Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Soul mates.
I closed my eyes and cursed inwardly. Yep. Everything had been going far too well.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Now Jack was back in town.
On the surface, it was another good thing. It meant he could finally sell me his half of the boutique. But it was also bad. Knowing he was here made my skin crawl.
A light knock at the office door pulled me from my thoughts. I spun around and saw Harlee standing there.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I forced my voice to stay calm. “Yeah, just trying to figure out how to get things organized.”
“Are you really going to turn the back room into a…fun house?”
Laughing, I leaned back against my desk and folded my arms across my chest. I’d had lunch with Harlee and my sister Addie earlier, and Harlee had suggested I carry—of all things—dildos in my shop. Coming from her, it was funny as hell—and brilliant.
If the gossip column ever got wind of the naughty side of Harlee, the anonymous writer would be all over it. At the moment, they were focused on Addie and Gannon. Which was fine by me. When Jack and I were going through our divorce, we were the subjects of that column one too many times. It came out every Thursday, and even though people pretended not to care, everyone rushed to read it.
The last time I was mentioned, post-divorce, the writer had called me out for selling “old lady clothes.” I’d been angry and hurt at first…and then realized they were spot on. For years, I’d been so afraid of what Jack would say if I carried anything too sexy that I’d played it way too safe.
As soon as the divorce was final, I’d gotten in touch with a friend from college who was now a big fashion designer in New York. Together, we’d designed some new items for me to exclusively carry in the shop. They were mostly summer-chic outfits, but we’d played around with a few pieces of lingerie as well. I hadn’t really thought much about carrying a larger selection…until the conversation at lunch today.
“I think your idea of carrying sexier clothes, as well as toys, is a good one,” I said to Harlee.
Her eyes lit up. “Oh my God! You’re really going to do it?”
I laughed again. “I think so.”
Harlee pulled me away from the desk and hugged me. “I think that’s amazing, Sutton! And it’ll be good for you to get in touch with that inner goddess we all know is hiding in there.”
“Are you quoting the gossip column?”
She laughed. “I guess I am. But at lunch, I was being serious when I mentioned working here part time to help out. I’d really love it.”
I raised my brows. “Are you sure you want to sell sex toys? After all, you’re the unofficial Princess of Seaside.”
Harlee rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure who put me up on that pedestal.”
Reaching for her hand, I gave it a squeeze. “You deserve the recognition. You do so much for this town, Harlee.”
She smiled sweetly. “Thanks, Sutton. Moving on…let’s take a look at the back room and make a game plan.”
“Sounds good.”
After measuring the space and drawing out different layouts, Harlee and I finally came up with a configuration for the new sexy area of Coastal Chic. I was planning on incorporating pieces of white furniture with one round display in the middle.
“Okay, so…the toys. Do we put samples on display?” I asked, studying the back room.
Harlee glanced around. “I mean, wouldn’t you want to pick one up and hold it? Check out the vibration level and all that?”
I closed my eyes. “I can’t believe I’m really going to sell vibrators in my boutique.” My eyes snapped back open. “Wait—you touch them before buying them?”
Harlee slowly tilted her head and asked, “Have you ever used a vibrator, Sutton?”
I laughed. “God, no. If Jack found out I’d used one, he would have been pissed. He was more of an it’s-all-about-me kind of guy.”
She rolled her eyes. “I hate that man so much.”
“Join the club.”
“Anyway, I think we should keep the toys in a more private space. I mean, the sexier clothes and lingerie will be in here, but what if we…”
She trailed off in thought—then we simultaneously looked toward the loft area tucked beneath the roof. It was a storage space now but could easily be turned into a spot for the toys.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked as we looked at each other.
“The pleasure loft of Coastal Chic.”
We both fell into a fit of laughter. The kind of laughter that makes you cry and gasp for breath.
“I’m totally going to call it that from this point on,” Harlee said, letting out a long sigh.
I wiped away my tears and drew in a few deep breaths.
“So—what’s going on between you and Brody?” she asked.