Seaside Sweets Read online

  Cassidy looked down at Seanna, her eyes a question. “When is the last time you and Jason…you know…”

  Seanna bumped her. “Cassidy!”

  Cassidy held up both hands in surrender. “You said we could talk about these things now. I’m just sayin’.” Cassidy turned and went back to the business of cleaning tables. A customer came in, and she abandoned her cleaning to get behind the counter. Seanna took over where Cassidy left off, catching glimpses of Blake as she could. Seanna and Jason hadn’t shared a bed in nine months, and it’d been even longer than that since they’d…

  As the customer exited, Seanna followed her aunt into the back room. “So he’s not coupled-up with someone?”

  “I don’t think he’s the coupled-up type.”

  Seanna leaned against the counter next to her aunt. “Wonder why not.”

  Cassidy shrugged, pulling a bowl down from the shelf. “He doesn’t talk a lot about his past. He’s a fantastic guy though. I don’t think he dates a lot, if at all, and I think you could use a distraction right about now…something to loosen you up…knock the water out of your ears.” Cassidy bumped her hip against Seanna’s with a grin, which was as contagious as a yawn.

  Seanna guessed that Cassidy didn’t like Jason. She was probably thrilled to hear they weren’t getting married. Cassidy had spent a couple of nights at Seanna’s place last January after she closed the shop for the season. It had been right after Seanna had discovered Jason’s gambling addiction and things were bad between them, to say the least. They’d both put on a show for the sake of hiding what was going on between them, but Cassidy wasn’t stupid.

  Seanna focused on a stray pile of flour on the countertop as she imagined running her hands over Blake’s biceps, damp with sweat.

  “Make yourself useful and start on the brownies,” Cassidy said, waking Seanna up. Cassidy pointed at a recipe taped to the wall in front of her alongside ones for chocolate cookies, key lime squares, cheese puffs, eclairs, and more. She got to work. One night with Blake before she headed back. Now that was something yummy.

  Chapter Four

  Blake stood next to his buddy Bo in the big, open grassy area in front of the pavilion at Seaside listening to a funk-jazz fusion band. Bo took a drink of his beer. “You busy day after tomorrow?”

  That was Sunday, the day Blake was supposed to call Kevin. “Not at all. You got something in mind?”

  Bo shrugged. “You want to come with me on some jobs? I’ll take you to Layla’s for lunch after if you do.”

  Blake gave him a look. “Not many people work for food, my friend.”

  “You do.”

  Blake shrugged. “True. Sounds good.”

  The two stood in companionable silence. That was probably the best thing about his friendship with Bo—they didn’t waste words. They were just as fine standing in silence as they were yappin’ away…or fighting. That was what they did best. One of them would pick a fight with the other one just so they could go at it like brothers then go for a beer. Their version of therapy.

  Bo whistled. “Hot damn. Who’s that with Sebastian and them?”

  Blake followed Bo’s gaze across the horseshoe-shaped lawn to find Sebastian sitting on a blanket with Desiree, Ashe…and there she was. Hot damn was right. Seanna was all done up with her hair hanging in loose curls, a tight-fitting black shirt with a scoop neck presenting her cleavage.

  Blake’s chest burned with what seemed like a hint of jealousy. “That’s Seanna, Cassidy’s niece.” He didn’t intend it, but the words came out possessive.

  Bo picked up on it right away, turning toward him dramatically. “Is that so? What do you know about her?”

  Blake shrugged, now on the defense. “I don’t know anything about her.”

  “You know she’s Cassidy’s niece. You met her?”

  “Yeah, I met her,” Blake said.

  “When was this?”

  “Yesterday. Cassidy had me let her in the house. She had to finish up an order.”

  “Did you ask her out?” Bo asked.

  “No.” His answer came out way too fast and definite. He added a shrug for damage control.

  “She married?”

  “No.”

  “Boyfriend?” Bo asked.

  “Doesn’t look like it.”

  Bo nudged him. “Well, what the hell?” Blake let out a huff of air as he shifted irritably. “Whatever, man. More for me,” Bo said, lifting the bottle to his lips. A hot sensation moved up Blake’s spine. Bo looked him up and down. “Or not.”

