Lovestruck in Fortune's Bay: A Fortune's Bay Novella

by Joslyn Westbrook

  She held in a chuckle. “Yep, that was an epic moment.”

  “But uh, there’s no ending. The last chapter or so seems to be missing.”

  Chloe wilted back down into her bed, uncertainty gripping her chest. “That’s because I’m not sure how it ends yet.” She didn’t dare admit she was torn between something old—her safe life in San Francisco—and something new like him and Fortune’s Bay.

  Silence between them made seconds feel like minutes gone by before Dylan said, “And when will you know?”

  “Soon.”

  Chapter 24

  Dylan sat at the communal table, tracing the rim of his coffee cup, the same spot he’d been in ever since he opened the doors to Destiny’s Brew, an hour before.

  The Early Brew Crew sat around him, quietude consuming them all before Mitch patted Dylan on the back and said, “She’ll be back, you’ll see.”

  They all did that bobblehead-nod-in-agreement thing.

  “I’m not so sure, you guys.”

  “Oh, I saw the way she set her eyes on you, all awestruck-like. It was easy to tell she was falling for you.” Marge smiled, rubbed Dylan’s shoulder. “Mitch is right, sweetie. She’s coming back. So you better figure out what it is you’re gonna do when she does.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Dan shot him a look. “She means, what’s your plan, son? You gonna make an honest woman outta her? Or what is it you young people say?”

  Hillary chirped out, “Put a ring on it.”

  “Yep, that’s it,” Dan said.

  “I’d love to, but do you think it’s too soon?” Dylan drummed his fingertips along the hard surface of the table.

  Every single one of them laughed.

  “Are you asking us?” Mitch said. “The ones who fell in love during a Spring Break mishap and ended up knots tied.”

  “You’re in Fortune’s Bay, dear,” Marge chimed in. “The place where love just…happens. Destiny always makes sure we end up with our true loves. So, of course it’s not too soon to pop the question. Not if you love her, anyway.” She brought her cup of coffee to her mouth, thinly shaped eyebrows raised. “I think you do.”

  Indeed he was head-over-heels, captivated, unable to imagine how it would feel to breathe without Chloe. Sure he was prepared to get down on one knee, put a ring on it. But he was also prepared for the worst—for Chloe not to come back to Fortune’s Bay, leaving him a broken heart and an unfinished manuscript based on their would-be love story.

  Perhaps it had to end in heartache. That’s how love, as he knew it, ended anyway. Someone always gets hurt.

  Later that night, as time seemed to drag on and on, Dylan stood back and surveyed the photos on the wall in the room upstairs. Over the last few days, to occupy his time, he’d finished the room he kept closed off. Painted the walls a bright white, arranged the furniture, hung up every photo, including the ones he shot with Chloe—his muse. He missed her smile, her laugh, her kisses, her ability to make him open up about things he often held in, and he missed the chance to make love to her. If anything, maybe their meeting was Destiny’s way of bringing him a sense of healing. An old-fashioned dose of, love heals all wounds. Yeah, right. Only in movies…or romance novels.

  He showered, ate the leftover lasagna he prepared the night before, sipped on wine, considering in all seriousness, wine, not love, is what healed all wounds.

  As he turned off the lights, ready to take his pity party upstairs, he heard a tap, tap, tap, at the door, so faint, he thought it could be the wine he’d consumed playing tricks on him. Shrugging it off, he took two steps up the stairs when he heard it again, only this time he was sure someone was at the door. He paused, head cocked to the side, lips curved up. There was only one person who tapped like that…

  Whoosh went the door, the force of him opening it so fast, and when he saw Chloe Davenport standing there, a smile dancing on her lips, he pulled her inside, swung her around in his arms, kissed her, then said, “So, this is it, huh? You coming back here, to me. Our happy ending?”

  “Yep. I admit I was a little scared. However you—and your fabulous abs—are worth all the risks.” She threw her head back and giggled.

  “Well, Miss Davenport, there is one thing I have to ask. Did you shave your legs?”

  He did, after all, give her fair warning he may ask her this in the future.

  “Nope. I actually had them waxed.”

