Summer Temptation (Hot in the Hamptons Book 2) (6 page)

“One
almost
night?”

Now for the humiliating truth, “We didn’t…” finish. “He stopped…” before we’d really gotten started. “He felt guilty…” I swallowed, “because he was in love with someone else.” I pushed some hair behind my ear. “And in an uncharacteristic demonstration of morning after stupidity, I didn’t seek out emergency birth control, because I didn’t think we’d done enough for me to need it.” But it turned out we had.

“I don’t know what to say. That sucks? I’m sorry he’s engaged to another woman? ”

“It’s not like I’d want him to marry me instead of her. I don’t. He doesn’t love me, and I don’t love him, and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of a child on my own.” I walked a little farther down. “It’s just that I can’t decide if I should tell him now or wait until after he’s married. I don’t want to be responsible for ruining the happiness he’s found with a really wonderful woman. I’ve met her. They’re perfect for each other.”

“You don’t think he should have a say in what happens?”

I snapped my head in his direction. “A say in what happens? As in whether I keep the baby or not?”

“Whoa.” Nick held up both hands. “All I’m saying is, if it were me, I’d want to know.”

“To what end? I believe in a woman’s right to choose, but abortion is not an option for me. That’s the only decision that needs to be made right now, and I’ve made it.”

“What do your friends have to say?”

I swallowed, reaching for another weed.

“So you haven’t told them because you don’t want to ruin their summer or Storme’s wedding preparations,” Nick said. “And you haven’t told the future father—”

“
Possible
future father,” I clarified.

Nick nodded in acknowledgement. “…because you don’t want to disrupt his life. What about you?”

“Me? I’m eating healthy, taking a daily multivitamin and avoiding alcohol. For now that’s all I need to do. Hopefully over the next few weeks my body will relax and I’ll find out I’m not pregnant.”

“And if you are?”

“If I am…then at least I had one amazing summer before the future I’d planned so carefully and worked so hard for completely falls apart.” Up until then, those words had just been floating around in my head. Hearing them sent tears to my eyes. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop them. Then, Lord help me, I sniffled.

Before I knew what was happening, strong arms turned me and wrapped around me and held me against a nice firm chest. “You’re smart and competent. You’ll find a way to make everything work out.”

I nodded. “That’s what I keep telling myself.” I pulled away, wiping my eyes. “I’m sorry about that. It just feels so good to finally talk to someone about it. Although,” I fidgeted with my flowers. “Sorry that someone turned out to be you.”

“I’m not.” He reached out and wiped a tear from my cheek. “I’ve gotta say. You are the sexiest possibly pregnant woman I’ve ever seen.”

I laughed. I especially liked that he could make me laugh right then.

“So…” He lifted my chin so I had to look at him. “About that dinner.”

I tried to turn my head, he wouldn’t let me. “Now you see why it’s probably not a great idea.”

“I don’t see that at all. If you’re okay with going out on a date with an occasionally grumpy, out of work cynic, then I’m perfectly okay with going out on a date with a kind and considerate, very nice to look at, possibly pregnant woman. I think it’ll be fun.”

Maybe, but, “I don’t know.”

“Look. I’m here. You’re here. I like you and you like me…at least, you said you did.”

“I do.”

“We’ve both got uncertain futures. So what? Let’s take some time to let loose and play, to have a ‘Summer of Fun.’ I think we’d be good together, Leigh. What do you say?”

I wanted to say yes. I really, really wanted to say yes.

So I did. “Yes.” Then I added, “But on one condition.” I looked him straight in the eyes. “No asking me…” Hmmm. I wasn’t used to discussing my period with men. “You know…”

His eyes lit with humor. “Deal.” He held out his hand. “As long as you don’t ask me how the job search is going.”

“Deal.” I shook his hand, looking forward to the next few weeks.

The next day I sat on a plump, pink chair in the viewing area of an upscale bridal boutique, a glass of champagne in my hand, while a saleswoman assisted Storme in the dressing room.

“What do you think about Storme marrying Phillip?” I asked Kelsey, who sat to my left. “Something feels off to me.” I set my glass down, knowing one sip and I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from drinking the rest. I shifted in my seat to face my friend. “Her face doesn’t light up when she talks about him.” I reached into my purse for a breath mint. “It’s almost like she’s resigned to marrying him but not excited about it. In my opinion, she spends more time talking about merging vineyards and wedding plans than she does talking about the groom.”

“I noticed that, too.”

“And she’s so young.”

“Maybe he’s an animal between the sheets,” Kelsey said.

We looked at each other and both broke out laughing. “Nah,” she said. “It’s got to be something else.”

Although Phillip was handsome and paid a lot of attention to his grooming and clothing, there was nothing sexy about him, at least not in my opinion. Not like Nick, anyway. He was too polite, too accommodating, too…effeminate, for lack of a better word. But he was also sweet and kind, and he treated Storme like a princess.

“Ladies,” the saleswoman said. “Are you ready?”

