Page 26 of The Cottage on Pelican Bay

“For years I thought the same thing. I bet so did Vaughn, Kaegan, Sierra and Vashti. But we all came back, and you know why?”

“I know why Vaughn came back.”

“Let’s look at Vaughn, then, as well as the others. I think at some point they realized something they’d heard for years was true.”

“And what’s that?”

“When the going gets tough, there’s no place like home.” He leaned down and placed a kiss across her lips. “I’ll be leaving town later today for New York. I won’t be back until Saturday.”

“In time to attend Jaye and Velvet’s engagement party?” she asked.

“Yes, and I hope to see you there.”

“You will,” she said, sliding off the stool.

He stroked his knuckles across her cheek and said, “There’s something I’d like to do before I leave, though.”

“What?”

“Make love to you again.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Then do it, Saint.”

13

“Are you getting excited about your trip? Part two of your honeymoon?” Zara asked her sister-in-law. After dropping Teryn at school that morning, Sierra had called and suggested they have breakfast at the Witherspoon Café.

Sierra’s lips spread into a huge smile. “Yes, and I think Vaughn is even more so. I can’t wait.”

When they got married in March, Vaughn and Sierra had only taken a weeklong honeymoon to the Caribbean, which had coincided with spring break. That way Teryn got to spend a week with Sierra’s sister Dani and her family in Atlanta. They had made plans to have a second honeymoon—a continuation, so to speak—at the end of the school year and would leave right after Memorial Day. This one was for three weeks, and they would be traveling to the Maldives. Sierra’s parents would be taking Teryn and their grandkids on a month-long vacation.

“How’s the painting coming along, Zara?”

Zara arched a brow. “Painting?”

“Yes. When I dropped by the other day to bring you lunch, you were painting. And when Vaughn and I didn’t hear from you yesterday, other than your text canceling our lunch date, I figured you were still doing it.”

Zara tried to keep the blush off her face. She’d still been doing it alright. Doing it with Saint. When he’d taken her back to bed, they’d made love for hours until he had to leave to check on his parents before packing for his trip to New York.

After he’d left, she’d been too weak from lovemaking to do anything but remain in bed for a while. There was no way she could have joined Sierra for lunch. She’d finally gotten up around two, showered and gone to LaFitte’s Seafood House, a popular restaurant on the boardwalk. “I finished the painting yesterday.”

“That’s great! So, what did you paint?”

Zara bit into her muffin and decided to be truthful with Sierra. She adored her sister-in-law and thought she was the best thing to happen to her brother. Vaughn might have gained a beautiful wife, but Zara had gotten the sister she’d never had and always wanted. It was great that they were the same age and their birthdays were just months apart.

“The other day when I had breakfast here, I parked near the shipping district and decided to walk. I passed a vacant building between the Ellorans’ ice-cream shop and Jenkins’s Florist.”

Sierra smiled. “I know the building you’re talking about. It is huge and, like my place, it’s two-story. In fact, it has more square footage than the Green Fig. What does that building have to do with you painting?”

Leaning over the table Zara lowered her voice and said, “Well, I wanted to paint but wasn’t sure what. Then my mind led me to paint that storefront. I painted what I envisioned for that vacant building. My boutique. It had more of a French look than any of my others and it looked pretty.” She beamed. “Even Saint said so.”

“Saint? He saw it?”

Zara wanted to swear under her breath. She hadn’t meant to let any mention of Saint slip. But she would own up to it. “Yes, he saw it.”

“Hmm.” Sierra picked up her coffee cup and after taking a sip, she lifted a finely arched brow and said, “I hope you know that bit of information only has me thinking. And just like we told you the other day, our conclusions might be hotter and more erotic than the real thing.”

Zara grinned. “And like I told you and the others, there’s no way they could be hotter and more erotic than the real thing. Without giving any details, I thought I’d pretty much made myself clear as to what was going on between me and Saint.”

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