"Hey, you two!" Leanna finished helping the customers, then came around and hugged them both. "Oh gosh. Sorry." She tried to wipe jam off Drake's sleeve, where she'd accidentally smeared it.
"No worries. Hagen got me worse last night," Drake assured her. "How are you?"
"I'm great." Her gaze moved between him and Serena. "How are you guys? Together, huh?"
"I'm a lucky guy," Drake said proudly.
"Darn right you are, and don't you forget it. Serena's a catch."
"Thanks, Leanna, and thank you for all your help with the opening," Serena said.
She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh gosh, anytime. We came by after the flea market, and there were so many people. It was wild! And, Drake, I always knew you could sing, but holy cow. You're a YouTube sensation. You sounded awesome."
"Thank you. Luckily Boone's voice drowned mine out."
"Hardly," Serena said.
"It was pretty crazy. I still can't believe Serena pulled it off without me even having a clue." He draped an arm around Serena and kissed her cheek.
"Actually," Serena said, "Leanna's the reason I was able to get Boone to come. She hooked me up with Kurt's sister, Siena, who is married to Cash Ryder. Cash is Trish's brother. That's how I made the connection. And they were all so nice and willing to help me connect with Boone."
"From what I've heard, they had a blast," Leanna said. "Trish said they're hoping to come back to the Cape in the fall and meet up with you?"
"I hope so," Serena said. "I really want to meet them in person."
"Let me know if you guys put something together. If we're back in the city, we'll come for the weekend." Leanna and Kurt lived on the Cape during the summer and in New York City the rest of the year. "I'd love to see them, too."
They talked for a while longer, and Leanna sent them home with a few jars of Sweet Heat, Strawberry Spice, and Frangelico peach jam, their favorites.
On the way back to the truck, Serena asked, "Do you want to stop by the music store?"
"Only if you'd like to see it. Carey texted earlier. They're pretty busy today."
Serena was quiet for a moment, and when they reached the truck, she said, "As much as I would like to see it, I'd rather go someplace and hang out. Just the two of us. I feel like my life has become a mad dash, running from one place to the next. Not that I mind, and I know I did this to myself by moving to Boston, but I really want some downtime with you, without any pressure from other people or work or anything."
That sounded perfect to him. "I've got just the place."
"I JUST HAVE to grab something really quick," Drake said when he parked in front of the office of Bayside Resort. "I'll be right back."
He gave Serena a chaste kiss, and she watched him jog up the steps and disappear into the office. The scents of the sea and the sounds of families brought life to the otherwise-still air. She closed her eyes and tipped her face toward the sun. It was warm without the breeze rushing in the open windows as it had been when they were driving. She thought about how much her life had changed. She had almost always spent at least some time at the beach each day, whether she and her friends were taking walks, sitting around a bonfire, or lying in the sun listening to the water kiss the shore. She missed eating lunch on the dunes and kicking off her sandals after work to go down to the beach with Mira and Hagen or with the girls. Sand between her toes had been a daily occurrence, and she'd taken it for granted. Had she done the right thing by moving away? While she'd always had dreams of working in a big design firm, she hadn't been one of those people who disliked the Cape and wanted to escape it. She just wanted to do her own thing, to move forward and make her mark.
She heard the office door close and opened her eyes. Drake was descending the steps with a blanket draped over his shoulder, carrying his guitar case. His shorter hair gave him an edgier look. His scruff did that normally, but the close cut made his jaw seem sharper, his eyes more cutting. He opened his door and set the blanket and guitar behind the seat.
"Now that you're a rock star, you can't leave home without your guitar?"
He scoffed. "Would you expect anything less?" He reached over, unhooked her seat belt, and hauled her across the bench next to him.
"What took you so long?"
He kissed her. "You look beautiful in my truck."
"As opposed to outside of your truck?" she said sassily.
"There, too." He slid his hand beneath her hair, gazing at her like she was a precious jewel he couldn't believe he'd gotten his hands on. "All the little things I've thought about for so long are finally coming true. This is going to sound cheesy, but every time I see you looking a certain way, or in positions where I never thought we'd be, you look even sexier to me. You've been in my truck a million times. But coming out of the office and seeing you smile when you notice me and being able to openly enjoy that feeling? That's pretty frigging incredible. And this? You and me?" His lips came tenderly down over hers. "Pure perfection, Supergirl."
Serena felt like she was riding on air as Drake drove down to Hyannis and parked on a side street. Serena knew exactly where he was headed, and she was touched so deeply, it was all she could do to watch him as he grabbed the blanket and guitar and reached for her hand. He led her down the overgrown trail toward the creek she'd frequented as a kid, and all the worries and questions in her mind subsided. Her beautiful man knew exactly what she needed.
Drake lifted branches for her to duck under and held her hand as she climbed over rocks and around fallen trees. A pungent, marshy smell greeted them when they stepped into the grassy clearing near the edge of the creek. The rickety old dock was still there, slanted as ever, missing decking in the same places it had been when she was young. He took his guitar out of the case, and she realized he'd brought the first guitar he'd ever owned, from when they were kids.
He reached for her hand again and said, "Come on. Backstreet Boys are calling us."
"Ohmygosh," came out with a squeal. "Are you kidding?"
A coy grin slid across his face. "You know I'm not. You and Mira made us listen to that stupid CD all the time."
"Oh geez." She went with him onto the dock, holding his hand as she stepped over the missing slats. She kicked off her sandals and sat on the edge, her feet dangling over the inky water.
Drake remained on his feet and began strumming the tune to "I Want It That Way" as he kicked off his flip-flops and sang, "Yeah-eah." He winked and sang, "You're my fire, Supergirl. My only desire."
He changed the lyrics and sang about how they weren't two worlds apart and how he could reach her heart when she told him what she wanted.
Moved by his humor, his voice, and his generous, loving soul, she jumped to her feet and danced as he sang. When the song ended he went right into "Larger than Life," once again changing the lyrics to speak of them, and then directly into "When I Come Around" by Green Day and then "What I Got" by Sublime. She sang with him, both of them dancing as he played. He parlayed that song into "Little Red Corvette" and then about a dozen more songs from their youth, fast, slow, funny, romantic. She danced and sang until her cheeks hurt. And later, breathless and happy, they sat on the dock for a long while, talking about their childhoods and their current lives and everything in between.
"This is why we need a rooftop deck on the community center at the resort," she said as she lay with her head in his lap.
He leaned down and kissed her. "Let's not talk about work right now. This is our time, and there's something I've been wanting to do for way too long."
"I'm not stripping naked on this dock."
He cocked a brow with a seductive glimmer in his eyes. Gosh, she'd do anything with him.
"Maybe," she relented.
"No wonder I love you." He pressed his lips to hers and said, "Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about that until you said it. Sit up beside me."
He helped her up and handed her the guitar.
"When we were supposed to sing that duet, you asked me to teach you the guitar," he said as he helped her position the guitar properly. "It was such a weird time, and I knew if we got that close, I'd have an even harder time keeping my hands off you."
She ran her fingers along the neck of the guitar, remembering how brokenhearted she'd been when he'd said he didn't have time. "I was so awkward back then, and even though I had no idea what to do with the body I'd developed, I was hopeful it might have caught your attention."
"It did, and that was the problem. You weren't awkward at all. You rocked those curves under those secondhand shirts and shorts you dolled up. You could have had any guy you wanted."