“It’s as if all our dreams have come true.” She sighs. “Remember when we were little and we dreamt about double dating? I say we make the rest of our dreams come true tonight. What do you say, Bizzy?” She winces. “Let me answer that for you. The answer is yes. Wait, did you just say yes?” She lets out a riotous whoop. “Where should we go? Your choice. Whatever you guys decide, we’ll be up for.”
“Emmie. The correct answer is we should go nowhere. You should go nowhere with him. Leo’s a notorious womanizer. I don’t like the thought of my best friend being womanized.”
Emmie huffs, “Bizzy, he’s amazing. And he’s not womanizing me. We’re just getting to know one another.”
“Please tell me you haven’t crossed any carnal lines with him.”
Her lips invert and tell me everything I don’t want to know.
A hard groan comes from me.
“Bizzy”—she gives my arm a tug—“you have no idea what that man is capable of.”
“Oh, I have some idea.”
It’s Emmie who has no idea what he’s capable of—not in the telepathic sense anyway seeing that Leo is telesensual like me. It’s creepy knowing he has the ability to pry into her deepest thoughts. I can, too. But around me, Emmie pretty much says whatever she’s thinking.
“Anyway.” She shrugs my way as she waves Cinnamon over. “Leo and I are getting pretty serious. And I really want you to like him—to like him and me together. I know Leo and Jasper had a falling-out, but I don’t want that to ruin anything. I always thought we’d be couple friends when we grew up. I really want this to work. So whatever differences you have, I need you to put them aside.” She gives a few solid blinks my way as if she were holding back her emotions. “Bizzy, I think he might be the one.”
“The one what?” No sooner do the words stream from me than I gasp. “The one, one?”
She gives a quick nod before Cinnamon trots over and she leashes him.
“Hey there.” I bend over and dot a kiss to Cinnamon’s forehead. “Stop growing up so fast, would you?”
Cinnamon lets out a small bark. Great news, Bizzy. I’m still a puppy. Emmie reminds me of that every day.
Fish hops over to Cinnamon and claws at her playfully before bleating out a mewl. Come out more often. Gatsby won’t be with us forever, and I know you have an eye for him.
Fish! Cinnamon barks gruffly.
“Whoa.” Emmie reins her in. “What’s got you, girl? Fish isn’t going to hurt you.”
“Huh,” I say as I give Cinnamon a quick scratch between the ears. “I think someone here has a crush on Gatsby.”
Cinnamon lowers her head and covers her eyes. So embarrassing.
“Aww!” Emmie coos. “Is that true, sweet girl? I can’t say I blame you. He is a handsome boy.” She looks my way. “What’s going to happen to the poor guy?”
“I have no idea,” I say, looking back as Sherlock and Gatsby run in and out of the waves. “But I guess he’s mine for now. And I don’t mind one bit.”
“You know who keeps saying he wants a dog?” Emmie has that mischievous look in her eye that makes me twitchy.
“Who?”
“Leo.”
“No.” I can’t help but moan. “Emmie, you’re pulling us all farther into the Leo Granger vortex. I just don’t want him to break your heart, and not only would he break your heart, but he’d break your dog’s heart, too. And that’s more than my heart can handle.”
“Don’t you worry about our hearts. I’ll run it by Leo.” She gives a little hop and a skip. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait to tell him the good news! Both pieces of good news!” She trots off with Cinnamon in tow.
“There’s no good news,” I shout after her and she laughs like a woman possessed, like a woman in…
I suck in a quick breath at the horrid revelation.
No, no, no. Emmie cannot fall in love with Leo.
Okay, fine. Leo is not that bad. But he’s unpredictable. And unpredictable is scary. Not only is he unpredictable, but he has a track record of loving and leaving ’em.
It looks as if Jasper and I are about to have one interesting double date night.
My phone pings and I glance down at the screen to see it’s a text from Georgie.
Winner, winner, Stormy dinner.
We got her.
Chapter 10
It turns out, Stormy Weston works at a needlepoint shop out on the pier in Whaler’s Cove.
“Needlepoint.” I shake my head as Georgie, Juni, and I do what sounds like a little fox-trot across the wooden wharf. “I wouldn’t have pegged Stormy for someone who hangs out in a needlepoint shop.”
“Hey, don’t knock it.” Juni dances her elbows from side to side as we indulge in a little speed walking. “A dollar is hard to come by these days. Ask me how I know.”
“I’m sorry,” I say. “Are you having a tough time finding work? I’m telling you, it’s an epidemic in this country as far as anyone who’s been incarcerated. Once a person serves their time, they have a right to rebuild their lives. You can work at the inn if you want. I’m sure I can find something for you to do.”
“I don’t want anything to do.” Juni sounds affronted that I even assumed so much. “I’m talking about the men I’m seeing. They work all day and can’t even afford to take me out for a juicy steak in the evening. I’m sick and tired of dating men who can’t treat me to the lifestyle I’ve become accustomed to.”
Georgie snorts. “And I’m sick and tired of hitting up mamby pamby joints like a needlepoint shop. What happened to the good old days of investigating, Bizzy? I want the grit
