Barefoot Bay: Forever Yours (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Jennifer Perkins

  “Seriously, Val?” Logan asked. He thought back to the girls he used to date. They were loud and liked to party, and it was clear they only dated him for his money. But Kinsley was thoughtful, sophisticated, and beautiful. Logan shook his head. “I can’t believe they’d do that.”

  “If you need to know,” Kinsley said. “Nothing happened here. I offered Logan a glass of wine and it spilled all over his clothes. We were just going to talk about what happened, that’s all.”

  “Hey, I’m only the messenger.” Valerie headed toward the door. “I can’t say for sure if anything happened here, but just thought I’d let you know they’re paying attention.”

  “Well, they’re not paying enough attention. If they did, they’d know that Kinsley isn’t like those other women. As a matter of fact, that’s why I’m here. Kinsley and I were about to discuss her plans for an ad campaign to help me grow Sweet Adventures, but then the wine spilled on my clothes and I was trying to wash them out when you arrived,” Logan told her. He saw the surprised looks on their faces and then the query in Kinsley’s eyes.

  What had possessed him to say that? But then, he closed his eyes and remembered the kiss they shared. How soft her lips were, the smoothness of her skin against his hands, and how her body reacted when he pressed against her. Everything about her drove him crazy, and a ripple of emotion shot down his spine.

  “Nice story. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re not really here on business. I’d say you’re falling for Kinsley.” A grin spread across Valerie’s face. “But if you’re sticking with that story, you’ll want to let Mom and Dad in on your plan, and soon. Mom’s talking about calling her friends to find a proper girlfriend for you.”

  Kinsley raised an eyebrow at him when Valerie left. “Why did you tell your sister that we were working on an ad campaign to grow Sweet Adventures?”

  “It sounded reasonable in my head. I hope you’re okay with it.” Logan placed a hand on her cheek and ran his thumb across her soft seductive lips. “Before Val came in, I didn’t consider your offer to help as a serious one. But now I think it’s a great idea and it might help grow your business too.”

  Kinsley’s chest rose when she took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it. But honestly, this is kind of sudden.”

  “Let me get my clothes on and head out so you can put something together. I’ll come back tomorrow and take you to lunch. We can work out the details then.” Logan kissed her on the head and a wisp of hair tickled his chin. God, she smelled wonderful. He broke away to go into the bathroom and retrieve his clothing. A partnership with Kinsley was an idea he could get used to.

  Chapter Six

  “No way. Are you kidding me?” Megan squealed after Kinsley told her what had happened the previous evening. “I haven’t even been back an hour and you’re telling me you’ve not only kissed this Logan guy, twice, but you’re going to have lunch with him today to discuss advertising for his company? Sounds like a dream client.”

  “This could help me decide if I want to stay in advertising or do something else with my life,” Kinsley said after changing into her fourth outfit for the day. “How’s this one?”

  “I’m not sure. Do a twirl.”

  Kinsley placed her hands on her hips and eyed herself in the floor-length mirror. She wore a green knee-length skirt, topped with a multi-floral, scoop neck, blouson short-sleeved shirt. Maybe flat sandals would help the look. “I’m not doing a twirl. Just say yes or no on this outfit. He’ll be here any minute.”

  “Okay, definitely not that one. I don’t even know why you brought it. That outfit says ‘I want to go to church with your mother.’ Move aside and let me help you choose something decent to wear.” Megan pulled out several different pieces from the closet before deciding on a simple top and shorts. “Here, put these on.”

  Kinsley changed into the clothing that Megan handed her and looked in the mirror. “This one seems dangerous.”

  “It’s not. It looks sexy. Classy. Here, these are the perfect shoes, too.” Megan handed her a pair of open-toed shoes with four-inch heels. “I can’t believe you came on vacation with this many clothes.”

  “A girl just never knows what will be needed.” Kinsley took another look in the mirror and scrunched her nose. The low-cut chiffon shirt accentuated her small breasts and the shorts and dark red heels showed off her long legs. She twisted around to see how she looked from all angles. “It’s not working.”

