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EMILY

“Sister, oh, sister of mine, are you here?” I call out to what seems to be the empty boutique, except I know for a fact Kelsey is opening today with me, giving Nat the evening shift since she doesn’t mind alternating between all of us. Seriously, that woman is the best thing since sliced bread.

“Someone got laid,” Kels greets me as she walks out of the back office. As much as it would make sense to move our building, one that has a storage area attached, Beach Babe Boutique has made a name for itself along the red brick path that houses other small shops.

“You bet your ass I did. Twice, along with him taking care of me no less than four other times. That man could stun the dress off a nun, and don’t get me started on how he works his tongue,” I attempt to stun my sister, but she’s so used to me and the craziness that comes along with me, Kelsey doesn’t even stumble.

“TMI. Also, since we’re on the topic, tell me, sister o’ mine, what came about with you and Tate besides the horizontal limbo?” I hold my stomach, unsure if I can hold back my laughter. We may look a lot alike, but our personalities are night and day.

“Did you seriously just say that? You talk like a virgin. I’m sure Deke gets a thrill out of that.

While we’re on the topic of conversation that I know without a doubt you are chomping at the bit to hear about…

” Kelsey and I move to the back office. That way, we’re out of view and passersby don’t see us.

There have been times that has happened, then they stand there acting like you’re going to open up the store just for them.

Yeah, fucking right. People seem to forget self-employed and small businesses have so much more shit to take care of than the bigger corporations.

“Oh, Jesus, I’m not going to like this, am I?” See what I mean? Two opposites, yet we both came from the same family. That’s because she takes after Mom in the personality department, while I am our father’s daughter through and through.

“Eh, probably not, but it works out for Tate and me.” She rolls her eyes. I do it right back, giving her a taste of her own medicine.

“Fine, give it to me straight. Why I feel the need to ask for a shot of Jack Daniels this early in the morning, I have no idea, but maybe we have a little something in common, more than blood and Beach Babe.” Kels is in a cute romper today, colorful in a floral pattern, flat sandals, hair pulled back in a clip with tendrils falling loosely around her face.

Meanwhile, I’m in a black crop top, paper bag pants that have Southwestern style designs, and with them being high rise, I’m only showing a sliver of skin.

“Ha! That’ll be the day. Anyways, the understatement is that Tate and I are exclusive to one another, but no labels, no lines drawn in the sand.

” I wait for her to wind herself up with how it’s not tradition.

She doesn’t, so I keep going, “He’ll be out of town a lot.

We’ve talked at length since, you know, yesterday was my day off and all.

When he’s gone for long stretches and the stars align where I get two days off in a row, I’ll fly out to him.

It’s a total win for the both of us, not to mention I didn’t have to attempt at using my own devices to achieve the best orgasms possible. ”

“Wow, I guess this is the most unofficial official relationship you’ve probably ever had, and while it’s not what I would want, I know that’s how you and Tate work.

Deke gave me the same talk while we were walking on the beach last night.

” Kelsey almost sounds sad saying that. I’m not, though; this is perfect for the two of us.

“I’m happy. This is me, this is Tate, and it works for us.

Now, since we’re done with that and my vagina is officially off-limits for the day…

” Literally, it’s a wonder I can walk, seeing as how I didn’t get home till early this morning.

The man kept me naked and coming for just about thirty-six hours, and even then, we were still insatiable for each other.

“Shut up. I’m never going to be able to eat breakfast now.” Kels mocks being grossed out, going so far as to pretend gag.

“Whatever. Alright, are you ready to talk about Beach Babe being revamped?” The boutique hasn’t been updated in quite some time, and while that was okay before we had a website, we now need it to look cohesive with the website, along with the images we have uploaded with models.

Beach Babe is even size inclusive these days and is doing amazing as well.

“No, I’m not. You know how I am with money; we just invested a shit ton in launching an app and our online store.

So, you can see how unexcited I am at the thought of spending more money.

” Her business side sneaks out, whereas the creative side in my own brain knows that sometimes, you have to spend money to make money.

“Well, the good news is, I have the design boards ready. We can keep it still beachy vibe but with different colors. Pastel pink, green palms printed were great when we first started, but you know boho beach chic is making a huge appearance, and Beach Babe needs to stay relevant.” I move towards my iPad.

Shocking that I haven’t lost that yet, too, but it’s kind of like my phone, an extension of myself and always within reach, or at least in my car.

“Holy shit, you were not messing around.” I hand it to her, already open and at the ready.

“Now do you see what I mean? We can find a lot of the furniture second hand, bleach it to fit with the vibe, go to flea markets to find macrame, and even promote a few small shops with their soaps and whatnot in this small display case.” The colors have a retro vibe, but not completely over the top—olive green, mustard yellow, and light blue will really make things mesh well together.

“Okay, and how long will we need to be closed?” That’s the major downside, and while we have a website to keep us in the black, it’s not going to go over well.

“A week.” I wince when Kels stands up to start pacing, pulling her hair out then putting it back up.

“That’s more than I’d like, but I was worried you’d say a month. Okay, let’s look at the books and talk to the girls, then go from there.” I smile because that went a lot smoother than I anticipated.

“Perfect.” I clap my hands, excited for the change that’s to come, plus it’ll keep me busy for the coming weeks when Tate is out of town. What can I say? I’m addicted—to his dick, that is.