  “What? I didn’t say anything.”

  “You didn’t have to. If you like this girl, take her on a date.”

  “Don’t be stupid. She’s Cassidy’s niece.”

  Bo craned his neck. “Can’t see her up close from here, but she damn sure doesn’t look like a kid to me.”

  “She’s not. She’s a woman.”

  Bo chuckled.

  “Fuck you.”

  Desiree spotted them and waved. Sebastian pointed and crooked a finger, summoning them over. Bo gave a finger wave right at Seanna and then looked at Blake, obviously to see if he’d sufficiently aggravated him. Seanna gave a shy smile, and then picked at the grass. “Aww, damn,” Bo said. “She’s cute as hell.”

  Cute? Cute didn’t do her justice. “She’s all right,” Blake said.

  “All right, huh? Then I suppose you don’t mind if I ask her out.”

  An unexplained flame licked Blake’s throat. “Knock yourself out.” Bo stared at him, waiting him out. “We both know how you got off with Cassidy the one night you tried with her,” Blake said.

  Bo chuckled. “I knew you’d bring that up.”

  “Hell yeah, and you can count on me bringing it up many more times, my friend. Any time I can talk about the time you got your nose bloodied by a woman is a good time far as I’m concerned.”

  Bo slid a hand in his pocket. “I was drunk. I didn’t even know what the hell I was doing.”

  “Screw you. You’d kiss her today if you thought she wouldn’t punch you again.”

  Bo laughed again. “Hell yeah, I would. She’s damn sexy.”

  Bo was right. Despite the fact that Cassidy and Blake were too good of friends to ruin their relationship with sex, Blake didn’t deserve a woman like Cassidy. He was just to the point that he could stand to look at himself in the mirror, and much of that progress was thanks to Bo.

  When Blake had gotten to this town three years ago, he wasn’t sure how he was going to recover from his deadly mistake. And then he met Bo, and Bo brought Blake back into the light. Funny thing was Bo didn’t even know he was doing it. But he knew when to talk, when to shut up, when to ask questions, and when to accept silence for an answer. They did nothing but constantly give each other shit, but Blake didn’t know how he could live without the stability and camaraderie he’d found in Bo. That was one reason Bo could never find out what Blake had done three years ago.

  “Cassidy 2.0, huh?” Bo said, breaking Blake from his thoughts.

  Blake shifted his weight. “She isn’t anything like Cassidy.”

  “What is she like?”

  “Sweet. Funny, kind of like she doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks.”

  Bo turned to Blake, his eyebrows furrowed. “Damn, you’ve got it bad.”

  Blake’s chest burned. “I do not. You asked me what she was like.” They both nodded as a couple of girls, way too young for them, shuffled by, giggling.

  “I just needed to know what pickup line to use,” Bo said.

  Blake rolled his eyes. “Your tired-ass, cheesy pickup lines aren’t gonna work on her.”

  “My tasteful, well-crafted pickup lines have always worked,” Bo said.

  “Bullshit.”

  Bo chuckled it off, but he was right. Blake had never seen Bo attempt to pick up a woman and fail. He was just a hair shorter than Blake, and he worked out like a madman. He lived at the gym and it showed. Bo held a rugged charm of the redneck variety that women
flocked to. But Bo also had a huge heart. He’d take the shirt off his back if he thought Blake needed it, and he’d go hungry for a week before he’d let any one of his friends or family miss a meal.

  Sebastian made a big production of waving them over.

  “Looks like we’re being summoned,” Bo said.

  “Yep,” Blake said.

  Bo nudged him. “Come on, mister personality. Your public awaits.”

  Blake followed Bo to the blanket filled with the people who’d become his friends. They were an oddball configuration, but somehow their dynamic worked. They’d come together through Cassidy and Sebastian…and he guessed himself. Sebastian was always stopping by the shop, and Blake would be in there too. They just sort of became a funny little threesome, doing this and that together, and Cassidy cooking for them on Thanksgiving. Sebastian wasn’t close with his family, and he talked to Blake about that some, which gave Blake a different perspective on family…something he’d never known much about.

