by C. L. Roman
When I heard the sirens behind me and glanced up to look out my rear-view mirror, my stomach dropped. I flicked my gaze to my speedometer and groaned. “Great. Just great. Good job. A ticket for speeding is just what you needed.”
I turned on my blinker and headed towards the right-hand shoulder, hoping maybe the patrol car would keep going and snag someone else. No such luck. He followed right behind me, and when I put the car into park, he got out of his cruiser. I rolled my window down and fought off the tears stinging my eyes.
“Good afternoon. Name’s Officer Carter. Are we late for an appointment today?”
“Yes… no… really, I don’t know.”
I didn’t want to look at him because I was still so angry with myself I thought I might burst into tears. But he just stood there. Waiting and saying nothing. Finally, I glanced up with an apologetic expression. “I’m just really having a shitty day.”
He wasn’t a very good-looking guy, but he had warm eyes. For a cop, I guess. One corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile, and he put his hand out. “Do you have your license and insurance information?”
I found my wallet and handed him my driver’s license, then popped the glove box and pulled out my insurance card. He thanked me, and headed back to his car. While I waited, I dropped my head back into the seat and took a few breaths to force myself to relax.
I knew I was being stupid. I’d only known Luke for a few days so there was no reason to get so upset about not seeing him again. It was time for me to pull up my big girl panties and be an adult. An adult who had a mom and a brother and a job waiting at home. An adult who wanted to have a little adventure, but now that the adventure was over, she could get on with her real life again.
“Here you go.” Officer Carter handed me back my cards, and I slipped them into my wallet before looking back up at him. “I just need you to sign this.”
“Yes, sir.” I took the pen and signed without even looking at it. I could hear my dad’s voice in my ear. Never sign anything without reading it first.
“So, this is just a warning.” He tore the carbon copy and handed it to me. “You need to slow down, though. The next guy might not be so obliging.”
“Holy crap, thank you so much,” I said, my voice a little louder than it needed to be.
“Also, your tail light is flickering, like there’s a short or something. You need to get to a mechanic next chance you can.”
I watched him walk back to his patrol car and pull out onto the highway. My brow was pinched into a tight little frown as traffic passed by, then when it was clear, I put the car into gear and eased off the shoulder.
Lost in thought, I absently punched the knob to turn the radio on again. The talk show was over, and a new program was starting. I had no idea what the announcer was saying or what the show would be about. All I could focus on was Willie Nelson’s voice singing “Blue Eyes.”
Pretty blue eyes.
Hoping Officer Carter or one of his cop-friends wasn’t nearby, I sped across several lanes to the exit ramp and made a U-turn to head back towards Louisiana. My foot itched to hit the accelerator, but I managed to keep my speed only slightly over the limit. In a little under an hour, I was pulling back into Betty Ruth’s parking lot, relief in my chest when I saw Luke’s truck still there.
I jumped out of the car, not bothering to even close the door. As I rushed into the store Betty greeted me with a huge smile.
“Why, Lacey, I thought you’d headed out.”
“Luke,” I panted, hand to my chest. “Where’s Luke?”
She pointed towards the back, and I ran that way, running into him when he rounded a corner.
“Jesus, Lacey. You scared the shit out of me. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Fine.” I took a deep breath, “But you missed something.”
“Missed something?”
“My brake light. Something’s wrong with my brake light. You must have missed it.”
He looked at me, the corners of his mouth slowly inching upward into a cocky grin. When he did that, the skin around his “pretty blue eyes” crinkled.
“You came back here just to let me fix your brake light?”
I licked my lips, smiling. “Yeah, I did. I was counting on you to make sure my car was in good shape. So, what are you going to do to make it right?”
He grabbed me quickly, yanking me into his arms so fast my head spun a little, but I still giggled like a little girl.
“Did you think maybe I did it intentionally?” he asked.
“Why would you do that?”
His mouth was less than an inch from mine, and I parted my lips in anticipation. “Because,” he said. “Where I’m concerned, I don’t ever want you to put on the brakes. I want us to keep going. All in. Full speed.”
“Oh. Good. ‘Cause that’s just how I want it to be.”
“You know this is crazy, right? I mean, how will we make something work between us? There’s the distance. Plus, I’m just a diesel mechanic, Lacey. I’m never gonna… that’s just what I am.”
I hooked my hand around his neck and pulled him down, slanting my lips to his. We both opened our mouths, tongues sweeping in deep. His arms tightened around me, and I knew I never wanted to feel another pair of arms holding me.
Finally, he pulled back a little and looked down at me.
“You’re my adventure, Luke. You’re my crazy. You’re the only kind of crazy I ever wanted.”
Our mouths met again, and I melted against him, relief and excitement pumping through my veins. When I heard two sets of hands clapping in the background, my face heated in embarrassment as I realized we had an audience.