  “What do you mean it’s not working? This looks perfect on you. Definitely business casual.”

  “You may have thought the last outfit said church with his mother, but this one screams ‘I want to see your bedroom after lunch,’” Kinsley said.

  “That’s not true.” Megan put her arm over Kinsley’s shoulder and they both stared in the mirror. “This says sophisticated. Like you’re a take-charge, no-nonsense gal.”

  “I think he’s here,” Kinsley said at the sound of the doorbell. She turned and gathered up her clothes and started to throw them into her closet and bedroom drawers. She bit her lower lip and tried to picture Logan’s expression when he saw what she was wearing. “Maybe you can stall him so I have time to change again.”

  “You don’t need to change,” Megan told her. She took Kinsley’s arm and ushered her out of the bedroom “You look great. Now go answer the door and introduce me to this mystery man.”

  A nervous laugh slid from Kinsley’s lips as Megan followed her to the front door. “We’re having a lunch meeting, that’s all. No interest. So, how do I look?”

  “No interest? Yeah, keep telling yourself that. You’re acting like a teenager on a first date.”

  Megan motioned for Kinsley to open the door and Kinsley stuck out her tongue at Megan. “Oh yeah, that’s mature,” Megan said.

  “Hi, Logan.” Kinsley stepped back so Logan could walk inside. “This is my best friend, Megan Chatfield. Megan, Logan Sweet.”

  “Wow. You are cute,” Megan said. “Oh, uh, I mean, hello.”

  “Hi Megan. Very nice to meet you.” Logan handed a small bouquet of tropical flowers to Kinsley. “These are for you. To a beautiful woman, and hopefully a beautiful business relationship.”

  “These are gorgeous.” Kinsley turned the small bouquet in her hands. A mix of calla lilies, orchids, and asparagus ferns. “Let me put these in water and I’ll be right back.”

  “Those are fabulous!” Megan said when she followed Kinsley into the kitchen area. “And he’s so good looking.”

  “Shh, quiet. The room’s wide open. He can hear you.” Kinsley glanced over at Logan. The smile on his face indicated he had heard their conversation.

  “Does he have any brothers?”

  Kinsley quickly stepped back behind the only wall separating the kitchen from the large living area. “Stop it. You’re going to drive him away.”

  “Ow.” Megan jumped a little when Kinsley gave her a playful tap on her arm. “That hurt.”

  “Everything okay in there?” Logan asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I’ll be right there,” Kinsley called back. She put the flowers in the large vase that Megan gave her and then lowered her voice to a whisper. “Did you see what he’s wearing? I’m so overdressed.”

  “What? No, you’re not. He’s wearing a dark green shirt and jean shorts,” Megan said. “All the women will be looking at him and wondering how they can get a guy like that.”

  “You’re right. That’s not good. I can’t go out with him if every woman’s going to stare at him. I should cancel.” Kinsley bit her lower lip.

  “What? No, he’s here now. What are you going to do? Tell him you suddenly have a cold or something? Go and have fun, and make sure you call me when you’re back. I want to hear every detail.”

  Megan pushed Kinsley out of the kitchen.

  “All set?” Logan asked Kinsley.

  “You two have fun.” Megan picked up her purse and headed toward the door. “I need to head back to my room and finish unpacking, and t
hen go through some paperwork to see how I can keep my client out of jail. Talk to you later, Kinsley.”

  “Is she a lawyer?” Logan asked when they walked the winding path to his car after Megan had left.

  “No,” Kinsley said. “She’s a CPA in training.”

  “Really,” Logan cracked a grin. “For a minute there, I thought I’d need to plead the fifth. For something.”

  A few minutes later they were settled in Logan’s car. “So, where are we going?” Kinsley asked.

  “It’s a surprise.” Logan smiled and his dimple deepened. He pulled out onto the road and headed south. “It’ll only be about a ten-minute drive. I hope you’ll like it.”

