“Fine. But if I’m going to be up this early, I need a cinnamon bun.”
“I made scones.”
“Cinnamon bun.”
Mila huffs out a dramatic sigh. “Fine. God, you’re so demanding. Go and get your damn cinnamon bun from the kitchen, Serena, and while you’re up, pour a cup of coffee. Herbal tea is clearly not enough for your grumpy mood right now.” Mila says, fixing Serena with a pointed look.
Serena stands up, her hands going to her hips. “I don’t drink caffeine. It’s poison.” She turns and stalks toward the kitchen, as Mila gets in one last shot.
“Sugar is worse than caffeine!”
Serena turns and sticks her tongue out at Mila, and I suppress a giggle. I can tell already that these women are good friends. Being welcomed by them feels so good and having more friends in town than just Ethan and Mila is going to make living here while I figure out what to do with the resort a lot more fun.
At the thought of Ethan, my cheeks grow warm. I wouldn’t mind him being more than just a friend. But that’s one train of thought that I need to shut down, quickly. Especially in front of Mila. With so many years separating us, I don’t exactly know how she’ll respond to the news that I’m attracted to her brother.
“If you want to come to the store after this, I’ll get you a copy of the book and the discussion questions,” Paige says.
“Huh? What?” I say, my brain taking a moment to switch from my pesky attraction to Ethan to books.
“Book club?” She raises her eyebrows.
“Oh, right. Book club. Thanks.” Paige nods, satisfied with my rushed response, I guess.
“So, when are you going to reopen Oceanside?” Serena asks when she’s back with her cinnamon bun.
Her question is direct and leaves me stumped as to how to answer. Because the truth is, I don’t even know if Iwillreopen Oceanside.
“Oh my God, Serena, give her a break, she just got into town yesterday.” Mila smacks Serena lightly on the arm.
“Oww, I didn’t mean anything bad, I’m just curious. Last time I drove down there to take a look, the place was a dump. I can’t imagine how much cash it’ll take to fix it up.” Serena rubs her arm, glowering at Mila before turning to me with an apologetic expression on her face. “Sorry, Summer. No offense intended, I’m sure you’ve got everything figured out.”
“Actually, I don’t have a fucking clue what to do,” I blurt out, hating the frantic tone of my voice. Mila stands up and comes to sit on the arm of my chair, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and resting her head on mine.
“How can we help?”
“Got any big piles of money lying around? Or a job? Or a place to live?” I hate how my voice cracks when I ask. I laugh, but it comes out sounding hollow, and apparent that my attempt to make it seem like I’m joking didn’t work.
“Actually,” Mila says, lifting her head off of mine and grinning at me, “I do have an apartment you can use.”
My jaw drops. “Really?”
“Yeah, it’s right above the bakery. Ethan and I own this whole building, and that apartment has been vacant for a month. It’s just a small studio, but it’s yours if you want it,” Mila says with a smile. “And rent is cheap. First month is free while you get yourself figured out. I’m just happy to hear you say you’re staying.”
I’m overcome with gratitude, both for the offer of an apartment, and for the easy way Mila has opened her heart to me again.
“Thank you,” I manage to get out.
Mila waves her hand as if her saving me a month of motel rates and not charging me rent is no big deal. But it is, it’s a huge deal. This is the first time in my adult life that I have someone around who supports me; someone who wants to help me.
“Don’t worry about it, that’s what friends are for,” she says breezily. “Besides, it was Ethan’s idea to let you have it.”
I have to work quickly to school my reaction to that. Not that I’m surprised Ethan was looking out for me, it’s what he used to do when we were kids as well. Always making sure we were safe and happy. But his thoughtfulness causes a different reaction in me now.
“What did you do for work before you came here?” The polite question comes from Paige.
“I was a yoga instructor,” I answer, taking a sip of my coffee. “I don’t suppose there’s a studio in town that might need a new teacher?”
Mila frowns. “Darn, no, the nearest studio is in Westport.” Her face brightens. “Ooh, you could open one!”