“Woohoo!” Mary exclaimed.
Betty chortled, “Just wait until I call Pas Bon and tell him about this! He’ll go absolutely crazy.”
Crazy, I laughed mentally as Luke backed me towards a back room without breaking our kiss. When he slammed the door, then pressed me against it, I knew there would be no more time for thinking.
Now was the time for going crazy together again.
A Note From Olivia
Last year I decided to start a brand-new series called Love & Found and to center it on a fictional version of a little beach community on the Texas and Louisiana border. Although not an autobiography, I peppered the locale and the people in the story with tidbits of memories from my childhood.
My parents took my sisters and me to Johnson’s Bayou almost every weekend when we were growing up, renting cabins until they joined with friends to buy a little plot of land to share. Those were happy, carefree days of sun and music and laughter. My parents’ friends were like surrogate parents to us and their kids were like extra siblings.
Even though these stories aren’t intended to be “true to life” I did give some of the characters little traits that resembled real people, including my parents and sisters and me. Luke, a diesel mechanic who loves to do the cooking for the weekly gatherings, and his wife Lacey plus their three girls have minor roles in the first book, What I Wasn’t Looking For. It was always my intention to write a little prequel to give us a glimpse at their romance. I didn’t think I’d be writing it months after losing my Daddy without warning this past March.
So although this isn’t my parents’ true story, there are lots of little pieces of them in it. My Daddy’s pretty blue eyes… the fact that everyone always knew he could fix just about anything, whether it was an engine or an air conditioning unit… even some of the colloquialisms he always used.
So yes, this story is lovingly and cathartically dedicated to Daddy…
I love you THIS much.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author Olivia Hardin lives and writes in the great state of Texas with her hubby, Danny and their pup, Princess Bonnie Sue the Corgi. Her Love & Found books are a steamy contemporary romance series that takes place in a fictional version of a beach town her family visited when she was a child.
What I Wasn’t Looking For
(Love & Found – 1) released in the summer of 2018 and book two is expected in 2019.
What I Wasn’t Looking For is ". . . amazing. I could not put it down until I finished. . ."
—Amazon Reviewer
More series by Olivia available at www.olivia-hardin.com:
Contemporary Romance: The Rawley Family Romances
Meet the Rawleys. A series of stand-alone romances, each following a different couple in this saga of life, love, family, and friends....
Paranormal Romance: The Bend-Bite-Shift
Pain, joy, death, life, magic… All of it fits…
Urban Fantsay: The Lynlee Lincoln Series
She’s a WITCH.
Her bff is a WEREVAMP.
Her boyfriend is HUMAN.
It’s a recipe for TROUBLE.
Olivia Hardin puts the OH in romance. Visit at her at www.olivia-hardin for updates and more!
Website | Mailing list | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
The Problem
A Crystal Cove Novella
By
Tawdra Kandle
In Crystal Cove, even if you’re trying to escape love, happily-ever-after is a given
TK
Copyright © 2018 by Tawdra Kandle
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Acknowledgments
It was so much fun to be back in Crystal Cove, visiting my old friends. Thank you to CL Roman for inviting me to participate in this collaboration, thus sparking the idea for Sierra and Blake's story. A huge thank you and hug to Kara Schilling, my forever-beta reader, who jumps into the fray every time. And big smooches to my readers who are so excited about another Cove love story.
—TK
Dedication
To my daughters, who are the greatest legacy any woman could have.
Prologue
The light streaming in through a gap in the curtain woke me, and the very first thing I saw was that blasted bracelet.
“God.” I groaned out the word, burying my face in the pillow briefly. It took me a minute to remember where I was.
Vegas.
I turned my head to glare at the bracelet, and it was then that I saw another piece of jewelry. But this one didn’t look at all familiar. As a matter of fact, it was downright foreign, and when my addled, foggy brain took hold of what it was, terror gripped my heart.
It was gold, it was round and it was on the fourth finger of my left hand.
Before I could slide into a full out panic, I heard a soft snore and felt the sheet over me tighten as the person in bed with me turned over.
The person in bed with me? Who the hell was in bed with me?
I forced myself to be brave and ventured a peek. When I saw the dark auburn hair, messy and curling, and the layer of scruff on the strong jaw, everything began to come back to me—and I wished it hadn’t.
My heart was thumping so hard, I was sure it was going to wake up my—no. I so wasn’t going there. What I had to do now was get the hell out of Dodge and fast. There wasn’t a second to lose.
I slithered out from beneath the covers and planted my bare feet on the plush carpet. The rest of me was just as bare as my feet, as it turned out, and I cringed a little as I sprinted for the door that led to the front room of the small suite, pausing only to scoop up random pieces of my clothing that littered the floor of the bedroom.
