Summer at Firefly Beach: The perfect feel-good summer romance
Page 25
Ben tossed the magazine on the floor and took her hands, kissing her neck. “Is it good?” he asked.
“Yes!” She squirmed to get free, but his lips found hers.
“We’ll read it later,” he said, his hands moving along her waist.
She wrapped her arms around him, as Ben simultaneously kissed her and shooed a curious Beau over to his pillow in the corner.
Hallie tipped her head back. “You sure you don’t want to read it now?” she asked. “It’s really great.”
“Hmm…” Ben said, deliberating. Then he started nibbling at her neck. “I can think of something greater than that article.”
Hallie laughed and twisted out of his grasp.
Ben sat up with a lighthearted huff. “No, really,” he said. “I do have some amazing news that definitely requires celebration.”
“What is it?”
She picked up the magazine and tossed it onto the coffee table, on top of a pile of bridal books she’d been perusing over the last few months. Once Gavin had finished the trim, Hallie had reassembled the staff at Starlight Cottage and hired a painting company to refresh the entire estate, including the dock and gazebo where she and Ben planned to say their vows. She’d also redesigned Mama’s wedding dress, creating a contemporary slip of satin with beading at the edges, which would also be woven into the dainty band that would encircle a pile of loose curls at the base of her neck.
“I’ll tell you when we get to Starlight Cottage,” he said.
“At the wedding?”
“Mm-hm.”
“But that’s months away!”
“You’ll have to wait.”
“That’s not fair. You can’t put something like that right in front of me and then not tell me. I’m going to have to convince you…” she said, pressing her lips to his and pushing him back down onto the sofa. She hovered over him, grinning, holding his wrists as if she could keep him from getting loose.
“I’m proof that waiting is possible. You made me wait a ridiculous amount of time…” He broke out of her hold, rolled around until he’d pinned her down, and tickled her, making her shriek with laughter, writhing under him and pawing at his hands to stop.
When he’d slowed, Ben planted a tiny kiss on her lips. “Don’t bat your eyelashes at me. You know I can’t handle it. It makes me crazy.” He kissed her again and then pretended to gobble her up.
“Be serious,” she said, stopping him. “What is it?”
“The home study is finished. We’ve been cleared for adoption.”
Hallie sat up and threw her hands to her mouth in elation. “We are?” she squeaked.
“Yep. I’ve already secured Sylvan Park for the enormous party we’re going to throw to celebrate!”
Hallie laughed, her heart full.
Ben put his hands on her face and looked into her eyes. “We’re gonna be amazing parents,” he said.
With a grin, she knew he was right, and this time, she listened to him.
In Aunt Clara’s final letter, she’d told Hallie that she deserved to have it all. She hadn’t understood the meaning of that little word “all” until she’d found it. Her entire future had been waiting for her in the house at Firefly Beach. Her destiny had been right there all along; she just had to jump in and grab it.
“What are you thinking about?” Ben asked.
“Grabbing my future.” She took hold of his hands and pulled him toward her for another kiss.
If you enjoyed Summer at Firefly Beach, you’ll love
The Summer House by Jenny Hale—an absolutely stunning, feel-good summer romance, about family secrets, re-discovering who you are, and the magic of finding true love. Available now!
THE SUMMER HOUSE
A gorgeous feel-good romance that will have you hooked.
* * *
Some summers will stay with you forever...
* * *
Callie Weaver and best friend Olivia Dixon have finally done it: put their life savings into the beach house they admired through childhood summers, on the dazzling white sand of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. They’re going to buff the salt from its windows, paint its sun-bleached sidings, and open it as a bed and breakfast.
* * *
Callie’s too busy to think about her love life, but when she catches the attention of local heartthrob Luke Sullivan, his blue eyes and easy smile make it hard to say no. He’s heir to his father’s property empire, and the papers say he’s just another playboy, but as they laugh in the ocean waves, Callie realizes there’s more to this man than money and good looks.
