‘‘Just helping my father out for a couple of weeks.’’ She was flat broke, and her father—the owner of Village Pizza—had told her he’d be damned if she was going to sponge off him and her mother. She should get her sassy butt to work. ‘‘Haven’t seen you around lately.’’

‘‘I’ve been around.’’ He wished she’d move along. Her perfume gave him the jitters.

‘‘I heard you and your brothers rented that old barn of Claremont’s and are building boats. I’ve been meaning to come down and take a look.’’

‘‘Not much to see.’’ Where the hell was Seth when he needed him? Ethan wondered a little desperately. How long could those damn quarters last?

‘‘I’d like to see it anyway.’’ She skimmed those slick-tipped nails down his arm, gave a low purr as she felt the ridge of muscle. ‘‘I can slip out of here for a while. Why don’t you run me down there and show me what’s what?’’

His mind blanked for a moment. He was only human. And she was running her tongue over her top lip in a way designed to draw a man’s eyes and tickle his glands. Not that he was interested, not a bit, but it had been a long time since he’d had a woman moaning under him. And he had a feeling Linda would be a champion moaner.

‘‘Copped top score.’’ Seth plopped into the booth, flushed with victory, and grabbed his Pepsi. He slurped some up. ‘‘Man, what’s keeping that pizza? I’m starved.’’

Ethan felt his blood start to run again and nearly sighed with relief. ‘‘It’ll be along.’’

‘‘Well.’’ Despite annoyance at the interruption, Linda smiled brilliantly at Seth. ‘‘This must be the new addition. What’s your name, honey? I can’t quite recollect.’’

‘‘I’m Seth.’’ And he sized her up quickly. Bimbo, was his first and last thought. He’d seen plenty of them in his short life. ‘‘Who’re you?’’

‘‘I’m Linda, an old friend of Ethan’s. My daddy owns the place.’’

‘‘Cool, so maybe you could tell them to put a fire under that pizza before we die of old age here.’’

‘‘Seth.’’ The word and Ethan’s quiet look were all it took for the boy to close his mouth. ‘‘Your daddy still makes the best pizza on the Shore,’’ Ethan said with an easier smile. ‘‘You be sure to tell him.’’

‘‘I will. And you give me a call, Ethan.’’ She wiggled her left hand. ‘‘I’m a free woman these days.’’ She wandered away, hips swinging like a well-oiled metronome.

‘‘She smells like the place at the mall where they sell all that girl stuff.’’ Seth wrinkled his nose. He hadn’t liked her because he’d seen just a shadow of his mother in her eyes. ‘‘She just wants to get in your pants.’’

‘‘Shut up, Seth.’’