Bayside Passions (Bayside Summers Book 2) Read online

  That was the beauty of being with Emery. Not only did she wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she owned them. Whether they were in bed, or eating one of Desiree’s fancy breakfasts with their friends, where she scarfed down more of his food than her own and kissed him between each bite. Or when she relayed a story about one of her new clients at LOCAL who had been all knotted up because of losing a grandchild. Chloe had suggested Emery try to help center the woman’s mind and teach her to relax, which Emery said she’d done well. But when Emery showed up yesterday afternoon in the gardens near the pool where he’d been working, her eyes puffy and red from crying, it was all he could do to hold and console her. She was strong, opinionated, and rarely slowed down enough to take a breath, but his girlfriend was the most sensitive person he knew.

  He gazed at her now, sunbathing with Desiree, Violet, and Serena on the enormous yellow raft that was tethered to the boat. It was late Thursday afternoon, and they were in the middle of the bay, anchored after a few hours of tubing. She was smiling, eyes shut, her hand intertwined with Desiree’s. Dean wondered if she felt like she’d come home by moving here as much as he did. She’d told him yesterday that she’d missed doing little things with Desiree, like eating ice cream out of the carton, creating new inside jokes, and catching up, which they’d been enjoying since she’d moved into the inn. Was it ridiculous that even though he was happy for her to have that time with her friend, he’d felt a pang of jealousy, wanting to be the one doing those things with her?

  “Remember the days when we used to actually go tubing and waterskiing from sunup until sundown?” Rick said as he sat down beside Dean. His dark hair was damp and brushed away from his deeply tanned face, making his strong features look even more pronounced.

  He looked so much like his father, Dean’s chest constricted. Before Rick’s father had drowned at sea in a freak storm, he’d been like a second father to Dean. But those were also the days when his own father had spent time with friends outside of the medical field, like the Savages. When his father had been accepting and less judgmental, easier to deal with. Damn, he missed those days.

  “I remember those days,” Dean finally answered, his gaze finding Emery once again. The girls had decided they were done tubing and had been lying on the raft for the past forty minutes, giggling and talking. “But I wouldn’t go back to them for the world.”

  “Yeah, me neither.” Rick clinked water bottles with Dean and drained half of his in one swig.

  Drake pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the deck. “I don’t know about you pussies, but I’m done waiting for the princesses to feel like having some fun. I think it’s time for a shark attack.”

  Dean and Rick exchanged a fuck-yeah glance, set their drinks down, and pushed to their feet. The three men were a formidable force, but they slipped into the cold water as stealthily as ninjas.

  Swimming underwater, so as not to cause ripples, they lined up beneath the raft. Drake gave a quick nod, and they burst through the surface in perfect sync, lifting the raft on end and sending the girls shrieking and sprawling into the cold water as the guys hollered, “Shark attack!”

  Dean dove for Emery as she went under. He caught her around her waist and propelled them both to the surface. She clung to his shoulders, droplets of water hanging on her spiky lashes, her slippery body sliding against him in all the best places.

  “I can’t believe you did that!” Her words tumbled out on the tail end of laughter.

  He pressed his lips to hers, smiling into their kiss. “You’ve got to watch out for sharks in deep water.”

  He squeezed her bottom, earning an expected swat on his shoulder. He kissed her again, harder, and they sank beneath the surface. He propelled them up again, holding her tight and stealing kisses while Rick and Desiree bobbed in the water a few feet away and Violet hollered threats at Drake as she and Serena dunked him.

  Best. Summer. Ever.

  They swam and hung out in the boat until it was nearly dark. Sun drenched and happy, they docked and made their way down to Newcomb Hollow Beach for their bonfire. Open fires weren’t allowed on the bay beaches, and it was nice to be on the ocean side for a change. They cooked hot dogs and burgers, and Rick did his best to embarrass Dean by sharing stories about his youth with Emery. But each story only made her hazel eyes grow warmer and the inches between them on the blanket lessen.

