“Used to grow it in the yard,” he said with a long-suffering sigh. “Maybe one day this one will bring it back.”
“Who, me?” Jude said. “You know that’s not my thing.”
“Maybe one day,” insisted Salomen, winking at me as he shuffled from the kitchen, a mug steaming from between his freckled hands.
Later, when Jude was asleep, I arose and slipped my laptop from my travel bag. Curling up in the massive, leather chair in the corner, I logged on and navigated to the internet browser.
Taking a deep breath, I typed in the thing I’d been thinking about all night. And maybe, if I was honest with myself, even longer.
The University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix Campus.
Grad School Admissions.
Excerpt from Brightest
“Jude Larsen taking care of you?”
My heart thudded. “Yeah.”
“He better,” muttered Theo.
I pursed my lips. “All right, I really do have to go this time. Talk soon?”
“Sure, Lina. Be good.”
“You too.” We disconnected, and I switched over to texting.
About to board.
Jude’s response popped up as I walked across the jetbridge. Hurry. ;)
Settling into my window seat, I yawned. Staying up late with my mom and Adam had been worth it. We’d ordered pizza and watched Netflix, talking until Adam begged out and crawled to bed. I thought about him as we bumped peacefully through the clouds, wondering if he was going to Dad’s later. He hadn’t been spending as much time with him as before, and though Mom attributed it to typical adolescent withdrawal, I worried it was more.
Which was hypocritical, because I didn’t spend time with Dad, either. But still.
We landed in the afternoon, the sky misty and grey with rain. I texted Jude again, letting him know we’d landed, but he didn’t answer until I’d been at baggage claim a couple of minutes.
Running late. Coming now.
Frowning, I pocketed my phone and stared at the bags circling past on the carousel. Wind blew mercifully though the open airport, cooling the damp hair at the nape of my neck. By the time I dragged my mortifyingly huge bags off the belt, the crowd had thinned. A new flight popped up on the screen, and I escaped to the sidewalk as another group of passengers descended.
“Come on, Jude,” I muttered, pushing a strand of hair from my eyes. He was never late, so something had probably come up at the bar.
Still, though. This wasn’t the romantic reunion I’d envisioned.
A taxi driver caught my eyes, motioning toward his van. “Going to the hotels?”
I shook my head, prickling at the implication I looked like a tourist even though, well, I did look like one. “No thanks. My ride’s coming.” Eventually.
He nodded, tipping an imaginary hat, and turned back to his fellow drivers. A dark grey SUV with tinted windows and adolescently loud base pulled up, and out jumped Jude, grinning as our eyes met. My irritation at having to wait evaporated, and I smiled back, my heart leaping.
“Hey,” he said, meeting with a hug so tight it took my breath. His clothes were cold from the a/c inside the car. “Sorry I’m late…the shipment from our St. John brewery came in late…”
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I figured it was something like that.”
Pressing his lips to mine, he smiled and kissed me. “Missed you.” He kissed me again. Someone honked as they passed.
“Missed you, too,” I said, breathless.
Pulling away, he bent and took my bags. “Come on,” he whispered, dark eyes flickering between mine. “Let’s go home.”
Acknowledgments
Much love to Andre, who believes in my writing and supports me. To my mom and my friends, my incredible readers, and everyone who’s had a kind or encouraging (or constructive) word – thank you.
Thank you, Betsy, for looking this over with your magical gaze. You’re a gem.
Thanks, T.M. Franklin for the fabulous cover.
Thanks, God, for giving me the gift of writing and the dream to pursue it.
~
St. Croix, you will always have my heart.
~
About the Author
Rochelle Allison has been living, and thriving, in her imagination since she was a little girl in the Caribbean. A true lover of words, she’s either reading stories or writing them…constantly inspired by people and conversations around her.
A wife of one and mother of two, Rochelle lives just outside Atlanta. She loves hiking, beaches, baking and photography.
She’s written three books, all available on Amazon:
For the Win, which she co-wrote with Angel Lawson, Heavenly Bodies, and Starry Eyed Inside.
Books by the Author
For the Win
Former All-Star collegiate goalie, Julian Anderson, has spent the last year off the grid, putting his life and health back together after losing nearly everything and everyone important in his life due to a series of bad decisions in college. But when he gets a call from the US Men’s Soccer team, asking him to play in the Olympic Games, he’s thrust back into the world he’s tried so hard to distance himself from.
Julian doesn’t want back in the league, especially when the dubious details of the arrangement are revealed, but accepting could give him a chance to reform his tarnished image. And, if he plays by the rules, he may have a shot at winning not just a gold medal but the heart of his first love, star forward of the Women’s team, Melina Diaz.
Focused and determined, Melina is skeptical that Julian can change his destructive ways. She plans to have little to do with her ex until the stress of the Games get to her and she finds herself falling back on the one person that knows her the best.
This August, all eyes will be on Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics as the world’s elite athletes come together to compete in the most prestigious sporting event of their lifetime. The Games will bring the world together but may tear Julian and Melina even further apart.
Heavenly Bodies
It’s summertime in Atlanta, and all Isla Kelly cares about is hanging with friends and snagging her longtime crush. But weeks before senior year starts, her mother announces they’ll be moving to a tiny island in the Caribbean to take care of her ailing grandfather. Having to leave her best friends and the only home she’s ever known is bad; having to leave her father behind, too? Awful.
But as Isla reluctantly starts adjusting to island life, she discovers that St. Croix isn’t the disaster she thought it would be. Making friends and growing closer to her mother’s side of the family, she realizes she has a place in this close-knit community. And then there’s Rigel, the fascinating boy at her new school.
Everyone knows Rigel Thomas, his reputation, and his somewhat notorious family. From the pool at school to the best beaches on the island, he makes it his mission to win Isla’s heart. But life on St. Croix isn’t all sunsets and stargazing, and as Isla is pulled deeper into Rigel’s world, she learns that some things can only be discovered by slipping far beneath the surface.
Starry Eyed Inside
I finally understood why it was called a crush; it was difficult to breathe.
It’s the summer before freshman year, and Rory Shepherd’s doing what she always does—having sleepovers and epic beach days with her best friends. Life in their small, Florida town is sweet, but totally predictable, until Rory lays eyes on Skyler Nolan at a concert one night.
No one sends her into a tailspin quite like Skyler. Cute, naughty and just a little bit dangerous, he’s hard to attract and even harder to figure out. Rory’s determined to try...but are bad boys like that even worth the risk?
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case a brief quotations embodied and critical reviews an
d certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are product of the authors imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Rochelle Allison
Book Cover © 2017 by T.M. Franklin
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