Fly With Me (Wild Aces #1)(28)

I walked into my boutique, The Sassy Seahorse, the next morning, coffee in one hand, a bag of croissants from the bakery next door in the other.

We had the best location, one Sophia and I had spent weeks searching for. It wasn’t cheap, but it gave us amazing foot traffic from tourists and locals. Our town, Seaspray, wasn’t big, but it had the cutest beach area that drew a crowd during Florida’s nearly nonexistent winters and postcard-like summers. Little shops lined the streets, all locally owned boutiques with colorful awnings and cute names that incorporated alliteration and some form of marine animal and catered to a mix of wealthy locals and tourists who were so filled with gratitude to be out of snow and below-freezing temperatures that they happily parted with seventy dollars for a bathing suit.

Our boutique sat a block from the beach, so close that you could smell the salty air, sandwiched in between The Coral Cupcake, a bakery known for incorporating cute beach-themed designs on some of the best baked goods in the world, and The Preppy Pelican, a kid’s clothing store that I’d already mentally spent a small fortune at in preparation for Mike and Meg eventually having kids.

The front door swung closed behind me and the sight of brightly colored dresses, metallic sandals, and bikinis with funky prints hit me full-force. It might have been late February, but it was Florida and the tourists were already coming in droves, flocking toward one part of the country that wasn’t besieged by winter. It was early, but it was already shaping up to be a very good year.

I set my bag down behind the register, going through the motions of opening the store. Sophia had closed the night before so there wasn’t a ton of straightening up to do. Just turning on the register, flicking on lights, making sure everything was neat and in its proper place.

We were open six days a week, from ten in the morning until six in the evening. We’d fidgeted with our hours before finding the perfect combination that worked with our sleepy town. This part of the state wasn’t the get-drunk-and-take-your-top-off Florida that you saw on news programs lambasting the debauchery of spring break. No, this was quiet Florida, the home of the early bird special, the kind of town where families moved because it was a good place to raise kids.

My parents were third generation, and I’d never considered living anywhere else. I’d gone away for college, but my family was here, and I was a Florida girl through and through. I’d figured I’d meet some guy and we’d get engaged and then married, and settle down here, and it would be the perfect place to raise our kids. I just hadn’t planned on how long I’d be searching, or considered the fact that while this was a great place to raise kids, it was a really shitty place to be single. There wasn’t any nightlife to speak of, and more and more of my contemporaries were heading farther south in search of better jobs and a more affordable cost of living.

Making my dating pool even smaller.

I finished tidying up minutes before the seahorse-shaped clock on the wall hit ten. I walked over to the entrance, flipping the sign in the front window and propping the door open.

They came in droves.

The awesome thing about living in a small town was that it genuinely felt like a family. I’d known most of our customers since I was a kid, and we had a loyal base that came to stock their wardrobes. And everyone knew we’d been to Vegas, so of course, they all came in wanting details.

I was telling my fifth person about Meg’s bachelorette when Sophia strolled in with my dog, Lulu.

Best part of owning your own boutique?

The ability to bring your dog to work whenever you wanted.

Lulu’s entry was accompanied by the usual noises and exclamations that came whenever anyone saw her. She was quite possibly the cutest dog I’d ever seen, and while I might not have been the most impartial source considering I loved her like a child, the attention she garnered confirmed my feelings.

She had short legs and a squat body that looked like a cross between a pug and a dachshund. Her face was all beagle, her fur covered in black and white spots that made people ask me if she was a mini-Dalmatian. Her tail was possibly her best feature. It wagged constantly in an enthusiastic thump that had been known to whack you if you got too close. She wore a pink rhinestone collar that gave her a stately look and an air of royalty.

She was pretty badass.

I crouched down and she ran toward me, hopping up on her hind legs, her paws on my thighs, covering my face in doggy kisses.

I seriously loved my dog.

“I missed you so much,” I crooned, making ridiculous baby noises that had her tail beating even harder.

I picked her up, wincing a bit at her increased heft. She loved treats, and Sophia definitely had the indulgent aunt role down.

I hugged Sophia. “Thanks for taking care of her. And for holding down the fort. The store looks amazing.”

Sophia grinned. “No problem. It was my pleasure.” She leaned forward and gave Lulu a kiss. “Next time, I might not give her back, though. She’s the best sleeping buddy I’ve ever had.”

“Yes, she is.” I made more kissy noises that had Lulu squirming in my arms trying to give me another few licks. Finally I set her down on the floor, watching as she waddled over to the pink velvet pillow Sophia had bought her for Christmas last year. She plopped down, curling her body up so that she could keep watch on her humans and on the store that had become her domain.

“So what did I miss?” I asked, heading behind the cash register.