Page 48 of Steamy Ever After

His brow quirks. "I have. I guess I just don't focus on the failures. I have this need inside to reach higher and do better."

"Well, she ain't it." The statement falls like a brick.

Mom comes up onto the porch and Declan jumps up to grab her bags. "Did you have a good time?"

"It was ... interesting."

He follows her into the house just as Lacey returns. I look up at her. "What about you? Did you have a good time?"

"She was the epitome of a diva."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Lacey sits beside me, occupying the seat Declan vacated.

"Not much bothers me, Carter. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. Her manicured nails and designer bag didn't bother me one bit but, today ..."

She stops and I look over at her. Her expression causes me to frown, and I reach inside the little cooler beside me and fish out a beer. I place the wet bottle on the arm of the chair and twist the top off. Lacey takes a sip before continuing.

"She complained about the stores. The staff wasn't helpful enough. At the restaurant, the food wasn't up to her standards. Your mom and I wandered through the rest of the afternoon while Marisol grumbled about having to walk so much in her heels. That woman wore a pinched expression nearly all day."

"I can only guess who we are talking about," Declan interjects and takes a seat beside Lacey. "Give me one of those." He points at Lacey's bottle. I grab another from the cooler and pass it across Lacey, the icy water dripping onto her lap. She brushes it off.

"How you can like that woman is beyond me." She shifts her gaze forward. "Her ego ... Jesus. I've never met someone so full of herself."

"She's okay with me."

"Well, she wasn't okay today. She was rude to me. She was rude to your mother." She pauses for another sip, collecting her thoughts, and the three of us sit in silence for a moment. "Her clothes might be impeccable and her accessories on point, but that woman has a dark heart. You might want to keep your distance."

"I can't do that."

"Well, you should."

The tension between them is infectious and a defiant, irritable feeling seeps into my bones.

"Look, I don't know that side of Marisol. She doesn't act like that with me. We work together. Clients love the pair of us, and, because of that, I've made more money in the last couple of years than my mom made in, practically, all her life. I won't jeopardize that, but I also don’t want her talking like that to Mom. I’ll talk to her."

"She's a nightmare."

"I can see how she could make your day miserable, especially if she behaved the way you say."

I tense up. I don't like the idea of that woman ruining Lacey's—and my mother's—day. My teeth clench and my jaw tightens. "I don’t want her around the rest of the week."

"Neither do I," Lacey agrees. "I don't like the way she acted today and, sorry, Dec, but I just can’t see her walking up the boardwalk with us in those heels—or eating caramel popcorn or getting ice cream—any of the things that Carter tells me are his favorite things about vacation. I mean seriously ..." She turns to Declan. "Can you just imagine her reaction if a seagull shit on her? The woman would have a coronary."

I watch my brother, ready to pounce if he so much as raises his voice. Declan stares at me, then smiles.

"To tell you the truth, the visual of that just popped into my head."

My anger instantly abates as an image of the same scenario enters my thoughts as well. I savor the moment and my stiffened spine relaxes back into the chair. "I think I'd pay to see that."

CHAPTER 12

Lacey

Carter’s hand is strong and warm holding mine as we stroll along the shoreline. The sand beneath my feet is like a soft, shifting carpet, each step leaving an imprint that is quickly erased by the incoming tide. The soothing rhythm of the ocean waves accompany us as we reach a more secluded spot on the beach. As we do, Carter’s demeanor shifts.

"Is something bothering you?" I ask.

"No." He quickly responds, but his tone betrays him.

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