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The red and white shimmered as my eyes burned. I slammed my car into drive and hit the winding road with a scatter of dirt and gravel in my wake. The lake never felt so big as it did tonight. In my head I knew it was a mere seven minutes into town. Thirteen years of traveling these roads had left an imprint. I could probably drive them blindfolded.
Good thing since my eyes kept filling and glancing up to the sparkles and hearts dotting the sky.
“I’m coming.” I didn’t realize I’d said it aloud until my voice wavered. Sureness filled my chest and my heart pounded in my head, echoing in every nerve of my body.
I finally turned onto main street and slammed the heel of my hand on the steering wheel at the line of cars. Some were leaving the park, but others were simply sitting there in awe of the light show. The lake held fireworks for the Fourth and sometimes Labor Day, but it was pretty rare. They were expensive and the restrictions were a headache.
I only knew it because I’d stupidly signed up to help with one of the celebrations. Sage was a joiner and a pleaser. Watching her flounder during the Fourth of July preparations a few years ago had prompted me to help. Never again. Small towns were full of way too many helpful hands that never ended up doing anything but complain.
No thanks.
I’d rather volunteer to babysit a dozen three-year-olds.
And right about now, I’d empty my bank account to get rid of every car on the road. I looked around for a place to park, but of course that wasn’t going to happen either. My fingers ached from squeezing my steering wheel in frustration.
I rolled down my window and looked for a break in the line of cars to get to a side street at least. I slapped the side of my old car when the hearts started slowing in the sky. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t paying attention. I scanned the people on the sidewalks. I was about ready to scream for help from sixteen year old Madison Kohl when a familiar laugh floated my way.
Sage.
I twisted and turned looking for her familiar flyaway blond hair and my mouth dropped at the bouncing curls that swung down a woman’s back. A woman with more curves than I’d ever seen in Crescent Cove.
Sage was talking to the new teacher, Mike London. And had she just tossed her hair over her shoulder?
“Sage?”
She twirled at my call then slapped her bare thighs.
Sweet hello, was she wearing Daisy Dukes?
“Finally! Where the hell have you been?” She turned back to Mike. “Um, sorry. I didn’t mean to curse, Mr. London.”
“Mike.”
“Right, Mike.” Sage’s voice was unusually breathy. Her sunny smile lit up her face and Mike’s eyes glazed over.
Of course half of that was probably the miniscule strappy tanktop Sage was wearing that showed off just how generous God had been when stacking her deck. Jeeze.
“Can you come over here?”
Sage glanced up and down the street before she carefully picked her way over the cobblestones of the sidewalk to the asphalt in her espadrilles with the navy ribbons climbing up her ankle to calf. “Are you cock-blocking me?”
“I’d have to have a cock, Sage.”
“Oh, right.” She huffed out a breath. “You know what I mean.”
I slammed my car into park. I knew I was going to regret asking, but I just had to to know. “What the heck are you wearing?”
“Oh.” She frowned. “Don’t you like it?”
“You look hot as hell, girlfriend.”
She smiled. “Well, thank you. Just something I found in my closet.”
“You did not find that in your closet.”
Sage gave a lengthy sigh. “All right, it was a store in Laurel. This isn’t exactly the kind of thing you can buy in Kinleigh’s”
That was for sure. But if Kinleigh got a look at the outfit, she might make some changes to her little shop. “Can you drive for me?”
