20. Talk spice rating to me
Twenty
TALK SPICE RATING TO ME
Liv
With a little buzz and mildly full bellies, Viv and I head off to some stores we didn’t visit yesterday.
We stop in front of a shop called “Beach Babes” with bright bikinis, one-piece suits, large floppy beach hats, and cover-ups displayed in the windows.
Surrounding the hot-pink door are leafy green plants that resemble palm fronds.
The vibe is tropical—nothing like the little town it lives in—and yet, it just works somehow.
The bell chimes as we step inside. From somewhere in the store, we hear “Hello!” but can’t see the source.
Calypso drums play over the speakers in the ceiling, and the fresh scent of the ocean fills the air.
We wander through the racks, passing the checkout counter with a woman behind it who looks to be about Viv’s mother’s age.
With her nose in a book, a long brown braid drapes over one shoulder, and she’s in a fabulous linen outfit that looks both comfortable and professional.
We scour the racks for a few minutes. I find a bathing suit and cover-up. Viv lands on an oversized hat and a new bathing suit too. We peruse a bit more before wandering over to the counter where a candle named “Ocean Breeze” flickers and dances against the shifting air from the ceiling fan.
“Hi there—” I begin, but I’m cut off by a pointer finger held in the air, forcing me to wait. Viv cuts her eyes to me and smirks. The moments pass in uncomfortable silence, and the woman—Fran, her nametag says—lays a hand flat against her chest, sighing as she dog-ears the book page.
“Sorry about that. Who needs real-life men when we can have hot shadow daddy book boyfriends, am I right?”
“Does he have wings?” Viv asks.
“Oh yeah. Big ones.” Fran flicks her eyebrows up.
“And when she touches them, is it orgasmic?” I ask, leaning in slightly.
“If he doesn’t shudder and growl, telling her if she doesn’t stop he’ll do all sorts of dirty things to her, then is it even worth having the wings?” Fran asks.
“Nope.”
“Oh! And when he uses the wings to protect her?” Viv says. “I love that.”
“I read one where the guy gets his wings shredded in an effort to shield her from harm,” I say.
Fran considers this and sighs heavily. “I do love that level of devotion.”
She grabs our items and begins scanning mine first. “Staying at the Huffman House?” she asks.
“Yup,” I say. I don’t care how often I’m forced into it, I’ll never be comfortable with small talk.
“Sounds about right. I can’t imagine you traveled from a neighboring town to visit our little humble abode.
I love that family. Good boys, Luke and Josh.
Don’t see his sister Zoe much anymore since she married Roger.
” Fran rolls her eyes. I get the sense that Roger isn’t her favorite person.
“Holly comes out and about sometimes, though. Good kids, all of ’em. ”
I pay, nodding my agreement, and step aside so Viv can make her purchases.
“Lived here long?” Viv asks as Fran scans her hat.
“I bet this hat looks fabulous on you.” She glances up at Viv and then stuffs it into the bag.
“Yup, been here just about my whole life. I left for a while once. Went on some kind of spiritual journey, you know? Turns out I didn’t need that as much as I needed just some time to disassociate with a good book.
Sexy dragon shifters just do it for me.”
Fran catches me peering around the side of the counter to steal a peek at the title. It’s one I haven’t read before.
“Hey can I take a picture of the cover or jot the title down? I’ll add it to my list.”
“Oh, I’ll just give you the book when I’m done. I can probably get it to ya tomorrow.”
“Oh no, I can’t take your book. I’m happy to—”
“What the hell am I gonna do with it once I’m done reading it? Let it collect dust on my shelf? I’d rather see it in the hands of another reader. Besides, sharing is caring.” Fran waves me off.
“Okay, well, I grabbed a book for this trip that I started already. It’s a romantic comedy. If you’re interested, I’ll let you know when I’m done, and if you haven’t read it yet, you can have it. How’s that sound?” I ask, feeling like I need to give back somehow.
“Well now, that depends. Talk spice rating to me.” Fran pops a hip.
“Two chili peppers—according to the internet.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Fran’s face lights up. It would appear book swapping is a love language for her.
She lifts our bags over the counter and hands them over.
“Names?”
“I’m Liv, this is Viv.”
Fran laughs softly, a wide smile stretching across her face.
“Two peas in a pod. I’ll get that book over to ya, Liv. Enjoy Maple Cove, ladies.”
“Seriously, what is in the water in this town? Why is everyone so nice?” Viv whispers as the door to Beach Babes closes behind us.