  Sebastian started inviting Ashe and Desiree to come along, and Blake invited Bo and their other friend Chase, and here they were. Then there was Marigold, who just sort of appeared somehow, keeping them all on their toes.

  None of them knew the real him though. If they ever found out about his past, they wouldn’t have a thing to do with him. He knew it was wrong to keep them in the dark about him, but right now these people were one of the things keeping him going every day.

  Sebastian shifted a flirty gaze between Blake and Bo. “Boys.”

  “Sebastian,” Bo said, mimicking him.

  Sebastian’s face colored. He flirted shamelessly with Blake and Bo, but he turned shy as a church mouse when one of them gave it back to him even the slightest bit.

  Desiree stood and wrapped her arms around Bo first, and then Blake. He was always careful when he hugged her because he didn’t want to mess up her hair, but when he fessed up to that once, she swore he wouldn’t. Tonight, she had it intricately woven into braids that weaved and curved around her head.

  “As it turns out,” Sebastian said, “Seanna has not met our resident pool boy. I thought we needed to remedy that, pronto.”

  Bo stepped forward and held a hand out to Seanna, who was sitting with her legs tucked behind her on the blanket. “Bo Harrison.” A smile slid across Bo’s face as he turned on his so-called charm for Cassidy’s niece.

  “Seanna,” she said.

  “Cassidy’s niece, huh?” Bo asked.

  “Ah, so the boys do gossip,” Sebastian said.

  Seanna lifted her eyebrows. “Pool boy?”

  “I have a pool cleaning and supply company in Panama City Beach,” Bo said.

  “He does me,” Sebastian said.

  Ashe picked a piece of grass off his hand and flicked it at Sebastian. “You wish.”

  “My pool, of course,” Sebastian said.

  Bo squatted next to Seanna, and she scooted over on her blanket to make a place for him to sit. Son of a bitch. Blake had been sure Bo was just aggravating him with this flirtation bit. But he was laying it on fairly thick—thicker than Blake was comfortable with.

  “How long are you here?” Bo asked.

  Seanna shrugged as she gazed into Bo’s eyes. “We’ll see.” Blake’s nose curled upward, taking his top lip with it.

  Bo glanced at Blake, eyeing him, and Blake gave a slight shrug. Bo lowered his eyelids in a way that indicated he didn’t buy Blake’s indifference in the least. This was so typical of Bo—his way of drawing Blake out and forcing him to step in and go for what he wanted. Blake wouldn’t do it. Bo could take her home and screw her for a nonstop week as far as Blake cared. A sizzle burned his chest at the thought.

  “Have you been to the beach yet?” Blake blurted out.

  She looked up at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes. “Actually, no, not yet.”

  “Want to go?”

  “Sure.”

  Holding his hand out to help her up, he glared Bo down, and Bo gave a satisfied grin in return.

  Chapter Five

  Now that Blake had Seanna alone, he grossly regretted his decision to one-up Bo. It made Blake look like he was desperate. He’d put her on the spot. She pretty much had to say yes.

  He frowned as they walked along the outer perimeter of the lawn toward the street. Cars stopped on either side of the crosswalk, so they made their way across 30A and past the restaurants to the beach walkway.

  The ocean opened up to them, and Seanna stopped, gazing at the view. “Man, I always forget how white these beaches are.”

  “Some of the whitest in the world, supposedly,” Blake said.

  They walked down the stairs and kicked off their shoes at the bottom. She pulled ahead of him and went straight for the water. The waves washed up on her legs, wetting the bottom of her rolled-up pants, but she didn’t seem to care. “Why did I wait so long to come here?” she asked, still facing the ocean.

  “You tell me.”

  She turned to face him as if she almost forgot he was there. She walked down the beach, and he followed her, the ocean lapping at their feet. “What’s your story?” she asked.

  He lifted his eyebrows in a delay tactic. He had a standardized story he gave people, but she wasn’t people. Something tugged at his heart, warning him not to lie to her. “My story?”

