WATERCOLOR WISHES: Love Along Hwy 30A, Book Four

by Chambers, Melissa

  Dane almost choked on his soda. “Oh God no. Nothing like that. I’ve been out with her like once.”

  “Like once, or once?”

  “Just once, but we’ve talked a few times.”

  “Ah. And you like her.”

  Dane shrugged and then met his friend’s gaze with a smile. “She’s really fun.”

  Jesse leaned in, waggling his eyebrows. “Oh yeah.”

  “Not fun like that, asshole.”

  “Oh. So, she’s not fun in bed?”

  “No, I don’t know what she’s like in bed.”

  “Oh, shit. So you’re into her and you haven’t even—”

  “No. Jeez. Can I have five minutes to get there?”

  Jesse held up both hands in surrender. “Okay. I just figured.”

  Dane gave him a look. “I know in your world if you haven’t screwed by the end of the night you’re behind. But it’s a little different once you step outside of bar life.”

  “Understood.”

  Dane ran his fingers up and down the plastic cup. “I want to though, for the record.”

  “Is that her?” Jesse asked.

  Dane looked around, ridiculously, because how would Jesse know what she looked like? “Where?”

  “On your phone.”

  Dane grabbed his phone and read the text.

  She’s alive! Thanks for checking. You’ll never believe who’s here though. Bobbie, the girl she was broken up over last night. They’re talking.

  He smiled and texted back.

  What are you doing?

  Sitting in my car like a dork. I wanted to get out of their way, but I’m not going to the shop on a Sunday.

  “Invite her over,” Jesse said.

  Dane met his gaze. “But we’re hanging.”

  Jesse waved him off. “I really just needed your taste buds. We’re testing out some new food I wanted you to try. Invite her here. I could use her taste buds, too.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, do it.” Jesse headed over to another customer.

  Dane hated to be that guy who ditched his friend for a girl, but he’d left her last night with the most incredible ache in his heart and his groin. He texted her back.

  Come to the Bohemian Guppy in Grayton. It’s my friend’s bar. I’m here now. He’s testing new food. He said to invite you. That he could use your taste buds.

  A moment went by before she responded, making his stomach ache. He both loved and hated the uncertainty of something new with a girl.

  On my way.

  A ridiculous amount of relief poured through him, and he relaxed, resting his elbows on the bar. He must have glanced up at the door twenty times since he got her text, but finally, it was her. It’d been all of five minutes, but it had felt like a half hour.

  She set her purse down on the bar beside him. “My taste buds are here and ready for work.”

  Jesse smiled at her from across the bar. “I’ve seen you in here before.”

  “You have. You tried to talk me into a night in your pontoon boat a while back.”

  Dane’s chest lit up.

  Jesse grinned and then hung his head. “Oh, fuck.” He peered at her from under his shaggy hair with those puppy dog eyes Dane supposed some women might find attractive, the asshole. “I’m sorry. Is that why you haven’t been back?”

  She shrugged. “That and a wine bar opened next to my shop.”

  “I’ve seen it and the girl who owns it,” Jesse said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

  “She’s currently hashing it out with her girlfriend back at our place, so you definitely have competition.”

  Dane relished the disappointment on his buddy’s face. “She’s gay?” Jesse asked.

  “Bi…or pan, maybe. I’m not altogether clear on the details,” Marigold said.

  “Then there’s hope.”

  Marigold looked him up and down. “I wouldn’t hold my breath. She’s pretty savvy when it comes to guys like you.”

  Jesse pointed at his own chest. “I’m hurt.”

  Marigold grinned at him. “You’ll get over it.”

  Dane was this close to asking if the two of them needed to get a room, but he bit his tongue. Jesse met Dane’s gaze and cleared his throat. “I’m gonna check on the food I want you both to try. Anything you don’t like?”

  “Pontoon boats,” Marigold said with a smile. Jesse grinned and headed back to the kitchen.

  “So you turned him down, huh?” Dane asked, a glutton for more details. “I don’t think he’s used to that.”

  She nodded toward the kitchen. “I had my time with that stuff, back in college and my early twenties.” She met his gaze full-on. “That’s not for me.”