  After dinner Dean and Emery had taken a walk, and now Desiree and Serena roasted marshmallows while Dean played the guitar and Drake told him and Rick about another property he was going to check out for the music store. Dean was only half listening as he strummed the guitar, thinking of Emery and how often she’d been humming lately. He hadn’t realized she was so musical.

  Emery turned, the moonlight catching in her eyes as she headed up the beach toward him, arms crossed over her shirt, which hung low enough to cover her bathing suit. He imagined her naked beneath that shirt, as she moved gracefully up the beach, gazing at the sand and smiling as she spoke to Violet. It was easy to imagine Emery in all facets of his life, dressed, naked, in a wet suit. But now, with the stars sparkling above, he imagined her in the winter months, bundled up in a parka and cap, still wanting to stroll in the moonlight on the snowy, windy beach, and in the spring, when flowers had just begun to bloom and she could finally leave the jacket behind and don jeans and a hoodie, he imagined her cute toes digging into the sand.

  “Everything feels different tonight,” Drake said as he reached for the guitar.

  Dean hadn’t realized he’d stopped strumming until Drake took the guitar from his hands. Drake was right. Everything felt different. Dean wasn’t just enjoying the evening with friends and a girlfriend. Emery had already become so much more than just a girlfriend. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel like something was missing. If he never had anything more than he did at that moment, he could be happy forever. As long as he had Emery by his side and good friends to enjoy, life was better than good. Life was beautiful.

  Emery smiled as she lowered herself to the blanket beside him, and he leaned in for a kiss. Her nose was cold, but her lips were warm and soft. She smelled like sunscreen and happiness. As he gazed into her smiling eyes, he realized she’d become his world.

  “Do you know what the koshas are?” Emery asked.

  Violet sank down beside Serena on a blanket and said, “Here’s a hint. They’re not Polish hot dogs.”

  Dean shook his head. “I can’t say that I do. Why?”

  Emery shrugged. “Violet and I were just talking about them, and I wondered if you had ever heard of the concept.”

  “They’re the five layers of being,” Violet explained. She waved at Dean, Drake, and Rick. “You guys run like your life depends on it, and that’s great for keeping your physical body in shape.”

  Emery put her hand on Dean’s thigh. “I do like Dean’s shape.”

  “Not half as much as I adore yours.” He pulled her into a kiss.

  “That’s great,” Violet said. “Anyway, you run, but what do you do for your subtle body? Your casual body?”

  Dean nipped at Emery’s neck. “Trust me, all of her bodies get great workouts.”

  “Damn right,” Emery said softly. “But…”

  Dean arched a brow. “Seriously? You’re going to dis my skills in front of everyone?”

  “No!” She laughed. “Not your sex skills! You’re a sex god.”

  “TMI, Emery,” Rick said.

  “Most bearded guys are,” Serena said.

  Drake glared at her. “How would you know?”

  She lifted one shoulder and pushed a marshmallow onto her stick. “I dated a bearded guy one summer in college. He was pretty amazing.”

  Drake’s knuckles turned white around the neck of the guitar. Dean took it from him before he broke it and began strumming another tune.

  “We weren’t talking about sex,” Emery explained. “We were actually talking about meditation and how sometimes we can meditate so
deeply it’s hard to come out of it, while other times our minds are too chaotic to even begin to find mindfulness. And I said that my go-to image for relaxation is the koshas. If you can visualize a circle with five layers, that’s pretty much what it looks like. The outer circle is your physical body, and as the layers get closer to the center, each one is made of increasingly finer grades of energy, until you get to the innermost circle and you find what some people refer to as your true self.”

  Dean had seen the image she’d described before, but he couldn’t place where. As Emery explained the meaning of each layer, he tried to remember where he’d seen it.

  “I think we should try to reach your innermost layer tonight,” Rick said to Desiree.

  “Shh,” Desiree warned.

