Epilogue: One Year Later
Amelia rode the elevator up to the fifth floor for what had to have been the tenth time today. It had been a long year filled with Tetsuo’s nonsense, trying to sabotage his deal. Thankfully, nothing had been as harsh as cutting the parasail tow line—even though the rat fink bought her a parasail adventure as a congratulatory present. She filed that invitation under N, for no fucking way.
After she finished checking all the rooms, she ran into Joely on the ground floor.
“Dude’s looking for you,” she said, swinging her keys. “Your parents’ and sister’s rooms are all set too. Holt’s keeping an eye on Mike just in case, but I think he’s too worried about the high school hula finals tonight to be his uncle’s flunky.”
“I hope so. Please tell me Dude wasn’t in his hammock.”
“All right,” Joely said, walking away. “I won’t tell you.”
Amelia stomped to the palm trees, which shone with a new coat of paint. “We don’t have time to fool around today,” she told him.
“That’s a damn shame, because I was just contemplating all the naughty things I would like to do to you.” Swinging in the breeze, Dude didn’t even look up from under his Panama hat.
“Dude, please tell me you’re sober.”
“Wahine, you need to learn to relax.”
Amelia counted off on her fingers the things she had to do. “I have to make sure someone picks up my family at the airport in case Tetsuo wants to get cute with the car service again. I need to check that our booze levels are adequate.”
“Mine are.”
She went on as if he hadn’t spoken. “Marcus has been spending a lot of time surfing at Honolua Bay lately. I barely see him.”
“What do you need him for?” Dude asked, reaching into his bag. Instead of pulling out a beer, which was what she’d expected, he had a small box in his hand.
“He’s the new owner. He needs to be here tonight to sign the papers with Tetsuo.”
“He’ll be here, sunshine.” Dude sat up in his hammock. “And so will I.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Amelia crossed her arms. “I suppose you’ll sign on as co-owner. I hope you don’t think you’re going to tell me what to do. I’ve enjoyed bossing you around far too much to ever go back.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Now, will you sit down? I’ve got something for you.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen it. And like I just told you, I don’t have time for a nooner.” Amelia straddled the hammock and sat across from him. “Not that I’m not tempted. Once this is all over, I’m taking my vacation and you and I are going to catch up on some serious naughtiness.”
“It’s a date,” Dude said, pushing a strand of her hair out of her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been a little strung out lately. You’ve been a really good sport about my mood swings.”
“As long as I’m with you, I’ll be happy.” He handed her the box. “I was going to ask you to marry me at dinner tonight in front of your family, but that asshole Tetsuo ruined it by wanting to sign the papers over dinner.”
“He didn’t ruin anything.” Amelia’s hands shook as she opened the ring box to reveal a heart-shaped diamond in a platinum setting.
“Will you be my beach bunny?”
“I would be honored, Dude.”
He slipped the diamond on her finger. Amelia admired the fire and sparkle of the cut, but not as much as the fire in the eyes of her fiancé.
“Aloha au Ia’oe,” she said.
“I love you too, sunshine.”
To Raymond James—I’m glad we got to experience Maui for the first time together
Acknowledgments
There are a ton of people I’d like to thank. Without all their support and hard work, this book would have had a hard time getting into your hands.
My agent, the fabulous Louise Fury.
My editor, the wonderful Sue Grimshaw.
My publisher, the fantastic Gina Wachtel.
Random House’s marketing people, rock stars Erika Seyfried and Ashleigh Heaton.
My peeps at CTRWA, especially those who were at the Cherry Adair workshop when this idea was sprung.
My friends Mary Sheahan and Tracy Costa, for checking the grammar and giving it a quick copyedit.
My amazing husband, Tom Schmidt.
Thank you for all your help. I am truly blessed to have you all on my team.
BY JAMIE K. SCHMIDT
Club Inferno
Heat
Longing
Fever
Hawaii Heat
Life’s a Beach
Beach Happens (coming soon)
PHOTO: JOEY JONES FROM EXPOSURES
USA Today bestselling author JAMIE K. SCHMIDT has published more than thirty short stories in small-press journals and e-zines. She’s an active member of the Romance Writers of America. When not writing, she relaxes with a mug of hot tea and knits or makes beaded jewelry.
jkschmidt.com
Facebook.com/Jamie.K.Schmidt.1
@Jamiekswriter
The Editor’s Corner
Bring in the New Year with a new romance from Loveswept—all are specially written with you in mind, so I know you’ll find a story that’s a perfect fit.
