“The Bucks’ management agreed the other contender’s application exaggerated their sales statistics and traffic flow,” she said. “They reversed their decision. We are now the sole source of Barefoot Bay Bucks merchandise on Mimosa Key aside from the stadium sales.”
“Oh hell,” Sam groaned. “We’ll never hear the end of this from Charity.” Jillian elbowed him sharply in the ribs. He cleared his throat and muttered. “Sorry. I was so overcome with excitement, you know.”
“Can it, Hart Throb,” Jillian said, using the old Army nickname she loved to tease him with. “You know our deal.”
“Oh, and Aunt Daffy has learned to text.” Becca waved her cell phone in the air. “I’ve received eight texts from her in the last half hour. I knew I shouldn’t have encouraged her to get a smart phone.”
Jillian laughed. “Then how would she have the Spirit Talk and Aura Mania apps? Where is she now, by the way?”
Daphne had departed a week earlier on an eighteen-day motor coach trip across America with a group of fellow retirees.
“I think she’s in your old stomping ground. She mentioned red rocks in one of her messages.”
Just then, Jillian’s phone pinged with the sound of an incoming text. She pulled it from her pocket and opened the texting app.
“Speak of the devil,” she said, reading the words on the screen.
Sedona is gr8. Communed with the spirits. Felt the force of the Velcro.
Damn it. Vortices. I hate autocorrect. LOL!
Got new sage for cleansings. And your mother came to me in a dream last night to congratulate me on becoming a great aunt.
Way 2 go with the center!!! Heart you!
“I see she’s getting texting lingo down. But what’s that about?” Sam asked, pointing to the phone screen. “Do all her friends’ children call her Aunt Daffy, too?”
Jillian sucked in a breath. How did Daphne know? Jillian hadn’t even told Sam she thought she was pregnant because she wanted to see the doctor first to be sure.
“Sam? Remember that night we meditated up near Barefoot Mountain? She paused as she considered her next words. “And then we didn’t meditate?”
Sam’s eyes narrowed as he processed the question.
“Yeah, what about it?” His eyebrows shot nearly to his hairline. “Ohhhhh. Are you…?”
“I think so. I have an appointment with the doctor next week to find out for sure, but the stick said yes.” She laughed. “I had to drive across the causeway to buy the test.”
“Charity’s going to be upset not only about the Bucks merchandising decision but that she didn’t get to spread this news first. Should we tell her she was scooped by a ghost?”
“What are you two laughing about?” Becca asked. Jillian hadn’t noticed her sister cross the street.
“Just Aunt Daffy’s text. She’s learning about autocorrect,” Jillian explained, shoving the phone into her pocket.
“I’m going to leave you two to your new business,” Becca said, “and go start on the mountain of paperwork for the Bucks deal. I’m thinking of refinishing that old counter I bought when the Tidal Pool Hall closed and use it to display the baseball merchandise. I’m going to call it the Bucks Bar.”
Jillian hugged her sister. “Thanks for all the work you did to make that deal come through.”
“I’m just keeping the family business going,” Becca replied. “And congratulations, by the way.”
Jillian held her breath. Had Daphne told Becca too?
“On Mimosa Touch. You are going to make such a difference in so many lives.”
Becca returned to the opposite side of the street and Sam guided Jillian into their business, his hand at the small of her back. Once inside, he placed his palm against Jillian’s belly.
“For now, let’s keep this our secret. Until we know for sure,” he suggested. “This baby is going to change our lives, sweetheart. And I’ll be right there for you, like you were there for me. Just like when you touched me and changed my heart forever.”
Acknowledgements
I have been a fan of Roxanne St. Claire for over a decade. I’ve read every book she’s written – many more than once. And I’m always anxiously awaiting the next book. And the next and the next. When she switched from romantic suspense to straight contemporary, I had no doubts that the books would be great. And the Barefoot Bay series didn’t disappoint me. I have devoured the series from its debut book, Barefoot in the Sand, to the most recent, Barefoot with a Bad Boy. In addition to being a favorite author before I started writing, Roxanne has encouraged me since I began writing and would be a friend even if I didn’t write. That’s just how she is.
So color me surprised and very honored when Roxanne (or Rocki as she tells everyone to call her) asked me to be among the group of seed authors for the launch of the Barefoot Bay Kindle World.
Writing is a solitary pursuit because it’s just the writer and the computer. While it is true I spend a lot of time alone with my computer, I’ve found I’m not really alone in the writing of a story. In addition to my friend Google, my writing world is filled with a variety of resources. The best ones are the friends, and sometimes strangers, who answer the questions I pose in emails, text messages and telephone calls, on Facebook and Twitter and any other way I can communicate with them. Any errors in this story are mine alone.
For their very important help with this story, I would like to thank the following people.
Kristi Gold, fabulous author and brainstorming genius who helped unsnarl the plot of this book – more than once.
SFC Michael Vasicak and his wife, author Donna Michaels for answering questions about how wounded soldiers are dealt with on the battlefront and beyond.
Author Brina Cary for the long Facebook private message session one night where she answered lots of questions about military life.
Multiple members of the Published Author Network of RWA who provided information on the topography of Afghanistan and Army base locations.
Beth Ludwig, licensed massage therapist and Reiki Master for giving me information and insight about her fields of expertise.
Carol and Bill Elliott of the Healing Arts Center of Huntsville, Alabama for not only introducing me to Shambhala meditation but not laughing when I told them I was researching meditation for a romance novel.
Charlotte Chavous for an early beta read and feedback.
Annie Rivers for reading and re-reading and re-re-reading the manuscript and offering feedback that helped make the story better. I am also grateful that she did not report me for harassment over the multitude of emails asking for assistance and opinions about this, that and the other.
Kim Killion for my fabulous cover.
Jessie Patterson who made sure I crossed every T and dotted every I and put commas where they belonged.
Maria Connor of My Author Concierge for formatting.
The other Barefoot Bay Kindle World authors, Mandy Baxter, EmKAY Connor, Leigh Duncan, Maria Geraci, Chris Keniston, Kiersten Hallie Krum, Lucy Lakestone, Jill Monroe, Jeannie Moon and Fiona Roarke, for their friendship during this venture and for answering numerous questions and guiding me through the waters of my first self-publishing venture.
And even though I thanked her earlier, thank you again, Rocki, for inviting me to dip my toe into the fabulous and fun world of Barefoot Bay.
Marilyn Baxter
About the Author
After discovering romance novels quite by accident, Marilyn revived her interest in writing. Since 2001, she's had over 40 short stories published in both confession and romance magazines, and in 2013 she sold her first book. She is an active member of Romance Writers of America and her local chapter, Heart of Dixie Romance Writers. Her involvement in RWA's local and national levels has combined to give her a great love of the romance genre as well as friendships that span the globe.
In addition to reading and writing, Marilyn loves watching TV crime dramas, cooking for one and gardening in a few pots on her pat
io. Her motto is "Have passport, will travel" and she is always ready to add another location to the list of 32 states and 21 foreign countries she has visited so far.
A native of North Carolina, Marilyn arrived in Huntsville, Alabama,
by way of Frankfurt, Germany. She has lived in Alabama longer than anywhere else and calls it her home. She raised two great sons and now loves to dote on her two terrific granddaughters. And, amidst all of the above, she fits in a day job as an administrative assistant for a boutique law firm.
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Other Books by Marilyn Baxter
Better as a Memory
Tea for Two
Direct Deposit
Picture This
Table of Contents
A Message from Roxanne St. Claire
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Barefoot Bay: When You Touch Me (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 12