Page 61 of The House on Blueberry Lane

“And I will.”

Velvet looked at her watch. “Your bridal shower will begin in a half hour.”

Sierra lifted a brow. “Bridal shower?”

“Yes. It’s being hosted in another part of the house. And while we’re having your shower, the men will help Kaegan set up for all the delicious food we will eat afterward.”

Sierra rubbed her hands together. “Good. Kaegan’s a great cook.” Then she leaned in to ask, “How are things with you and your neighbor?”

Velvet knew why she was asking, given the last conversation they’d had. “I haven’t talked to Jaye in over a week.” As far as she was concerned, sending him that text yesterday didn’t count.

Sierra raised a brow. “I thought the two of you were jogging together every morning.”

She shrugged. “I felt the need to put space between us for a while.” And knowing this was Sierra she was talking to, she added, “Whenever we’re in close proximity, I can’t think. All I want to do is seduce him. So, I’m giving myself a mental break since there’s only so much torment my body can take.”

A smile touched Sierra’s lips. “Umm... I wonder how that’s going to work out for you when the cause of your torment just walked in the door with Saint.”

“What!”

Velvet turned and her gaze collided with Jaye’s. She hadn’t expected to see him and desire suddenly rushed through her.

“Hmm...this is the first time I’ve been in the presence of the two of you since that town hall meeting and I can feel the heat you’re both generating, Velvet.”

Velvet broke eye contact with Jaye before others began feeling that same heat. “Why didn’t you tell me he was coming?”

Sierra laughed. “Since I didn’t know about this party, I wasn’t privy to the guest list.”

That was true, and neither Bryce nor Vashti would have had a reason to tell her, since they didn’t know of her and Jaye’s past relationship...or present one for that matter.

“Umm, now that’s interesting.”

Velvet tried to calm her racing heart after sneaking a peek at Jaye. “What is?”

“Zara just stepped in off the patio and seems to be having the same reaction seeing Saint as you had seeing Jaye. I didn’t know they knew each other that well,” Sierra said.

“Didn’t they grow up here in the cove?”

“Yes, but Saint was in the class that graduated the year before Vaughn. That was five years before Zara and I did.”

Velvet couldn’t help Sierra in figuring anything out about Zara and Saint. All she could think about was how good Jaye looked in his jeans and button-up shirt. She didn’t have to glance around the room to know other women were probably noticing as well.

Trying to get her heart rate under control, she asked, “Are Brody Dorsett and Freda McEnroe a couple now? I noticed earlier they arrived together, and they were together during the water taxis open house.”

She understood that both Brody and Freda had grown up in the cove but moved away after college. Brody had returned a few years ago to take over the job of fire marshal when Brody’s father, who’d been Catalina Cove’s longtime fire marshal, retired early due to an illness. Brody’s father had subsequently passed away.

Like several others, Freda had returned to the cove last year. She’d opened a bakeshop, taking advantage of Reid’s Lacroix low-interest loan program. Velvet thought she was a very attractive woman and Brody was a handsome man. Personally, she thought they looked good together.

“No, they’re just good friends who enjoy each other’s company. Both are recovering from broken hearts,” Sierra said.

“I definitely know how that is.”

Bryce let out a loud whistle to get everyone’s attention. “The men are to follow Kaegan to the party house and, ladies, please follow me.” She grinned and added, “The fun is about to begin.”

“I GATHER YOU didn’t get the memo, Jaye.”

Jaye took a sip of his beer and looked at Sawyer. They had been talking about how the bank could support Catalina Cove’s Police Department’s athletic league when the women appeared, arriving from the bridal shower to join the men in what Kaegan called the party house.

“What memo?” He was trying to keep up with Sawyer’s conversation while keeping his eyes on Velvet.

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