Counting Hearts Like Stars (The Happy Endings Resort Series Book 23)

by Alexia Purdy

  “Mind if I join you?”

  I looked up, and my jaw dropped. Lucas peered down at me with that unforgettable smile and a mischievous twinkle flashing from his brown eyes.

  “Um, okay.” I lifted an eyebrow and smirked. “You’re not stalking me, are you?”

  Lucas, who was sliding into the booth seat across from me, paused midway, not quite seated in the chair.

  “Whoa, um. No. I may be lots of things, but a stalker sure isn’t one of them. At least not yet.” He winked and laughed. I crossed my arms, and his face flared a fiery red. “Sorry. I’m joking! I swear. Look, I help out at the local tire shop when they get overloaded, which is usually every Wednesday for some unknown reason.” He held up his hands, where dirt and grease lay embedded in the creases. “I swear I have lunch here every Wednesday. Ask Agatha, the owner of this joint.”

  He waved at the hostess, a large lady with a generous hourglass figure and white platinum hair fluffed up in heavy curls. The woman was middle-aged but still threw Lucas a flirty smile as she nodded and waved back before turning back to her employee, who looked like she was in training. I wished I was the employee in training. That would mean my savings wouldn’t be leaking out like a sieve.

  “Sorry,” I apologized to Lucas. “It’s been a busy day. Of course, this town is extra small, so why would you not be eating at this very diner? It’s nice to have some company.”

  Lucas relaxed at my apology. “No worries. I’ve been accused of worse things.”

  I laughed, partly choking on my ice water. “No way. Like what?”

  “Well, let’s see….” He scanned the diner and focused on someone behind me. “Mr. Randall thought I had an eye for his daughter and made a point of cursing me out every time I passed him by. I don’t even recall his daughter’s name to this day. And….” He scanned the room again. “That lady over there, with the red hair? That’s Mrs. Antilles. Her husband is military, and she flirts with every single guy in town when he’s away. She claimed I was one of her conquests, but trust me, I’d never hit that.”

  I giggled. “You sound like a popular target.”

  He shrugged. “I guess when you’re single in this town and no one knows why, rumors fly.”

  “Guess that might be my problem here soon.”

  “So you’re staying for a good long while then?”

  I sipped at my coffee. “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “Why not? You never know. You might like Endings.”

  I scoffed. “I doubt it.”

  “Can I ask why you’d say that?”

  “I’m used to the city. A city girl. This small-town thing is going to get old fast.”

  He grinned, looking like he was up to something.

  I frowned. “You don’t think I’ll want to leave when the time comes, do you?”

  “I didn’t say that.” He sipped from the iced tea the waitress had plopped in front of him without asking. I realized he did go there often enough for the waitresses knew his preferences.

  “You’re insane if you think I could get used to this. Trust me, city life is far more interesting.”

  “You haven’t been here long enough.”

  I shook my head as the waitress returned and asked for our orders. I gave her mine before Lucas threw her another blinding smile and winked as he ordered his usual.

  He ran a hand through his hair, but several locks slipped back to their previous forward position. “Well, I’m just saying that Endings has a way of sticking its claws into you and never letting go. Why do you think you’re back here? It’s no coincidence. People don’t come here and leave without a leaving a piece of themselves behind.”

  “I guess so.” I stirred my water and watched the ice clink against the glass.

  Several minutes of pointless small talk followed as I tried to avoid the subject, and I was beginning to feel awkward. Luckily, the waitress brought our food just at that moment, and we busied ourselves chewing and eating. I hoped he wouldn’t bring up the subject of staying in Endings again. I just couldn’t think about that right now.

  He apparently realized he’d annoyed me. “Hey, didn’t mean to mess up your mood. How about I show you where they make the best apple pie à la mode this side of the Mississippi?” He waggled his eyebrows, which reminded me of how he used to do that when we were younger. That small movement lifted my mood, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Okay. It’s a deal.”

  Chapter Six

  Lucas

  The music was blasting as the wedding of Faith’s cousin Cindy went full on. Faith barely introduced me to the bride and groom before dragging me out onto the dance floor, already partly inebriated as she grinded against me. I did my best to gyrate to the beat while keeping her from bumping into other people. I must’ve been doing well, for I soon gathered a group of girls who found it was better to group dance with one guy than dance alone. I was all for that.