Elisabeth Barrett returns to Briarwood, an unforgettable place where legacy and longing make dreams come true, in The Best of Me. USA Today bestselling author Jamie K. Schmidt follows with the first book in her new Hawaii Heat series, Life’s a Beach, an irresistible tale of second chances. The bad boys of baseball only get better with Katie Rose’s fourth book in the Boys of Summer series, The Heat Is On, where a homegrown baseball star returns to snag the one that got away. USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly finishes her Dare to Love series with Now and Then, a steamy short novel of lost love, second chances, and hidden dangers.
New York Times bestselling author Kathy Clark releases After Love, book one in the suspenseful Austin Heroes series. Cecy Robson’s Of Flame and Promise kicks off a sizzling new series in the Weird Girls saga as Celia’s sister Taran fights to have it all. Jessica Lemmon introduces the ultimate bad boy in Forgotten Promises, and Gina Gordon starts her powerful, deeply sensual series Body & Soul where one woman discovers the courage to face life’s greatest challenges in Naked.
Let’s get sweet with USA Today bestselling author Laura Drewry and her latest, Off the Hook, part of her Fishing for Trouble series, and Zoe Dawson and her first Laurel Falls novel, Leaving Yesterday, for fans of small-town romance. Sidney Halston’s fans will be happy to know another mixed-martial-arts story is en route with Fighting Dirty, and then Claire Kent has you Taking It Off with a male stripper—yum! Adding to this USA Today bestseller list is a fast MC story from Maisey Yates, Strip You Bare. And Sawyer Bennett is bundling her books from her New York Times bestselling Cold Fury Hockey series.
Looking for a few historical romances? Lavinia Kent releases a Regency favorite in Ravishing Ruby, Sharon Cullen brings you back to Culloden in Sutherland’s Secret, and Pamela Labud’s Hunt Club series begins with To Catch a Lady—all with heroes to die for.
That’s it for this month—but February is bigger and better than ever before. Hope to see you soon.
~Happy Romance!
Gina Wachtel
Associate Publisher
Read on for an excerpt from
Beach Happens
by Jamie K. Schmidt
Coming soon from Loveswept
Chapter 1
Michaela Harris peeked into the church. It was full of people, half of whom she had no idea who they were. Business associates of her parents, most likely. She tugged up the bodice of her wedding gown.
Don’t cry. Do not cry.
“He probably had a last-minute, urgent phone call,” Corrine said, in a tone that was supposed to be soothing. Her other three bridesmaids, Gerald’s cousins, were smoking outside, arguing over which of her groomsmen they were going to bang at the reception.
“Y
our brother is never late,” Michaela said, not turning from the door. The people were already whispering among themselves and craning their necks to catch a glimpse of any member of the wedding party.
In fact, Gerald was almost pathological about being on time. He once gave her the cold shoulder all night because they arrived at a corporate function five minutes late. They had gotten stuck in traffic, but since Michaela had been driving, it was all her fault.
“He’ll be here,” Corrine said. She patted Michaela’s shoulder and then scurried out of the vestibule with her phone already in her hand.
Michaela wished her wedding gown had pockets. She could catch up on some emails to distract her from this fiasco. She glanced around, but she didn’t see her purse. Her mother probably had it. There was no way in hell she was going to try and find her mother right now. She was probably having martinis from a flask with a few of her friends by the baptismal pool.
Not that kind of a pool party, Mom.
“Where is he?” Her father burst in, wearing his custom-fitted tuxedo, looking like a pissed-off waiter.
Michaela closed the door so the entire church couldn’t hear him. “I don’t know.”
She hadn’t seen Gerald since he kissed her goodbye last night. He told her he was going to go back to his place and have an early night.
“Carl said he wasn’t at his condo when he went to pick him up this morning.” The best man had been frantic and showed up at her apartment looking for him. It was her first clue that this day was going to go right into the shitter. Gerald’s phone went to voice mail and he hadn’t called any of them back all morning.
“Did the two of you have a fight?” her father growled, looming over her.
“No.” Michaela forced herself to meet his eyes and not step back as he invaded her personal space—which wasn’t easy considering she was wearing a crinoline and her dress resembled a bell.
She had told herself that Gerald lost his phone or it was out of battery and he would meet them at the church. But he hadn’t been here.
Her father sighed explosively and stomped around, opening up doors and glaring through them as if he expected Gerald to be playing hide-and-seek.
“We checked the hospitals….” Michaela trailed off into a whisper when she realized she wouldn’t be able to keep the tears out of her voice.
Her father stormed out of the room.
Thanks for the kind words and support.
But that was her father: more concerned about his own image than his daughter being abandoned at the altar. How was she going to face everyone on Monday? The jilted bride. She could see the smirks on the faces of her coworkers, and hear their “compassionate” platitudes.
