Page 20 of A Line in the Sand
Her hair flew in a furious halo around her face, and her bottle-green eyes glittered like jewels from a sunken treasure chest.
Max’s mouth tugged into a reluctant grin. “Howdy, neighbor.”
***
“You’re kidding. He livesright next door?” Caroline stared open-mouthed at Molly as steamed milk overflowed from the mug she was holding beneath the frother on the fancy espresso machine at Turtle Books the following morning.
“Ouch.” Caroline jumped back and reached for a dish towel.
“Sorry.” Molly winced. “I should know better than to drop a bomb on you like that when you’re operating dangerous equipment.”
Caroline waved a hand. “It’s not that dangerous. And as soon as you get a little practice in, I won’t be the one manning this bad boy. You will.”
Right. Because Molly worked here now, thanks to a certain overly pragmatic scientist who’d caught her completely off guard last night on the beach. Not to mention Molly’s initial firing and the way her cutesy revenge plan had spiraled so quickly out of control.
If her personal life had been one of the island’s notoriously competitive fire department versus police department softball games, the score would be dreadful. Max Miller: 3, Molly Prince: 0.
Molly eyed the espresso machine. How complicated could it possibly be?
“Don’t look so freaked out. Think of it as a glorified Keurig,” Caroline said without quite meeting Molly’s gaze. Molly’s Keurig was a single-serve wonder with one giant gray button, so basic that a toddler could operate it. Somehow she doubted the comparison was in any way accurate. “Besides, coffee can wait. I want to hear more about your new neighbor.”
Ugh. Caroline suddenly had the same giddy smile on her face that the Charlie’s Angels always got whenever the subject of Molly’s nemesis came up.
“There’s nothing else to say, really. He’s moved into Henry’s old beach cottage.” Molly tied her new frilly Turtle Books apron around her waist. She missed her ropes of pearls and sequined fishtail far more than she wanted to admit.
Plus, Ursula looked decidedly naked without her lobster costume. Molly was just grateful that Caroline had agreed to let the puppy come to work with her—a decision that wasn’t altogether popular with Sebastian the bookshop cat. The spotted Bengal was currently sulking atop a bookshelf in the children’s section, just out of reach of Ursula’s dainty paws.
“You truly had no idea?” Caroline asked as she handed a freshly made latte to a tourist whose face bore a sunburn so pink that Molly could see the exact shape of the sunglasses he must have worn the day before.
Caroline noticed the sunburn and winced. “The gift shop next door has some cream for that burn. Best on the island.”
“Thanks.” The tourist smiled, white teeth glowing against his crimson face. He left the bookshop, latte in hand, and headed in the direction of the gift shop.
Molly turned toward Caroline. “I had no idea whatsoever. Nothing seemed different over there. Max is apparently also driving Henry’s Jeep now. In any case, it’s like he’s taking over his uncle’s entire life.”
Molly sighed. She didn’t want to talk about Max anymore, especially since Caroline’s level of indignation where he was concerned seemed to have taken a serious hit after she’d seen the man face-to-face at bingo night.
She tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. “You’re really going out of your way to help the sunburned tourists these days, huh?”
“It’s called customer service,” Caroline said. “And it’s your job too now.”
“Goody,” Molly said flatly.
She‘d interacted with tourists all the time at the aquarium, obviously. But that had been different. Most of the visitors were families with small children. Of course there’d been the occasional creeper who’d seemed a little over-interested in her clamshell bustier, but at least those types were easily identifiable. Unlike, say, beachgoers who disguised themselves as single and charming, when in fact they were two-timing jerks who had fiancées back home in the big city.
“You just have to be nice to the tourists, not date them.” Caroline gave Molly a playful swat with her dish towel.
Molly shot her a look.
“Oh, that’s right. You’re still determined to be the world’s first spinster mermaid. You know I love you, but I really think you should reassess. Max seems…”
“Evil?” Molly prompted.
“Hot,” Caroline said, eyebrows waggling. “Seriously, Molls. How did you fail to mention his sexy professor vibe?”
Molly rolled her eyes, even as her heart beat hard at the memory of Max’s perfect forearms, just visible beneath the rolled-up sleeves of his crisp blue oxford shirt. Who wore an actualdress shirtat the beach? “Please. You sound like the Charlie’s Angels.”
“Speak of the devil,” Caroline said. “Or should I say devils?”
