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“Hey, let’s get out of here for a little while. It’s my last day off. We could go to the beach. Hang out?”
I nodded. “Let me get a hold of Lana and tell her we’re closed again today.”
After a couple of quick calls, Gemma and I took my Jeep down the bluff and into town, ignoring the reporters who chased after us in an effort to get an exclusive.
“I can’t believe you haven’t been here yet,” I said to Gemma, holding the door to Carly’s open. “This is literally the best place in town.”
“I’m ready. I have a big appetite this morning,” she teased, smiling up at me as she passed by, walking into the small shop. “Oh, wow. It smells like Heaven.”
We joined the small line of customers and waited our turn. When we got to the counter, Carly was beaming from ear to ear. Her eyes alight with mischief as she flicked them from me to Gemma, and back again.
She looked like the Cheshire Cat.
“Morning gorgeous,” I drawled, instantly flicking a look at Gemma to see if my inadvertently flirtatious nickname had thrown her off. She was smiling serenely. “This is Gemma Henderson. She’s a kick-ass doctor up at the hospital.”
“Nurse,” Gemma corrected. “Nice to meet you.”
“This is Carly. She owns this shop and is the genius mastermind behind all those amazing looking treats over there,” I said, jerking my chin toward the pastry case.
“Nice to meet you too.” Carly looked back at me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Gemma wandered a little farther down the case and Carly leaned in. “Oh my God, Player! I’ve never seen you with a woman in the light of day,” she hissed excitedly.
I sighed. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll take my usual,” I said, ignoring her prying eyes.
“Coming right up…but you’re going to have to stop by and fill me in later.” She bounced off to the espresso machine before I could object and I rolled my eyes.
“What looks good?” I asked, turning my attention back to Gemma.
“Everything,” she said, giggling.
“Hey Carly, can we get one of everything?”
Gemma punched me in the shoulder. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Carly turned and nodded. “Sure. Just give me a few to box it all up. Anything to drink, Gemma? I can make just about anything, so if it’s not on the menu, just let me know what sounds good. Only the best for Aaron's…friend.” She winked at me and turned back to her work before I could shoot a dagger at her.
I was starting to miss Holly’s nagging.
Fifteen minutes later, Carly handed Gemma and me two large bakery boxes, filled with one of each of the pastries in the case. “All right you two, be good, and come back soon,” she said, waving us out the door.
“She’s nice,” Gemma said as we walked outside and took a spot at one of the tables.
“Very. A little nosy though…”
Gemma laughed lightly and took a sip from the drink she’d ordered. “It’s a small town. Kinda goes with the territory from what I’ve heard.”
“That’s true. A bit different than Chicago. Do you miss the craziness?”
Gemma shook her head. “Not really. I mean, it’s a beautiful city, but let’s face it, nothing can really compete with this,” she gestured out at the ocean as the waves rolled in, lapping at the light sand.
“View’s pretty good from here too,” I said, staring deliberately at her.
God, when had I turned into such a sap?
I was going to have to nip that in the bud.
We picked through the boxes, eating and eating, until we’d made an impressive dent in the contents and leaned back, bordering on slipping into a sugar coma. “I can’t believe you really ordered one of everything,” Gemma said, shaking her head.
I laughed and shrugged. “Hey, it’s what you wanted. I’m all about giving the lady what she wants…I think I proved that last night,” I added, dropping my voice low.
She smirked at me. “You’re impossible.”
I smiled at her, my mind still racing through the memories from the night before. I’d knelt before the bed, her thighs parted wide, and buried my face between them. I could still remember the first taste.
Perfection.
“So, what’s the plan now?” Gemma asked, dragging me out of my musings.
I stiffened in my chair. I knew—and hated—the answer. “I gotta figure out what the fuck to do about O’Keefe.”
“Right…” Gemma frowned. “Any ideas?”
“I haven’t had a lot of time to think about it since last night. I was a little distracted.”
“Focus, Rosen,” she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She drank from her insulated cup and gave me a playful roll of her eyes.
“I don’t see that I have much of a choice. I guess I could go to a lawyer, get their advice. With confidentiality laws, I could tell them everything and see what they would say.”
