The Bookstore on the Beach - Brenda Novak Page 0,110
And by the time he got to her place, she was so starved for his touch they came together immediately. It was crazy. She’d never had such great sex in her life. On Tuesday she’d driven all the way to Richmond just to buy lingerie. When was the last time she’d even thought of doing something like that?
“I have to go back to Tampa in a month,” she said as if that meant they couldn’t get too serious.
“Why do you have to go back?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t move Taylor and Caden at this age. Starting at a brand-new high school would be hell for them. You know how it is. Kids already have their cliques well formed by then.”
Her perfectly threaded eyebrows lifted. “Maybe he’ll follow you to Tampa.”
“He can’t leave his folks. Not while his mother’s sick. So...we’re keeping it casual.” It was almost hard to say that with a straight face, because this was the most intense relationship she’d ever had.
“You should tell the town gossips that,” she barked with a laugh.
“What do you mean?”
“You know how nail salons are. The talk that goes on. You and Quinn? That’s all I’ve been hearing about lately.”
“Because of the fundraiser? That was all it took?”
“The fundraiser, the fireworks show—and Bev Vizii.”
Autumn rolled her eyes. “What’s she saying now?”
“That you’re a fool to get involved with a known cheater.”
“She drives me crazy.”
“She doesn’t want to see Quinn happy—not when her daughter’s sitting in prison.”
Autumn lifted her water glass. “Well, as far as I’m concerned, he’s been through enough. You should see the scars on his back.”
“I heard she attacked him while he was sleeping. Does he ever talk about that?”
“Not much. I can’t imagine it’s something he enjoys remembering.”
She stirred some sugar into her iced tea. “Does she ever write him?”
“They’re divorced. Why would she?”
Melissa shrugged. “I’d be surprised if she doesn’t. She was so fiercely possessive. My mother once told me she witnessed a huge argument between them at the beach, where Sarah went off because Quinn wanted to swing by and see his mother.”
“How selfish can you be?” Autumn asked, shaking her head.
“I get the impression she destroyed what he felt for her, drove him away.”
Autumn got the same impression, but she was careful about what she said, not wanting to add to the gossip about Quinn. “What’s going on with you?” she asked, changing the subject.
Melissa told her about an online love interest, how her ex wanted to reconcile but she wasn’t willing to move back to Maryland and all about what she was doing to grow her business, but when they finished eating, she circled back around to Quinn.
“Is Quinn any good in bed?” she asked, a wicked sparkle in her eye.
“I haven’t slept with him yet,” Autumn said.
“Sure you haven’t,” Melissa said, rolling her eyes.
The waitress brought their check. Autumn offered to pay for it, and Melissa let her but insisted on covering the tip. As she dug her wallet out of her purse, a business card fell onto the table—one that Autumn was surprised she recognized.
“You talked to this guy, too?”
Melissa found the five-dollar bill she’d been looking for and put it on the table. “What guy?”
“The private investigator—Drake D. Owens. This is his card.”
“Oh, yeah. He came into the salon looking for someone named—” she took it and checked the back, where she’d written the name “—Bailey North. I said I’d ask around and get back to him. Apparently, she’ll get some sort of inheritance if he can find her. But after I stuck his card in my purse, I forgot about it.”
Autumn ran her thumb over the raised lettering. “Bailey North. Who do you think she is?”
“No clue.”
“Whoever hired him must really want to find her. He spread his business cards all over town. What makes him think she might be here?”
“Didn’t say.”
Autumn remembered that her mother was going to ask Laurie about Bailey North but then she never heard any more about it. “Do you think he’s still around? Or that he’ll come back?”
“Who knows? I haven’t seen him since he gave me his card.”
“I wonder if anyone has gotten back to him...”
Melissa shrugged. “This might sound bad, but what does it matter to us?”
“I understand what it’s like to search for someone you can’t find. It’s frustrating and exhausting and...” She let her words fall away as she held up his card. “Mind if I keep this?”
“Not if you’ll tell me the truth,” she said, her voice playful.