Page 31 of Enchant Me

Soon enough, we’re all equipped, and we follow the stairs that lead from the huge porch to the beach, then start the process of setting up camp. A couple of small beach tents that resemble lean-tos so that the kids don’t roast despite the sunscreen. A huge mat on which to spread our picnic. Four folding chairs for the adults. And a cart with sand-friendly wheels for every beach toy imaginable.

There’s no lifeguard in this area, but none of the kids actually like to swim in the ocean. I wonder if that will change later as they watch the surfers, but for now they are content to make sand castles, look for shells, and splash in the waves, never wandering out past their knees.

“By the way,” Sylvia says to Jamie, once we’re all settled with our mimosas, “I hope Ryan was okay with leaving Jeffery behind. He said it was fine, but maybe he was just being polite.”

Jamie waves the question away. “No worries at all. Ryan loves it. At first, I thought it might only be babies and toddlers, but lately he’s fascinated with kids who are miniature adults, too.” She makes a face and scowls at me and Sylvia in turn. “I want you to know I personally blame you two.”

“Us?” Sylvia asks as Cass appears around the side of the bungalow.

“Breeding,” Jamie says. “You two are these great success stories. I mean, my God, the pressure.”

There’s humor in her voice, but I know her well enough to hear genuine fear underneath.

“Jamie,” I say gently, but she holds up her hands. “Beach day. My uterus is not even open for discussion.”

“That means we have to talk about Cass,” Sylvia says, smiling as the woman in question starts to settle on the blanket. Pink and blue streaks highlight her dark hair, which is pulled up into a messy bun, and the halter she’s wearing shows off the wildly colorful tattoo of an exotic bird that dominates her arm and shoulder.

“Me?” she asks as I pour a mimosa and pass it to her. “Why me?”

“You’re the only one who’s single,” Sylvia says.

“Oh, lucky me.”

Sylvia laughs, then changes the pitch of her voice to say, “Ronnie, sweetie, can you put a little more sunscreen on Bradley’s shoulders?” She grimaces, then turns to me. “Sorry, that’s your job.”

“Hey, I’m fine with community parenting. And preventing sunburn. All good.” I shift my attention back to Cass. “So why are you single? You’re amazing.”

“Right?” Cass says, making us all laugh. “I really am.” She shakes her head, as if shaking off the question. “Seriously, I don’t know. I’ve had a few relationships since Siobhan, but no one I’ve clicked with in the same way. Not even Emma, who was a hell of a lot of fun. I think my superpower is falling for women who end up falling for men.”

“Definitely not a great track record,” Jamie says. “But you’ll find someone.”

“I’ve decided to stop looking,” Cass says. “Although I did bump into Emma at Blacklist last week,” she adds, mentioning a popular Venice Beach bar. “We had a couple of drinks, and it was cool. Straight life agrees with her.”

“Well, Tony does, at any rate,” Sylvia says, referring to Antonio Santos, who, like Emma, is an operative at Stark Security.

“Should I say sorry?” I ask. She does have my sympathy, even though I think Tony and Emma are perfect for each other. Of course, Tony saved me from an attacker in Paris, so I have a bit of a soft spot for him.

“Sorry?” Cass repeats, then shakes her head. “No, no. There was never an HEA vibe with Emma, you know? She was more of the FWB variety.”

I mentally translate that to friends-with-benefits, but not a happily ever after girlfriend.

“But Siobhan?” Jamie asks.

“Wow, you guys really meant it when you said we had to talk about me.”

“It’s a heavy burden,” Jamie said, “but you’ll struggle through.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll consider it therapy. But,” she adds after polishing off the last of her mimosa. “I need a refill.”

“Ask, and ye shall receive.” Jamie tops her off, then does the same for the rest of us.

“Siobhan is … well, hell. She’s the reason I regret sleeping with straight girls who think they’re bi. No, that’s not fair. She really is bi, she just….” She trails off with a shake of her head. “Doesn’t matter. It’s over, and it’s been over for a long time.”

“I really am sorry,” I tell her. I can remember the two of them together and they were a great couple, going so far as to actually get engaged. I can’t even imagine a world where everything I thought I had with Damien just fell apart. It seriously breaks my heart.

“Have you seen her since she moved away?” I ask.

“Once. I saw her. She didn’t see me. And I chickened out.” She shrugged. “Like I said, old news.”