He put his mouth next to her ear. “Stop flirting with me, Sierra. I need to focus on this party, and then, I’ll focus on you.”
Her jaw dropped as he pressed a kiss to her temple and walked away.
“I. Do. Not. Flirt!”
But he was already stepping into a conversation with Marco and Brick, leaving the words hanging in the air.
Damn the man. He was impossible.
Inez and Brooklyn immediately swarmed her. “You sneaky slut,” Inez teased, grabbing her hand. “That was the hottest scene I’ve ever eavesdropped on. You were practically melting over each other.”
Brooklyn had a dreamy look in her eyes. “That man hurts my eyes with his sexiness. And you look sensational—all glowy and hot. Oh, my God, the Manolos! You are serious tonight!”
Sierra couldn’t help laughing at the remark. He’d definitely won that round.
Her friends peppered her with questions. She answered some, dodged the others. But confessed they still hadn’t slept together yet and they were figuring things out.
“Not much to figure out,” Inez said. “Things look pretty perfect from over here. He’s your sister’s fiancé’s bestie. The town loves him. He’s into you. All the checkmarks are there.”
“Things do seem to be going well,” she said with a hint of worry.
Brooklyn sighed. “I know it’s hard to believe it won’t all fall apart. After your divorce, you grew in so many ways but you also kept yourself locked up tight. When I see you two together, it’s like your light is back on, Sierra.”
Inez nodded. “It’s totally okay to go slow and have doubts. That’s how trust is built. Just don’t create obstacles when there aren’t any to keep yourself safe.”
Sierra smiled. “I love you, guys. Thanks for the therapy session, I think I needed that.”
The next hour flew by as the buffet opened and everyone mingled.
She was on her third Romantic cocktail when Deanna and Carlos motioned her over. Deanna owned the café and Carlos owned the toy store next to Flirt. After casualties were exchanged, Deanna gave a frown. “We wanted to ask if you’d heard anything about Bernie getting you a lease renewal. I know yours is up before ours but there have been some rumors flying around that are freaking me out.”
“No, he’s not answering my calls. I just figured he was busy and would get it to me soon. What have you heard?”
Carlos and Deanna exchanged a look. “My friend works for a real estate place. Has connections with some developers and it seems they’re looking to put in a luxury hotel. Our building may be up for sale.”
Sierra tried to process. “Wait—you think we’ll have a new landlord? Are you worried our rents will go up or something worse?”
Deanna shrugged. “Don’t know. Depends on who it sells to and what Benny wants. I mean, the place has been falling apart lately—he hasn’t made any repairs to the lot or the roof. Maybe it’s his way of getting out of expensive repairs. Property values are crazy high.”
Sierra nodded. “To be honest, I was trying not to worry but Benny has kind of disappeared. Crap. Isn’t that property too small to convert to a hotel? I doubt we’d be prime real estate for that move.”
Carlos took a sip of his beer. “Probably right. They’d have to own the land behind to do anything of value. We’re trying to get a meeting with Benny together. Want to join us?”
“Definitely. Let’s get ahead of this instead of being surprised. Maybe we can hire a lawyer to look over the lease or our options?”
“Good idea,” Deanna said.
Sierra tried not to worry during her sister’s party, so she tucked the information aside for tomorrow. The cake was rolled out, and she couldn’t help feeling proud of their choice when everyone oohed and aahed over the multi-tier sugar concoction. Kane checked on her, bringing her a slice and making sure she sat to eat. His gentle scolding was like a warm blanket wrapped around her. As the oldest and always in charge, it was rare anyone tried to mother her. Having him so attentive fed her hungry soul.
The DJ began to play and people started to dance. Inez and Brooklyn gave a shriek and dragged her out, refusing to listen to her protests. Soon, Aspen joined them and Sierra let herself go, allowing her body and mind and soul to be free. “Dancing Queen” blasted out and women flooded the floor, joining together to loudly sing the lyrics. There was something about dancing with other women, feeling safe enough to surrender to the movement of limbs and shaking of hips, of heads flung back and skirts flashing bare legs. The crowd lining the floor began to clap and sing along, and Sierra hung on to her sister as they spun and lip-synced full force.
She caught Kane’s eye and her heart leapt. His gaze was focused on her, a wide grin curving his lips, obviously enjoying the show.
That’s when Sierra made her final decision.
Tonight, Kane Masterson would finally be in her bed.
***