He was a little out of your reach anyway.
If he’s anything like his father, he’ll be bald by forty.
You’re better off without him. He likes younger women anyway.
He did too. His last girlfriend was a freshman in college. She dumped him for a bass player in a grunge band. Michaela’s father set them up shortly after.
If Gerald was so unhappy, why didn’t he say something last night? Hell, why did he even ask her to marry him if he didn’t want to go through with it?
They were good together. The sex was predictable, but they were compatible. They were both attorneys, so they understood the long hours and the pressure. They both wanted to make partner in their individual firms. They were a good fit. It made sense that they get married. Both of their families had been ecstatic when they announced their engagement. It had been fun to bask in the glow of her father’s approval for once.
Michaela looked at the clock on the wall. He was two hours late. Gerald was either dead or not coming.
Corrine came back in and handed Michaela her cellphone. “I think you need to see this.”
Looking down at the phone, she saw a text conversation between Gerald and his sister.
I can’t do this, Gerald had typed.
So much for the being dead theory.
You can. You just have cold feet, Corrine had texted back.
I don’t love her.
Michaela’s knees buckled and she sagged against the wall for support. She took in a shaky breath. It wasn’t a surprise. They never said those words to each other. They weren’t emotional people. They were analytical. They liked numbers. Love was what you watched on television and movies. But it still hurt. He could have told her this last night. He could have saved her this humiliation. He might not love her, but he should have been her friend. He should have been here and they could tell their guests together.
She passed the phone back to Corrine, not bothering to read the rest of the conversation.
“I told him it didn’t matter,” Corrine said. “That he was being selfish.”
Michaela flinched. It did matter.
“I told him that he needed to be here,” Corrine continued.
“What did he say?”
Corrine sighed. “He’s not coming.”
“No,” her father said, having just come back into the room to hear the last part, his face red and mottled.
“Dad, settle down. You’re going to have a stroke.” Michaela held his arm so he stayed in one place. She flipped up her veil. “I think we need to tell everyone to just head to the reception.”
He shook her off. “Gerald Stone will be here. The merger won’t go on without him.”
For a moment, she was amused that her father was calling her marriage a merger. It was an accurate description. Then she realized he was talking about the actual corporate merger between Harris Industries and Stone Mechanics.
“Wait,” Michaela said. “What do you mean?”
“I mean if the Stones want my company, they have to take my daughter, too.”
Michaela reeled back in shock. “I’m not a pawn in your corporate machinations. You don’t get to collect a dowry for giving me away. This is the twenty-first century. I am an attorney, not chattel.”
“This has nothing to do with you.”
Michaela blinked at him. “My marriage has nothing to do with me?”
“Keep your voice down,” he ordered.
She flung open the door and swished out down the aisle as fast as her behemoth gown could carry her. The organ player started playing a hopeful few bars of the Wedding March.
“Can it,” Michaela snarled at him and the music stopped with a heavy pound on the keyboard.
“Michaela, stop.” Her father stomped on her train, but since it was eight feet long it took awhile to snag her from going forward.
She glared at him over her shoulder. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Michaela said to the people sitting in the pews on either side of her. “I’m sorry to inform you that Gerald Stone has decided to breach his verbal contract with my father. There will not be a wedding today. However, the Beach House has a wonderful cocktail hour starting—” She looked at her wrist where she wasn’t wearing a watch. “—about now. So please enjoy a wonderful dinner and a Venetian table that will make you weep, courtesy of Harris Industries.”
Michaela whirled back and stepped on her own train. “Out of my way, old man,” she said to her father, pushing him back a few steps when he didn’t move.
He only gaped at her in shock.
“Get me out of this thing,” she snarled to Corrine and her bridesmaids, invoking Bridezilla for the first time in her long engagement.
Her mother came sloshing in just as Michaela was stepping out of the yards and yards of fabric.
“Oh honey, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to Maui,” Michaela said, padding in her high-priced underwear over to her mother. Taking her purse from under her mother’s arm, she shuffled through it until she found her honeymoon tickets.
Ripping up Gerald’s boarding pass, Michaela tossed that and her bouquet into the trash can. It might have been overkill when she dumped one of the lit candles on top. And had she been thinking clearly at the time, she wouldn’t have stalked to her car in he
r corset and heels. Especially since everyone and their brother had a cellphone camera. But Michaela didn’t care. She slammed her car door and screeched out of the church’s parking lot.
Palekaiko Beach Resort, here I come.
Love stories you’ll never forget
By authors you’ll always remember
eOriginal Romance from Random House
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