  To that, they both laughed, kissed some more.

  “I love you, Chloe.”

  “I love you, too.”

  And as the saying goes, they lived and loved happily ever after because once upon a time, two people met in Fortune’s Bay and fell in love…

  The end.

  Epilogue

  Press Release—Two Days after publication…

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  Best-Selling Author Chloe Davenport Releases Book Ten in the Lovestruck Series.

  San Francisco, CA – July 26, 2018 – the newest series installment by beloved author, Chloe Davenport, tells the tale of true and unexpected love found in Fortune’s Bay.

  “This book is the most heartfelt of them all, a pleasant way for me to end the series.” Chloe Davenport stood before fans at the library inside Fortune’s Bay, a harbor town nestled in southwest Florida.

  Legend has it, the ghost of an Irish maiden—Destiny O’Hara—has lingered about town, bringing true lovers together. And according to newlywed Chloe Davenport, Destiny is what brought her and her husband together. Their story was so pure, so real, she thought there was no better way than to pay tribute to Destiny and the real residents of Fortune’s Bay by bringing her true-love story to readers.

  In this Hallmark-movie-style book, Chloe Davenport—America’s Queen of Romance—takes a trip to Fortune’s Bay to write the latest novel in her popular Lovestruck series. Hit by a severe case of writer’s block and a publisher’s impossible demands, she finds herself distracted by the jaw-dropping hottie who’s cocky, arrogant, and…oh, so irresistible.

  And the hero of the story, Dylan Hawke, is doing all he can to get over the heartache of catching his fiancée locking lips with his business partner. When a blue-eyed beauty (Chloe) blows into town, he can’t help but be taken by her looks, wit, and saucy charm. But with his past tainting his perception of love, the last thing Dylan expects is to find himself Lovestruck...in Fortune’s Bay.

  Readers have already posted five-starred review praises about the book, but also find themselves saddened the Lovestruck series has come to an end. But have no fear; Chloe mentioned in an interview with Publisher’s Monthly, she has plans to self-publish a new series of cozy mysteries, set in Fortune’s Bay where she resides with her husband, the renowned photographer, Dylan Hawke.

  Read on for the bonus short story, The Bay of Love: MAX and BRET and for links to the other novellas in the Fortune’s Bay series.

  The Bay of Love: MAX and BRET

  A Fortune’s Bay Short Story

  Max Parker let out a disgruntled sigh the minute she spotted the red and blue lights whirling in her rearview mirror’s reflection.

  I’m getting pulled over?

  Eschewing that ludicrous possibility, she continued to drive along Main Street toward her office, certain that whoever was behind the wheel of the Fortune’s Bay Sheriff’s car—that continued to speed closer—would soon swerve around her. But instead of veering around Max’s ruby-red Mini Cooper, the police cruiser remained on her tail, only now armed with its blaring pursuit siren.

  “Why would anyone pull me over?” she grumbled to herself as she maneuvered her car off to the side of the road, rolling to a stop before shoving the gear into park.

  Heat stained Max’s cheeks as all of the absurd reasons why she could ever get pulled over swarmed her perfectionist-laced mind. I didn’t run a red light and I sure as heck was not speeding. Finely manicured nails tapped the leather steering wheel while her green eyes glared at the police cruiser’s reflection through the rear
view mirror.

  This better be good.

  Eyes narrowed, she observed a tall deputy step out of the cruiser to approach her car. He wasn’t anyone she recognized, which was surprising, because she could have sworn she knew all of the deputies on the force.

  “License and registration please,” the mystery deputy said as his chestnut-colored eyes surveyed the interior of Max’s car.

  Max shook her head and scoffed under her breath. “Excuse me?”

  The deputy raised one speculative eyebrow and squared his shoulders. “I said license and registration please.” His voice was tinged with harsh intimidation.

  “Um”—she paused to read the officer’s gold-plated name badge—“Deputy Hartley…is this some sort of a joke?”

  “The law is something I rarely joke about, ma’am.” He grabbed a hold of his belt and leaned closer into the window. “How about we try this again. License and registration.”

