“That’s different. My kids are grown.” She removed the stethoscope from his neck. “Go, Dr. Carlyle. Party, party, party.”
“If you need me—”
“I’ll call. Relax, Dr. Carlyle. Have fun.”
Seth drove home, showered and changed, and then picked Fliss up from her grandmother’s house.
She slid into the passenger seat, and her short skirt slid up her thighs, revealing long legs brushed gold by long summer days. She was a thousand times more relaxed than the person he’d met on the road that first day.
They drove to Chase and Matilda’s and walked together across the grass toward the back of the house that overlooked the dunes.
Seth caught a glimpse of the ocean, an empty stretch of golden sand, heard the crash of the waves and the sound of laughter and decided he was lucky.
A job he loved, good friends and a life by the water. What more could a man want?
Fliss, he thought. That was what he wanted.
Chase, for all his wealth and success, was the same. It was one of the reasons they’d been friends for so long.
He strolled across the grass watching as Fliss took baby Rose from a tired-looking Matilda.
“There was a time when disturbed nights used to mean something more exciting.” Chase handed him a beer. “My mother tells me we should leave her to cry, but I’ve never been good at hearing a woman cry. A few more broken nights and I’ll be the one crying.”
Seth grinned. “A couple of weeks old and she’s already wrapped you around her little finger.”
“Sounds about right.” Chase gestured. “I assumed you’d prefer the beer over the frozen margarita.”
“You presumed correctly.”
“Chase!” Matilda called to him across the gardens, and Chase removed Seth’s empty beer bottle from his hand.
“I’m needed. Eva is doing all the salads and desserts, but I’m in charge of the grill.” He strode across to Matilda, and Seth noticed Fliss standing on the deck, a glass in her hand. She was laughing at something Matilda had said. Looking at her, it was hard to believe she was a city person. She certainly didn’t seem to miss it.
Over the past few weeks the one thing they hadn’t talked about were her plans for returning to Manhattan.
He hoped that her love of the ocean would persuade her to stay. Even better, her love for him.
He was surprised to see that she was still wearing her shoes, although they weren’t shoes exactly. Jeweled flipflops that showed off her lightly tanned skin and polished nails. He was willing to bet money that as soon as the guests relaxed a little more those flip-flops would be lying abandoned and she’d be standing in bare feet.
“Seth!” She waved and beckoned him over. “Have you met Eva? She runs Urban Genie, a concierge company in Manhattan with Paige and Frankie. They’re over there, by the gazebo. Half our clients have been referred by them.”
Seth exchanged words with Eva, while thinking only of Fliss.
He wanted to ask what her plans were. Whether she’d thought about going back.
Later, when they’d all gorged on grilled shrimp, steaks and corn dripping with melted butter, Matilda disappeared to try to get Rose to sleep.
The sun was already dipping down behind the horizon, fiery red, and the evening had a mellow vibe.
Seth helped Chase clean up and then snagged two bottles of beer and went to find Fliss.
There was no sign of her, but he saw her flip-flops abandoned by the edge of the dunes and followed the footprints to the beach. Small footprints. Delicate. His own footprint would have covered it twice.
Small, yes. And delicate. But also fierce. And he was glad about that. It was hard to handle what life threw without at least a touch of fierce in the armory.
He saw her sitting on the sand, just far enough away from the ocean to keep those pretty toes dry.
Fireworks exploded in the distance, lighting up the night sky.