  “I can’t imagine not liking anything on this island. My family vacationed here almost every year, but only for a week or two. We used to rent a house on the southern end.”

  “Mimosa Key is beautiful,” Logan stated. “I grew up here. How about you? Have you been back often?”

  “I haven’t been here for years, but I’m sure I can still find my way around.” Kinsley enjoyed the ride. She watched the scenery glide past as they meandered along the main thoroughfare. Large palm trees gently swayed, and beyond the landscape of the road she could see the ocean.

  “Here we are.” Logan pulled into an empty parking spot at the beach and hurried to Kinsley’s side and opened the door. He offered his hand as she stepped out.

  “Thank you.” A true gentleman. Kinsley ran her fingers through her hair when it became upswept with the sudden gust of wind. “I remember this place, I think it’s called Pointe something.”

  “You’re close. The name’s Pleasure Pointe Beach.” He pointed to the heels Megan picked out for her to wear. “Although, this is a rocky beach and I’m not sure those will be comfortable. Not that I don’t like them.” He handed her a pair of water shoes. “Try these on.”

  Kinsley slipped on the water shoes and tried to take several steps. She almost had to glide instead of walk because of how big they were on her feet. “They’re large, but I think they’ll work. Thanks.” Kinsley raised an eyebrow and watched as Logan pulled out a picnic basket and a blanket from the trunk of his car. “A blanket and a picnic basket? You’re full of surprises. Let me help you.”

  “Not a chance.” Logan let out a chuckle and almost dropped the blanket from his arms when he closed the trunk. “This is my surprise. Besides, I wouldn’t want you losing your balance and tripping in my water shoes, so I’ll carry these.”

  They made their way from the car to the shore and walked several yards toward some large rocks. Logan placed the picnic basket on a small stone ledge away from the ocean spray, and draped the blanket across the different sized boulders before he seemed to find the perfect one. After placing the picnic basket on top of the blanket, he helped guide Kinsley to a safe place where they could both sit and look out over the ocean.

  “I recall these boulders being a lot bigger when I was little. But then, I was probably eight when I climbed on them,” Kinsley laughed. She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty ocean air. The gentle warm breeze hugged her and the sound of the ocean waves reached out as if trying to touch each rock. The scene reminded her of her childhood. “I could stay here all day. This is an absolutely beautiful view.”

  “It certainly is,” Logan said.

  Logan looked into her eyes when he spoke, and her face began to warm. Kinsley looked away and she felt her heart race. Since when did she start acting like a schoolgirl?

  “Here you go,”

  Kinsley sipped her wine. “White wine. It’s perfect.” Oh, God, she wanted to reach over and bring his lips to hers.

  “I’m glad you like it.” Logan’s smile reached from one end of his jaw to the other. He brought out a sandwich for her. “Here, I didn’t know what you’d like, so I went with turkey and cheese. I figured it was a safe bet.”

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem,” Logan said. “I also made a salmon and guacamole sandwich if you don’t eat meat. And if you don’t eat fish, I have a plain salad. I probably should have asked what you like, but I didn’t think of it until this morning and I didn’t have your number so I couldn’t call you.”

  “Well, we’ll need to change that. And no wonder that basket looked heavy, you’re prepared like a boy scout.” Kinsley bit into her turkey sandwich. Logan had the guacamole as evidenced by the small green spot on his lip. He flicked his tongue to reach it and a thick level of heat shot through her. This is nuts, we’re both adults and this is nothing more than a business meeting.

  If only her body believed that.

  “I didn’t mean for you to go to all of that trouble,” Kinsley said between bites. “So, tell me about yourself, your company and what you’re looking for.”

  “As you know, my parents own Sweet Adventures. They had the idea in college but didn’t act on it until a few years later,” Logan told her.

  “The good old American dream,” Kinsley said.