  He held her gaze, trying hard to convey understanding with his eyes. “That’s not for me either.”

  She eyed him. “I hope not, because he’s really too hot for me to compete with.”

  Dane rolled his eyes. “That’s not—”

  Leaning in, she said, “I know what you meant,” squeezing his thigh in a way that made him feel like the only man on the planet, or at least in this bar.

  Dane looked away, not sure how to deal with the way Marigold made him feel—lucky and vulnerable all mixed up in one. “So Fiona’s getting back with Bobbie?”

  Marigold huffed a laugh. “Looking that way. It’s so funny. They just slept together for the first time the other night, and they’re already fighting. I’d say this is not the way to enter into a relationship.”

  “That’s not how you do it?”

  “No fighting until at least three months in,” she said.

  “What happens at three months?”

  “The honeymoon gets real.”

  “The real’s okay if it’s with the right person.” He couldn’t believe he just said that aloud.

  She pointed at him. “This is true.”

  He stood up and walked behind the bar, needing to put some space between them. “What do you want to drink?”

  “I’ll take a Diet Coke, please.” He filled a cup with ice and then found the button on the hose and shot liquid into it. “Were you ever a bartender?” she asked.

  He smiled. “For a little while in college. That’s how I met Jesse.”

  “Where did you all go to school?”

  “Kentucky.”

  “UK?”

  “Yep. Wildcats.”

  “Ah. And you moved here together?”

  He handed her the drink. “Jesse came here first. He called me and told me what a goldmine this place was for development. Ethan and I came and visited and we knew as soon as we saw the place.”

  “Mmm,” she said, nodding. “At least you knew someone. I didn’t know a soul when I came here.”

  He walked around the bar and sat down beside her. “How’d you get to know people?”

  “Sebastian Peyton. He came in the shop the first day I opened. He’s sort of famous for taking in strays. Do you know him?”

  “I know the name, but I’m not sure I can place him.”

  “You met him, actually, that night at the bonfire. He’s sort of a 30A staple.”

  “How long have you lived here?”

  “I’ve been here seven years now. What about you?” She held up a finger. “Wait a minute. You told me this already. Like five years ago, right? I’m surprised I haven’t seen you around before now. I used to come here quite a bit.”

  She was probably in there during the times he was with Erin, or with Erin’s boys while she worked. That happened quite a bit. “Used to?” he asked. “Did Jesse run you off?”

  She smiled and looked back down at her soda. “In a way, I guess.”

  “In what way?” he asked, thinking he wasn’t going to like the answer.

  She considered him. “Because I wasn’t sure I could trust myself. I wasn’t in a place for a one-night stand, and I knew that was what he was after.”

  Dane nodded, the thought of Marigold wanting his good friend stinging him. “What place were you
in?”

  She let out a deep breath, meeting his gaze full-on. “One I think I’m ready to pull out of.”

  The twinkle in her eye made his lap twitch.

  “Okay,” Jesse said, sweeping into the bar area with a platter in one hand and small plates in the other. “We’ve got fried artichokes, trailer trash pasta, poutine, spicy ribs, boudin balls, and smoked oysters.”

  Dane stared at the plate in awe. “You’re adding all this to the menu?”

  “That depends on what my tasters think. I’m fine to add all of this or none of it. Just want to get it right. I’ll leave the two of you to it. You guys need anything to go with any of this before I leave you alone?”

  “A stint for my heart functionality, possibly,” Marigold said.

  Jesse smiled. “Enjoy.”

  She handed Dane her plate. “Give me some of that poutine on your side and I’ll get you some of this trailer trash pasta.”

  They filled their plates with the food and ate, comparing notes through the meal. “Give me one more smoked oyster,” he said. “Just to be sure.”

  She passed him one from her side of the platter. After they had cleaned their plates, Jesse came back over to them. “Well? I’m ready for the hard review.”

  Marigold gave Dane a look with a raised eyebrow, and he nodded at her. “Go ahead.”

  She wiggled in her seat. “Okay, we both loved the poutine, but we wished the gravy was just a little thicker, because after we’d sat here a while, the thinness made the fries a little soggy.”

  “Noted,” Jesse said, grasping the bar with both hands, flexing the muscles in his arms, making Dane purse his lips in irritation.

