Seaside Dances: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 3)

by Stacy Claflin

  Twenty Six

  Jasmine's alarm went off, but she barely heard it. She'd spent most of the night tossing and turning, half-hoping that Zachary would call her and half-planning her new studio in or near Portland. The best she could figure was that it would take two years to get it going. The worst case, five years. Either way was fine by her. She was willing to make the necessary sacrifices, and it would be well worth the wait.

  On the other hand, she also wanted to spend more time with Zachary, and she would have gladly stayed in Kittle Falls to spend time with him—so long as he apologized for getting so angry with her. She would even travel to New York with him if he was that focused on getting a publishing deal. But if he couldn't understand her point of view, then she was more than willing to cut her losses and move on. She'd had enough heartbreak in her life to know she could heal and keep going.

  She forced herself out of bed and got ready, nearly falling asleep in the shower. "Pull yourself together. Those girls need you to focus," she muttered.

  Once out, she pulled her hair back into a simple bun and applied minimal makeup—not that she was one to put on a lot, anyway. She threw a hoodie on over her dance wear and made it out of the house with little more than a casual greeting to Dwight.

  It was dark, cold, and windy outside. What had happened to the nice weather they'd had all summer? Could the weather be sympathizing with her?

  Jasmine looked down the street to figure out where she'd parked, but couldn't her car. Then she remembered—she'd left it across from the Hunter's house.

  She wasn't going back for it now, and not only because of the weather—it was closer to the gym than to their house—but mostly because she didn't want to risk running into Zachary. Or any of his brothers. She didn't feel like trying to explain anything to them. They would all take his side.

  Jasmine pulled the hoodie up over her bun, as close to her face as possible, and tightened the strings. The wind was growing stronger, and she didn't have much else to protect herself. She looked down toward the ground and jogged to the club, not bothering to stop for coffee, despite how cold and tired she was—with any luck the jog would be enough to wake her up.

  It seemed to work. Once she got there, she felt fairly awake. More than she had back at the house, anyway.

  "Hey, Jas!"

  She turned around to see Kate. "Hey. How are you doing?"

  "Pretty good, considering. Did you get your money from the insurance already?"

  She'd forgotten she needed to call them back. "No. Did you?"

  Kate shook her head. "I just barely sent out the paperwork." She gave Jasmine a once-over. "Where'd you get the new threads?"

  Jasmine glanced down at her new clothes. "Oh, the family I'm staying with wanted to help me out."

  "Nice. I should have stayed with you instead." Kate grinned.

  "Ha, ha. Yeah. They're nice, but I want to find a way to pay them back somehow. I'm not really sure how, though."

  "Do they want dance lessons?" Kate asked.

  Jasmine tried to imagine Dwight doing ballet and smiled. "No, I can't picture that."

  "Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something. Hey, girl. What about our double date?"

  Her heart sank. "I forgot about that. Can I text you later?"

  "Sure. Better get to my class. Want to hang out for lunch?" Kate asked. "I miss seeing you."

  "Me, too. Lunch would be great." Especially since Jasmine had forgotten to pack anything. "Meet you in the employee lounge?"

  Kate nodded and then headed down the hall.

  The morning went surprisingly fast. Jasmine had a handful of new girls, but was surprised at how many returning faces she saw. All the regulars greeted her with big hugs and stories about what they did over the weekend. Most of them had seen the baby monkey riding on the pig. According to several of them, the pig had broken out of its area and ran all over the beach for nearly an hour—if she could trust first and second graders' estimation of time passing.

  They all laughed about the pig and then got down to business. Some of the new girls had trouble with the moves, so Jasmine had the returning students help them out. It worked out well, and the girls teaching seemed really proud of themselves.

  By the time lunch rolled around, Jasmine was famished and very much looking forward to eating with Kate. Not only would she get to eat for the first time that day, but Kate would be happy to talk the entire time, allowing Jasmine to sit quietly.

