Chapter 38
Thirty-Eight
Poppy
“Wait!” Gertie calls as we walk by.
Storm’s fingers tighten on mine, but his expression isn’t angry. Amusement dances through his gray eyes. “Aren’t we old news by now, Gert?” he asks.
“Yes,” she says, busting up to us, her gemstone necklace bouncing with each step. “So do something interesting.”
He snorts.
But she’s still talking, “Anyway, I need you all to come with me for the grand unveiling.”
“What’s an unveiling?” Holly asks.
“It’s—” I stop. “Actually, I’m not sure what it is in this case. Where do you want us to go, Gertie?”
She links her arm through mine and smiles up at Holly, who’s sitting on Storm’s shoulders. “Your mommy had a great idea. I was able to make that into something epic.” A beat. “That’s what we’re going to unveil.”
I have an inkling what she’s talking about.
And I’m not certain it’s going to be epic.
I allow her to drag me along Main Street (and past the turn-off for the beach) anyway.
“Who’re you young hunks?” she asks, eyeing the gaggle of hockey players who’ve joined us in our trek.
“Smitty,” the tall, bushy-bearded defenseman Storm introduced me to earlier says. “And you know Shep, I presume.”
“Oh, do I,” Gertie says, abandoning my arm for Smitty’s and listening as he introduces the rest of the Hawks players in attendance.
Smitty plays for the Grizzlies, so I’m not exactly certain why he’s here when it’s Storm and his teammates from the Hawks who were practicing.
Though I suspect it’s partly because of what I learned from Violet this afternoon: the man is obsessed with joining the ranks of her company, Blue Line Matchmaking.
She pairs up hockey players through an intense (and skilled) matchmaking process.
She also—and I don’t have the full story of how it all happened yet, especially because Violet doesn’t seem the type to mix business with pleasure—but somehow Vi matched herself with a hockey player of her own.
Ace Ambrose is gorgeous, strong, skilled, and has a smile that could melt the iciest of hearts.
He also plays on the Hawks with Storm and the others and is completely smitten with Violet.
Which is good.
Because I just met Vi, but she’s awesome, and if he didn’t love her like he should…
Well, I’d be siccing the Cedar Hollow Mafia on him.
Clarke, Griff, and Reed, who’s perched his son, Asher, on his shoulders—a la Storm and Holly—dutifully follow Smitty and Gertie, Ace and Violet trailing them. Shep indicates Clover to precede him, but she just glares and all but glues herself to my side.
“You know,” I say, “I think if you just told him you weren’t interested, he might get the picture.”
Her cheeks go red and she glances over at me, eyes sparking. “Don’t you think I’ve tried that?”
I study her edgy expression.
No, I don’t think she has.
Hence, Shep trailing after her like a persistently adorable puppy dog.
Still…
“Want me to get rid of him?”
Clover’s buns bounce as she exhales heavily. “No,” she mutters. “He’s harmless.” Her voice drops. “And not that annoying. Plus, Holly loves hanging out with him.”
I almost say, I think you might too.
But something about the set of her jaw has me biting back the teasing sentiment.
No need to take on The Enforcer today.
“Gather round, gather round!” Gertie calls, clapping her hands and herding us all toward the sheet-covered object. “Poppy! Poppy!” It’s a screech followed by frantic waving. “Come up here!”
Storm lifts an eyebrow in question.
“Heaven help me,” I mutter.
But there’s no stopping Gertie, so I just shuffle my way through the crowd and move to her side.
“We have our wonderful Poppy Baker—”
“Gonna be Poppy Harrison sometime soon,” someone says, making the crowd titter.
I sigh, shake my head, though my cheeks go hot.
“—to thank for this illustrious occasion,” Gertie goes on without missing a beat.
“Oh, God,” I whisper.
But she’s pulling at the sheet, whipping it off with a flourish, and—
Yup. It’s as bad as I thought.
The Welcome to Cedar Hollow sign has been refinished…and is now also emblazoned with:
Love is the only currency that matters.
Clover giggles. Storm is grinning. Smitty is clapping and whooping, alongside Holly, whose pride for me shines brightly on her face.
And God, it’s cheesy and embarrassing and even now pictures are being snapped to send off to the Cedar Hollow Gazette, and…
Hell, I don’t care.
Because this is my town, my family, my—
Storm’s gaze connects with mine.
My love.
Maybe it is the only currency that matters.
Not that I’ll tell Gertie that.
But I do pose with the sign, take the obligatory pictures, and give a quote for the Gazette.
Then I cash in some of that currency, take Storm’s hand, and walk down to Cedar Hollow Beach.
Clem plunks her hands on her hips, taps her cowboy-booted foot on the ground. “You’d all better be playing in the Home Ice Classic!”