Kelsey and I turned in her direction as Storme exited the dressing room and stepped up onto the round platform surrounded on three sides by floor to ceiling mirrors.

Oh, my God. I reached for a tissue.

After looking at herself, she turned to face us, and I lost my ability to speak. My best friend in the world was getting married, and she looked absolutely amazing. Tears filled my eyes.

“You look gorgeous, Storme,” Kelsey said, keeping it together much better than I was. “Prettier than any
Modern Bride
magazine cover.”

“Stunning,” I added. “Elegant.”

“Do you really like it?” Storme looked unsure, which struck me as odd. She knew fashion better than anyone, knew what looked good on her and virtually every other body type. She could have been a designer, if not for her parents pulling her back into the family business. Yet she was unsure about her own wedding dress?

“I love it,” I said.

“So do I,” Kelsey agreed.

The gown had a sweetheart neckline and tight-fitting bodice that showcased Storme’s figure. It sparkled when she moved, thousands of crystals catching the light.

“What about the veil?” Storme asked, turning slightly. “I went with long and plain. I could change to short or one with more detail.” She looked toward the saleswoman, who nodded.

“I think the one you’re wearing is perfect,” I said.

“I agree,” Kelsey said. “Plain is good. You want people looking at your dress, not your veil.”

Storme bunched up the tulle skirt in her hands and stuck out a foot to show us her shoes. “I had these specially made to match.”

A white satin, open-toed beauty, with a slender four-inch heel and beading that matched her bodice.

“Only you,” Kelsey said. “They look like they cost a fortune.”

“They did.” Storme turned back to the mirrors. “But a girl only gets married once, right?” She smiled, but to me it looked forced. “And she should look like a princess on that day, don’t you think?”

“She should look a lot happier than you’re looking right now,” I said. “What’s going on, Storme?”

Kelsey poured a glass of champagne, stood, and handed it to Storme. “You look like you need this.”

Storme drank the entire glass and handed it back empty.

Kelsey re-filled it.

“I…” Storme glanced at the saleswoman.

Kelsey jumped out of her chair like it was on fire. “Not now, please. We have a crisis.”

Following her lead, I jumped to my feet, too. “Yes, no interruptions, please,” I told the saleswoman. “And more champagne.”

The woman’s worried eyes dropped to Storme’s dress, but she nodded. “Would you like to slip out of your dress first?” she asked.

“She’s fine,” Kelsey answered. Then, to Storme, she said, “Come on, princess.” She held out her hand. Storme took it and stepped off the platform.

I helped Storme maneuver in her gown. “Sit here.” I directed her to the chair I’d been sitting in and pulled up another one to sit facing her.

Kelsey re-filled Storme’s glass. She drank that one down, too.

Not good.

“What’s going on?” Kelsey asked.

“Talk to us,” I said. “We’re your friends. You can tell us anything.”

“Are you holding out on us, Storme?” Kelsey asked.

Storme sniffed, then took a sip of champagne.

I lifted my glass and took a small sip, too.

After sharing something major lacking in her and Phillip’s relationship, Storme looked down at her lap, and said, “I’m not even married yet, and I’m thinking about having an affair.”

Oh. My. God.

Nick

A
fter our barbecue, Leigh had stuff planned with her friends, including a bridal fitting. We’d spoken on the phone one night into the early morning hours, about poker, among other things, neither one of us wanting to end the call. I smiled, trying to picture sweet Leigh taking on a bunch of hardcore gamblers at a Texas Hold’em tournament in Atlantic City. That’s where her grandfather had taken her to celebrate her twenty-first birthday. She’d finished in the top twenty out of over two hundred entrants, winning a one thousand dollar prize.

The more I learned about her, the more I wanted to know.

The next day she’d headed home to visit her dad and grandfather, which gave me time to finally do the employment stuff I’d neglected while helping granddad clean up his house and yard. Resumé updated and e-mailed to five head hunters, I’d considered browsing some help wanted sites…but only for a few seconds. It was a beautiful summer day, and granddad had taken the bus to the senior center.

So, I headed for the beach.

Thankfully, Murphy had thought to get a beach parking pass – the reason I was driving his very late model, maroon Pontiac instead of my relatively new silver Mercedes, which I kept parked in his garage. Not much need for a car in the city.

After finding a spot of sand close to the water, I dropped my towel, chair and keys, then stripped off my shirt and set out for a nice long swim, like the good old days. The water looked relatively calm, but calm could be deceiving. It hid strong currents, which I fought through, to remain on course. By the time I finished, my arms and legs felt like lead weights. I set up my chair, plopped into it and closed my eyes, welcoming the heat on my cool, wet skin, letting the sun bake the color of life – as Jake had called it – back into me.

As my body relaxed, my heart rate and breathing slowed. A female giggle caught my attention. It sounded close. Me, being a guy and all, I opened my eyes, using my hand as a visor to shield the sun. Three young women, all nice looking from the back, early twenties by my estimation, stood a few feet away, letting the waves wash over their ankles.