  Max let out a defeated huff. “Fine. You’ll owe me an apology soon enough.” She reached for the wallet, inside of her purse propped on the passenger side seat, and removed her license. “And why exactly did you pull me over?” she demanded, as she dug into the glove compartment to unearth her vehicle registration.

  “You failed to come to a complete stop at that stop sign back there.” He lifted his head to gesture toward the blatant red sign behind her.

  Max’s jaw dropped for a split second. “Wait. What?” She handed the requested items over to the deputy. “I totally stopped.” She raised her chin, clearly defending her position.

  The law-abiding man produced an audacious smirk. “Correction. You barely stopped. I’m sure you’re aware of the three-second rule?” His question sounded much more like a cheeky assertion.

  Max cackled. “That’s utterly ridiculous.” She pulled her designer sunglasses off her face. She wanted to be sure this officer got a good look at the evil eye she was darting his way. “Three-second rule?” She had heard about a three-second rule. In elementary school. And that rule specifically applied to food that had fallen on the ground. Her eyes scanned the officer from bottom to top. He was tall, built tough, and undoubtedly clueless. “You have no idea who I am, do you?”

  The officer looked up to the sky, chuckling for a good five seconds. Then his stringent gaze landed right back on Max, giving off a straight I-am-not-kidding expression. “Um, yeah. You’re the snappy redheaded woman who’s about to get a ticket.”

  Fortune’s Bay City Hall, located in the center of town, was already packed with a line of couples eagerly waiting to exchange vows, by the time Max zoomed into the parking lot. Known to some as the place where destined lovers meet, many flocked to the small coastal town in Florida, for the pure nostalgic joy of being wed in a place where true love seemingly loomed. Even more so during the seasonably warm month of December when tourists abounded due to the annual Treasure Hunt and Winterfest.

  Oh great. Another happy-couple day.

  As she pulled into the parking lot, Max rolled her eyes at the lovebird pairs in line, all decked out in a vast array of wedding attire. After the incident with Deputy Ticket Man, she wasn’t really in the mood for an entourage of happily-ever-after-seeking groupies. Yet, she dutifully plastered a wide smile across her face, as she walked past the line of folks, up the stairs and into the Hall.

  And as soon as she made it into her office, she sunk into her high-back desk chair, grabbed that stupid ticket from out of her purse, and grimaced at it. “Un-freaking-believable,” she mumbled through gritted teeth. Then, she pulled her desk drawer open, tossed the ticket inside, and slammed it shut. “How dare he give me a ticket. Three-second rule, my ass. I’ll show him—”

  “Is everything okay?” asked Max’s secretary, Cindy, as she walked in, and carefully placed the usual morning mug of coffee on top of her boss’s desk. Being from Georgia, her Southern accent was soft and soothing.

  “I got a ticket this morning,” Max admitted.

  Cindy’s right eyebrow shot up. “A ticket to where? To Disneyworld? Ooh, if you don’t want it, I’ll gladly take it. I haven’t been to Disneyworld in ages.”

  Max shook her head as she stifled a giggle. “Not that kind of a ticket, Cindy. A traffic ticket,” she clarified.

  “No way!” Cindy gasped, then plopped down into one of the seats in front of her boss’s desk. Her rich-blue eyes nearly popped out of her head. “What fool on earth would give Madam Mayor a ticket?”

  Max threw her hands up in the air. “My thoughts, exactly!” She brought the mug of steaming coffee to her mouth and blew to cool it down. “The fool’s name is Deputy Hartley. Someone I’ve never seen before.”

  “Hmm. And does your father know about this?” Cindy folded her arms and pursed her pink lipstick-covered lips.

  Max leaned back in her seat, gripping the ceramic mug with both hands, taking in a few soothing sips of coffee while pondering Cindy’s inquiry. She could very well pick up the phone and call her father, who was, after all, the Sheriff. Surely it would befit him to know one of his own deputies had gone rogue—passing out tickets to town mayors and what not.

  “I don’t think I’ll mention it to my dad, just yet. I want to learn more about this deputy on my own,” Max said, with a somewhat conniving smirk taking up residence on her face.