  She grabbed her hoodie and made her way to the lounge, finding Kate chatting with a cute guy with bulging muscles. Jasmine stood by the door, waiting for Kate to finish flirting. Kate held up her pointer finger, letting Jasmine know it would only be a minute.

  Jasmine went over to the coffee machine and poured herself a cup, emptying a couple single flavored creamer containers in. She drank the sweet caffeinated goodness while Kate flirted. Finally, Kate pulled herself away from the guy and joined Jasmine.

  "Sorry about that. I've been trying to get Kevin's attention for ages. Turns out he just broke up with his girlfriend. Maybe he'll be the one who joins us on our date." Kate sighed, looking lost in thought.

  "I'm starving. Let's go." Jasmine threw her empty cup in the garbage and pulled Kate out of the lounge. They went down the hall and turned a corner. Jasmine stopped cold.

  "Jasmine," said Zachary.

  "Zachary."

  They stared at each other, neither speaking.

  Kate extended her hand toward Zachary. "Kate." She smiled, oblivious to the tension.

  Zachary turned to Kate and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. Sorry I can't stay and talk, but I'm meeting my brother. And I'm already late."

  "Maybe we'll meet again." Kate turned to Jasmine as Zachary walked away. "Who was that? The tension was so thick, it nearly strangled me."

  Apparently she hadn't been oblivious, after all. Jasmine shook her head. "Let's just get lunch. We can talk then."

  "Wait. He's not the guy…?"

  A jumbled mixture of emotions rose up in Jasmine. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cry or yell, but after the way he had just acted, she leaned toward the latter.

  "He's hot," Kate said. "What happened between the two of you?"

  "I said we'll talk over lunch."

  "So, he is the guy." Kate opened the doors outside, and a gust of wind nearly blew them back in. "Your car or mine?"

  "Yours."

  They ran to her car, and Jasmine managed to deflect every one of her questions until they sat down in a deli with their sandwiches.

  "Okay, girlfriend," Kate said. "We're eating lunch, now spill it. You promised."

  Jasmine sighed. "Yes, Zachary is the guy I was so excited about. Not so much now—obviously."

  Kate sipped her drink. "What happened?"

  "Maybe it's not meant to be."

  "That doesn't tell me anything."

  "People have differences of opinions, and sometimes those opinions are important enough that it won't work out." Jasmine took a large bite of her sandwich, hoping the need to chew would keep her from talking for a minute.

  Kate frowned. "Guess I don't usually let it get that serious. Sorry you're having a hard time. Anything I can do?"

  Jasmine shook her head, swallowing. "Either it's meant to be or it's not."

  "What do you want?" Kate asked.

  "I thought we really had a good thing going, you know?"

  "Yeah," Kate said, "you were totally excited about him. And I can see why. I could stare him all day."

  "It's more than just looks," Jasmine said.

  "But looks play into it, right?" Kate smiled.

  "Well, yeah, but they can't save a relationship, and that's not why I love him—I mean… why we grew close." Jasmine's face burned.

  "Love?" Kate asked, staring at her.

  "I didn't mean that, I meant—"

  "But that's what you said." Kate's eyes were wide. "You said love."

  "Not so loud."

  "Do you?" Kate asked, lowering her voice
.

  Jasmine's eyes grew blurry with tears. "I thought so."

  "Aw, sweetie." Kate patted Jasmine's hand. "If you do, we have something to fight for. Either you do or you don't. What is it? Is he worth fighting for? Do you love him?"

  Jasmine wiped at her eyes. She nodded.

  "Then we have to figure out how to win that hottie back. What do you think it'll take?"

  "I don't know." Jasmine wiped at her eyes some more, but the tears wouldn't stop. Admitting how she felt hadn't helped anything—not if she wanted to keep herself together. "I don't really want to talk about it now, Kate."

  "But if he means that much to you, we have to do something."

  "What if I don't want to?" Jasmine asked, blinking more tears onto her face.

  "Then I'd say you're lying."

  "I'm not. He said he needs space to think about some things, and I'm giving it to him."

  "Think he'd listen to me?" Kate asked.

