Devon's gaze dipped to his chinos, like he'd just remembered they were snowy white. He opened his mouth, but the only thing that came out was a strangled laugh that would've fooled nobody with half a brain.
Griff crossed his arms. "You think I'm joking?"
By now, Devon looked like a racehorse about to bolt. "Me?"
The word had barely left his lips when the bell over the door jingled again.
In unison, we all turned to look.
At who I saw in the open doorway, I didn't know whether to laugh or groan. It was Sierra, looking wet and frazzled, like a Barbie doll yanked from the wash cycle. She wore pink yoga pants, a matching pink raincoat, and an expression so sour, it could've curdled milk.
When she spotted Devon, her eyes narrowed to slits. She marched forward, letting the door swing shut behind her. "You'rehere?" She said "here" like the bike shop was a low-budget brothel.
"Uh, yeah…" Devon gave her a twitchy grin. "And so are you."
"Yes," she gritted out. "Because my massage sucked. It was total amateur hour." Her tone became accusing. "And what happened to your walk?"
With a weak chuckle, Devon replied, "Ididwalk."
"Andthisis where you ended up?" Her voice rose. "Seriously?"
"Uh…yeah," Devon said. "I was just inviting them for a double date."
"Oh, really?" She put her hands on her hips. "We never talked about that."
Devon gave her the same crooked smile he'd pulled out on me. "Yeah, well…I thought you'd like a surprise."
From the look on her face, she was likingthissurprise nearly as much asI'dliked the surprise dumping I'd gotten in college.
But here and now in my shop,Iwas the one surprised when she said with a thin smile, "Fabulous."
I snorted. "I wouldn't gothatfar."
Sierra turned her flinty eyes on me. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Before I could answer, the door jingled again, and Chadwick Kensington the Third burst into the shop, calling out, "Fin time!"
I blinked, sure I'd misheard. Did he mean…funtime?
He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, long safari shorts, and dark sunglasses in spite of the rain. He looked around, extended his arm, and pointed straight at me. "You! I need Shark Bike."
Ohhhhh.Finally, it made sense. Shark fin. In spite of everything, I couldn't help but smile. "So, you're back?"
He grinned. "Hell, yeah!" He hitched a thumb toward the window. "And it's perfect shark weather. Am I right?"
I gave a slow nod. "Totally."
Sierra eyed Chad like he'd just tracked mud across a museum floor. "What the hell isthat?"
"What's what?" Chad asked.
She made a face. "Shark Bike. Seriously? What are you? Twelve?"
Chad snorted. "That's whatIsaid before I got to know it." He lowered his voice. "Youdorealize it's only for VIPs."
She gave him a dubious look. "You meanyou?"
"You bet your ass," he said. "I'm a certified influencer."