He shrugged. “I’m good.” Something about the way he said it made her want to probe, but really, she hardly knew him, and she certainly didn’t have Mikayla’s lack of filter for these sorts of situations. “I’d better get back.” He rose to his feet and stood for a long moment looking down at her, his expression shuttered. “Seeya.”
“Seeya.”
Then he was gone, striding off down the beach without looking back.
CHAPTER 3
Juniper
“You should fuck him.”
“Mikayla!”
“What? You should. He definitely wants to bang you. Plus, he’s hot. Way hotter than I remember him being, actually.”
He was definitely hot and there was definitely something about him that pulled at Juniper. But there was also something that repelled her; that smooth operator vibe that she just didn’t go for. She had been there, done that, and had no intention of going back for more. Juniper walked around the large workbench, placing plain ceramic bowls at each stool. “Tie your hair back if you want to join the class,” was all she said by way of reply.
“Okay, Mum.” With a cheeky grin, her soft brown eyes twinkling, Mikayla pulled a tie out of her pocket and piled her long, auburn hair into a messy top knot. “Better?”
“You’ll do. Can you throw together the snack plate?” She went to the fridge and grabbed a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and some wine glasses from the shelf next to the fridge.
“Sure. Don’t think you can distract me though.”
Juniper sighed, but was saved by the buzzer at the front door to the shop. “Grab that, will you?” she said, taking over the assembly of the food platter.
“Sure.”
Placing the wine and snacks in the middle of the workbench, Juniper moved to the back door, calling out to Billy. “Baby, I’m gonna start the class now if you want to come in.” He immediately jumped off the swing and ran towards her. Her heart swelled, as it always did in these little moments. She swept him up as he reached her. “What are you going to paint today?” She asked, moving inside and settling him at a stool.
“A turtle. It can play with Mr. Frog.”
“Great idea. Here you go.” She went to the shelf that lined the back wall of her small workroom and grabbed a pottery turtle she’d premade and placed it on the workbench in front of him. With the speed only a mother of toddlers possesses, she whipped his smock off the hook near the bench and jammed it over his head before he had a chance to reach for the paints. She glanced up as Mikayla came back through the beaded curtain that covered the archway, smiling at the woman who followed her. “Hi. You must be Leah.”
She was short, no more than five foot three, slim with brunette hair tied back in a low ponytail and soft grey/green eyes. She smiled uncertainly. “Yes. You must be Juniper.”
“That’s me. Thanks for coming. Have a seat.” She smiled encouragingly.
“You can sit with me,” Billy piped up.
Leah smiled. “Sure, that’d be great.”
Juniper handed her an apron, “Pop this on, you don’t want to get paint on your lovely dress. We’re using acrylics, which are very hard to get out of clothes.” Juniper waited for Leah to sit down on the stool next to Billy, before continuing. “Okay, it’s only you two today, so we’ll get started. Just to clarify, we’re painting pottery today, not making it. Have you done this before, Leah?”
“A little, but I’ll probably be really bad at it.”
“Don’t stress. You couldn’t be worse than Mikayla.”
Mikayla grinned at the jibe as she removed the lids from her paint pots. “She’s not wrong. No matter how much I practice, it’s like I’ve got two thumbs when it comes to art.”
“Um, most people have two thumbs?”
Juniper had to laugh at the uncertainty in Leah’s voice as Mikayla cracked up laughing. “I meant all thumbs! Although hang on, would that work in my favor?”
Leah laughed. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“I’ve got two thumbs!” Billy piped up, showing them both to Leah.
“Hey, me too,” she replied, giving him the two thumbs up sign back, much to his delight.