  Cindy shrugged and sprung up out of her seat. “Well, you’ll have to dive into that drama another time. You’re all booked up to preside over several marriage ceremonies today.” She looked down at her watch. “The first one is in less than thirty minutes.”

  Max placed the mug on her desk and sighed. “Remind me again when Lucy will return from leave?” She didn’t mind stepping in to preside over marriage ceremonies while Lucy, the County Clerk, was out on maternity leave. As the mayor, wedding ceremonies were sometimes part of Max’s duties. However, today was one of those days when she would much rather stay hunkered down in her office answering the thousands of emails crowding her inbox, making phone calls to constituents, or reviewing business development plans. And possibly sneak in research about the mean deputy who’d invaded her friendly, can you feel the love tonight tootin’ town.

  “Lucy returns next week, Madam Mayor,” Cindy said, removing her boss’s empty mug off the desk. She pointed to a stack of papers. “All of those memos need your signature.” She turned toward the door and spun back around to face Max. “Before I forget, the library exit door keeps getting stuck. Two tourists freaked out the other day when the door wouldn’t open when they tried to leave.”

  Max looked up from the stack of papers on her desk. “Thanks, Cindy. I trust Laney, the librarian, has contacted someone to have a look at the door? And I’ll sign these memos before I head to the parlor to begin my action-packed wedding ceremony day.” She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the thought.

  A cool Floridian ocean breeze flapped through Max’s scarlet-red hair as she zipped down the main highway with her car’s top down. Christmas wreaths and tinsel were displayed on light posts, and storefront window decor screamed holiday cheer. Max mentally slapped herself for feeling like the Grinch. After presiding over what seemed like an endless amount of I-Do-saying duos, she was in desperate need of some repose. And meeting her best friend, Skye, at Wilde Pirate, their favorite Irish Pub for dinner, was all she could think about.

  “I thought you’d never make it,” Skye said as Max sat down in the seat across from her. “I took the liberty of ordering your favorite a few minutes ago.” She smiled and lifted a glass of white wine to the rim of her mouth.

  Max lifted both eyebrows. “I see you’ve already ordered an adult beverage from the Happy Hour menu?”

  “I do have a little something to celebrate, hun.” Skye winked as she took a sip of wine before placing the glass back onto the wood-grained table. “But first things first, I couldn’t get over your text message. A traffic ticket? You?” Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth to shield her more-than-obvious amusement.

  Max’s body shivere
d at the recollection of the Mean Cop handing over the ticket—his teeth gleamed as he flashed a victory-scorched grin. She took in a deep breath and sighed at the thought. Until now, the incident had been sectioned off in the part of her brain where big, bad memories were stashed—locked up like an unruly jail inmate.

  “Yeah, well, I can hardly believe it myself. He seemed to be clueless about me being the mayor.”

  “What’s his name?” Skye took another sip of her wine and blinked in amusement.

  Max shrugged her shoulders. “You know? I don’t remember now. Bartley or something. I left the stupid ticket back at the office,” she said, looking at the Happy Hour drink menu. “Besides, I am sure he was wrong anyway. Something about a petty three-second rule.”

  “Three-second rule? Like, as in when food falls onto the ground? Wait. Isn’t that a five-second rule? Anyway, order a drink. I’ve got fabulous news.”

  Max ordered a glass of wine, which was delivered to the table just as their fish and chips meal arrived. “Okay, so what’s the good news?”

  Skye’s grin epitomized jubilation. “I finally sold the Starlane Drive house!”

  The declaration made Max practically spit out the wine she just sipped. “What? Well, that is great news. I am assuming the buyers have been well-vetted?”

  Skye beamed. “Of course the buyer has been well-vetted. I can’t allow just anyone to be your neighbor. Which is why it took so long for it to sell.”

  “Is it a family with two young children and a dog? A flight attendant? Ooh, what about a writer? Or a scrumptious-looking fisherman?” Max’s eyes gleamed with hope. It’d been months since anyone had occupied the house next door from her own.

  “Uh, a scrumptious-looking fisherman?” Skye giggled. “Not quite, hun. Although the buyer is single.” She paused and took a bite of fried fish. “Not to mention, a very good-looking member of the opposite sex.”