Page 58 of Sweet Escape at Bayside
“You gotdoughnuts?” Emery handed Gavin and Dean cups of coffee. “Why didn’t we get any doughnuts?”
“Nice, Serena,” Gavin said as he sat at the table. “I’m your business partner,andI always make sure you have ample sugar in the office. Where’s the reciprocation?”
Serena pulled out a chair and sat down with a container of yogurt. “She means the smushed doughnuts that we had to scrape off the sides of the box to eat. I told you about them.” She tore off the top of the yogurt, eyeing Violet and Andre. “How did they get so mangled from a simple ferry ride, anyway?”
Chloe stuffed a handful of cereal into her mouth, looking at Violet and Andre expectantly.
Daphne sat at the table with her apple and said, “Maybe they didn’t go on the ferry after all.”
“Sex on the ferry is more like it,” Serena said.
“I need coffee.” Violet headed for the coffeemaker.
Drake sat beside Serena and said, “Stop picking on Vi, babe. We got more than our fair share ofperpetual blissthat night, and from what I recall, you didn’t complain when I was licking that scraped chocolate off your—”
“Stop!” Daphne and Chloe yelled.
“Aw, I want to hear about their nasty little doughnut tryst,” Emery teased.
Serena pointed at Drake and said, “If you say one more word, you won’t be getting anybliss, perpetual or otherwise, for a very long time.”
Drake blinked innocently and said, “I was going to sayoff your fingers. Where wasyourmind going?”
“Is this where the party is?” Justin sauntered into the kitchen carrying a bag from Blue Willow Bakery. “I brought bagels and muffins.”
The girls rushed at him, all talking at once.
“Thank goodness! I’m starved!” Daphne said.
Emery squealed. “Yay!”
“This makes you even hotter.” Chloe snagged the bag from him.
Justin held his hands up, and Violet said, “Welcome to the madhouse.”
“Pass me a muffin!” Serena hollered.
“Don’t you feed these people?” Justin asked.
Dean grabbed Emery around the waist and said, “I fed my woman this morning.”
“That kind of food only makes me hungrier.” Emery gave him a bagel and a kiss.
Violet handed Justin a mug of coffee and said, “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t usually spend my morningssolo,” he said with a cocky grin.
“Take a seat, Casanova,” Violet teased. “If you’re lucky they’ll leave you a few crumbs.”
Justin laughed and sat at the table. Violet got coffee for herself and Andre, then sat on Andre’s lap as the gossip girls and their men devoured the food.
“Thanks for bringing breakfast,” Chloe said, shoving the bag across the table to Andre and Violet. “We should have a system. You know how churches have prayer chains, where one person calls the next? We need breakfasts alerts. Like”—she lowered her voice—“SOS. Bad night at the inn. Bring bagels.”
“That works!” Daphne said. “But that means someone has to check things out first.”
“Me!” Emery chimed in. “I’ll send a text to Des.Did you get it good, or are we scrounging this morning?”
“Okay, onthatinsane note…” Violet reached for a change in subject. “Did you get the party figured out?”