  “That would be experienced as happiness and delight. Sheer bliss.” Emery popped up to her feet and grabbed her backpack. “Des, can you and Serena hold up towels so I can change out of my wet bathing suit?”

  “Sure.” Desiree and Serena pushed to their feet and held up the towels to shield her from the others.

  Dean stole a glance at Drake and Rick, who were pointedly looking away. Christ, this was Emery in action. He bit his tongue and blew her a kiss when she looked over, reminding himself that in Emery’s mind, these were her most trusted friends. At least she asked for towels.

  “Actually,” Emery said, moving out from between the towels. “I’ll go change in the ladies’ room.”

  A knot Dean hadn’t realized had formed unfurled in his gut. “I’ll walk you up.”

  He set down the guitar and reached for Emery’s backpack. His other arm circled her waist as they headed for the path that led up toward the parking lot and the bathrooms.

  When they were out of earshot from the others he said, “You didn’t have to do that because of me.”

  “I didn’t,” she said, and put her head on his shoulder. “I did it for us.”

  Dean didn’t know much about layers, or what needed to happen internally or externally to a person for each layer to pass for having been fully experienced and nurtured. But he was pretty sure the all-consuming happiness burrowing down and taking root in his soul counted as having found his sheer bliss.

  Chapter Twenty

  “LOOKS LIKE OUR flexibend class has spectators today,” Magdeline whispered, pointing to a small group of elderly men peering in through the glass doors. She ran her hand along her polyester-pant-covered hip and pushed out her chest. “We are the hot ladies of LOCAL, after all. Everyone is talking about how much younger we look now that we’re doing flexibend.”

  Emery chuckled. She was working with Rose today, or at least Rose was her main focus, as this was one of their one-on-one sessions. Magdeline and Arlin accompanied Rose to each of their thrice weekly sessions, gently reminding Rose to sit up straight, breathe deeper, relax her shoulders, and other loving nags, like sisters might. They cheered Rose on with every ounce of progress she made. And Rose was making progress. Not only was she carrying herself differently, sitting up straighter, holding her head up higher, and moving more comfortably, but her eyes were brighter, and most importantly, she was breathing more easily.

  “Okay, sexy ladies. How about we concentrate on aligning our spines and do some deep breathing to show those handsome men what you’re really made of?” Emery pointed to three sets of blankets she’d folded and set on the floor. One for each of the three incredible women who had already stolen a piece of her heart.

  In addition to the support they showed Rose, Magdeline and Arlin had also weaseled their way into taking part in Rose’s sessions, showing up to Emery’s second session with Rose armed with their own mats and a handful of yoga props. Did you know Amazon sells everything? Arlin had said during Emery and Rose’s first session. They delivered our goodies right to our door!

  Emery helped Rose kneel on the blanket, and Arlin placed a bolster, a long, thick and dense cushion used to help support certain positions, under Rose’s bottom so her hips were higher than her knees. Arlin and Magdeline had not only taken a very active role in their friend’s therapy, but they had raved so much about Emery’s efficient and sweet but take-charge ways that Chloe had been bombarded from families of the residents with inquiries about Emery’s help. Emery had agreed to teach two weekly afternoon yoga classes at LOCAL. Between hanging out with Dean, squeezing in girl time with Desiree, Vi, and Serena, and the classes at the inn, Emery hadn’t even had time to miss her family very much. When her oldest brother, Ethan, had called her earlier that morning, he’d made a comment about how happy she sounded. Of course, being the protective older brother he was, he’d asked if he should worry about that, which made her giggle.

  “That’s it, Rosie,” Magdeline said as she and Arlin got into the same position. “Emmie, have you decided where to take your man?”

  Emery smiled at the term of endearment they’d adopted toward her. Her mother would cringe if she ever heard it. For as long as she could remember, her mother had made a point of correcting people when they called her anything but Emery. I didn’t name you, Emmie. I gave you a strong name so you would always be respected. She often wondered what her mother would think of Dean’s calling her doll. But she let these women call her Emmie, because it made her feel like she had even more family here than Dean, Des, Vi, and the others. She felt like she had three grandmothers watching out for her in a way that only women of a certain age could, and that felt really good.

