“God, Ness, you are the very soul of romance.”

“Well, not just any someone. Him. I want him. Which doesn’t necessarily mean I want to keep him.”

“Can I have him when you’re done with him?” Steffie stage-whispered when the car stopped in front of the Inn and Grady got out to open the car doors for the two women.

“Awww,” Steffie sighed as she got into the backseat. “I love it when a guy does that.”

Grady got back behind the wheel and started out of the lot.

“Well, at least you’ll get to try Mocha Berry Vanessa,” Steffie said, and poked Vanessa’s arm to get her attention. “I did tell you that I named a newly created special flavor in your honor?”

“Grady told me.” Vanessa turned in the front passenger seat and looked around the headrest to Steffie. “And I am honored.”

“You should be. It’s pretty terrific, if I do say so myself. Right, Grady?”

Grady nodded. “It’s very good, Steffie.”

“Yeah, it’s been pretty popular,” Steffie went on. “I think I’ll keep it on the board for a while.”

They merged onto the main road and headed toward the center of town.

“Hey, Ness, did I tell you I saw Candice coming out of Sips this afternoon?”

“Candice who was in my shop this week and put that white eyelet number aside?”

“Uh-huh. I’m certain it was her.”

“Oh, good. Maybe she stopped in and picked up that dress after all. I left it in the back room over the weekend, just in case she didn’t get a chance to come in yesterday.” Vanessa smiled in the dark. “I hope she did. It looked really nice on her, and she looked like someone who needed something pretty and new.”

“That could have something to do with the company she keeps. The guy she was with today…” Steffie shuddered. “Let’s just say he didn’t look like a very nice guy.” She paused. “Then again, he probably didn’t dump her after a few hours of playing cozy at a friend’s wedding, either. God, men are so annoying.” She paused again. “Present company excluded, of course.”

Grady looked at Steffie through the rearview mirror. “I guess it depends on who you talk to. I admit to having been called annoying a time or two. Actually, I’ve been called much worse than that.”

“Not by me,” Steffie told him. “I think you’re a prince.”

Grady laughed and made the left onto Kelly’s Point Road, which, except for the occasional streetlamp, was dark until they approached the municipal building, which was well illuminated. The reserved parking spots for the police cruisers were all filled.

“So do you think there’s anyone actually on duty tonight?” Steffie asked as they drove past. “I could swear I saw the entire police force at the wedding.”

“You did. Beck wanted everyone to come, but obviously they couldn’t all attend at the same time. So the night shift came early, for the ceremony and the cocktail hour, though of course they weren’t drinking anything stronger than club soda. The day shift came for dinner and dancing after the night shift clocked in.”

“Nice. Oh, Grady, turn left here into the parking lot and drive all the way down to the end,” Steffie instructed. “Go all the way to the back corner.”

“Why all the way down there?” Vanessa asked. “That’s the darkest corner of the lot.”

“Yeah, but it’s right behind my shop, see? We can go right down that path to my back door.” Steffie opened the car door as Grady came to a stop. “And there’s some light down there. See? Over the door?”

“I hope you don’t park down here when you’re working alone at night.” Vanessa frowned her disapproval.

“It’s not that far.” Steffie set off for the shop. “Looks like there are still some customers. Come on, you two. Yours is on the house.”

“You up for some Mocha Berry Vanessa?” Grady asked.

“Sure.” Vanessa got out of the car and waited for him. “I swear she must have cat eyes. I don’t know how she can see where she’s going.”

He held out his hand for her and they stumbled along together in the dark over the uneven ground. Little pieces of crushed shell from the parking lot lodged in her instep and she stopped and took off her shoes.

“You know, everyone thinks that crushed shells in the parking lots is so atmospheric, so in keeping with the whole beachy-bay thing,” Vanessa grumbled. “I think it’s one big pain in the butt.”

They reached the back door and Vanessa put her shoes back on before they went inside. Steffie had tossed an apron over her beautiful dress and was serving the few late customers who’d wandered in.

“Tina, go latch the front door after these customers leave and tell anyone else who might wander up that we’re closed. Oh, and put the ‘Closed’ sign on,” Steffie told her employee. She rang up the customers and scooped up two dishes of ice cream, which she handed to Grady and Vanessa.

“Here you go, with my thanks for the ride. I really appreciate it, Grady,” Steffie told him.

“You had to get a ride from the Inn?” Tina latched the door behind the last two customers. “What happened to your car?”

“I got blocked in.”

“So do you need a ride back?” Tina asked. “I go right by there on my way home. I don’t mind taking you.”

“That would be great. Thanks.” Steffie turned to Grady and Vanessa. “I guess you guys are free to go to… wherever it was you were headed when I so rudely interrupted.”

Vanessa nodded. “Great. But you’re going to close up right now, right?”

“We are. I’m just going to do a quick count and I’ll take the receipts with me, drop them off at the bank in the morning.” Stef smiled. “You’re free to go. Dismissed. With my eternal thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Grady said as he made his way to the door.

“Great ice cream, Stef,” Vanessa told her.

“Oh, you like it?” Steffie grinned.

“I do. We’re doing brunch tomorrow around eleven at Let’s Do Brunch. Meet us there, if you’re up,” Vanessa suggested.

“I’ll be awake. And I might just take you up on that if my Sunday-morning help arrives on time.” Steffie opened the cash register and began to count. “Tina, lock the back door behind them, please.”

“See you.” Grady waved and held the door for Vanessa. Once outside, they heard the lock snap with a click. “Want to walk down to the dock? The Bay looks pretty with the moon on the water.”

“Sure.”

They walked around the building to the boardwalk that led to the water.

“It’s really quiet down here,” he observed.

“Most of the boats have already been brought in and tied up,” she replied. “There’s not much activity this time of night. Once in a while, some kids-teenagers-gather over there to just hang out at the little park”-she pointed to some vague spot well beyond One Scoop or Two-“but that’s about it. And around the bend there is Captain Walt’s, but they probably don’t have much of a crowd tonight. Walt and Rexana were still on the dance floor with most of the rest of St. Dennis when we left the wedding.”

He finished his ice cream and tossed the cardboard dish into a trash receptacle on the pier.

“Here, take mine, too.” Vanessa handed over hers to be disposed of. “I’ve had enough to eat and drink to last the next twenty-four hours.”

Headlights flashed across the dock momentarily, then were gone.

“There goes Tina and Steffie.” Vanessa watched the taillights disappear at the end of the road. “Good thing Stef doesn’t have too far to drive from the Inn to her place. She probably shouldn’t be driving at all.”

“I think she’ll be okay,” Grady said. “Getting pissed off seemed to have cleared her head.”

He took her hand and they walked back to the car, through the ever-darkening parking lot. He unlocked her door and reached for the handle, but she turned to him before he could open it. She backed against the door, her arms around his neck, and drew him to her. Her lips parted as his mouth met hers, and she sighed softly. She’d been thinking of this moment all day. She leaned back slowly against the side of the car and brought him with her so that his body was against hers. He moved in closer, and she urged him closer still. His tongue parted her lips and teased hers, then traced the inside of her mouth slowly. Vanessa thought for a moment that her entire body had caught flame, the heat rushed through her so rapidly, blocking out everything but his mouth and body. She moved against him just the slightest bit and she heard the breath catch in his throat. His hands ran down her back to her waist to the back of her thighs and back again, the heat increasing at the touch of his fingers. His hands moved to her breasts, and she felt a shot to her core.