’em and leave ’em playgirl like Camara wasn’t usually interested in what a woman thought, only what line was needed to get her into bed.
“There are only two reasons I can think of for you being single,” Deo said. “Either you haven’t met her yet, or you have—and she did something stupid.”
“What makes you think I didn’t do something stupid?” Allie grabbed both Deo’s hands in hers and started walking backwards down the sandy path to the beach, swinging their joined arms between them. She rounded a bend and the house disappeared. “Or maybe I’m single because I want to be.”
“Maybe.” Deo shrugged. “I am.” She stopped abruptly and pulled Allie toward her, causing Allie to stumble slightly and fall into her arms. Grasping her around the waist to steady her, she kissed her lightly. “But you were thinking of someone back there, and it made you sad.”
“And there’s nobody you ever think about who makes you sad?” Allie teased, settling her body into the curve of Deo’s. She curled her arms around Deo’s shoulders and enjoyed the heat kindled by the press of Deo’s breasts against hers. She didn’t want to talk about Ashley, and for the first time in a long time, she wanted to be touched.
“No,” Deo said quickly, covering Allie’s mouth with hers, searching for the passion that obliterated everything else. Not the way you mean, anyhow.
*
Nita sat on the steps leading from the deck to the path that snaked through the scrub and dunes to the beach. She had grown up by the ocean, but she never tired of watching the sun set over the water. Even the brief glimpse she had of Deo and a sultry young woman disappearing hand-in-hand couldn’t obliterate her pleasure. In fact, she was happy that she had seen the last of Deo Camara and refused to analyze the brief flicker of disappointment she’d felt upon seeing her leave the party with an attractive woman.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly for taking care of Joey,” Pia said, settling next to Nita on the wooden stairs.
“You’re welcome,” Nita said, “although it’s not necessary. I’m just glad his injury wasn’t worse.”
“God, so am I.” Pia sipped red wine from a plastic cup. “Sometimes I’m amazed that one of them doesn’t get hurt more often, but most of the time I try not to think about it.”
“I take it that Joey isn’t your only sibling in construction?”
“You figure right.” Pia smiled. “All of my family started out as fishermen or shipbuilders, a few generations back. My father and one of my brothers still fish, but over the years, shipbuilding dwindled away. The rest of the family naturally gravitated into construction.”
“Family businesses,” Nita said almost to herself.
“Yep. I’m the oddball, I guess.”
Nita wrapped her arms around one bent leg and rested her chin on her knee. Pensively, she asked, “How do they handle that?”
“Things were a bit tense when I lived in Boston, but now that I’ve moved home—well, not home home—but back in town…I’m a little too old to live with my parents,” Pia laughed, “we’ve pretty much fallen back into our old dynamic. It’s good.”
“Everyone else stayed? Your siblings?”
Pia nodded. “Amazingly enough, yes. Even the ones that went away to college came back. I guess this place is in our blood.”
“I can certainly see why. It’s beautiful. In fact, I’m buying a house myself.” Nita paused. “Torres. I don’t suppose you’re related to the real estate—”
“My mother.” Pia grinned at Nita’s surprised expression. “She’s not Portuguese, obviously. She came here on vacation one summer when she was just eighteen, met my father, and fell in love. Six kids later, the rest is history.”
“Do your siblings all resemble you?”
“Every one.”
“Amazing genes. I couldn’t believe how much you and your brother look like your cousin when I saw you all together this afternoon.”
“My
“There are only two reasons I can think of for you being single,” Deo said. “Either you haven’t met her yet, or you have—and she did something stupid.”
“What makes you think I didn’t do something stupid?” Allie grabbed both Deo’s hands in hers and started walking backwards down the sandy path to the beach, swinging their joined arms between them. She rounded a bend and the house disappeared. “Or maybe I’m single because I want to be.”
“Maybe.” Deo shrugged. “I am.” She stopped abruptly and pulled Allie toward her, causing Allie to stumble slightly and fall into her arms. Grasping her around the waist to steady her, she kissed her lightly. “But you were thinking of someone back there, and it made you sad.”
“And there’s nobody you ever think about who makes you sad?” Allie teased, settling her body into the curve of Deo’s. She curled her arms around Deo’s shoulders and enjoyed the heat kindled by the press of Deo’s breasts against hers. She didn’t want to talk about Ashley, and for the first time in a long time, she wanted to be touched.
“No,” Deo said quickly, covering Allie’s mouth with hers, searching for the passion that obliterated everything else. Not the way you mean, anyhow.
*
Nita sat on the steps leading from the deck to the path that snaked through the scrub and dunes to the beach. She had grown up by the ocean, but she never tired of watching the sun set over the water. Even the brief glimpse she had of Deo and a sultry young woman disappearing hand-in-hand couldn’t obliterate her pleasure. In fact, she was happy that she had seen the last of Deo Camara and refused to analyze the brief flicker of disappointment she’d felt upon seeing her leave the party with an attractive woman.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly for taking care of Joey,” Pia said, settling next to Nita on the wooden stairs.
“You’re welcome,” Nita said, “although it’s not necessary. I’m just glad his injury wasn’t worse.”
“God, so am I.” Pia sipped red wine from a plastic cup. “Sometimes I’m amazed that one of them doesn’t get hurt more often, but most of the time I try not to think about it.”
“I take it that Joey isn’t your only sibling in construction?”
“You figure right.” Pia smiled. “All of my family started out as fishermen or shipbuilders, a few generations back. My father and one of my brothers still fish, but over the years, shipbuilding dwindled away. The rest of the family naturally gravitated into construction.”
“Family businesses,” Nita said almost to herself.
“Yep. I’m the oddball, I guess.”
Nita wrapped her arms around one bent leg and rested her chin on her knee. Pensively, she asked, “How do they handle that?”
“Things were a bit tense when I lived in Boston, but now that I’ve moved home—well, not home home—but back in town…I’m a little too old to live with my parents,” Pia laughed, “we’ve pretty much fallen back into our old dynamic. It’s good.”
“Everyone else stayed? Your siblings?”
Pia nodded. “Amazingly enough, yes. Even the ones that went away to college came back. I guess this place is in our blood.”
“I can certainly see why. It’s beautiful. In fact, I’m buying a house myself.” Nita paused. “Torres. I don’t suppose you’re related to the real estate—”
“My mother.” Pia grinned at Nita’s surprised expression. “She’s not Portuguese, obviously. She came here on vacation one summer when she was just eighteen, met my father, and fell in love. Six kids later, the rest is history.”
“Do your siblings all resemble you?”
“Every one.”
“Amazing genes. I couldn’t believe how much you and your brother look like your cousin when I saw you all together this afternoon.”
“My
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