criminal. Relax. Just roll with it.”
Roll with it. Right.
Footsteps sounded behind them and Blake jogged up. “Talked to Mandy. She’s cool with us taking off.”
“Oh! Thanks.” How sweet. Summer glanced at his profile. Short brown hair, beard that would tickle her neck and scrape her jaw. He smiled and her heart thump-thumped. How had she walked out of their lives? Out of her own life?
Summer swallowed and called out to Devin. “If we’re going off on a crazy hike, I should at least change my shoes.”
“No hikes. Just a quick pit stop. Come on, my car’s this way.”
The horn beeped and lights flashed on a Jeep Wrangler in the parking lot. So Devin. “It’s been four years and you still drive a four-by-four?”
Blake jogged ahead, pulled open the passenger door and flipped the seat. “We need it—how else are we going to hit the north beach before dawn?” He climbed in the back and pulled the front seat back into position.
Summer climbed up and pulled the door shut. “You still surf?” She remembered sandy wetsuits and surfboard racks. Endless stretches of waves. Canvases filled with blues and greens. A friendship that tipped into so much more. Her cheeks heated and she glanced out the window.
Devin hopped in and revved the engine. “We own a surf shop on Main now. It’s kind of what we do.”
She whipped her head around. “You do? So no more waiting tables? Bartending?”
“We’re about to get back into that, too. We’re turning our upstairs into a bar with Ian.”
Wow. “So it’s what? In one of those little houses turned into a shop?”
“The wood-shingled one on the corner of Wisteria. It’s got enough room for the shop and our apartment on the first floor and the whole ups
tairs is empty.”
“And you own it?”
Devin pulled out of the parking spot with a nod. “We saved up everything from working for Richard and bought the first house we could.”
Summer shook her head. She’d been so wrapped up in herself and her own career that she’d never stopped to think the two of them might have grown up. But businessmen? It was amazing. “You two live there together?”
Blake slid forward in the back and rested his arm on the edge of her seat. “It’s easier to live at the shop. When it’s a good surf day, we open early.”
“That’s…impressive.” They’d found a way to turn what they loved into a business. All while staying put in Midnight Cove.
Summer looked out the window as the town rushed by. Little shops and restaurants. The occasional house tucked in between. Street lights on every corner with ferns and trailing flowers. God, she loved this town. If only…
The Jeep whipped into the gas station parking lot and Devin killed the engine. “Let’s go. We need supplies.”
Summer frowned. Supplies? Before she could ask what that meant, Devin had pulled her car door open and helped her out. Blake hopped down from the other side and all three walked into the convenience store together.
“So what are we here for?” Summer bit her lip and looked around. They used to go there after the bar closed. Grab bright blue Slurpees and head down to the water. Goof off in the lifeguard’s station after hours. Play hide and seek like kids between the rocks and pillars.
One time they’d even TP’ed the whole station—it’d looked like a giant marshmallow had landed in the sand. Thank God they’d never been caught. Wait. Oh, no.
She spun around as Devin picked up a giant pack of toilet paper and tossed it to Blake. “That should do it, right?”
“Guys, I don’t think—”