* * *
Just when true happiness seems within reach, Callie and Olivia find a diary full of secrets... secrets that stretch across the island, and have the power to turn lives upside down. As Callie reads, she unravels a mystery that makes her heart drop through the floor.
* * *
Will Callie and Luke be pulled apart by the storm it unleashes, or can true love save them?
* * *
The Summer House is an absolutely gorgeous, heart-warming summer romance, about the importance of family, not keeping secrets, and learning how to open your heart.
* * *
Get it here!
JENNY’S EMAIL SIGN UP
If you can’t wait to read more from Jenny Hale, you can sign up here to be the first to know about her new releases. We promise not to share your email with anyone else, and we’ll only contact you when there’s a new book out.
BOOKS BY JENNY HALE
Summer at Firefly Beach
The Summer Hideaway
The Summer House
Summer at Oyster Bay
Summer by the Sea
A Barefoot Summer
* * *
It Started With Christmas
We’ll Always Have Christmas
All I Want for Christmas
Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses
A Christmas to Remember
Coming Home for Christmas
Available in audio
The Summer Hideaway (UK listeners | US listeners)
Summer at Oyster Bay (UK listeners | US listeners)
Summer by the Sea (UK listeners | US listeners)
* * *
It Started With Christmas (UK listeners | US listeners)
We’ll Always Have Christmas (UK listeners | US listeners)
Coming Home for Christmas (UK listeners | US listeners)
A LETTER FROM JENNY
Thank you so much for reading Summer at Firefly Beach. I hope it got you longing for those endless summer days, feeling the warm sand on your feet, and the coconut smell of beach cocktails!
If you’d like me to drop you an email when my next book is out, you can sign up here.
I won’t share your email with anyone else, and I’ll only email you when a new book is released.
If you did enjoy Summer at Firefly Beach, I’d love it if you’d write a review. Getting feedback from readers is amazing, and it also helps to persuade other readers to pick up one of my books for the first time.
If you enjoyed this story, and would like a little more summer time on the beach, do check out my other summer novels—The Summer House, Summer at Oyster Bay, The Summer Hideaway, Summer by the Sea, and A Barefoot Summer.
Until next time!
Jenny x
Find me on:
Goodreads | www.itsjennyhale.com
SUMMER BY THE SEA
Out now!
* * *
A beautiful, heart-warming summer read about sisters, first love and not always getting what we want – but sometimes ending up with exactly what we need.
* * *
They say there’s always one summer that changes you.
* * *
For Faith the one summer she can’t forget is when she fell in love as a teenager – only for her sister, Casey, to steal her man. Now, at the request of her beloved ninety-year-old Grandmother, Faith has agreed to a family holiday – at their childhood bea
ch house, where it all began.
* * *
Faith hasn’t seen her sister in years but is finally ready to forgive and forget, enjoy the sunshine and relive happy memories. What she’s not ready for is meeting Jake Buchanan – the owner of the beach house – or the long-forgotten feelings he ignites in her.
* * *
Can Faith overcome the hurt of the past, rekindle the close bond she had with Casey and make this summer THE ONE to remember?
Buy it here.
SUMMER AT OYSTER BAY
Summer at Oyster Bay is the perfect, feel-good summer romance, about the importance of home and family, learning what love is, and living for the moment.
* * *
They say falling in love is easy. But what if you know it’ll break your heart?
* * *
For Emily Tate, returning to her charming childhood home Oyster Bay is like coming up for air after the fast pace of her city life. At the farm her grandfather built, surrounded by sister Rachel’s chatter, Gram’s buttermilk biscuits, and the soft, white sand, Emily is reminded of exactly who she is and what she holds most dear.
* * *
When Emily starts work at elegant Water’s Edge Inn, Charles Peterson, the handsome new owner, asks for her help. He wants to expand and needs Emily to teach him the local ways, so he can convince the planning commission. Emily vows to make him fall in love with her hometown, just the way it is.
* * *
At work, Charles is reserved and serious, yet once Emily has him kicking off his shoes in the sand and sailing across the glistening Chesapeake Bay, she sees another side to him, and their easy rapport feels like the start of something big.
