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from the parking lot.
Cody stared after him. What had just happened here? But maybe his presence on their date would be a good thing. Then he could make sure Ben and Luci were getting along okay.
But now he had to come up with someone for himself. Who would that be? Most of the women he knew were either married or had moved away. He wandered down Main Street, deep in thought.
He was about to give up when he found himself in front of Sylvie’s Souvenir Shop. Sylvie Ventura. He snapped his fingers. Yes.
He opened the door and went inside. “Is Sylvie around?” he asked the teenage clerk.
She nodded toward the back of the store. “In the office.”
Cody hurried past the crowded shelves. Seashells were everywhere: wind chimes, boxes, lamps, coasters, bowls and flowerpots. Then came the clothing section: flip-flops and tennis shoes, sweatshirts and jeans, hats and scarves, and then, finally, he reached the open door to the office.
Sylvie stood behind a counter unpacking a box of T-shirts. “Cody!” She put down a handful of shirts and ran to give him a hug.
He put his arms around her and hugged her back. Her topknot tickled his chin and her perfume filled his nostrils. She broke away and looked him up and down. “Heard you were back in town and workin’ for the chamber. Glen Thomas.” She tsked-tsked. “He’s a driver.”
“He’s okay. Leaves me and Luci pretty much on our own.”
Sylvie shook her forefinger. “Yeah. Just don’t cross him.”
“And that would be how?”
“Forget I said that.” She waved a hand, jangling her bracelet made of tiny seashells. Her dangling earrings were also made of shells, and her pink shirt read Willow Beach Rocks. He glanced down at her jeans and flip-flops. Sylvie was a walking advertisement for her souvenir shop.
“Looks like you’re doing a great job, taking over for your folks.”
“I’m trying. Growing up in the business helps. I’ve been working here since I was old enough to walk, practically.” She grinned. “So what brings you here today? Want me to pose for you?” She placed her hand behind her head and fluttered her eyelashes.
Cody laughed. “Sure. But later. I’ve a favor to ask first.”
“Okay. I’m listening, but let me buy you a drink. C’mon.”
She led him to the employee’s lounge, which was decorated with orange and red vinyl furniture and a soft drink machine with blinking lights. A few minutes later, bottle of soda in hand and seated on one of the vinyl couches, Cody asked Sylvie to go out to dinner with him and Ben and Luci.
While he talked, she drank her soda and tapped her red fingernails—which matched her toenails—against the bottle.
When he finished, Sylvie set her drink on a glass-topped table. “Let me get this straight. You want me to be your dinner date because you’re trying to get this Ben and Luci together, and he needs moral support.”
“Something like that.”
“And I’m supposed to be your date,” she asked.
“Think of it more as friends getting together.”
“But you want Ben and Luci to be more than friends? Cody, Cody. Everybody knows Luci’s had a crush on you since she was in high school and you were working for the Herald.”
Cody stiffened. “Maybe so, but now we’re just friends.”
“Does Luci know that? What are you trying to prove here?”
Cody set down his soda and raised both hands. “I’m not trying to prove anything. Ben says he’s interested in Luci, but he’s, well, shy, and needs a nudge. I got them talking about birds—Ben’s hobby is bird-watching—but I can tell he’s a slow mover.”
“And what does Luci think about Ben?”
Cody shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe you can find that out. You’re not hooked up with anyone right now, are you? I heard you and Eddie Lightner were quits.”
Sylvie gave an unladylike snort. “That jerk better not show his face around here again.”
“What happened?”
She folded her arms and tilted her head toward the ceiling. “You don’t want to know. Anyway, I’m off men right now. Big-time.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Sylvie. I’m not looking, either.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t know, Cody. Don’t you think messing around with people’s love lives is risky?”
“I think Ben’s a good guy and I think Luci’s, ah...” Oh, man, he was talking himself into a corner here.
Sylvie gave him a sly look. “You think she’s hot.”
“Luci is a good friend of mine,” he finished in a firm tone. “A friend I want to see happy.”
“With another guy. You don’t make a bit of sense.”
Cody set his jaw. “Hey, it’s a free meal.”
Sylvie put a finger to her cheek. “Hmm. The Beach Café, you said? I do like their seafood salad.”
“Well, there you go.”
“I guess I could meet you there.”
“Nope. I’ll pick you up. We’ll make this an official date.”
By the time he left, Cody’s head hurt. He stood outside a moment and rubbed his temples. If his plan worked, it’d be worth it. Now, all Ben had to do was ask Luci and they’d be set. He’d better not expect Cody to do that, too. The guy had to take some responsibility.
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