by Amelia Judd
A week after quitting her job, Sage pulled her reliable Toyota sedan into the only open space in front of Silver Bay’s new coffee shop, Fresh. It sat two blocks from Lake Michigan on the historic downtown square. Judging by the number of full tables she saw through the large windows spanning the front and wrapping around the side of the building, Fresh was a hit.
Sage found the small Help Wanted sign posted in the lower corner of the window even more interesting than the café’s obvious popularity. Working in a coffee house couldn’t financially compete with her former job, but it could pay the bills while she figured out a new path for her life.
In less than a month, she’d given her heart to a man who didn’t want it, quit her stable job at the bank, sublet her apartment, and driven to Silver Bay with no new employment and no place to live. At least people could no longer call her boring or overly cautious.
She’d even accomplished the amazing feat of rendering Kat speechless for a full thirty seconds when she’d called her in Costa Rica last week to tell her about quitting her job. Excited to hear the news, Kat had insisted on helping Sage find at least temporary employment.
It had been Kat’s idea for Sage to stop by the coffee shop. Kat knew the woman who owned the café and thought it would be a perfect fit for Sage during her “transition to greatness,” as her best friend liked to refer to the emotion-inducing adventures Sage had lived through in the past few weeks.
Sage pushed through the café’s glass door, and an old-fashioned bell rang overhead. The enticing aroma of rich coffee and fresh pastries filled the air with a heavenly scent. She drew in a deep breath and grinned, taking in the eccentric atmosphere.
The original brick walls showcased the bold, bright, and playful artwork. Tables and comfortable-looking chairs of different sizes, shapes, and finishes filled the space. A trio of high-tech and complicated-looking coffee machines sat on the old-fashioned counter at the back of the store in a harmonious contradiction. The owner had blended a variety of decorating styles, but somehow it all worked.
Fresh, the newest addition to Silver Bay, embodied whimsical perfection.
A few heads turned to look at her hesitating in the doorway. Sage recognized most of the customers as longtime Silver Bay residents. She squared her shoulders, smiled in acknowledgment, and received welcoming nods and smiles in return.
“Hi, Sage.”
Sage looked in the direction of the familiar voice. “Hannah? You’re the owner?”
“Yep.”
Leave it to Kat to omit the fact that her older sister owned Fresh.
The lovely brunette stepped from around the counter with her arms outstretched. As they hugged, Hannah whispered, “No matter what happens, you need to know that I’ll always be your friend, and I’ll always be here for you.”
Sage leaned back and eyed Hannah. “Cryptic much?”
Hannah’s expression grew serious, and she shifted her gaze to the back of the shop.
Holy buckets.
Pax sat at a table tucked in the corner of the café. His eyes locked on hers, intensity and apprehension pouring off him in waves. Her chest tightened at the sight of him, and Sage fought to breathe. She clenched her suddenly numb fingers as he unfolded his long, lean frame from the small table and began moving toward her.
She forced in a deep, calming breath. She needed to slow her heart’s frantic beat before she fainted like some weak-kneed damsel in distress.
“Pax. I had no idea you were in town.” She choked out the words, hoping she managed an almost normal tone. “Seriously, I’m not stalking you. I’ll come back later.” She turned and bolted for the door, desperate to get away before she starred in a pathetic unrequited love scene on a very public stage.
“Sage, wait. Please. Can we talk?”
She couldn’t. Not yet. She needed more time to heal before she could face him again. Maybe someday they could be friends. Maybe someday seeing him wouldn’t pierce her heart. But not yet. Not today.
Without looking back, she gave a small shake of her head, flung the door open, and rushed blindly out of the café.
•••
Damn it. He had to catch her. Cursing under his breath, Pax fought his way through the collection of mismatched tables scattered through the coffee shop like a damn tea party obstacle course. He bumped into the back of some guy’s chair, mumbled a distracted apology, and glared at his blasted sister for not leaving enough space for a guy to maneuver through. Finally stepping around the last table, he charged for the door.