* * *
But when it becomes clear Charles’s plans for the inn involve bulldozing Oyster Bay, Emily is heartbroken. Will she lose her home and Charles all at once, or can she save Oyster Bay, and give true love a chance?
* * *
Buy it here!
A BAREFOOT SUMMER
'You’ll love Libby’s heartwarming journey as her life changes in ways she’d never have expected… A warm, light, brilliantly romantic story.’ 5/5 GirlsLovetoRead.com
* * *
Get it here!
* * *
A Barefoot Summer is a beautiful, touching story about coming home, the importance of family, and the special place that first loves hold in our hearts. Fans of Carole Matthews, Trisha Ashley, Susan Mallery and Susan Wiggs – and anyone looking for a perfect, feel-good summer read will enjoy this.
* * *
Sometimes you find perfect where you least expect it.
* * *
Libby Potter has just lost the perfect job, the perfect apartment and the perfect boyfriend. Moving back to the home town that she couldn’t wait to escape when she was younger was definitely not on her to-do list. Especially as it means running into the man whose heart she broke when she left.
* * *
Pete Bennett can still make Libby’s world stop with just the sound of his voice – even ten years on. Only now, she is the last person in the world that he wants to see.
* * *
As everyone else welcomes Libby home with open arms, she realizes she’s missed that special closeness that comes from lifelong friendship. And, as Libby seeks to make amends with Pete, she begins to wonder whether she made the right choice in leaving all those years ago.
* * *
When an amazing career opportunity gives her the chance to leave again, Libby will have to decide what her version of perfect is… and where she really belongs.
* * *
Available now.
WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE CHRISTMAS
An enchanting story about the magic of Christmas, the importance of family, and the joy of falling in love during the most romantic season of the year…
* * *
Christmas has always been a special time for Noelle Parker. Winter evenings spent with family and friends, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies at her family’s cozy bakery have shaped her love for all things festive. But this year everything is changing…
* * *
The beloved bakery is facing closure and Noelle needs a miracle to save Christmas.
* * *
Determined to raise funds for the family business, Noelle sets about revamping the bakery while juggling a surprise new job, caring for the elderly and cantankerous William Harrington in his luxurious, sprawling mansion.
* * *
As Noelle melts the frostiness of the house with cake baking, snowball fights and glittering decorations, she helps William to reconnect with a romance that has spanned decades and unexpectedly finds herself falling for his grandson - the gorgeous but mysterious Alexander Harrington…
* * *
In the countdown to Christmas, can Noelle save the bakery, reunite a family and create some magical memories of her own along the way?
* * *
Unwrap the feeling of Christmas in this beautiful novel celebrating friendship, family and love that lasts a lifetime. We’ll Always Have Christmas is the perfect treat for fans of Karen Swan, Susan Mallery and Sue Moorcroft.
* * *
Buy it here.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am eternally grateful to my husband Justin, who has provided unwavering support, weathered the ups and downs of my journey by my side, and allowed me to follow my heart.
To my friends and family, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your positivity and encouragement. Another thank you goes to Megan Liesinger for the useful conversation about adoption.
I am so appreciative of the creative community here in Nashville, and delighted that I was welcomed with open arms. I am continually inspired by this new city I call home.
Huge kudos to the folks at Bookouture, the most fantastic publisher around. An enormous thank you to my editor Natasha Harding, who keeps it all running smoothly, even when I throw bumps in her path. To Oliver Rhodes, I couldn’t do this without him. I am so thankful for his vision, patience, and leadership.
Published by Bookouture in 2019
* * *
An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
* * *
www.bookouture.com
* * *
Copyright © Jenny Hale, 2019
* * *
Jenny Hale has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
* * *
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
* * *
eBook ISBN: ISBN: 978-1-78681-733-4
* * *
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Books by Jenny Hale
Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
The Summer House
Jenny’s email sign up
Books by Jenny Hale
A Letter from Jenny
Summer by the Sea
Summer at Oyster Bay
A Barefoot Summer
We’ll Always Have Christmas
Acknowledgments