  “I’m still thinking about it,” she answered. “How about if we work on our breathing, and talk about it later?” They asked her about her personal life often, but she’d been careful about keeping Dean’s name and profession out of their conversations. She could just see these three gals trying to get all the dirt on him.

  “She’s afraid we’ll give her old-lady ideas,” Arlin said with a sigh.

  “That’s not true!” Emery had been trying to plan a special date for Dean, but having been in town for only a few weeks and being so busy during that time, she was coming up empty. He was always doing little things for her, like stopping by after her yoga classes when he could just to see how she was doing, bringing her flowers, and keeping fresh lemons on hand for her water. They took long walks on the beach, and he was always sending sweet, sexy texts. He’d even purchased a subscription to Yoga magazine. She’d teased him about wanting to see women in their yoga clothes, since every time he saw her in hers, he got a hungry look in his eyes and they usually ended up making out. But he’d said he wanted to learn everything he could about the things she enjoyed. It was then that she knew she was truly the luckiest woman alive. She knew he didn’t need a big, elaborate special date, but she wanted to take him someplace meaningful, and she just hadn’t found or heard about the right spot yet.

  “We are old ladies,” Rose pointed out.

  “But we’ve still got it,” Magdeline said.

  Listening to them made it easy to see what she and Desiree would be like when they were older. They’d had so much fun when they’d gone dress shopping for the benefit dinner next Friday. She could see them in forty years having just as much fun. While there were plenty of sundresses, finding a dress fancy enough for the event had been like finding a needle in a haystack. They’d finally found an elegant blush-colored strapless dress with a sash that ran from the hemline of one side to the center of the bodice. The underskirt ended midthigh, and a transparent top layer, split down the middle, hung to just above her knees in the front and dusted her calves in the back. It was fancier than anything she’d ever owned, but it was also comfortably stretchy and it fit like a glove. She couldn’t wait to see Dean’s face when he saw her wearing it.

  “Heck, Magpie,” Arlin said, bringing Emery’s mind back to the moment. “We defined it, but we’re not exactly twentysomething anymore. Maybe we should ask our grandchildren for date ideas for Emmie.”

  “No, really. I want to hear your ideas,” Emery assured them. “I just want to make sure Rose’s therapy doesn’t get pushed aside.�
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  “Oh, no,” Arlin said. “We’d never do that. You’re absolutely right. You tell us what to do, and we’ll talk later.”

  “Thank you. Okay, ladies, inhale through your nose. Remember to inhale deeply. Feel the air moving through you. Visualize it filling your lungs.” Emery inhaled deeply, watching the women’s lips curve up in a smile as they followed her instructions. She blew out her breath and said, “Exhale through your mouth, and let me hear it.” A collective ha sound filled the air. “That’s it. Very nice. Now let’s do it again, but let’s take it deeper. Allow yourself to feel your lungs expanding. Become one with your breath, and let everything else go.”

  Over the next hour, as they worked through Rose’s therapy, the women peppered Emery with ideas for what they were now calling her big date. Getting Arlin and Magdeline to focus on one thing was like trying to corral mosquitoes.

  “How about the drive-in theater?” Arlin asked after the session, as Emery packed up her supplies.

  “The drive-in was all the rage when it first opened,” Magdeline said excitedly. “We went there, and of course we took our children there.”

  “Yes, and our children took their dates there.” Rose waggled her brows. “They didn’t think we were onto what really went on at drive-ins. Coming home with their hair all tousled and their clothes rumpled.” She laughed and shook her head. “As if they’d invented fooling around in cars and could put one over on us. Ha!”

  “Just remember, Emmie, dear,” Arlin said. “If you go, park in the row closest to the movie screen and all the way down on the far right.”

  “But won’t that make it hard to see the movie?” Emery asked.