  “The spicy ribs were a little too spicy, but they made me thirsty so that might be a good thing for your beer sales,” she said.

  Jesse nodded, eyebrows raised.

  “The boudin balls were really easy to eat and fried to perfection, but the guts of them were just a little bit bland. We would suggest kicking up the spice a tad on those. But we both loved the fried artichokes and the trailer trash pasta.”

  Dane’s heart swelled at the unity of all her statements, like they were a team, or an old married couple who had gotten on the same page decades ago.

  “What about the oysters?” Jesse asked.

  Marigold gave Dane an inside joke grin. “I think the oysters were Dane’s favorite. Am I wrong?”

  “They were pretty damn good,” Dane said.

  Jesse rubbed his hands together. “All right. Looks like I’ve got some tweaks to make.” He pointed at the platter. “You guys finished?”

  “Yep,” Marigold said. “Thank you for lunch.”

  “Thank you for your opinion.”

  “I’m happy to give that anytime, and you don’t even have to pay me in free food.” She smiled at Jesse, and Dane was not into the way Jesse smiled back at her. It was clear Jesse had already visualized himself having sex with her since he’d tried to get her to his boat a while back. And by the way, how long ago was that? Last month? Last year? He needed details. No he didn’t. He needed to quit being neurotic.

  “Can I get you two anything else?” Jesse asked.

  “What do you have for dessert?” she asked.

  Jesse looked stumped. “People don’t typically ask for dessert in here. They just munch on bar food while they’re drinking.”

  Marigold sat back in her chair. “Who’s your clientele?”

  Jesse thought about it. “A handful of locals, some tourists.”

  “Men or women?”

  “Men, mostly, but I’d love to get more women in here. Women bring in more men.”

  “Then you need to offer a fabulous dessert. One that’s easy to eat, noncommittal.”

  “A noncommittal dessert?” Jesse asked.

  Marigold squinted at a piece of junky bar art behind Jesse. “Warm chocolate chip cookies. But none of this crumbly, dry, wimpy crap. I’m talking big, beautiful, gooey chocolate chip cookies that stand up tall and hold their shape.”

  “Like a skillet cookie dessert, or…”

  “Keep it easy to eat. If a girl feels like it’s going to be a big production with syrup and whipped cream she’s committing to a major dessert. If it’s just a cookie, pure and simple, she’s going to be way more willing to order that. Once it arrives and she takes a bite, she’ll roll her eyes back in her head and come back for another one later.”

  Jesse glanced at the kitchen. “I’m not sure how well the line cooks back there can bake.”

  She pulled her phone out of her purse. “Source it out. There’s a baker in Seaside who can handle this for you. What’s your number? I’ll text you her info.”

  “Here,” Dane said, pulling up Jesse’s contact in his phone. He handed it to Marigold. “Use mine.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him, calling him out on his paranoid jealousy.

  “He’s already set up in mine,” he said, his cheeks heating.

  Marigold took his phone and typed into it. “It’s Cassidy Anderson at Seaside Sweets. Do you know the shop?”

  “I think so,” Jesse said.

  She handed the phone back to Dane and addressed Jesse. “It’s right on 30A. Do you know Cassidy?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “She’s even more fabulous than her shop. I’ll give her a heads-up that you’re going to call.”

  Jesse squinted at Marigold. “I don’t know. Sounds like a hassle, bringing in cookies every day.”

  “You want to bring in the women?”

  He nodded.

  “Then let them eat cookies.”

  Jesse grinned at Marigold and Dane glared at Jesse. Jesse, finally cluing in to Dane’s nonverbal warnings, cleared his throat. “I’ll get this out of your way.”

  Marigold turned to Dane with a smile that told him he was busted. “So turns out you’re the jealous type, huh?”

  “You said he hit on you a while back. I was doing that for your benefit.”

  She grinned at him with a shake of her head. “You are so full of shit.”

  He rolled his eyes and stood. “Do you want to go walk this food off?” When she hesitated, he said, “It’s pretty outside today.”

  She picked up her purse. “I know, and this is my only day to get any vitamin D. Look at these arms.” She held one out. “I’m about to get mistaken for a Cullen.”

