“It’s a cool bar in Jefferson Square called Martini’s. My girlfriend’s cousin owns it.”
Well.
That was a twist she hadn’t seen coming. The very bar where she and Adley had first seen each other, had first met, had first made out in the ladies’ room. She glanced at Adley, and there was that ghost of a smile again. For some reason, it made everything that had tensed up in Sabrina release, and she knew what the answer was, just like that. She gave Kirby a nod. “Sure. We’ll meet you.”
* * *
“Do you want to ride together or—?” Sabrina’s voice was close. Adley hadn’t heard her approach, so absorbed in jotting down notes for the Chocolate Cherry Bomb ice cream she was trying to get right. And it sent pleasant chills across her skin.
It was a good question. But things had been really great this week, and she felt less stressed around Sabrina. Less frustrated. Softer. That new sign? Calling the shop A Second Scoop? Yeah, that had been a big freaking deal. Many, many points to Sabrina for that.
“Sure, we can ride together. Just let me make myself presentable.” She’d already cleaned up her equipment and supplies and such, andnow she put her notes away in the small filing box on the shelf. She’d transfer them to the computer later, but she found that writing stuff down by hand somehow solidified things in her mind better. It’s how she’d always done it, and digging out her little box with the ice cream stickers on it had given her a thrill she hadn’t expected. She’d revisit the Chocolate Cherry Bomb tomorrow and get the cayenne just right. She gave the box an affectionate little pat.
“Okay. Let me know when you’re ready.” Sabrina gave her a smile, then headed back into her office, and yes, Adley watched her walk away. Yes, she watched that ass, the way it moved, the way her hips swayed. Thank God it was a short walk, and she could refocus on the job at hand after a few seconds.
In the small bathroom, she took off her white coat and tossed it into the small hamper. Sabrina had made sure she had five of them, and there was one clean one left. Time to do some laundry, and she made a mental note.
Had she known they’d be going out, she’d have dressed a bit nicer than the jeans and black T-shirt she wore, but that was okay. She didn’t want to dress up to go out with Sabrina, especially to Martini’s. That would definitely send the wrong signals, which made her laugh internally as she fixed her hair in the mirror, touched up her mascara, and applied lip gloss, and wondered what kinds of signalsthatwould be sending.
She had so many feelings around this new working environment. So many.
Joy. That was first and foremost. She’d had zero idea just exactly how happy it would make her to be back in ice cream. She woke up each morning thrilled to get to work. There was an element of relief around having somebody else take care of the numbers and the money and the workmen and the marketing. Somebody who was not only good at those things but enjoyed them. All she had to do was create the ice cream, which was her favorite thing in the world to do anyway. How had she gotten this lucky?
Fulfillment. That was another one. She felt like she was doing what she was meant to do again. And Sabrina was totally hands-off. She wasn’t an ice cream maker and she knew it, left it all in Adley’s more-than-capable hands, had undying faith in her abilities. She was also a fabulous taste tester, Adley had discovered. As good as Scottie.Maybe better, though she wouldn’t tell Scottie that. Sabrina was really good with the critiques. Gentle, insightful, suggestive. But still hands-off. Adley appreciated that more than she could put into words.
Contentment. She was settled here. Much more so than she’d been when she was running things alone. Much more so than she’d ever expected to be. She was exactly where she was supposed to be, doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing, and she knew that. Felt it, deep down in her very core. Some people were never as lucky as she was at thirty-five. Every day, she counted her blessings.
And then there was Sabrina.
Oh, what to do about Sabrina.
True, it had only been a week that she’d been working full-time, but the two of them? They looked. Oh, yeah, they looked. She’d caught Sabrina several times. Sabrina had caught her as well. Looking. Staring. In some cases, ogling. She could only speak for herself, but it was hard not to stare at Sabrina. The way she carried herself, the way she spoke to vendors and contractors and potential employees alike, kindly but firmly, never hesitant, always in control. The way she smiled every time she caught Adley looking. Equal parts flattered, shy, and knowing. God, it was sexy. She was sexy. Adley could admit that.
And she was softening, she could feel it. Softening to Sabrina. Leaning into forgiveness. She understood that, regardless of the way things had gone with them last year, it wasn’t intentional. They said business wasn’t personal, that you had to take the personal away when dealing with business, but she was pretty sure most small-business owners would disagree with that. When you owned a small business, your business was personal. It was your life and your livelihood, and if those things weren’t personal, she didn’t know what was.
But.
She was back now, in the same place, doing what she loved but with less pressure and less stress and still, there was Sabrina. Beautiful, kind, sexy Sabrina.
Adley gave herself one last look in the mirror and blew out a breath. Gave her head a shake. She knew where her thoughts were headed, and she needed to nip them in the bud. Things were different now.
Weren’t they?
She took a breath in slowly, let it out slowly while watching herself in the mirror. She counted to five, then left the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later, Sabrina was holding the door to Martini’s open for her to walk through. The place was jumping, and Adley noticed at least three different softball teams, based on the colors of T-shirts. It was mid-June, and recreational softball in upstate New York had begun a couple weeks ago.
“Softball,” Sabrina said, as if just discovering it was a thing. “We need to sponsor a couple teams. Maybe one adult and one youth?” She looked to Adley. “You think?”
“I think it’s a great idea. Good way to connect to the community.”
“Exactly.” Sabrina pulled out her phone and typed. Adley could see the Notes app open on the screen.
Kirby spotted them and waved them over to the bar where she sat. “Saved you a stool,” she said happily, then indicated a pretty woman with light brown hair and striking eyes sitting next to her. “Sabrina, Adley, this is my girlfriend, Amelia. Babe, these are the awesome women I’ve been working for that I was telling you about.” Handshakes and smiles all around and soon everybody had drinks.
“You sit,” Sabrina said to her, indicating the stool. “You’ve been on your feet all day while I’ve been at my desk.” Adley nodded and slid onto the stool, Sabrina standing close.
It was something Adley really loved about her hometown, the openness, the welcoming atmosphere. Kirby kept her hand on Amelia’s back, rubbing in circles, and it was clear to anybody who looked that they were together. Adley found herself enjoying the closeness of Sabrina, inhaling the clean, fresh scent of her, even after a full day’s work.