  “Yeah, how long have you been here? Are you from here?”

  “No. I’m from Atlanta.”

  “Mmm,” she groaned.

  He considered her. “Not a fan?”

  “No, there’s not anything wrong with Atlanta…just someone I know who’s from there.”

  “Would this be the same person who made you say you wouldn’t date again until the cows came home?”

  She pointed at Blake without looking at him. “That’s the one.”

  “You want to tell me what happened there?”

  She stopped and planted her feet in the waves, gazing out into the dark night ocean. “He lied to me,” she said, venom dripping off her tongue.

  A pang of guilt irritated his chest. He cleared his throat. “That’s not good.”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I was such an idiot.” She turned to him suddenly. “Did I tell you I’m going to be thirty soon?”

  “Yeah. Happy birthday?”

  She glared at him, and then broke out in a smile. “That’s not what I meant.”

  That smile of hers was poised to do him in if he let it. “What did you mean?” he asked.

  “I mean I’m not a kid anymore. I’m supposed to be entering the next phase in my life. A thirty-year-old woman should be able to detect a load of crap when she hears it.”

  “And your crap detector was broken?” he asked.

  She ran her toe through the wet sand. “I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew something was wrong.” She shook her head. “Anyway, how long have you been here?”

  That was a simple enough question he could answer, he supposed. “Three years.”

  “What brought you here?”

  His mind fumbled for a logical excuse. “The beach.”

  She nodded. “I guess that’s as good a reason as any. So you’ve always done handyman work?”

  The pit of his stomach churned. He hated these questions, but he knew she wasn’t prying, just making conversation, getting to know him. He had to get better at this somehow…better at the lie. “For a while.”

  “So what’s up with your friend?” she asked.

  “Bo? Ignore him.”

  “Sort of hard to.”

  His chest heated at the thought. “His mission in life is to irritate me.”

  She grinned up at him. “Is yours to irritate him?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “You’re both single?” she asked.

  He cut his eyes at her as a wave crashed into his legs. “Yeah.”

  She gave him a wry smile. “I bet the two of you do pretty well down here in the bars.”

  “I’m getting too old for the bar scene
.”

  “How old’s that?” she asked, lifting her chin.

  He raised an eyebrow in consideration, and then conceded. “Thirty-four.”

  “Oh, so you know all about your thirties. Tell me about them.”

  “What do you need to know?”

  “Is there some beacon of knowledge waiting for me on my birthday?” she asked. “Will I suddenly have all the answers and quit doing stupid stuff?”

  He gave a humorless chuckle. “Certainly didn’t work that way for me.”

  She turned to him, squaring herself in front of him. “Tell me one really dumb thing you’ve done since you’ve been in your thirties. And I don’t mean wore two different shoes out of the house or drank a few too many and had to deal with a hangover. I mean something that changed your life and put you on the wrong course.”

  He gazed into her eyes, his insides rolling over. Did she know about him? How was that possible?

  She stabbed a finger at him. “See? You can’t come up with anything. Actually, I don’t feel so bad now. I did my stupid stuff in my twenties. My thirties should be smooth sailing.”

  She turned to walk away, and he took her arm. He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt so natural around someone he’d just met. She turned back toward him. “What happened?” he asked. She gazed at him, searching his eyes. He squeezed her arm and then let go. “You can trust me.”

  She squinted at him. “How do I know that?” He froze, afraid she could somehow see inside his convoluted brain. She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I’m so sorry. Here you are just trying to be a nice guy, and I’m being all paranoid.”

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I get it.” More than she could know.

  “It’s just been a weird year. Ever had one of those?”

  He gazed into her eyes, the ocean air breezing through her hair. “Yeah,” he admitted. More than he’d ever admitted to anyone in Seaside.

  She narrowed her gaze at him. “Really? You want to listen to my drama?”

  “Why not?”

  “But you don’t even know me.”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes people who don’t know you are the best ones to tell your problems to.” She looked down at the ground, her brow worried. He nudged her arm. “What happens at the shore stays at the shore.”