Pipe dreams.
She needed the money for Maddy, and she’d do the program for as long as it took. With every show she held out hope that it would be the big one. The one that earned her enough money that she could quit hosting it altogether. Her schedule was exhausting: She taped shows on Mondays and Thursdays and edited them on Tuesdays and Fridays. The show aired on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which meant watching the first few minutes to make sure there were no technical glitches, and that left Sunday as her only day off—and that was only if the programs didn’t need refilming.
“I can’t really afford to take off Friday or Saturday, and leaving you to watch my shop will cut into your income from your business.” Lizzie felt Blue’s hand brush over hers on the blanket. The hope in his eyes turned to understanding.
“It’s okay, Lizzie. Sky’s just being pushy.” He glared at Sky. “I don’t actually need someone with me. It’ll be nice to focus on my family.”
“I love your family,” Sky said.
“Speaking of family,” Lizzie said. “I just remembered that I have to pick up Maddy next weekend to have dinner with my parents.” Maddy went to college in Harborside, about an hour away from the Cape.
“How are your parents?” Sky asked with a teasing smile.
Margaret and Vernon Barber had been stable forces throughout Lizzie’s life. Her mother was sweet and never pried too deeply, and her father was a big man, weighed down with a strict set of morals.
“As proper as always,” Lizzie answered. Every time she saw her family she worried that they’d find out about her webcast—and she knew her parents would not react well. The word disown came to mind, and that was not something Lizzie wanted to think about.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Blue touched her hand again, and her insides warmed.
Blue was so attuned to her, to everything she said, and every time they were close sparks flew. She tried not to think about those things as she answered. “It’s not a bad thing, just something I’m very aware of. My parents never let me or Maddy date, even in high school. They monitored what we wore—‘Button up, girls; don’t want to give anyone a show.’” She cringed at the memory. The Lick-It list had opened a door for Lizzie. When her father had taken ill and a friend had mentioned making money off of webcasts, she’d immediately nixed the idea. But later that evening, when she was adding to her secret Lick-It list, she realized that maybe she could help raise money for her education after all—with a secret webcast. It was a far cry from her upbringing, but it was also an outlet for a side of her she wasn’t comfortable publicly playing with. And as the money came in, Lizzie became more and more embarrassed about what she was doing, and she feared her parents and friends finding out. But just when she was ready to give up the program, they’d needed money for Maddy’s education. There was no way she could walk away from it then. She’d do anything for Maddy, even if it meant putting her own relationships at risk.
“I love my folks. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” She rose to her feet, feeling antsy thinking about her parents and the Naked Baker.
“Worried about your oven?” Blue asked as he rose beside her.
Not for the first time, she wished she had someone to confide in about her double life, but deep down she was so embarrassed by what she was doing that every time she thought about even confiding in Sky, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She shrugged.
“I have an idea.” Blue picked up the blanket and shook it off. “Hey, guys. I know we just got here, but we’re going to go for a walk before we need to get back to fix Lizzie’s oven.”
A walk?
“Go. Have fun.” Sky shooed them with way too much enthusiasm. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Lizzie.”
“Sounds good,” Lizzie managed, trying not to think about taking a walk with Blue, or the way his hand had already taken up residence on her lower back again. She’d spent so many months avoiding a date with him, and in one night she’d already spent more time alone with him than she had in the last year. And to her surprise, she liked the fluttering in her stomach and the anticipation that was tickling up her spine.
Chapter Four
AS THEY WALKED away from the warmth of the bonfire, a breeze blew off the water, bringing with it the scents of the sea. Lizzie’s brows furrowed, and Blue knew he was pushing her a little harder toward being alone with him than he’d planned, but hell, she’d looked like her mind was going a million miles an hour. He knew her nature was to handle sixteen things at once, but even the Energizer Bunny needed a break sometimes.