Page 48 of Tempt Me

“Yeah. Charlotte already told me about it,” I say. She didn’t mention Caden, so she probably didn’t know he was coming. I have a fleeting image of Caden in only a pair of swimming trunks and my stomach gives an uncomfortable lurch. “I’ll have to ask Luke—I know he’s really busy this summer.”

Caden picks up the rocking chair and hauls it over to the far side of the garage, his expression suddenly stony.

“I’ll be back in a couple hours to pick you up,” I tell Grace. I drive Dad’s truck back to the Thorn and then decide to walk home.

It would be nice if Luke could come to the beach. He never really hangs out much with my friends—he’s met up with me and Charlotte for drinks, and he’s had dinner with my family a couple of times but that’s it. It might be weird for a minute, having Luke and Caden in the same place, but things are over between me and Caden, and have been for a long time. I’m not going to let that stop me.

I take out my phone and call Luke.

“Hey, babe, what up?” he says. I can hear the clink of glassware and the murmur of voices in the background.

“Sorry, am I interrupting?”

“Never,” he says, and I smile. “I’m just out at happy hour with some of the junior associates.”

“Are you free this weekend?” I ask. “Some of my friends are going to the beach and we’re invited.”

“A beach trip, huh? That sounds great, babe, but I can’t. I’ve got Chad’s bachelor party, remember?”

Right. They’re going to Chad’s family’s private island, a concept I still can’t quite wrap my head around. Luke told me it would just be the boys—no strippers or anything. He said there’s going to be a lot of poker and snorkeling.

“Oh right, I forgot,” I say. “No problem.”

Luke lowers his voice. “I miss you, babe. Want to come into the city and spend the night at my place?”

“That sounds great!” I say. “I think I can catch the six thirty train.”

“Can’t wait. Love you.”

“Love you too,” I say, and the line goes dead.

By the end of the week, I’m ready for a beach day.

The Thorn is booked up which keeps me busy in the mornings and then I drop Grace at camp or at Reggie’s—Caden and I have ended up texting quite a bit about the booth. I’m remembering how easy conversation was between us, how much we used to make each other laugh. Once, he sent me a photo from Vintage Closet with various lampshades on his head to model for me—he’d forgotten to bring the actual lamp with him.

You’re giving great Lumiere vibes,I’d told him.

Excuse me, but Lumiere was a candlestick. We aren’t putting a fire hazard in your booth.

Good call. Could I have a Cogsworth? Or at least a Mrs. Potts.

Okay, if I see any overbearing clocks or singing teapots here, I’ll grab one.

He did actually come back from that trip with a teapot. And it did look a lot like Mrs. Potts.

I have appointments with Lucille, one with a florist and the other to try the various hors d’oeuvres that will be served at the reception. I wish Luke would come to these meetings, but his new responsibilities at work take up a lot of his time and he assures me that he’s happy with whatever I want. Though it feels like we end up choosing whatever Lucille wants.

I’ve also started working on the items for Magnolia Day. The banh pia were a bust—I’d need more time to practice them—so I decide to go with some classics and old favorites. Now that I’ve got a teapot added to the booth’s décor, I decide to do a teatime theme.

By Friday, I’m feeling ready for a break and a day at the beach sounds perfect.

I wake up with a bit of a headache, so I pop a couple of Advil before driving to the Thorn to make ginger and cranberry scones then head back to my apartment to change. Charlotte is picking me up, along with Joni. I look through my swimsuits and choose a cherry red bikini with tiny white polka dots. I throw on a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a gauzy top just as Charlotte taps her horn from outside. Joni is leaving the shop in the care of one of her summer employees and she’s already in the car. She waves at me, her blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail, the freckles on her cheeks dancing.

“Beach day!” she says gleefully as I get in the backseat. Charlotte’s radio is tuned to a nineties station, blaring The Gin Blossoms.

“I’ve got towels, chairs, and beers,” she declares. “Noah and Cody are bringing snacks. Mike and Emily Cochran have an umbrella and a cornhole setup.”

“I heard Caden Everton is coming too,” Joni says.

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