Free Once Upon A Night At Sea by Barbara Longley Page B

her last disappointing heartbreak, she’d decided to focus solely on her new business for a while, at least until Allen Decor & Design showed a nice fat profit. When that happy day arrived, she’d hire more help and think about dating again. Not now.
    Marin climbed into her car and retrieved her phone. Hitting speed dial, she kept her eye on the rearview mirror, hoping to catch another glimpse of the hot guy. “Anne.”
    “Marin.”
    They’d used the same conversational shorthand since high school, with tone alone conveying the seriousness of the conversation to come. “I’ve had a very interesting morning.”
    “Oh?” Anne’s voice held avid interest. “Tell me.”
    “It seems I’ve won a Caribbean cruise through SLS’s Valentine’s Day raffle.”
    “That’s so exciting!”
    “Yeah, but here’s the thing… I never bought any tickets.” Silence. She waited, glancing again at the line of cars at the drive-through window in the hopes it might have shortened. It hadn’t. “Anne,” she repeated.
    “Mea culpa. I bought one ticket for you and three for me.”
    “Why did you buy me a ticket?”
    “Guilt. I know you don’t like parties, but you came anyway… for me. Just like you joined the club so I’d have someone to attend events with. Wow, you won!”
    Marin held the phone away from her ear, waiting for Anne’s volume to return to normal.
    “I’m so excited for you… and jealous for me. I was hoping we’d both win.”
    “I don’t know if—”
    “You’re going.”
    “This will be my store’s first spring. I have merchandise to process and clients who—”
    “You’re taking this trip, Marintha. All you do these days is work. It’s not healthy.”
    “Hmm. We’ll talk about it later. I’m not through with you yet. On another note, you’ll never guess what else happened this morning.”
    “Tell me,” Anne said. “I live for your foibles.”
    “I slipped on a patch of ice in the parking lot at a coffee shop and tossed my latte all over a gorgeous guy.”
    “No!” Anne laughed.
    “Yes.” Marin described the dreamy man in detail.
    “Was he wearing a wedding ring? Did you get his number?”
    “No and no, but I gave him my card and told him I’d pay for the dry cleaning. He’s not my type.”
    “Marin…”
    “He isn’t. He wanted to go back inside and give the poor baristas a hard time about the condition of the parking lot, like it’s their fault Minnesota has ice. Besides, no more lectures about my social life. After working in my mom’s shadow for years, I’ve finally opened my own design studio, and that’s what I want to concentrate on right now.” Marin started her car. “Hey, you want to go see a movie tonight?”
    “Sure. I’ll call you later.”
    “OK. Later.” With her phone safely stowed in her purse, she pulled her car out of her parking spot and headed for her store, already dreading the awful coffee her minions brewed in the tiny closet they used for breaks.

#
    “Too bad,” Jason muttered. He hadn’t meant to scare the pretty blonde away. He’d only been teasing when he’d suggested they hold the coffee shop responsible, but she hadn’t stuck around long enough to let him explain. He’d just wanted to get her back inside, so he could buy her a replacement latte and have a good laugh over what had happened. After all, he was in the mood to celebrate, and he wasn’t going to let a hot, sticky dousing dampen his spirits.
    He kept an eye on her as she made her way to her car in case she slipped again. Why did women insist upon wearing high heels in this weather? Once he saw she was safely inside her car, he walked into the coffee shop, grabbed a fistful of napkins and wiped what he could of the fast-drying liquid off his jacket.
    The kid behind the counter eyed the state of his clothing with mild curiosity. “Spilled it, eh?”
    “Something like that.” Jason ordered his usual and studied the card the woman had given him. Marintha Allen, Allen