I grin and lean back on the towel Storm snagged from The Shack, my belly full of hot dogs and nachos and perfectly crispy fries, my head a little fuzzy from the second beer I had, but I’m sobering up enough to appreciate the fact that Clem is doing her thing…
And to know that I’ll need to leave to open Sully’s soon.
I ran back earlier and stuck a sign on the door announcing that we’d be opening late.
But that time is rapidly approaching, and even though Cassie is chatting happily on the beach, I’ve seen her check her watch more than once over the last half hour.
She needs the money from her shift—and her tips.
Still, I don’t move just yet.
Instead, I roll to the side and watch Clem face off with a whole new gaggle of hockey players.
They’re multiplying.
Like the Cedar Hollow Mafia.
Rome, the captain of the Eagles, grins good-naturedly as he trails after his newly walking baby.
His wife, Chrissy, who recently opened a rescue center just outside of town, quickly volunteers him to play, along with the others who showed up and joined in on the beachfront festivities—King, Cam, Hudson, West, and Rhodes.
Chloe and Holly are splashing at the water’s edge under the watchful eye of Finn.
They’ll be driving back to Oakland tonight…with my daughter for a sleepover.
Something the troublesome duo instigated.
And something I jumped at, even though I’ll need to work the closing shift at Sully’s.
Because Storm and I…well, we need some uninterrupted adult time with each other.
And my red bikini.
Grinning, I sit up, brush the sand off my body and move over to the girls and Finn. “I have to head over to Sully’s, so I’ll pack a bag for her.”
“Sounds great.”
“You sure about this?” I ask softly as the girls shriek and run around like lunatics.
She laughs. “I’m sure.” A wink. “About you and Storm needing some time alone.”
I pretend to swat at her.
“I’m kidding.” She bumps her shoulder against mine. “All Chloe’s wanted for ages is a big girl sleepover. This is the perfect excuse.” She slips her arm around my waist. “Plus, you know what this means, right?”
“A potentially sleepless night for you and Rhodes?”
A grin. “That and the knowledge that one day soon you’ll reciprocate.”
I still. Then groan good-naturedly. “You have me there.”
We stand side by side for a few more minutes then I glance at my watch.
“Go,” Finn encourages. “I’ll let them play and hopefully tire themselves out.” A wink. “We’ll be over to Sully’s soon to say goodbye.”
I nod, manage to avoid getting splashed when I kiss Holly on the top of her head and fill her in.
Then I’m nodding at Cassie and starting up the beach—
“Where do you think you’re going?” Storm says, looping an arm around my middle and drawing me back against him, nipping at the top of my ear.
“To open Sully’s,” I say, turning in the circle of his arms. “Don’t worry”—I press a kiss to his lips—“I was going to tell you before I slipped away.”
“I’ll come with you,” he begins.
“No,” I order softly. “Enjoy the night. Keep an eye on Holly. And then come to me when things wind down.”
Gray eyes searching mine.
I touch his jaw, smile. “I expect a full brief on all the Shepnanigans.”
Amusement drifting into his eyes. “And also about the Rainmaggedon?”
“Good one,” I tease.
“You sure you’ll be okay without me?”
I lean closer. “It makes me happy that you’re here, that you’re able to have this. Plus, I know if I need you all I have to do is call.”
He nods.
“So let me keep giving this to you, yeah?”
“Fuck, I—” But he bites back the rest of what he wanted to say, closes his eyes for a heartbeat. An exhale as he rests his forehead against mine, whispers, “Okay, baby.”
I hold him for another moment.
Then manage to pull away so Cassie and I can get to work.
It’s not long before the party transitions from the beach over to Sully’s, but I manage to find time in the rush to pack a bag for Holly and get my snuggles in before she, Chloe, Finn, and Rhodes take off with the promises of plenty of pictures and text updates.
Then she’s gone and I’m busy mixing drinks while Cassie is delivering them. Storm and Rain come in alongside Shep and the others, but my girls don’t (though Clem sends me a text saying that Riley and Clover have had enough of “annoying men” so are heading to Clover’s place).
I demand regular updates from them too, but that’s as much time as I have to spend on my phone.
Because we are hopping all the way up until closing.
Good for the bank account, tough on the feet.
Eventually, Storm and I fall into our old pattern of mopping and sweeping, cashing out and locking up, and then we’re slowly making our way upstairs, brushing teeth and doing our evening routine.
But when he crawls into bed, much as he has the last two weeks—that being without any inclination that he’s going to jump my bones and leave me limp after multiple orgasms, I decide to take matters into my own hands.
I disappear back into the bathroom.
Squeeze myself into my tiny red bikini.
Then walk back into the bedroom.