  “Yeah. I guess it was.” Logan leaned back against a boulder. He broke a piece of bread and tossed it to a gull before continuing. “They’re looking to retire in the next several years. Take time to enjoy themselves. You know, maybe take a cruise or two. They own a house at the southern end of the island that they’re looking to sell, since they own a smaller one in Miami. Anyway, they want to leave the company to me and Valerie and our brother, Ryan. He’s the youngest. He finished college several years ago with a finance degree. Valerie took some time off of school, but she graduated last year with a business degree and a minor in entrepreneurship. I don’t think she’s serious about the company. Sometimes she reacts before thinking and right now, I believe she’s only looking to find places to build new locations, not expand the business model.”

  “But you’d like to expand the company. Make it into something more than what it is now.” Kinsley said. “I could hear it in your voice. You’d like to build the brand into something bigger than a child’s adventure park.”

  “Exactly. You’re in advertising, so I thought you could help.” Logan grinned when he looked at her. “Besides, you could also help save my ass since you kissed me in front of my parents.”

  Kinsley closed her eyes and shook her head. “You don’t know how sorry I am about that.” She leaned back against the rock next to him.

  “My parents won’t give me a chance to prove that I can run the business because of my past. They almost did, but when you came along it brought them back to my past, and now I’m back at square one trying to convince them I can handle it. My uncle did the same thing when he was younger. Different business, but he lost it all because he didn’t want to stop having fun.”

  “I didn’t realize how much I messed that up for you.” Kinsley said. “So, you’re saying if I can come up with an advertising campaign to help grow your business, they might look at you as a solid partner?”

  “Pretty much.” Logan sat up. “Ryan stuck to his studies, and since Valerie minored in entrepreneurship, my parents look at them as being serious about the company. I have a feeling Ryan would do anything to cut me out of owning the company. Out of curiosity, what ads have you developed? I mean, you’re freelance, right?”

  “Well, let’s see, I did one for the pet store at the Miami mall. It was called ‘Wild Days.’ They had a monkey for about a month, being held for an animal rights group, while they were working on getting it transported back to Africa. I did one for Sander’s Zoo in Ocala. It was called ‘Return of the Jungle,’ a petting zoo with a rock wall for kids. The zoo had a wild invasive vine, with deep roots that they couldn’t seem to destroy, so I helped them incorporate it into their business and then created the ad to reflect that.”

  “I remember that one. Pretty creative,” Logan told her. He seemed genuinely impressed.

  “It’s a shame they closed,” Kinsley sighed. “I heard it was lack of funds and too many government regulations that put them under.”

  “That’s too bad, you did good work. So, wh
ich would you prefer? Blueberry or mango?” Logan held up two yogurts.

  She chose the mango, and they finished in silence looking out at the ocean waves, enjoying the moment. She handed him her spoon when she finished. “Thanks. That was good. If you don’t mind me asking, what did you study in college?”

  “Performing arts.” Logan laughed. “I haven’t been able to do much with that one.”

  “Yep. That’s a tough field, especially since your best chance of getting work would be to live in either California or New York.” She looked at Logan and then, in a spurt of excitement, wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ll do it. I would love to help you out. This is exciting, and if it works, I could use your name to advertise for other large clients. If that’s okay with you.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Logan hugged Kinsley in return, and then gently placed a hand behind the back of her head and brought her toward him. “Who knows? If you can pull it off, you might find it exciting working for me.”

  She grabbed his shoulders and breathed in his scent as they kissed. After a slow dance of their lips, she met his tongue with hers. The smoothness of his face, the broadness of his shoulders—it felt like she was meant to be in his arms.

  “Mmm. This is probably a bad idea,” Kinsley said, her lips still on his. “You know, mixing business with pleasure?”

  “Well, we’re only sealing the deal,” Logan said, his forehead against hers. “Metaphorically speaking, of course.”

  “Of course.” Kinsley brought her hands to his chest and rubbed them against his shirt and kept them there. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

  “Oh, hell.” Logan kissed her again and this time she didn’t back away. He deepened the kiss like none she’d experienced and she didn’t want this moment to pass, but reality set in and she knew they should leave. “We probably should be going, so I can get to work on your campaign.”

  “Sure.” Logan finally broke his gaze and gathered up the basket.