Hannah stepped in front of him. “Hold it right there,” she ordered, placing her hand on his chest.
“What?” He ground out the word, fighting down the temptation to push past her.
“You’ve sat in that chair from opening to closing for five days and the best line you can come up with is ‘Can we talk?’ That’s just embarrassing.” Hannah rolled her eyes in a dramatic display of his epic failure. “I’m not a romantic like Claire. And even though I think most women would be better off without a guy messing up her life, I allowed you to wait here because Kat promised me that you loved Sage and wanted to set things right. But if that was your attempt at professing your undying love… well, frankly, she might be better off without you.”
He pinned her with a murderous look, frustration and desperation clawing at his gut. “If you’re done lecturing me, I’d like to find Sage before I lose her again.”
“You have to do more than find her, brother. You have to convince her that you deserve her. I don’t know how you’ll do that if you don’t even believe it yourself.” Her soft words hit harder than a fist.
“I have to try.”
She dropped her hand from his chest and stepped out of his path. “She turned toward the water. I’m sure you can find her by the shore.”
He rushed out the door and braced himself against the frigid wind blowing off the lake as he headed to the water’s edge. Hannah was right. Catching up to Sage wouldn’t be enough. Apologizing and admitting his love might not be enough to make up for hurting her either, but after living the past weeks in the suffocating fog of blackness and misery, he wasn’t giving up without a fight.
His long strides quickly ate up the two blocks from Hannah’s café to the lake. Once he crossed over the wide bike path that edged the town’s beach, he saw her. She stood near the surf, her concentration focused on the turbulent waves hammering the icy shore.
His tension lessened with each step he took toward her. Even knowing she might tell him to go to hell, he still craved the contentment being near her brought.
Sage stood facing the lake with her arms wrapped tightly across her body. She didn’t turn to face him when he stopped next to her. Instead, her body tensed. It killed him that she needed to brace herself just to talk to him. Not that he blamed her. He’d hurt her in Costa Rica. He’d purposely pushed her away, and he knew it might be too late for him to do a damn thing about it.
•••
Sage locked her arms tighter around her body in a useless defense against the tidal wave of emotions Pax’s nearness triggered in her.
“I told you to go home because I was afraid,” he said, his voice gravel-rough. “Not afraid of loving you. I’ve never been afraid of that. I started falling for you all those years ago here in Silver Bay.”
Eyes wide, she turned to look at him. His hands were shoved into his front pockets. Everything about him from his rigid stance to his pleading eyes radiated a level of anxiety she’d never seen in him before.
“You pushed me away then too,” she said.
“Because my life was two thousand miles away, a life I couldn’t imagine you’d ever want. I couldn’t ask you to give up your life in Wisconsin to be with me then, and I couldn’t do it when you were at La Vida either. When you said you loved me and would give up everything for me, I panicked. It would kill me to become your biggest regret.”
Her heart squeezed. She unfolded her arms, stepped closer, and laid a hand on his arm.
She ached to ease his pain but remained silent, unsure of what to say.
“I love you.” Emotion deepened his voice and shook his words. “It’s not a secret. Hell, everybody at La Vida figured it out within a few days. Apparently, even Brick realized it, and he once thought the vacuum cleaner was a giant Transformer.” Pax shook his head and shot her a self-conscious smile. “Sorry, now I’m the one who’s rambling. I’ve never told a woman I love her before.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “It’s terrifying.”
Sage bit her lip as hope lifted her heart and threatened to spread a goofy smile across her face. “Pax—”
“Wait. There’s more I need to say.” He took her hands in his. “I used to believe La Vida was all I needed in life, but that’s not true. I’ll never be content unless you’re by my side. Move to La Vida and build a future with me there. Or I’ll move to Silver Bay if you’d rather.” He squeezed her hands tighter. “I don’t care where I am as long as I’m with you.”