  “A who?”

  “Alice Cullen? Esme Cullen?” When he shook his head, she said, “Uh, Edward Cullen?”

  He pointed at her. “For some reason, I think I’m supposed to know that last one.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “You’ve never seen Twilight? I’m not going to even ask if you’ve read the books.”

  “Is that the movie with the teenage vampires?” He knew exactly what Twilight was, but he was having too much fun watching her reaction to his pretending not to know.

  She rolled her eyes at him like he was the biggest disappointment on the planet. “Silly boy. You can’t be a member of our generation and not know Twilight. That’s just wrong.”

  “Is it good?”

  She held out her hands to her sides. “It’s not a matter of good or bad. It’s Twilight. It’s iconic. You’ve got to see it.”

  This is where he should admit he’d already seen it, but he wasn’t passing up this opportunity. He’d let it slip later. “Then let’s go watch it.”

  She looked down at her purse, fooling with something inside of it. “I probably shouldn’t.”

  “Oh,” he said, wishing he wasn’t so disappointed, and before he could stop himself, “Why shouldn’t you?”

  She gauged him, letting out an exhausted sigh. “Because quite honestly, Dane, I like you.”

  His heart leapt out of his chest, but before he could respond she had set a twenty down on the bar and was out the door. He followed after her.

  She led them through the warm October day and toward the beach access parking lot. “What’s the problem with that?” he shouted as he tri
ed to keep up with her. She was fast.

  She held up a hand, waving him off. “Trust me, it’s a problem.”

  “Is this about the hotel? I told you we can keep business separate. We’re adults.”

  She kept walking without words while the lights on her car flashed. He slid in front of the driver’s side door, but she just stared at him and said. “I can easily just hop in the back.”

  “I’m serious. What’s going on here?”

  She ran her fingers through her hair, letting it fall around her face in a way that made him want to snatch her up and let every man in America know that this beauty was his, and they could back off or go down.

  She let out a sigh. “Why couldn’t I have just made up a legit excuse?”

  He couldn’t help a little smirk. “Because maybe you wanted me to convince you otherwise?”

  She rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips. “You’re so dangerous for me.”

  “Dangerous?” He chuckled. “I don’t think anyone’s ever called me that.” He pinched at her hip. “Come on. What’s going on here?”

  She hesitated a minute, gauging him. “What’s going on is that I can tell you right now exactly how this afternoon will go if I give in. We’ll go to your place and watch Twilight, which I love and makes me ridiculously lascivious. Then we’ll start making out, then it’ll lead to the horizontal, and then before the big baseball game scene, it’ll all be over.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “How far in is the baseball scene?”

  She shoved him playfully. “I’m serious, Dane. I like you. I like hanging out with you and kissing you, and thinking about kissing you, and thinking about doing more than kissing you, and if we go back to your place, it’ll all be over. And I’m just not ready for it all to be over.”

  He frowned. “Maybe I’ve got it wrong, but I was thinking we’d do it this time, and then later on in the week we’d do it some more.”

  She grabbed two handfuls of his shirt, pulling him toward her. “See, Dane, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. But that’s not the way it will be.”

  He peered down at her, the close proximity begging for a kiss, but the timing being way off for that. “How will it be?”

  She pushed him away and then smoothed his shirt out where she’d grabbed it. “We’ll do it, and then I’ll say something stupid and off-putting then you’ll be weirded out, and we’ll part ways. Then I won’t hear from you for a couple of days, so I’ll have to get with one of my girlfriends to analyze the situation. Then we’ll have to watch He’s Just Not That Into You which should set me straight, but defeats the whole purpose of itself because turns out he is actually into her in the end. Then I’ll be back to square one and I’ll end up texting you. Then you won’t respond, or worse, you’ll respond with something vague that keeps me hopeful just to the point of irritation, while I secretly know all along it’s never going to happen. Then the worst part comes where you win the hotel bid against me because I was too busy watching He’s Just Not That Into You on a loop trying to make sense of it all, and then I’ll figure out that I just need to ignore you and start dating someone else like she did in the movie, restarting the cycle. And frankly, I’m too damned old for this crap.”