Red Velvet by Carla Luna

Author:Carla Luna [Luna, Carla]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Moon Manor Press

Chapter 20

April stood in the shower, basking in the warm spray, as the feeling ebbed back into her fingers and toes. She wished she could stay immersed for the next few hours. Leaving meant facing Brody and apologizing for all the trouble she’d caused.

Until that stupid bee encounter, she’d been doing so well. Brody was proud of her for trying something new. Hell, she was proud of herself. She enjoyed being out on the water, savoring the gorgeous fall afternoon. But, once again, she screwed up and humiliated herself. In front of her sisters, no less.

With a sigh, she turned off the water and dried herself with a huge, fluffy towel. She grabbed her bathrobe and wrapped her wet hair in another towel. When she couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer, she left her sanctuary, shivering as she emerged from the cloud of steam.

In the main room, flames crackled in the stone fireplace. Brody sat beside it, dressed in a Berkeley t-shirt and sweats. He looked up at her. “Are you all right?”

“Better now.” She joined him on the carpet, luxuriating in the heat of the fire.

He handed her a mug. “You’re in luck. The coffee station had four types of hot chocolate. I made a wild guess and chose the salted-caramel flavor.”

“Perfect. Thanks.” She took a sip, sighing as the sweet drink warmed her from the inside out. Taking a deep breath, she looked Brody in the eye. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For falling in. For making you drag me back to our cottage. I feel like such an idiot.”

He placed his hand over hers, reassuring her with his touch. “Everyone tips their kayak at some point. I’ve done it a bunch of times.”

“You have?”

“Sure. But in the summer when the water wasn’t as cold.”

Though his words placated her, she regretted the way she’d overreacted. To a bee. Like she was a little kid instead of a grown woman. “I would have been okay, except—and this is going to sound stupid—I’m terrified of bees. They’re my biggest phobia.” She sipped her hot chocolate. “It’s the one thing Avery doesn’t tease me about, because she’s afraid of spiders.”

“What about Drianna?”

“She’s not scared of anything. Except coming last in a race.”

“For what it’s worth, I hate getting shots. And needles in general. I have to psych myself up just to get a flu shot. And I’ll probably never get a tattoo.”

She couldn’t help grinning. “Too bad. You’d look like a total badass.”

“Really?”

Laughter bubbled out of her. “No. Be serious. You’ll never be a badass.”

She released her hair from the towel and let it hang, damp, around her shoulders. With her fingers, she fluffed it out in front of the fire. Outside, the sun was setting through the cottage’s picture window, painting the sky with pink and orange streaks.

As she finished her hot chocolate, a satisfied glow overtook her whole body. She needed to set her anxiety aside. Brody wasn’t upset about her kayak fail. If anything, her mishap had brought them closer. They were alone in an adorable cottage, with a fire burning, and she was wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

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