Her heart expended with so much joy and excitement she thought it might burst from her chest. “Of course I’ll build a life with you at La Vida. I love it there almost as much as I love you. Besides,” she shrugged one shoulder, “you need a pastry chef.”
A devilish smile lit up his face. “Are you thinking about applying for the job?”
“Sure. As long as you promise to perform an extensive and exhausting interview. You know… just to make sure we’re a good fit.”
“Honey, we’re the perfect fit,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. “I love you, Sage, and I plan to prove it to you every day for the rest of our lives.”
She grinned. “Sounds like a great plan.”
“You want me to tell you about it?” he asked, his voice low, rough, and sexy as sin.
“Nope.” She slipped her arms around his shoulders, stretched to her tiptoes in the sand, and brushed her lips against his. “I want you to show me.”
Epilogue
Three weeks later
Sage pulled a batch of chocolate croissants from La Vida’s oven, closed her eyes, and drew in a deep breath of buttery goodness. Heavenly. Exhaling a contented sigh, she carefully placed them on a rack to cool and stepped back to admire her work.
Thrilled to turn in her laptop for an apron, she’d taken over as La Vida’s pastry chef the day she’d returned to Costa Rica.
“They smell amazing,” Pax murmured, coming up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her firmly against his chest. “Almost as good as you do,” he added in a throaty whisper as he nibbled her neck.
Sage grinned and tipped her head further to the side. “If you’re trying to sweet talk me into giving you a croissant, it’s kind of working.”
“Only kind of?” He nipped her ear, making her best parts perk up in interest.
“I’ve got to make sure there are enough for the guests before I start exchanging them for sexual favors. I take my new career very seriously.” She closed her eyes and moaned in appreciation as his tongue found the sensitive spot directly behind her ear. “Okay, maybe you can have one.”
She felt him grin along her neck and knew they either needed to stop or, better yet, find somewhere private to continue.
“How many croissants could I get for—”
The sound of Pax’s mobile phone ringing cut his offer short. Reluctantly pulling free from his embrace, Sage opened her eyes and turned to watch him glance at his phone’s screen.
He blew out a breath. “It’s Mom. She probably wants to talk about Kat again. Apparently she’s been distracted since returning to Silver Bay. Mom thinks I know why.”
“Do you?”
“Nope. Kat left La Vida by her own choice and seemed happy to do so.”
“I’ll check on Kat later today. You talk to your mom while I finish up in here. Then we can find somewhere private to pick up where we left off,” she said with a wink.
His eyes flashed then darkened. “I’ll be quick,” he promised and tapped his phone to answer. “Hey, Mom.”
Sage watched Pax’s expression go from determined to surprised as he listened.
“Yeah, I’m sure he’d be interested,” he said a moment later. “Okay, I’ll talk to him and get back to you. Bye, Mom. Love you too.”
Still looking a little stunned, Pax slipped the phone into his pocket and leaned back against the counter. He opened his mouth. Shut it. Then cocked his head to the side before turning to look at her. “Mom just asked if Logan would be interested in helping add a community outreach program to Bennett Industry’s charity foundation. She said what we’re doing at La Vida inspired her to make the foundation more hands-on in its approach.”
“I’m not surprised. Your parents love it here and are proud of what you’ve created. Wait.” Sage stepped closer and placed her hand on his chest, “Are you upset they asked Logan to help and not you?”
“Not at all,” Pax said, his tone emphatic. “Mom said she knew you and I were needed here but hoped La Vida could spare Logan for a few months this summer. She even has a free place for him to stay.”
“That’s great. Logan will love Silver Bay, and he keeps talking about wanting to visit the States. Sounds like a win-win situation.”
“I guess.” Pax shook his head. “But it felt like she wasn’t telling me the whole story.”
