Bayside Heat

  Bayside

  Heat

  Bayside Summers

  Love in Bloom Series

  Melissa Foster

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

  BAYSIDE HEAT

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2018 Melissa Foster

  Kobo Edition

  V1.0

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Cover Design: Elizabeth Mackey Designs

  Cover Photography: Sara Eirew

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  A Note to Readers

  I love friends-to-lovers stories, and Drake and Serena’s has been a long time coming. These two are perfect for each other in so many ways. I have many fun surprises for you in their story, but one I’d like to mention. For avid Love in Bloom fans who have read every story beginning with Sisters in Love, you might remember Abby Crew from Sisters in White. In this book you’ll be reacquainted with her, and you can look forward to her love story in the future!

  I have more fun, sexy romances coming up soon. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss them.

  www.MelissaFoster.com/Newsletter

  If this is your first Love in Bloom novel, dive right in! All Love in Bloom stories are written to be enjoyed as stand-alone novels or as part of the larger series. You can pick up several free first-in-series novels on my website.

  www.MelissaFoster.com/LIBFree

  Happy reading!

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  A Note to Readers

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Epilogue

  About Bayside Escape

  About Lovers at Heart, Reimagined

  About Embracing Her Heart

  Dear Readers

  More Books by Melissa

  Acknowledgments

  Meet Melissa

  Chapter One

  SERENA MALLERY FIDGETED nervously as she walked from the parking lot of Bayside Resort, where she worked, toward Summer House Inn to meet her friends for breakfast. She embraced the sounds of their laughter and of Cosmos, her friend Desiree’s scruffy little dog, barking from his perch on the dune overlooking Cape Cod Bay. She spotted the objects of the pup’s attention. Her bosses, Rick and Drake Savage and Dean Masters—the owners of the resort—were sprinting up the path toward the inn after their morning run. This was how she’d greeted most days for the past several years, surrounded by her best friends, whom she loved like family. This time next week she’d be living in Boston, greeting the days alone but starting her dream job.

  Her nerves flared as she stepped into the fenced-in area beside the inn, as excited as she was nervous to deliver her news.

  “Hey, Serena.” Mira stood by Emery at the far end of the yard. At six months pregnant, Mira looked radiant in a cute maternity dress. Her skin really did glow. Even her dark hair looked fuller. “Des and Vi will be out in a sec. Is that the shirt you bought in P-town last week? It looks really cute.”

  Mira was Drake and Rick’s younger sister. She and Serena had been best friends forever. Emery had moved to the Cape last summer. She taught yoga at the inn, and she was still dressed in her yoga pants and sports bra from an early class.

  Serena looked down at her flowing white top, with cut-out shoulders and lace edging around the neckline and sleeves. It had quickly become one of her favorites. “Thanks. We have excellent taste.”

  Emery glanced over as she pulled the elastic from her hair, sending her golden-brown hair tumbling past her shoulders. “I think it looks hot.” She shifted her gaze back to Dean, whose eyes were locked on her as the guys approached.

  “Stalking your fiancé?” Serena asked.

  Emery’s eyes lit up. “Look at all that yumminess. Do you blame me?”

  She knew Emery was talking about her bearded, heavily muscled fiancé, but Serena had grown up with Dean, Drake, and Rick. There was no doubt they were all good-looking, and as water sports fanatics and hard workers, they kept in prime shape. But the only one Serena had ever crushed on was Drake. She watched him stalking across the dune. His powerful body was covered in a slick sheen of sweat. His thick, wavy dark hair blew in the wind. He always looked like he was in need of a trim, and he never seemed to care, which made him even hotter.

  “Morning, Serena,” Desiree said as she stepped outside, pulling Serena away from her fruitless infatuation. “I’ve got cherry-cheese croissants, your favorites.” She set a plate of croissants on the table.

  Serena’s mouth watered. “They smell delicious.”

  Desiree cooked for them nearly every morning, and it was no secret that the quality of her elaborate breakfasts was tied to the quality of her sex life. Mornings when there was only cereal available, everyone grumbled at Rick. Not that Serena felt bad for him. He and Desiree were blissfully happy, they had incredible careers, and they had each other.

  At least I’m on my way to the career I’ve always wanted. Finding my soul mate will just have to wait.

  “You should have heard the headboard banging this morning.” Violet set a pot of coffee on the table. In biker boots, cutoffs, and a black tank top, with her colorful arm and thigh tattoos on display, she looked every bit the artist she was—the complete opposite of demure Desiree in her floral sundress. “Sounded like a train was taking down the inn.”

  “Geez, Violet!” Desiree chided. They might be half sisters, but they were as different as oil and water.

  “I see Vi’s jealous again,” Rick said as he sat down beside Desiree and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “How’s my gorgeous fiancée?”

  Dean hauled Emery into his arms. “Hey, babe. How was yoga this morning?”

