“I’m going to do this quick update with the guys and I’ll be back before you eat too many cookies,” Riley said and placed a quick kiss on my cheek before pulling out my chair at the tiny table in the bakery.
I took a seat and stared up at him. “No problem. You go catch bad guys. I’ll stuff my face with sugar.”
Ridge caught up with Cyrus Kensington somewhere in the South. I hadn’t heard the entire story, but it had something to do with shoes. I’d definitely missed some pieces of the story. The men who took Cyrus were still on the run, but at least they saved the Kensington twin. I’d only met him once, but he seemed like a good guy. Yet Cyrus Kensington’s story didn’t feel like it was over yet.
Or Pelican Bay had gone to my head.
Riley stared at me for a beat and I should’ve taken a picture and framed it because he looked so out of place, all big and macho standing in front of a backdrop of bright pink. The black polo shirt and dark-colored loose-hanging jeans did not soften his presence any. The security men didn’t belong at the bakery. It was too feminine and sweet to be a meeting ground for a bunch of testosterone-filled former SEALs and their handler.
Before I told him what had me smiling so widely, Riley shook his head once and then turned around and pushed his way through a set of swinging metal doors that led to the back kitchen area of the bakery.
But his departure didn’t leave me alone. Katy and Vonnie stood shoulder to shoulder with their arms crossed over their chests in matching poses. The alarming part wasn’t how similar they appeared, but how they stared at me with eyes that looked like they wanted to pick apart my brain to figure out all the secrets I’d hidden. They had an uncanny way of making a girl feel a little uneasy. I had to question if Katy was here as a friend or as an interrogator.
“Details?” they asked together, making them even freakier.
I pushed a piece of my hair back away from my eyes and fumbled with the napkin at the table. “What are you talking about?”
“You had sex,” Katy said and her eyes didn’t blink even a single time as she stared at me to study my reaction. She wasn’t wearing the bakery’s signature apron but had on a pair of black business pants and a cute little light pink blouse, which made her look feminine yet still a force to be reckoned with.
I tried hard for shock. “What? No.” I rubbed underneath my nose and then scratched my eyebrow. Did I have something written on my forehead? Was it that obvious Riley and I had hooked up?
“You might as well tell them, sweetheart. They’re never wrong,” an older gray-haired woman wearing a tie-dyed dress that reached the floor said from another little roundtable a few feet from mine.
Pearl Ashwood, suspected founder of the Pelican Bay phone tree, gossiper, and weed enthusiast. Honest to God, she was old when I was still in school in this town. The woman never seemed to age past sixty. She put extra shit in the weed brownies.
The only thing different about Pearl then and now was the fact Maine legalized marijuana, so the older woman didn’t have to worry she’d end up in jail.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, shaking my head, and trying my hardest not to shred the napkin I now had on my lap.
Pearl clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “You better tell them now or else they’ll show up at your place later with cookies, and then you won’t be able to escape.”
“Hey!” Katy said dramatically, whipping her hand in the air at Pearl. “That was your idea.”
Vonnie who maintained her imposing stance during the back and forth gave a quick nod. “But she’s right, so you better spill.”
She’d tied her apron loosely and the top strands of fabric hung low, creating a weird crease.
I tried everything possible—from biting my tongue to thinking of pink elephants and even writing out a quick grocery list in my head. Nothing worked and my cheeks turned a slight shade of pink the longer I pretended they were crazy. I knew they’d find the pink color obvious under the bright fluorescent lights.
“Maybe.”
Katy tipped her head to Vonnie. “That means yes.”
Vonnie rolled her eyes. “Obviously.”
“How was it?” Pearl asked, leaning forward in her chair to hear me better.
My blush increased. “It was good.”
“Only good?” Vonnie asked, and then she leaned closer as well. Her stance matched Pearl. I almost asked if they were related until Katy replicated their pose.
By that point, my cheeks flamed bright pink and there was no point in hiding any longer. “Okay, fine. It was amazing.”
Better than when we were kids. Riley had extra confidence and a little swagger. It translated to basically the best experience of my life. I left those extra parts out.
He wasn’t the only one that had a few more tricks. Both of us had more confidence in bed, but Riley was as generous as he’d always been. My heart tingled again, remembering the rough yet sweet way we’d been together.
I only had one problem with the events of last night. Because I’d been so wrapped up in Riley, I forgot to tell him I didn’t get the box delivered. I’d have to drive all the way back up north again—preferably in the daylight—and make the delivery for Mandy.