“I’m sure that’s just part of being a mom.” Sage grinned and stepped around Pax to return her apron to the hook. “Holy buckets. Is that Carter O’Reilly?” She stared through the front window in shock as the movie star climbed from the Land Rover.
“Yeah, he’s due to arrive today. He visits a couple of times a year. He’s pretty good friends with Brick.”
“You’re kidding,” Sage sputtered. “I thought he made that up.”
“Nope. Brick is a straight shooter.”
“But what about all those other stories? What about skiing off the mountain cliff? Did that really happen?”
“Yep.”
“Chasing a bank robber on foot?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Even training a race horse for the Kentucky Derby?” She was incredulous. All of his stories were real?
“Brick has lived a full life.” Pax nodded matter-of-factly. “Speaking of full lives, you’ve been working too hard. Time for a break.” He scooped her into his arms.
“Where are we going?” she asked on a bubble of laughter as he strode from the kitchen.
“Remember that very private waterfall I showed you before?”
“Yep.” She bit her lip in anticipation.
“I thought we could play castaway there for the rest of the day, enjoying some hijinks and adventures.”
“Hmm. Sounds really piratey.”
“I know how much you like pirates,” Pax said, carrying her from the hacienda.
“Do I have to call you captain?” she asked.
He grinned wickedly down at her. “No. But I’ll make it worth your while if you do. What do you say? Up for an adventure?”
“Aye, captain,” Sage murmured in a husky voice, threading her hands through his dark hair. “With you, I’m always up for an adventure.”
Thank You!
Thanks for reading A Venture of the Heart. I hope you enjoyed it!
While much of Sage and Pax’s adventure took place in Costa Rica, book two in the series is set in the Bennett family’s hometown of Silver Bay, Wisconsin and will be available in the spring of 2017. If you’d like to receive an email on release day, please sign up here.
I’ve included an excerpt from book two, Crashing Together, below. The story features Kat and Logan’s romance and was an absolute blast to write! I hope you enjoy these two characters as much as I do…
Happy reading!
Amelia
Crashing Together
A Silver Bay Romance, Book #2
By Amelia Judd
Kat Bennett needs a place to stay. By tonight. So when her brother’s best friend, Logan McCabe, offers up his spare room for t
he duration of the summer, she accepts even though common sense has always warned her to steer clear of the gorgeous Australian with a boyish smile and a knack for breaking female hearts. Spending time with Logan, however, quickly convinces Kat she needs to change tactics and embrace temptation rather than fight it. After all, a steamy fling would be the perfect distraction from real-life problems, and who better to fling with than a gorgeous commitmentphobe who’s only in the country for a few months?
With no ties holding him down, carefree Logan is able to enjoy any of the beautiful places and many of the beautiful women the world has to offer. And he does. Or at least he did right up until the moment he impulsively invites Kat, a woman he has vowed not to touch, to live with him for the summer. Being close to the gorgeous, fiery, and completely off-limits Kat shoots Logan’s relaxed vibe to hell and, even worse, makes him begin to question the safe, unattached lifestyle he’s vowed to maintain…
Chapter One
“Come on, baby, just a little bit more.”
Kat Bennett’s body strained, and her arms shook as she pleaded with the stubborn iron rod in her hands. Who knew lug nuts could be so tight? Getting them off at home would’ve been a lot easier, but she hadn’t noticed anything wrong when she’d left this morning. It took the stomach-dropping, telltale thumping of a flat tire for her to realize the powers that be still enjoyed a good laugh at her expense.
She was stuck, her cell-phone battery drained, along a deserted two-lane road on a blisteringly hot Wisconsin afternoon. The stagnant humid air clung to her skin, sweat dripped down her face, and mosquitos buzzed around her ears. Figured she would get a flat tire on the hottest frickin’ day of the summer.
Even though she’d only been stranded for half an hour, the hundred-degree heat index and her wrestling match with the iron-willed lug nuts had sent both her temperature and her temper into the red zone.