  "Probably not."

  "So that's a maybe?" Kate looked at her hopefully.

  "What are the chances of you running into him? He's probably already left the gym."

  Kate pulled out her phone. "Nah. I'll bet he's still there. Guys always work out for at least an hour—usually longer if they have a workout buddy. They want to show off. It's kind of funny to watch, actually."

  "That doesn't sound like Zachary. He's—"

  "Every guy is like that," Kate said. "They're all competitive."

  "Maybe just when they see you watching," Jasmine snapped. "Did you ever think of that?"

  "No, but you make a good point. They don't want to look dumb if a pretty girl is watching." She paused. "Oh, come on. Not even a smile?"

  Jasmine sighed.

  "You're really upset about that guy. Dang." Kate gave her a sympathetic look.

  Twenty Seven

  Zachary put the last weight back and stretched his arms, glad to workout without the soreness he'd had before.

  "Have you thought anymore about what I said earlier?" Brayden asked.

  "I appreciate Lana taking responsibility," Zachary said, "but the fact is, Jasmine knew how I felt, and she was going to do it, anyway."

  Brayden stared into his eyes, stepping closer. Usually, Zachary forgot about him being so much taller, but times like this, he couldn't.

  "She didn't do it, though, did she?" Brayden asked, practically standing over Zachary. "She made the right choice in the end."

  "I'm not going to be bullied into changing my mind."

  Brayden stepped back. "I'm not bullying you. But I really think you should reconsider. Lana feels horrible and Jasmine—"

  "So, really this is about Lana feeling bad." Zachary narrowed his eyes. "I'm supposed to overlook what Jasmine did so it'll make your fiancée feel better."

  "That's not it, and you know it." Brayden frowned.

  "Then just let me deal with this. I'm not mad at Lana."

  "Jasmine really cares about you, Zachary. That much is obvious. She just wants to see you succeed."

  "And she thinks she has to go behind my back to make that happen."

  "Wouldn't you rather be with someone who believes in you than someone who doesn't?" Brayden narrowed his eyes.

  Zachary knew he referred to Monica. "Yes, but not the way Jasmine went about it."

  "She didn't do anything!" Brayden looked more frustrated than Zachary had seen him in a long time.

  "Didn't do anything?" Zachary clenched his fists. "Look. We're done discussing this."

  "You're being a jerk, you know that?"

  Zachary stared at him. "Excuse me?"

  "You heard me. Jasmine thought about doing something to help you, but then didn't because she knew how you felt about it."

  "I don't need her help." His nostrils flared.

  Brayden's lips curved down. "Don't let your pride get in the way of something as good as Jasmine. You won't find another like her anytime soon. Just think about all she's done for you in the short time you've known her."

  Zachary opened his mouth, but nothing came.

  "You know she cares about you, and you shouldn't treat her carelessly. You want space to think about what happened? Fine, but don't expect sympathy from me after you realize too late what you lost."

  Zachary flung open his locker and threw the bag over his shoulder. "I don't need this from you. You're supposed to be on my side."

  "Sometimes you need tough love."

  "I have to get back to the shop." Zachary marched out into the hall.

  "Oh, it's you again."

  Zachary turned to see Jasmine's friend standing there. "I have to get to work."

  "I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I can tell you one thing." She stepped closer, staring him down. "That girl cares about you—deeply. Whatever happened has hurt her a lot. I hope you guys can work it out because I've never seen her like this before."

  He froze. Wait. He'd hurt her?

  "Well, something to think about while you're on your way to work." She narrowed her eyes. "You know where to find Jasmine. Hopefully we can have that double date we've been talking about." She turned and walked away.

  What was this? Make Zachary feel bad day? Everyone was on his case—was he really that far off? Jasmine had come super close to destroying his dreams. Self publishing would be the death of him getting a publishing deal.

  But on the other hand, if what Rafael had said was true, then going the ebook route might not be such a bad idea—as long as it didn't ruin his chances of seeing his book sitting near the entrance of every major bookstore one day.

