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“Cop?”
Nova herds me toward the sofa. “I’ll fill you in on all the gossip.”
“I brought beer.” Paisley hands out bottles of beer.
“And I brought popcorn.” Maya raises a large bucket in the air.
I settle on the sofa between Chloe and Nova while Maya and Paisley sit at our feet. It reminds me of the days when we’d gather in the basement at my parents’ house. We spent countless hours down there in the winter giggling and gossiping while watching movies and television. In the summer, we spent our days on the beach until we were old enough to work summer jobs.
Suddenly, I don’t care about losing my job or how much the inhabitants of town are going to tease me over the humiliation that caused me to leave town. I’m happy to be here. To be with my girls. The women who love me and believe in me despite my career failures.
Chapter 2
Flynn – a man who has no clue his definition of temptation has arrived on the island to torture him
Flynn
“Flynn!” The mayor smiles in greeting as I enter the town hall of Smuggler’s Rest.
“Ms. Mayor.”
She giggles. “I’ve told you to call me Lana a million times.”
But she adores it when I call her Ms. Mayor.
“If I were a decade younger, I’d snap you away as my treasure.” She winks and I chuckle. Lana is at least sixty to my thirty-five. Age is only a number but I’m a little young to have a partner who has grandchildren.
“I think your current husband might disagree with your idea.”
She waves away my comment. “Ronald wouldn’t mind. He says he needs a break from my sexual prowess from time to time. You can be my piece on the side.”
“Sorry, darling. I’m no one’s second choice.”
She sighs. “Too bad I promised myself husband number three would be my last.”
“I’m sure Ronald appreciates your sacrifice.”
“He does enjoy it when we play dress up and I sacrifice my virginity to him.”
I bark out a laugh. Lana is a hoot.
“Is there a reason you rang me this morning or are you paying me to flirt with you?”
She waggles her eyebrows. “Flirting with me is a bonus.” She clears her throat. “But we are having a problem with the plumbing in the women’s bathroom.”
I’m not surprised. Plumbing in this old building is often an issue. Add how the building is located on an island and my services are needed nearly weekly. Lucky for me, it’s usually a quick fix.
“Which floor?”
“Third floor.” She motions toward the staircase in the middle of the foyer. “Don’t mind me. I’ll just be standing here.”
I pat her shoulder. “I understand. It’s impossible to resist watching me walk up the stairs.”
I gather up my supplies before beginning the climb to the top floor of the building. The town hall in Smuggler’s Rest is over a hundred years old. Legend has it the building was used as storage during Prohibition. During the summer, there are even tours for tourists to explore the secret passageways in the building.
The island of Smuggler’s Hideaway relies on its past as a known hideaway for smuggler’s during Prohibition to fuel tourism and the economy. Although, in more recent years, other businesses have opened up to help raise revenue.
Five Fathoms BrewingandBuccaneer’s Whiskey and Distilleryare good examples. My body tightens the same way it always does whenever I think of Five Fathoms and, in particular, one of its owners.