Once I’d made it to the other side of the door, I quietly shut it behind me, praying that the soft click didn’t wake sleeping beauty. The last thing I wanted to do right now was have a long conversation about the mess we’d gotten into last night. I wasn’t ready to think about it. Not yet.
Frantically, I pulled on underwear, a bra, the jeans I’d worn yesterday and a T-shirt I found in my bag. With trembling fingers, I raked my curly brown hair off my face and pulled it up in a sloppy ponytail.
Once I had everything back in my small and sophisticated Coach duffel, I draped the long handle of my crossbody purse over my head and left the suite, stepping out into the hallway with a measure of . . . relief? Regret? Maybe a bit of both.
The elevator came quickly to my floor, and it was blessedly empty. I wasn’t in the mood to ride down eighteen stories with anyone who might expect me to be social. Once in the lobby, I made a beeline for the front desk.
“Good morning. How may I help you?” A perky blonde smiled at me, her long manicured fingers poised over the keyboard, ready to jump into action on my behalf.
“Hi. Um . . .” I took a deep breath, trying to think of the best way to phrase my request. “I’m in room 1863. I was staying there with my—uh, friend. But I was just called away unexpectedly. I have an emergency situation.” I nodded, as if it to convince this chick I was telling the truth. Why it mattered that she believed me, I had no clue.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Front desk Barbie tilted her head in sympathy.
“Yeah, well . . . my friend was still asleep, so I’ll get in touch later and explain everything.” Sure, I would. “But I’m going to go ahead and pay everything for the hotel. Oh, and keep my card on file in case my friend wants to grab breakfast or something, all right?”
“Certainly.” She’d tapped in my room number when I’d mentioned it. Now her gaze flickered to me and then back to the screen. “All right, then, Ms. Lockhart. I’ve run your card for the balance of the stay, and I’ve left the account open, in case there are any late room charges. We’ll email you your receipt.”
“Thank you.” At least something was going smoothly. “I need to get a taxi to the airport. Can you remind me where the stand is?”
She pointed across the expansive lobby. “Through those glass double doors. There’s a guy there who’ll give you a hand. Have a safe and pleasant trip home, Ms. Lockhart.”
“Thanks.” I all but sprinted for the doors, my bag bumped against my legs. Skidding to a halt by the taxi stand, I pointed to the street.
“I need a cab, please. I’m going to the airport, and I need to get there fast.”
“No problem, miss.” The man tapped something on his tablet. “What time is your flight?”
Shit. “I don’t know. I haven’t booked it yet. It’s an emergency situation.” I repeated the same phrase that I’d given the front desk clerk.
“If you’d like, we can help you find a flight. Patty in the concierge department would be happy to help, if you’ll step back inside—”
“NO!” I spoke much more loudly than I’d intended, and the man jumped in surprised. “I mean, no thank you—I can do it myself. Just get me a taxi, please, and I’ll have something before it gets here.”
I tugged out my phone and pulled up my favorite trusty travel app. Scrolling through the options, I began to book a trip back home to California, but suddenly, I hesitated. If I went back home, he’d find me easily, and then I’d have to deal with exactly what I was running from now. I needed more than a few hours to figure out what the hell I was going to do. I had to fly somewhere he wouldn’t think to follow.
Several options popped into my head, but none was good enough . . . until I remembered an email I’d received just last week from my cousin Abby. In it, she’d raved about the beauty and peace of the beach community where she lived now. Beauty and peace sounded exactly like what I wanted.
&n
bsp; Of course. That would be the perfect destination. I booked the flight quickly, and by the time I climbed into the backseat of the taxi, I felt more confident. A little calmer.
“So where are you flying today, huh?” The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror.
I sagged against the rolled upholstery. “Florida. I have a direct flight to Daytona Beach.”
“Daytona! Spring break. A little early for that, though, isn’t it?” The cabbie grinned. “I’d think even down there, it would still be chilly in February for the wet T-shirt contests.”
“I have no idea.” I cast him a cool glare. “I’m not staying in Daytona Beach. I’m going to a little town south of Daytona.”
“Huh.” He sounded as though he was losing interest now that transparent tees weren’t involved. “What’s that place like?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been there.” I paused, staring out the window. “But it sounds like a perfect place to hide from everything—and everyone—I want to avoid.”
The driver frowned. “Okay. So what’s the name of this town where you can disappear and bury your head like an ostrich?”
I sighed, resting my forehead against the cool glass of the window.
“It’s called Crystal Cove.”
Chapter One
Sierra
“Okay, Abby. Go ahead. Give it to me.”
Across the room, my cousin sat behind her desk and blinked at me, her brows drawing together. “Give you what?”
I waved one hand impatiently. “You know, give it to me. Lay it on me. Tell me that I’m a flake, an airhead. Tell me that I’m crazy and impetuous and prone to doing all manner of stupid shit.”