  He sighed, lost in thought. When he got outside, the wind gave him a chill after working up a sweat in the gym. He readjusted his bag and then jogged over to the family shop to finish the week's work that he'd already been paid for.

  That reminded him of his date with Jasmine—he'd used every last penny on her, and enjoyed it so much. They'd had so much fun that day. It had easily been one of the best days of his life… but then the next day. He frowned.

  Maybe he had been rash… and rude.

  Zachary opened the door to the shop, glad to step inside away from the wind. Cruz and Jake greeted him.

  "You all right, dude?" Cruz asked.

  "I think I blew it with Jasmine." He frowned.

  "She'll forgive you, yo."

  A group of customers came in, all running for the machine that dispensed warm drinks.

  Cruz looked at Zachary. "We've got some new inventory to stock. Do you want to do that or man the register with Jake?"

  He didn't feel like dealing with people. "I'll stock."

  Zachary went into the back room and saw a stack of boxes nowhere near as big as the other day. With just him working on it, it could take hours, and with any luck, he wouldn't have to talk with anyone.

  He took the first box and opened it, finding a variety of ramen noodles. He carried it back to that area of the store, finding that it had arrived just in time. Apparently with the cold weather, it was a popular item.

  It was a good thing they sold more than just ice cream, or they'd be hurting now with the unseasonably cold weather.

  Zachary stocked box after box, trying not to think of Jasmine, but she kept entering his mind. Not just her pretty face, but also her laugh and all the fun times they had. He couldn't stop thinking about their last date, the one where she had claimed to feel like a princess. Did she now feel a pauper?

  He grimaced. More than likely, especially with the cold shoulder he'd given her at the gym. Guilt stung at him. He'd been unreasonable—all he'd been able to see was that she had almost destroyed everything he'd worked so hard for, and on purpose even.

  But maybe that wasn't the case, and the more he thought about it, he realized it probably wasn't.

  Zachary thought back to the day when she had gone with him to Sophia's grave. Jasmine had barely known him, but they'd really connected, having both lost siblings. She most certainly didn't have to go with him, but she did, and she'd
been so kind and patient, allowing him to grieve.

  He hung his head, feeling like a jerk. Brayden and Rafael had been right—that was exactly what he was being. Jasmine was a rare find, and he had quite possibly blown it. He needed to make things right. Now.

  Zachary flattened the empty box next to him and went to the register. "I'm going to take a break."

  Jake and Cruz waved him off, busy with customers. Zachary went into the back room and put the box away. He sat on a stool and called Jasmine. It went to voice mail. He hesitated, but ended the call. She would see that he called. He didn't want to leave his apology on a message.

  He went to his browser app and searched what he could find on self publishing versus traditional publishing. There were a lot of sources claiming everything that Rafael had said.

  It was enough to give him second thoughts, especially if it wasn't going to ruin his chances with the publishing houses. There were an impressive number of successful authors claiming they'd been approached by publishing companies after finding success online.

  Zachary called Jasmine again. It went to voice mail again, and he wondered if she was avoiding his calls—not that he could blame her—he needed to plead his case at least a little.

  "Hi Jasmine. We need to talk… well, more accurately, I need to apologize. I hope you'll hear me out." He paused and then ended the call.

  He looked at the clock. It was time to get back to work, but he wasn't ready. He called his agent.

  "Zachary Hunter," she bellowed. "How's California treating you?"

  "Good. Hey, Janice. I've got the next book almost ready. It has a healthy dose of romance, just like you said. When can we get it ready to send out?"

  "Let me check my schedule." He heard papers shuffling on the other end of the phone followed by the clicking of computer keys. "I'm booked until spring."

  "Spring?" Zachary exclaimed. "That's nearly a year away."

  "I know, darling, but you went off the grid."

  "It's the twenty-first century, Janice. It shouldn't matter if I live in Antarctica. We have phones and email. You can—"

  "Want me to book you for May, darling?"

  Zachary made a fist. "Why are you doing this to me? You said my series would sell."