  Serena loved living on the Cape, but it was also small and transient, which made for few opportunities to meet guys who weren’t just looking for a quick hookup. At thirty-one, after watching most of her friends fall head over heels in love, she wanted a chance at that happiness, too. As a teenager, she dreamed of marrying smart, musically inclined, sexy-as-sin Drake. Even though he had blown her off years ago, making it perfectly clear that she’d been friend-zoned for life, she’d thought again about the possibilities when she’d started working for him at the resort. But he’d never made a move, and four years was long enough for her to accept reality. It was time to move on.

  Emery giggled, and the next thing Serena knew, Dean was hauling Emery against him, kissing her deeply.

  “Can we please keep the lovey-dovey fuckery down to a minimum while I’m eati
ng?” Violet asked.

  Serena’s nerves got the better of her as Drake closed the distance between them.

  “Hey, Supergirl,” he said as he sat down.

  She tucked away the endearment. She’d miss all of her friends, but she’d miss seriously frustrating and insanely hot Drake the most. Of course, there was no way she’d tell him that. As they’d worked together over the past few years, he’d become one of her closest friends. When they were out as a group, he watched over her like a hawk, treating her like a younger sister who needed protecting and making it hard for her to meet guys. It was time she moved on, physically and emotionally. The miles between them should make it that much easier.

  Drake grabbed the back of her shirt, tugging her down to the chair beside him, and leaned closer. His masculine scent surrounded her as he said, “Ready to talk about store number five?”

  In addition to setting up the infrastructure and handling administrative work for the resort, Serena helped Drake with the design, layout, and administration of his chain of music stores. The grand opening of his fifth store was a few short weeks away, and today they were finalizing the store layout.

  “Definitely,” Serena said. “But I think it’s time you start calling it Bayside Music and Arts.”

  “Good point.” He poured her a cup of coffee, then poured one for himself.

  As everyone loaded up their plates, she felt queasy at the prospect of delivering her news. Before she could lose her nerve, she blurted out, “I’m moving to Boston for an interior design job.”

  Her friends fell silent, and all eyes turned to her. Her stomach pitched. The girls looked confused. Rick and Dean were exchanging displeased glances and eyeing Drake, whose jaw was clenched so tight, it had to hurt.

  Oh God. She felt like she was betraying everyone and reminded herself she wasn’t.

  “You guys knew I took the job at the resort only temporarily, to help get it off the ground,” Serena reminded them. “That was four years ago, and I told you last summer that I was applying for interior design jobs to finally get my career moving in the right direction.”

  “Yes, but I thought you were looking around here. You’re moving to Boston?” Mira said with a pained expression. She’d been Serena’s best friend since childhood, and they’d always been there for each other. She placed one hand on her burgeoning belly and said, “I’m happy for you, but I’m going to miss you.”

  “I know. I’ll miss you, too,” Serena said, feeling the heat of Drake’s stare. She tried to distract herself from looking at him by mentally ticking off a list of things she had to do to get ready for her impending move. At the top of which was finding someone to fill her position at the resort. She hoped to still help out with the music stores. “I promise to come back as often as I can and of course when the baby is born, and we’ll FaceTime a lot.”

  “You better,” Mira said in a softer tone. “Our new baby will need Auntie Serena around, and Hagen will miss you so much.” Hagen was her eight-year-old son.

  “I’ll miss him, too,” Serena said.

  “Poor Matt,” Mira said. Matt was her husband. “Forget gaining baby weight. I’ll probably pack on another twenty pounds from ice cream as I eat my sadness away.”

  “Enough guilt tripping. This is great news,” Rick said with a genuine smile, which faded as his gaze shifted to Drake. “It’s what you’ve always wanted.” He seemed to direct his comment at Drake instead of her, as if reminding him of her plans.

  “I know. Ever since I was a little girl. Isn’t it fantastic? I’ll miss you guys so much, but I couldn’t turn down an interior design job with Kline, Heinan, and Bruce, or rather, KHB. They’re one of the most sought-after design firms around.”

  “You’ve wanted a career in the big city for as long as I’ve known you,” Desiree said. “So even though I’m going to miss you, I’m happy you found something so amazing.”

  “Boston?” Violet said. “Our small-town girl’s growing up.”

  “Congrats, Serena,” Dean said as he draped an arm around Emery’s shoulder. “I appreciate all you’ve done for us.”

  It wasn’t lost on Serena that Drake hadn’t said a word. “Thank you. I still can’t believe they called. I had almost given up.” She’d interviewed with KHB last winter and had thought they’d written her off. The resort had only a few winter clients, which had freed her up to get back into the industry by working part-time for Shift Home Interiors. Although she loved the work she’d done for Shift because it included space planning and helping to set up offices from scratch, and not just decorating work, the owner had recently had a baby and cut back to working only part-time. She couldn’t afford to hire Serena full-time. But even with a degree and several years of design experience prior to her current job, most of the bigger firms had turned her down.

