Sunset on Moonlight Beach - Sheila Roberts Page 0,43
pugnacious angle.
“No, that is the point. I offered you a fair price and you were happy to take it. I’ve also gotten a good price on your house for you.”
Susan suddenly wasn’t looking him in the eye. “I probably could have gotten more.”
“Then you shouldn’t have accepted the offer,” he said reasonably. “Although I can tell you now you wouldn’t have gotten more.”
Susan’s lower lip began to wobble. “You’re all against me.”
Susan Frank never cried, and Jenna found the sight of an approaching tear storm unnerving. “Susan, you know that’s not true,” she said.
Actually, maybe it was. Susan, with her negative attitude and general crankiness, didn’t exactly inspire warm thoughts, let alone loyalty.
Brody put an arm around her. “Susan, you can’t look back. You know that. You’ve got a new life ahead of you and a good nest egg to begin it with. Who cares what happens in Moonlight Harbor now, right? It’s in your rearview mirror.”
Susan bit her lip and sniffed. “It’s not right, that’s all.”
“It’s going to be okay. Beach Babes, the business you started, will keep going, and that’s the important thing.”
“Well,” she said, considering his words. Reluctantly.
“It’s all good,” he said, walking her toward the door. “Your house should close in another three weeks, and you’ll be walking away with a nice profit. This Memorial Day you’ll be in Oregon with your daughter, having fun shopping instead of working. Time with your family, no stress. Be glad you’re out of the rat race.”
Susan nodded. Sniffed again. “I am tired of working so hard.”
“Well, there you go,” he said easily.
“But you shouldn’t let that woman run your shop. She’ll ruin you.”
“I’ll take my chances,” he said.
“Then you’ll deserve it,” she said, reverting to the Susan they all knew and didn’t love. Then, without another word, she left.
“No good deed goes unpunished,” Jenna teased.
“Or unrewarded,” he said, holding up the tin of cookies and making her smile. “How about you? Are you going to reward me?” he asked, moving close and doing that silly thing with his eyebrows.
“Virtue is its own reward,” she said.
He frowned. “If you ask me, virtue is overrated.”
He was ready to prove it later. They went out to dinner, then wound up at his beach house, sharing a bottle of wine, with Brody doing most of the sharing and Jenna doing most of the drinking.
He opened another bottle and refreshed their glasses. Gewürztraminer, her favorite.
Jenna took a sip and sighed happily. It was a gorgeous night, the sky a dark canvas for the stars...which were starting to spin a little.
“I love it here,” she said, lying back against the lounge chair they were sharing on his back deck. “With you,” she added, smiling at him.
“I’m glad you moved down,” he murmured, taking her glass from her.
Wine, a beautiful night at the beach, and Brody—what a powerful combination. Of course, she had to let him kiss her. And kiss her. And kiss her.
“You’re steaming me up like a pot of clams,” she said.
“Mmm,” he said back, and took a little nibble of her neck. “You taste better than clams.” He undid a button on her blouse and slipped it down her shoulder, ran his lips along her collar bone. Ooooh.
Another minute or two of this and she’d be in hot water. Except hot water was a good thing. Hot baths, hot springs, hot times. She giggled.
He stopped his nibbling and frowned. “What?”
“I’m buzzed. Did you get me drunk so you could seduce me?”
“You think I’d have to get you drunk to do that? You think so little of my seduction skills?”
“I think your seduction skills are amaaazing.”
He pulled away and studied her. “Oh, boy. You are drunk. What was I thinking?”
“Even my nose is buzzing.”
He slipped her blouse back up her shoulder.
“What?” she protested.
“I don’t know where my brain was, giving you so much wine.”
“It was on my boobs,” she said, and snickered.
He got up and held out a hand. “Come on, Cinderella. The ball’s over and it’s time to take you home.”
“What if I don’t want to go home?”
“We’ll finish this later, when you’re sober.”
“Well, I like that,” she grumbled. She took his hand and let him pull her up. Whoa. “Who moved the deck? Are we having an earthquake?”
“No, no earthquake. You’re fine.”
“I know,” she said, and giggled again. “Not as fine as Celeste. She’s the pretty one.”
“You’re damn hot yourself, and you know it,” he said, walking her back into the house. “Come on, where’s your purse? Let’s go.”