Fish Perfume (Cozy Harbor Marina Series) by Sammie Grace

sure attracted a crowd tonight.”
    I smiled. “Yeah, I did, didn’t I? You should have come over and danced with me.”
    He gave me a smirk and said, “I’m not much of a dancer. I have other talents.”
    “I’m sure you do.”
    He pulled up to the cottage, got out, and came around to help me out of the truck. I was okay, just a bit wobbly. I gave him the keys and he opened the door for me.
    He said, “Drink a lot of water before you go to bed. You’ll be glad you did in the morning.”
    I turned around and he was inches from me. It could have been the alcohol, but I couldn’t help myself. I leaned in and kissed him on the lips. He seemed surprised at first, but then he started to kiss me back. I opened my mouth and he dove in, deepening the kiss even more. His arms came around me and he held me close while he kissed the life out of me. Our tongues mingled and explored as our bodies meshed perfectly together. I put my arms around his neck and held on. He was turning me into a wet noodle. I don’t know how long we kissed, but it wasn’t long enough. I was hoping we would still be at it in the morning. I was so turned on, I wanted to rip my clothes off. He eventually broke the kiss, and we looked at each other. He looked as surprised as I felt.
    He took a step back and abruptly said, “Goodnight, Cinderella,” turned around, and practically ran out the door.
    I shut the door and had to sit down on the couch to catch my breath. I put my hand in front of my mouth and exhaled. Yep, just as I thought, beer breath. My first kiss with the man of my dreams and I had beer breath.
    Well, I did find out what two of Ian’s other talents are. One is kissing, and the other is the hundred-yard dash.
    I sat there and relived the night—the kiss, the music, the kiss, the dancing, the twins, the kiss. Finally I got sick of myself and got up and went to bed. I guess I couldn’t have been too drunk, because I set the alarm and it went off at four in the morning. I dragged myself out of bed and got in the shower. I wasn’t feeling so good. There were cloudy skies in my head, but I knew I had to rally. I opened up the store and went into the office to make some coffee. Saturday mornings are the busiest, and both Journey and I were struggling. She was as hung-over as I was. I let her take lunch first. When she got back, I went over to the Snack Shack for something to eat.
    With the lunch rush over, I found Mo all alone. She took one look at me and said, “Meggie, you look like a hurtin’ cowgirl.”
    “Yeah, Mo, I had a little too much fun last night at Kelly’s.”
    “I heard you were the life of the party, dancin’ up a storm.”
    Surprised, I said, “Did Journey tell you that?”
    “No, Don and Mikey Murphy on the Tuna Kahuna came in for coffee this morning and said they saw you at Kelly’s.”
    I moaned. “Boy, I guess there are no secrets around here.”
    “Well, honey, I’ll fix you my hangover cure. How about a cheeseburger, fries, and a big coke?”
    “Sounds great. I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck and I’m suffering from party remorse.”
    “Why? There’s nothin’ wrong with havin’ a good time.”
    “Well, I agree with you there, but I really blew it with Ian. He was there and saw my performance. The thing is, I saw him come in with this gorgeous girl, the every-man’s-fantasy type. I was crushed and got a little bummed out and had a few too many cocktails.”
    “Oh yeah, I heard he took you home.”
    My jaw dropped and I said, “You’re kidding?”
    “Afraid not.”
    “Well, it turns out it wasn’t his girlfriend but his cousin Christine.”
    “I’ve met her. She comes down once in a while from Boston for the weekend.”
    I confessed, “I’m going to be so embarrassed next time I see him. He walked me to my door and I kissed him.”
    Mo leaned on the counter. “Now that I didn’t hear. This is gettin’ better and better. Did he kiss you back?”
    “Yes, I’ve never been so