  Cosmos ran into the yard and leapt into Desiree’s lap. He began licking her face, making them all laugh. Except Drake, who remained stoic and still beside Serena, save for the muscles bunching in his jaw. She might as well get the worst part of it over with.

  “There’s one tiny hitch,” Serena said, finally meeting Drake’s gaze. “They want me to start next week.”

  Drake dropped his fork with a clank, a scowl twisting his handsome face into a mask of frustration. “Next week?”

  “Hard to lose your fuck buddy, huh?” Violet mumbled.

  Emery choked on her drink. Dean patted her back, chuckling along with Rick. Mira went wide-eyed, and Drake turned a scowl on Violet.

  Serena rolled her eyes. She was used to Violet’s insinuations. There was no doubt that she and Drake were close. He’d always looked out for her, but that didn’t mean they were sleeping together—despite the fact that Serena had spent too many nights thinking about what it might be like to have his strong arms wrapped around her and those piercing eyes boring into her…

  Drake’s dark gaze slid to Serena, and her stomach skidded to a halt. Yeah. She needed to get out of town all right.

  “I’m sorry. I did everything I could to try to get more time,” she quickly explained. “Two employees left them without giving notice, and they basically said if I couldn’t start right away they’d have to hire someone else. But don’t worry. I’m going to start interviewing right away to fill my position. I’ve been collecting résumés for months. I’ll start interviewing candidates tomorrow. I know I can get Harper to fill in at least part-time if we don’t find someone before Friday.” Their friend Harper Garner was a screenplay writer, and she was supremely organized. When Serena had first mentioned looking for a job, Harper had offered to help. “I’m sorry, Drake. I’ll turn it down if you really think it’ll cause a problem for the resort.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Rick said, shifting a narrow-eyed look to Drake. “You were there for us when we needed you most, Serena. We’ll figure things out.”

  “No sweat,” Dean agreed.

  “I can help out part-time, too,” Emery offered. “I’d just have to rearrange a few classes, but it’s doable.”

  “I’m sure, between all of us, we’ll be just fine,” Rick reassured Serena. “This sounds like a great opportunity for you.”

  The air rushed from her lungs. “Oh, thank God. I didn’t want to turn it down. I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance like this again.” She looked at Drake and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll still help get the music store up and running.”

  He nodded curtly. “Have you told Chloe yet?”

  She and her sister, Chloe, had practically raised each other while their mother was out looking for a man to foot her bills. Chloe was the director of the Lower Cape Assisted Living Facility (LOCAL), and she was as determined to succeed as Serena was. Serena knew Chloe would be happy for her, even though it meant she was moving away. “I haven’t had time yet. They just called me this morning with the offer. I’m really sorry about giving so little notice.”

  Drake grumbled something she couldn’t make out.

  Violet pointed at him and said, “M
aybe if she were your fuck buddy she wouldn’t be leaving.”

  “That’s not true!” Serena snapped. “And I would never be anyone’s fuck buddy, least of all Drake’s.”

  She didn’t even want to try to figure out what the screwed-up look Drake was giving her meant.

  “Whatevs, little one,” Violet said. Then she glared at Drake and said, “Tell her you’re happy for her. Your resort will survive without her. More importantly, I’m hearing a reason to party.”

  “A goodbye party!” Emery said. “Yes, definitely. Mira, can you go to Undercover if you don’t drink?” Undercover was a nightclub in the next town over, owned by Harper’s brother, Colton.

  Mira patted her belly and said, “My baby is portable for the next three months. It goes where I go, so I’ll be there.”

  Drake leaned closer to Serena and said, “I’ll drive you to the party so you can drink.”

  “Okay,” she said, hoping that meant he wasn’t as upset as he looked.

  Violet pushed to her feet. Her coal-black hair draped over her shoulder as she leaned across the table for another cherry-cheese croissant. “Keep up the headboard banging, Rick. These croissants are the bomb.”

  “Oh, I plan to.” Rick pulled Desiree close and whispered something in her ear that made her blush.

  “I’m out of here, sis,” Violet said. “I’m heading to Hyannis to pick up supplies.” She strutted across the grass toward her motorcycle.

  “And we have a music store to get in order.” Drake pushed to his feet and pulled Serena up by her arm.

  “Hey. I haven’t eaten.” Not that she could eat anyway. Her stomach was all knotted up. “And I need my notebooks for the store.”

  “Aw, shit,” Rick said. “She poked the bear.”

  “And we have to deal with the bear after she leaves.” Dean stroked his beard, his serious blue eyes locked on Drake, who was glaring at both of them. “Hey, Serena, you sure you can’t give us three months’ notice? Or maybe a year?”