Seaside Kisses

by Stacy Claflin

  Contents

  Title Page

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty One

  Twenty Two

  Twenty Three

  Twenty Four

  Twenty Five

  Twenty Six

  Twenty Seven

  Twenty Eight

  Twenty Nine

  Thirty

  Thirty One

  Thirty Two

  Seaside Hunters

  Seaside Shorts

  Bayside Hunters

  Other Books

  Author's Note

  SEASIDE KISSES

  THE SEASIDE HUNTERS

  by Stacy Claflin

  http://www.stacyclaflin.com

  Copyright ©2015 Stacy Claflin. All rights reserved.

  Edited by Staci Troilo

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental or used fictitiously. The author has taken great liberties with locales including the creation of fictional towns.

  Reproduction in whole or part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited. Do not upload or distribute anywhere.

  This ebook is for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be resold or given away to others. If you would like to share this book with others please either purchase it for them or direct them to StacyClaflin.com for links. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

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  One

  Amara Fowler turned on the taffy machine and smiled at all the little kids in front of her. Most stared, wide-eyed and squealing or giggling. Others glanced around the room at other candy in the shop, eyes glazed over and mouths gaped open. The machine made a loud clanking noise, and the kids all jumped to attention.

  "Does anyone have any questions?" she asked the third graders.

  "Do you eat candy every day?" asked one little girl.

  Amara smiled. "It's tempting, but no. I try to eat a balanced, healthy diet."

  Several kids groaned.

  One little boy stepped forward with his eyes wide. "If I worked in a candy store, I'd eat as much as I could—every day."

  "She doesn't just work here, Parker," said Amara's niece, Ashley. "She and my daddy own it."

  Parker shrugged. "I'd eat even more, then."

  Amara lowered herself to their eye level, and she looked Parker in the eyes. "You know what? When I was a little girl, I did eat candy every day. Lots of it."

  His eyes widened. "You did?"

  "Yes. But you know what?"

  "What?" Parker stared at her with such an intensity Amara thought he would hurt himself.

  "I got fat."

  Most of the kids giggled.

  "No, you didn't," Parker said, giving her a suspicious look.

  "Really, I was."

  Amara's twin brother, Alex, came out from the back room, laughing. "And I have the pictures to prove it."

  Ashley ran over to Alex and gave him a hug. "Daddy!"

  He hugged her back and adjusted the taffy in the machine.

  Mrs. Hill stood next to Amara. "Hasn't this been a fun field trip, kids?"

  They all cheered.

  "Now we need to get back to the school. Let's all say thank you to Mr. and Miss Fowler."

  "Thank you, Mr. and Miss Fowler," the kids all said unison.

  "It's been our pleasure," Amara said, smiling. "But before you go, we have some finished taffy for you."

  A chorus of yays and hurrays filled the shop. She and Alex pulled out small, clear baggies with several pieces of taffy each, and handed them to the children.

  One little girl took her bag and looked Amara in the eyes. "I can't believe you were ever fat. You're so pretty."

  Amara blushed. "Thank you, but people can be pretty no matter what they weigh."

  Alex stepped forward. "How could Miss Amara not be good looking? We're twins!"

  Ashley and Amara both groaned. If they had a dollar for every time he used that line…

  "But seriously," Alex said. "My sister has always been beautiful. It's just that not everyone else chose to see it then."

  The rest of the kids got their bags and they all headed for the front door. Ashley ran back and gave both of them a hug goodbye before joining her class on the way back to school.

  Amara leaned against the wall and sighed. "As cute as the kids are, those field trips always wear me out. Where were you?"

  "Sorry," Alex said. "One of the suppliers called, and their order was messed up. It took me almost an hour to get that ordeal straightened out. We nearly ended up with a full case of chocolate hearts and bears."

  "What?" Amara asked. "It's not Valentine's Day."

  "I know." Alex shook his head. "We need pumpkins. They claimed to be sold out for the season and said they couldn't do anything for us."

  Amara ran her hands through her hair. "Everyone wants the chocolate pumpkins for Halloween."

  "Like I said, I got it worked out, but that's why I couldn't help you with the field trip."

  "Thank you." Relief washed through her. "I don't know what we would have done otherwise."

  Alex peered at his watch. "Wanna grab your lunch? It should be pretty quiet here for a couple hours. I owe you, anyway."

  "Yeah, I need to eat and drop by the post office."

  "More packages to mail?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

  She nodded.

  "Good. I'm glad to hear your online candy business has picked up."

  Amara shrugged. "Ever since that one big dessert blog picked me up for their feature, the orders have been rolling in steadily."

  "No one deserves it more than you." Alex wrapped an arm around her. "Now, when are you going to get a boyfriend?"

  "Oh, not this again. I'm leaving."

  "Come on. My kids need cousins—and they're not getting any younger, you know."

  Amara shook her head. "You're worse than Mom."

  "You're so pretty. I don't see why you hide behind work all the time."

  "See you, Alex."

  "I'm going to set you up with an online dating profile."

