Sandcastle Beach (Matchmaker Bay #3) - Jenny Holiday Page 0,20

flame out, I might as well have my last show be one I like.” She performed a fake laugh.

“There’s got to be something we can do,” Nora said.

“I’m starting to think I should just call it,” Maya said. “A Rose by Any Other Name is mine for the taking. My brother doesn’t want it.”

“No, no,” Eve said quickly.

“I mean, I’m lucky. I’ve had this built-in safety net this whole time. All I have to do is…fall.”

“Okay, no,” said Nora. “That is not happening. We’re not letting that happen.”

Maya started crying again, this time because she was so relieved to have told her friends. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t done it earlier. She didn’t think it would change anything, not elementally, but it felt good to have the burden not be hers alone anymore.

“Give us a day or two to put our thinking caps on,” Eve said, “then we’ll get together and make a plan.”

“Okay,” Maya said weakly. They weren’t going to be able to think of anything she hadn’t already, but it wasn’t like she needed to decide anything right now. “But you guys won’t tell anyone, will you? Not even Sawyer and Jake?”

“Cross my heart,” Eve said.

“Same,” said Nora. “And I think right now, we should go get you some pizza.”

“Yes!” Nora was always Maya’s cover in her secret pizza operations.

“But I’m getting Hawaiian,” Nora added. “And you can only have half.”

Maya smiled through her tears. She loved the way her friends had taken in her news but weren’t treating her any differently than normal. “Deal.”

They went back to Lawson’s and Nora ordered “her” pizza. Carter had arrived since they’d left and was manning the bar, so possibly Maya could have ordered her own. She’d also been tempted, from time to time, to go around back and try to bribe Shane Calloway to sell her one directly from the oven. But she never felt like she could risk it.

As they waited, though, Maya wondered if she’d pushed the whole I-hate-your-pizza thing too far. If she didn’t have to eat it in secret, she could have it here. Finishing out the football season parked in front of the TV here had made her feel even more like Lawson’s Lager House was her living room away from home. But there was no changing course now.

“Does it really matter if Law finds out you’re eating his pizza?” Nora asked once they were back outside and had said goodbye to Eve.

“Are you kidding me? I didn’t testify at the town council against the zoning variance for that stupid oven to turn around and eat the pizza from it.” She dug in her pocket, extracted a ten-dollar bill, and extended it to Nora. She felt like she was doing a drug deal.

Nora ignored the money. “But you are eating it.”

“I made a PowerPoint that showed demonstrable damage to my business from all that smoke.” She dropped the cash in Nora’s purse.

“But you’re eating it,” Nora said again.

“Secretly. I am eating it secretly. I have my pride.” Maya looked around to make sure no one was watching, opened the box—her mouth watered at the smell of the pancetta—and ninja-ed the pizza in half.

“You want me to come up to your place to do the transfer?” Nora seemed like she was trying not to laugh.

“Nope.” Maya folded her half of the pizza over on itself. It was so hot she had to sort of bounce it around like a game of hot potato in order to avoid burning her hands. Nora seized the moment to fish the ten-dollar bill out of her purse and shove it in Maya’s jeans pocket. Maya, her hands full, couldn’t do anything about it. So she darted across the street, juggling her secret pizza.

“So glad to see you still have your pride!” Nora called after her.

“Oh, shut up.” But she made kissy-lips at Nora and watched her head down the street. She was on her way home to Paradise Cove, where her hunky silent husband would be waiting for her. Which was fine. It wasn’t like Maya was jealous or anything.

She sighed. Okay, so she was a teeny bit jealous. She didn’t want a husband and kids at this point, but being perpetually single was lonely sometimes.

But it was what it was. At least she had her pizza.

“This is a fantastic idea,” Sawyer said as Jake unlocked the door to the little house at the far end of Main Street.

“What is this place?” Law asked as Jake flipped on the