Seaside Romance by Mia Ross

Author:Mia Ross [Ross, Mia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin (UK) Ltd
Published: 2013-06-06T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“Bowling? Nick said they’re going bowling?”

Laden with sarcasm, the question came from Bree Landry, who sat in the backseat of Julia’s car. A petite woman with auburn hair and dark, intelligent eyes, Lauren had connected with her when she stopped in to visit Julia on her way to her husband Cooper’s law office. The three of them had ended up chatting like long-lost sorority sisters, and Lauren had learned more about Cooper, Nick and Ben than she technically needed to know.

“That’s what he said,” Julia confirmed. “Why?”

“You know why,” Bree scoffed. “When Nick’s involved, you never know what’s really going on.”

“His brother-in-law, Todd Martin, is the best man, so he’s in charge of the bachelor party,” Julia reasoned. “I’m sure he’ll keep things mostly under control.”

“Todd will,” Lauren agreed, “but will the rest of them go along? When Ben gets something in his head, there’s no talking him out of it.”

It was suddenly so quiet in that car, the chorus of some oldie’s pop song came through the speakers loud and clear. Bree and Julia traded a look in the rearview mirror, and Lauren realized they might misinterpret her comment. “It’s such a pain,” she added in hopes of diverting any big—and incorrect—romantic ideas they might be spinning.

Fortunately, Bree let her off the hook. “Tell me about it. I love Cooper, but sometimes he drives me completely bonkers. Like this past weekend...”

She went on to describe his latest project at their house, and Lauren let out a relieved sigh. She’d have to be more careful about discussing Ben, she cautioned herself. If she didn’t watch what she said, people were going to get the wrong idea about the two of them.

When they arrived at the café, a silver stretch limo was parked beside the curb. Tiny white twinkle lights adorned the slender trees out front, and the deep-set mullioned windows were hung with ivy and roses twined with more lights. Small tables and chairs stood on the sidewalk, and Lauren’s mind flashed back to the darling bistros she and Julia had visited in Paris. Gisele couldn’t have found a more perfect spot for this evening if she’d tried, and Lauren was certain she’d tried very, very hard.

There wasn’t another car in sight, and as the girls stepped out, Lauren grinned at Julia. “Looks like your mom’s here.”

“She hired the limo to pick up Ann, Lainie and the others in style.” Giggling, she said, “I can just imagine the look on Mavis’s face when this monster showed up at the lighthouse.”

Laughing, the three of them entered the restaurant. It wasn’t very big, and a quick glance around showed Lauren it was completely empty except for a large round table in the center of the room. The sound of a joke told in a French accent reached them at the door, and they followed the sound of laughter to where the party had already begun.

“Ma pétite!” Gisele exclaimed, rushing to hug Julia as if she hadn’t seen her earlier that day. In a blink, she reached out to embrace Bree and Lauren, giving each of them a two-cheek kiss.

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