  "You'd better not." Amara glared at him. "If you do, I'll find a way to get back at you."

  Alex laughed. "I don't doubt that. I just want to see you happy."

  "I am."

  "Then add to that happiness by dating."

  "Seriously?" she asked. "This is Kittle Falls. Everyone still sees me the way I used to be."

  "Then they're idiots."

  Amara's stomach rumbled. "See you in a couple hours. And don't forget the taffy machine's going."

  "How could I forget?"

  It made one of its typical loud clanks as if to prove his point.

  "Just don't." Amara waved and then stepped outside in the frigid October air. It wasn't usually so cold, but everyone said it was going to be a harsh winter. She turned around, went back inside, and grabbed her jacket.

  "Freezing, isn't it?" Alex asked.

  "I can't remember the last time it was so chilly in October." She shivered and then put on her coat.

  "Think it'll hurt tourist week?"

  "Nah," Amara said. "People enjoy the town's Halloween festivities too much to stay away."

  Alex opened the register. "I hope so."

&n
bsp; "You've gotta think positive."

  "Get your lunch, sis. I don't want to man the place alone when the teens get out of school."

  "I wouldn't do that to you." Amara turned around and left the candy shop a second time. She turned to head for the main part of town where most of the restaurants were.

  She stopped in her tracks.

  A gorgeous, dark-haired man stepped out of a shop that had been empty retail space all summer. He wore a deep purple silk shirt that was obviously designer.

  Rafael Hunter.

  What was he doing in town? She hadn't seen him in at least a decade. Not even the couple times she'd heard of his brief returns. After graduation, Rafael had pretty much high-tailed it out of town, like at least half the kids in their class—and every other one before and after them.

  He pulled a key out of his pants pocket and locked the store.

  Could he be in town permanently? Was it possible he owned a store only a few doors down from the candy shop?

  Amara stared, feeling like a fool, reminded of the girl she had been in school. Overweight, unappealing, the weight of her thick, nerdy glasses sitting on her nose as they had all those years before. It didn't matter that she'd lost the weight, that she now wore contacts. Seeing Rafael sent her right back to the painful days she'd rather forget.

  She thought about saying hi, but couldn't bring her feet to move. Rafael had been the hottest boy in their class—just like all five of the Hunter brothers had been in their respective classes. There wasn't a girl in Kittle Falls who hadn't crushed on at least one of the five brothers at some point.

  Rafael had been Amara's secret crush. And what made that even more difficult was that they had often been placed together in classes because alphabetically, their last names were so close. There hadn't been any kids in their class with a last name in between theirs. Amara had been too shy to talk to him, but had always admired his sense of humor and ability to find the good in any situation.

  He leaned against the door he'd just locked, staring at his phone. Amara took the opportunity to study him. He was clean-shaven and even better looking than he'd been in school with his broader shoulders and rugged stubble.

  Without warning, Rafael lowered his phone and looked her way. She'd been caught staring. Heat crept into her cheeks.

  "Rafael!" she called, waving. If she pretended it was no big deal, maybe she could save face.

  He arched an eyebrow, not appearing to recognize her.

  Amara's heart sank. After all those times sitting next to her in class, and he didn't know who she was. She forced a smile and walked over. "I don't think I've seen you since graduation." Maybe that would help to ring a bell. She smiled wider. "How are you?"

  Rafael continued looking at her. It was obvious he hadn't a clue who she was.

  "I heard you have a crazy successful business in LA," Amara said. "That must be so exciting. I'm running my parents candy shop with Alex." That had to tell him who she was. Alex had run with the same crowd of kids that Rafael had. "Actually, Alex and I own it now. My parents opened a shop near Disney Land, which is super successful. We almost never see them anymore." Ugh. Why did her mouth have to run when she was nervous? He didn't need to know all that.

  Rafael's face finally registered recognition. "Four-Eye—I mean, Amara Fowler?"

  Amara grimaced. "Four-Eyed Fowler. You can say it. Everyone did."

  "I apologize." He stared at her. "You look completely different. I can't believe—I mean, you look great."

  It took her a moment to recover. Rafael Hunter had just said she looked great? Great? "Well, I got contacts, so the old nickname doesn't really fit anymore."

  Rafael shook his head. "No, it certainly doesn't."

  "So, what brings you back to Kittle Falls? Looking into retail space?"

  He glanced behind him. "I've got that space, and I'm close to ready to open."

  "Oh, like a satellite location?"

  "More like starting over." Neither his face nor his tone indicated whether that was a good or bad thing.

  Amara forced another smile. "Well, that sure sounds exciting. Looks like we're going to be neighbors." She gestured toward the candy shop. "I don't want to keep you any longer, but welcome back. If you need anything, just stop in."

  "Thanks. It's good to see you again, Amara."

  "You, too." She spun around and walked away, trying to catch her breath. She had so many questions, but thankfully, she hadn't babbled on anymore than she had at the start of the conversation.

  Amara couldn't think straight and seemed to have lost her appetite. She decided to go home and make sure her packages were all ready. If she got hungry again, she could just warm up last night's leftovers.