We get back a little after lunchtime to find Sunny lounging across the check-in desk with Holly rubbing his belly.
“Liv, I’m sorry. He burst through the door when I went to clean your room, and then he just lay down here. I couldn’t bring myself to put him back. He seems so happy.” As if to emphasize this point, Sunny stretches his paws wide and twists his body back and forth.
Brief hesitation washes through me, but here he is, perfectly safe.
“It’s fine, Holly. Don’t worry about it. We plan to hang out on the beach today, so I’ll be close by. This is a good test for both of us.” I scratch the soft fur under his chin, trying not to feel stressed about my little boy roaming free in an unknown place.
I throw a glance at Viv, who’s checking something on her phone, and turn my attention back to Holly.
“Hey random question, but would you be interested in setting up a social media account for the bed-and-breakfast? I feel you’re missing out on a lot of business without it. Viv and I can help you get it up and running if you need.”
“I tried to get my mom to set up an account a few years back, but it was right after my dad passed away, and she just… It wasn’t on her radar, you know?
She had a lot on her plate, trying to manage the house without my dad around.
” Holly’s expression shifts, hands covering her cheeks.
“Wow, I didn’t mean to, like, get so personal.
” She slides her hands over, covering her eyes and shaking her head.
“I’m sorry! Anyway, I’d love that. And I think, like you said, it would help us a lot! ”
“I’m sorry to hear about your dad,” I say, rubbing Sunny’s nose.
“Oh, yeah, thanks. Luke really stepped up, you know? He and Josh, and my sister Zoe, kept my mom and the business going. I was still up at school finishing up—my mom insisted I graduate.” Holly stops, throwing her hands into the air.
“I’m rambling again. I’m sorry! Enough about me and all that.
Let me talk to my mom about the social media stuff.
” Holly waves her hand across her face and smiles brightly.
“Great!” I lean over and kiss Sunny on the head before we go. “Be good, cat.”
Viv and I change into our suits, grab some towels and chicken salad wraps from the counter in the great room, and make our way down to the beach.
There are about ten chairs on the private beach, all unoccupied. Umbrellas stand sentry, folded up and ready to be used. Having selected chairs, laid out our towels, and devoured our lunches, Viv and I were officially ready to kick off our first beach day.
“My favorite guests! Enjoying some of the excellent relaxation that the Huffman House offers, I see!” Josh saunters over carrying a pair of inner tubes.
He puts the tubes down in the sand and gestures to them.
“Your chariots, should you feel a bit overheated by the sun.” Josh lavishly sweeps his arms out over the inner tubes and bows.
“Are you always this ridiculous?” Viv laughs, sitting back against her lawn chair.
“Absolutely. Life’s a little more fun when you add a touch of ridiculous to it. What’s on the agenda today, ladies?”
“Oh, you know, a bit of this, a bit of that,” I answer, pulling my book from my bag.
“So, no plans then, huh? That’s cool. Ohhh whatcha reading?
” he sits down on the end of my chair and grabs my book.
“Loved this one. If you haven’t yet, go meet Fran.
She runs the Beach Babes shop in town and has the most gigantic stack of books to recommend.
She reads anything and everything, but I think romance is probably her favorite. ”
“Oh, we met,” I say, snatching my book back. “She’s dropping a book off for me in the next day or two, so I need to finish this one to trade with her.”
“Well, don’t let me stand in the way of a good book. Here, take down my number. My workload is a little lighter today, so if you need anything, just shoot me a text.”
Viv pulls out her phone and takes Josh’s number.
“What exactly do you do here, Josh?” Viv asks.
“Oh, you know, a bit of this, a bit of that.” He winks and leaves with a flourish.
“Did you know Josh is gay?” I ask once he’s well out of earshot.
“Yeah, I suspected.” She closes her eyes and lies back.
“Really? Luke told me this morning, and I was totally blindsided.”
“To be fair, you’re preoccupied. Josh hasn’t checked out my tits once, and they have been out on display! Look at these babies. They’re fantastic, and he didn’t even spare a glance.” She cups her breasts and looks between them.
“He could have just not been a boob guy. Maybe he’s more of a butt guy.”
“You don’t have to be a boob guy to appreciate these girls. Plus, he’s just really charming and not giving sexual, horny guy vibes at all. So… I just sort of suspected.” She puts her sunglasses on and leans back again. “Now, let me nap.”