Sweet Heat at Bayside(33)

Serena grabbed Chloe's hand and said, "Please give me a few hours, some  paint, and a really great handyman. I could make this place look  incredible, instead of like someone's closet exploded."

"Shh," Chloe chided her.

"I've got your gorgeous wedding dress ready and waiting in the dressing  room, princess," Donovan said to Desiree as he came around the counter  holding a garment bag. He handed the garment bag to Violet and waved to a  row of curtains in the back of the store. "Why don't you two chickies  go try your dresses on, and I'll get to know your friends."

Violet sneered at the garment bag. "I'm not wearing any frilly stuff."

Donovan huffed out a breath. "Honey, I had strict orders from your  sister, who clearly adores you, not to find anything too girly. No  frills, fuss, or muss. Trust me, sugar. You're going to love this  dress."

"I'm not wearing heels," Violet insisted.

"He knows." Desiree grabbed Violet's arm and dragged her toward the  dressing area. "This is what sisters do when one of them gets married.  We try on dresses together. Now, get in there and try it on. If you hate  it, you don't have to buy it."

They disappeared behind the curtains. Donovan quickly made his way  around the room, chatting with each of the girls. By the time he reached  Serena, she could see by the look in the others' eyes that they were  all crazy about him.

"You're the Boston transplant," Donovan said as he came to her side.

"I guess that's about right. I'm Serena."

"Yes. The interior designer who's dating Ricky's supposedly hot brother,  right?" He waved his hand. "The girls gave me the scoop."

"In seven minutes? They got right down to the dirt, didn't they?" She glanced at Mira, who mouthed, I love him!         

     



 

"A smart shopkeeper knows how to work a room." He waggled his brows.

"I love your shop. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but may I  ask why you haven't organized it in a way that would make it easier for  customers to find what they're looking for?"

"You mean why does it look like my kooky Grandma Zelda decorated?" He  reached up and touched a stuffed cat sitting beneath a gold lamp in the  shape of a woman.

"I didn't mean-"

"Oh, yes, you did," he said in a singsong voice. "And you're right. My  grandmother Zelda owned this place until she passed two years ago.  That's when I took over. I haven't had the time to make it more  appealing."

"I'm sorry about your grandmother."

Sadness washed over him, and just as quickly, a smile lifted his lips.  "Thank you. I miss her, kookiness and all. She was a wild one until the  day she left us."

"Have you thought about hiring a company to help you redesign?"

He wagged his finger at her. "Are you going to give me a sales pitch for your overpriced Boston firm?"

"No, not at all. I was actually thinking about a friend of mine who owns  a small interior design firm here on the Cape. Maybe you know of her?  Justine Harkness? She owns Shift Home Interior in Hyannis."

"I don't, but I'd be happy to talk with her. Why don't you give me her  information and write down your name so I can tell her you referred me?"

She followed him to the counter, where he gave her a pen and a notepad.

"This might be just the kick in the pants I need to get started."

Serena wrote down her name and Justine's contact information as Desiree and Violet came out of the dressing rooms.

"Holy cow!" Emery squealed.

Serena and Donovan hurried over. Desiree twirled in a peach, lace-up  corset maxi dress with ruffles from hips to ankles, and Violet crossed  her arms over the knee-length, curve-hugging, sleeveless black dress  with a slit up the right side.

"What do you think?" Desiree asked. "I still can't believe I found a  wedding dress so easily. I wasn't even shopping for one when we found  it."

"You look beautiful," Violet said. "It's … " Her eyes filled with warm  emotions Serena had never seen. She quickly schooled her expression and  said, "It's perfect."

"It's feminine and breezy. I love it," Mira said. "You'll knock my brother's socks off."

Emery touched the ruffles and said, "It's so you. It's really stunning."

"You make me want to have a beach wedding," Chloe said. "But for that I'd need a man."

"I can help with that," Donovan offered, making them all laugh.

"Desiree, you are the most gorgeous bride I've ever seen, other than  Mira, of course. And, Violet … " Serena was at a loss for words. She must  have looked it, because Violet rolled her eyes.

