“Oh, I was. He’s still there. I came down to get the shop up and running. I’m training a manager.” Her gaze dipped to the panties we were both still mauling, then back up at me. “Hi, I’m Ava. Ava Grayson.”
She seemed older than Hatch, maybe closer to thirty-five.
“I’m Shelby Mae.” I hated having to use that name. It felt like a betrayal of how far I’d come, but I had no choice. I had to protect Hatch, who was helping me out in keeping my secret identity.
“Shelby Mae? Can’t say I’ve heard a name like that around here.”
There was that smirk, an expression I remembered well. I’d seen it a million times every time someone heard my name for the first time.
Feeling a little bitchy at her superior attitude, I asked, “So were you Hatch’s babysitter?”
Her brow wrinkled. “No! I’m an old friend of the family.”
Old is right. Though that was uncharitable. The greedy way she was looking at Hatch had my claws out.
She shifted her attention to Hatch, who looked uncomfortable. Was that because of me or her? “Is the family coming down?”
“In a couple of weeks.”
“And you and …” She gestured toward me and left the query hanging.
“Shelby Mae’s a friend of Adeline’s. She’s here to get some work done.”
Either no one in Saugatuck followed the Rebel WAGs unless they were intimately connected to a Kershaw, or my disguise of undereye circles, waif-chic, and a Motors cap was working like gangbusters.
“What kind of work?”
“I write romance novels. Under a pseudonym, of course. Very erotic.” I thumbed over my shoulder. “Just doing a little research. There’s always a scene where the hero buys the heroine fancy underwear and ‘instructs’ her to give him a naughty show in the dressing room.” At Ava’s horrified expression, I went on. “Oh, I’m not that method! I just wanted to get a feel for it before I sit down and write. This place is so cute, by the way! I love that ruffle-collared blouse at the front.”
I took a few steps forward, banking on Ava’s business sense taking precedence over her cougar one. My hunch was rewarded when she followed me to the front of the shop. I held the top over my body and faced a mirror. I was a mess, but this blouse was fire.
“That would be so pretty on you. The cornsilk blue flowers would pick up the blue of your eyes. Such an unusual shade.”
“Summer night storms my momma used to say.” That hussy Shelby Mae had to have her way sometimes. And as she was on a roll … I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Do you think Hatch would like it? On me?”
Ava looked at my reflection. “I think any man would.”
I gave an aw-shucks shrug. “But he’s the only one who matters right now.” I turned and handed the hanger off to her. “I’ll need to think about it. Hey, Hatch, let’s go to dinner. I like the look of that Italian place on the waterfront.”
“Sure, just want to pay for this first.” He held up the underwear, the fiend.
“Oh, there’s no need.” It was forty bucks!
“I think there is. Gotta give you inspiration for the book.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what his game was. I’d pulled Ava away from his orbit because he didn’t seem to enjoy being in her presence. Had I got it wrong? Was he trying to make her jealous?
A minute later, we were outside, walking toward his car. He opened the passenger door for me before I even realized what he was doing. Dash never did that. Once, he wouldn’t even let me get into his car because he worried my rain-drenched clothes would damage the buttery leather interior.
“Why were you pretending we were a couple?” he asked as soon as he got in behind the wheel.
So he had heard me talking to Ava. “Because she wants you and I didn’t think the feeling was mutual. I was trying to help you out.”
“Maybe you should write a romance novel.” He pulled out of the parking space.
“So what’s the deal with you two?”
“Let’s eat, Shelby Mae.”