  Two

  Rafael Hunter closed the door of his Mercedes Benz and turned the key in the ignition. He'd seen a lot of old schoolmates since returning home to Kittle Falls, but none made quite the impression Amara had. Back in school, she'd practically been invisible.

  The Amara he remembered was overweight and hid behind clunky glasses, a face full pimples, and an awkward laugh. She'd been nothing like her athletic and popular twin, Alex.

  This new Amara, she was a lot more like her brother—or at least the way he remembered him. Maybe Alex had changed as much as his sister. The beautiful woman who'd ran over to see him was graceful, slender, and had a stunning smile.

  He pulled out of the parking spot and drove the short ride to his new home. The deal had taken forever to close, but it was finally his. He parked in the driveway, admiring the house. The tri-level really was too large for one person, but he didn't care. He paid less for this mortgage than he'd paid to rent his studio apartment in LA.

  Things would be a little tight until his business opened, but then everything would be fine. His parents had given him some money to help him get back on his feet, and he intended to pay them back every penny, plus interest. They swore each of the Hunter "kids" had gotten a gift of equal size, but it wasn't Rafael's style to take handouts, not even under the guise of an early inheritance.

  "We want to see you boys enjoy it," his mom had said. "Not have you all wait until we've passed on."

  Or were they afraid to lose more kids before they had a chance to use their money? The family had lost their baby sister, Sophia, several years earlier, and her death had really made an impact on everyone. This seemed to be his parents' reaction—once they had finally pulled out of their deep grief.

  Someone tapped on Rafael's window. He turned off the car and looked over to see his younger brother, Zachary.

  Rafael got out of the car. "Are you early?"

  "Maybe. I've got a date with Jasmine later, so I was hoping to get as much done now as possible."

  "Oh, sure. Planning the wedding?"

  Zachary nodded. "We're supposed to sample cake flavors after dinner."

  "That sounds dangerous," Rafael said.

  "I'll just have to do extra reps at the gym tomorrow with Brayden," Zachary said. "You're always welcome to join us."

  "Thanks, but I still prefer running."

  "Even in this cold?" Zachary shivered.

  "Especially in this weather." Rafael closed his door and set the alarm with his phone. "I can't get enough of this fresh, clean air. I used to have to go into a gym to get filtered, AC-filled air in LA."

  Zachary made a face. "Yeah, I missed the clean air when I was in New York."

  They went inside the house, and Rafael groaned at the piles of boxes in the entryway. There was so much left to unpack.

  "Is that the last of it?" Zachary asked.

  "Finally," Rafael said. "Now the real fun begins."

  "At least you have your stuff back."

  "And at least I'm out of the bed I slept in as a teenager."

  "Hey," Zachary said. "Watch it."

  Rafael raised an eyebrow. "You'll be out of Mom and Dad's place soon enough. Have you and Jasmine found a house yet?"

  "We're looking at few, but she really wants something tha
t will allow an in-home dance studio."

  "Oh?" Rafael asked. "Owning one in town isn't enough?"

  Zachary grinned. "She wants to be able to practice at home. I think she's also looking ahead to when we have kids."

  "Don't look so scared," Rafael teased.

  "I'm not," Zachary said, his eyes narrowed.

  "Relax," Rafael said. Zachary and Rafael had always been close, and as a result, seemed to push each other's buttons too easily. "I was going to grab some lunch first. You hungry?"

  Zachary shook his head. "I ate while writing earlier."

  "How's the book going?" Rafael asked, sliding his shoes off and then setting them on a rack.

  "Which one?" Zachary asked, grinning. He took off his shoes and put them next to Rafael's.

  "Any of them."

  Zachary hung his coat, and they went into the kitchen. "The two for sale are going crazy. Once the royalties start coming in, we'll have a nice cushion."

  "Not too nice, I hope," Rafael said, opening the fridge. He pulled out a pre-made wrap. "Sure you don't want one?"

  Zachary shook his head. "Don't worry, Raf. I'll keep assisting you as long as you need it."

  "If you need more time for writing, I don't want to hold you back."

  "No, it's good. I need the break." Zachary moved around Rafael and grabbed a sparkling seltzer water.

  They sat at the table, and Zachary talked about the book he was writing, and how he loved the reader feedback. Rafael smiled and nodded at the right places, but his mind wandered back to Amara. He just couldn't get over the whole ugly duckling to beautiful swan transformation.

  Not that he needed the distraction. He had an entire business to rebuild from scratch. The only things he had going for him was the money his parents had given him and all the lessons he'd learned when setting up and running the business back in LA. With any luck, he could get everything going faster this time.

  Rafael rinsed his plate and stuck it in the dishwasher. "You ready to start?"

  "That's why I'm here," Zachary said.

  "I need you to make some calls," Rafael said, bringing his mind into work mode. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through some notes. "First, the company that I've hired to make the shirts. They were supposed to call by this morning, and they haven't. If they aren't going to be reliable, I need to find another."