Serena carefully uncrossed Violet's arms and walked around her, visually  following the gold metal zipper, which started just below her ribs on  her right side and wound around her body, across her lower back, and  over her left hip, ending at the top of the slit on her upper thigh.

"Let me show you the pièce de résistance." Donovan took hold of the  zipper at her ribs and unzipped all the way around her lower back and  over her left hip, revealing a sexy path of tanned skin that snaked  around her body.

"Holy cow, Vi. You look like a model," Desiree said. "You should wear dresses more often."

"Right," Violet said sarcastically.

Emery walked around Violet, assessing her, and said, "Seriously, you look like you could catch fire."

"I'd do you," Chloe said, "and I'm not into girls."

Violet rolled her eyes again. "You don't have to butter me up. I can wear it for an hour or two, but I'm not wearing heels."

"I almost forgot!" Donovan hurried over to an antique armoire and pulled  out a boot box. He opened the top and handed a pair of black,  wedge-heeled and fringed ankle boots to Violet. "Harley-Davidson Tybee  boots, the hottest boots around for our biker girls. The hidden wedge  heel and stylish fringe makes them perfect for dressing up or leathering  up."

"These are kickin'," Violet said.

Desiree beamed at her. "Really? You're going to wear the dress and the  boots?" She threw her arms around Violet, nearly toppling them both  over. "Thank you! I wouldn't have cared if you wore your leather  miniskirt and bikini top, but this means the world to me."         

     



 

"Whatevs, sis," Violet said with a sigh. "Can I change now? I'm freaking starving."

"Yes. Go!" Desiree nudged her toward the curtain. Then she threw her  arms around Donovan and kissed his cheek. "You're amazing! Thank you so  much for everything. The dress fits perfectly, and Violet looks like a  dream. Now I just have to find heels."

"I might have you covered, too, princess." He went to the armoire and  returned with another box. "If you like them, they're my wedding gift to  you."

Desiree opened the box, and happiness bloomed in her eyes. "I love them!"

She held up a pair of gorgeous sandals, also with a wedge heel, a shade  lighter than her dress, with tiny pearls on the thin strap across the  front of her foot and on the thin ankle strap.

"With a beach wedding, you want flats or a wedge, and since Ricky's so  tall, I thought you'd want the additional height to be closer to his  lips." He winked.

"Can you help me with my wedding dress?" Emery asked. "I wasn't going to do anything fancy, but … "

"How about a triple wedding?" He looked inquisitively at Emery and Serena-as did the others.

"Dean and I are not crashing Des's wedding," Emery said. "Count me out."

Serena's stomach twisted nervously. "I … um … no. Drake and I just started dating. We're not even close to being engaged."

"We'll see about that," Desiree said. "Rick and I didn't date long  before we got engaged. And look at Em and Dean. When you know, you  know."

"Don't fall prey to their pressure," Violet said as she stepped out from  behind the curtain wearing her own clothes. "Stay strong, little one."

She'd been strong for so many years when it came to Drake, she sort of  hated that expression, but her life was in Boston and his was here at  the Cape. "I'm going through enough life changes at the moment. We've  only just begun trying to figure out how to be a long-distance couple."

That didn't stop her from thinking about Donovan's suggestion and toying  with the idea through lunch at the Red Eye Coffee and Café later that  afternoon. Thinking of Drake made her think of making love with him,  which reminded her of her shopping list. As the girls chatted about  everything under the sun, Serena thought about her earlier conversation  with Drake about her impending shopping trip.

You probably want me to get handcuffs or silk ties. His gaze had nearly  ignited, and she'd taken it a little further. Or maybe edible underwear?  She'd always thought herself to be open to anything and fairly well  versed in the bedroom, even if she didn't have hands-on experience with  much kink. But with Drake, she had a feeling she came across as a  novice. He'd chuckled and said, Baby, you're all I need, but I'm all for  exploring a darker side with you.