  “Oh, Lucas, you’re a divine dancer.” Faith hung off my neck, completely drunk and giggling every two seconds. I grunted under her weight and made my way off the dance floor, hoping I didn’t drop her before I deposited her onto a chair at the nearest table.

  “Oh, phooey. You’re a party-pooper, Lucas.” She held her hand up, waving down a waiter. “Another shot of whiskey!” The poor guy nodded and headed off to get her what she wanted. If he knew what was good for him, he’d bring it watered down or replaced with a soda. I was positive she wouldn’t notice, as far gone as she was.

  “I’m going to grab some cake. Do you want some, Faith?”

  “Hmm,” she mumbled, hanging off another drunk friend who’d joined her to her left. “See, Summer, you need to find one like Lucas here, such a gentleman and handsome. But such a bad, bad boy. Not the kind to show up to your Daddy’s house but great in bed.” The two girls burst out giggling as they barely notice I was standing right in front of them. I shook my head at her pal and tried to smile.

  “Um, Summer, would you like some cake too?”

  “No, I don’t feel so good.” The girl was turning a bit green. I reached over for the floating candle centerpiece sitting crooked in a round, shallow water bowl. Tossing the water into the nearby grass, I placed the now doused candle onto the table before handing her the bowl.

  “Here, aim for that. How about I get you girls some water? Be right back.” I snuck away before they could protest, making my way toward the refreshment area.

  Sneaking away from my date was usually beneath me, but after directing another waiter to take Faith and her friend Skyler or Summer or whatever her name was some water, I paid him a twenty to call a cab for them and make sure they got in it. I then headed away from the venue and into the night. I’d met Faith there since it was a walk away from the resort, and she’d been part of the bridesmaid’s entourage. I liked that I wasn’t required to keep her company all night even though she would hang off me like a monkey if I let her.

  And I might’ve let her, if my thoughts hadn’t been occupied by Jenni. She’d run through my head all day long, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on inside hers. I hated that we weren’t close right away, like we used to be. Now it seemed harder to get inside her head or even closer to her when we should’ve connected right away. If only I could get that close again. So many years between us, and the only steps I’d taken were to buy her some Chinese food and drive her moving truck to return it. Maybe it was time to take another step forward. Maybe I should tell her that the promise we’d made so many years ago, nearly nine years ago, was still on, and I meant for it to happen even now. I hoped she remembered it, for it shined vividly in my memory. My devotion to her was endless. Was hers?

  “Hey, stranger.”

  I looked up and inadvertently found myself steps away from Jenni’s cabin. She sat on the steps sipping a mason jar of iced tea, wearing shorts and a tank top which matched the color of the sun. She smiled and patted the spot on the steps next to her.

  I grinned, amused that I’d
subconsciously ended up there. I guess the heart wants what it wants, right? I kept finding my way to her cabin. I looked around and noticed that it was just a jump, skip, and hop around the corner from the venue, which had an outside courtyard where the music could be heard bouncing across the lake. It really wasn’t that far, and I wondered how Jenni would sleep with the music blaring loudly, as though her front yard was a rave.

  “Hey. Fancy seeing you here.” I cringed at my words but joined her on the steps.

  “Yeah, I do live here. It’s kind of unavoidable.” She eyed me with a funny look in her eyes. “You sure you’re not stalking me, right?”

  “I’m pretty sure, but I could if you want me to.” I laughed, trying to not sound too crazy.

  “Right. I’ll think about it. What are you up to, wandering around here in the dark?”

  “I was just enjoying the music and walking home.”

  “Ah. The party was a bust?”

  “You could say that. Faith got blasted. Called a cab for her and her friend too, since they both were greener than your patch of grass out here.” I peered around her porch and glanced at the reception hall across the water. “Wow, it’s pretty loud. How do you sleep through this?”

  She shrugged, tilting her head to the music. “Luckily, it does shut down at eleven most nights. Midnight on weekends. Not too late if you ask me. Plus, I used to live in L.A. where motorcycles revved their engines at two in the morning. I’m enjoying this bit of noise. Feels like home.”

  “So L.A. was home? Wow, never been there. I’ve been stuck here since you left.”

  She sipped her ice tea quietly before she perked up and turned toward me. “Want some iced tea? I got it at the local coffee and tea shop. Great stuff.” It didn’t take a genius to see she wanted to change the subject.

  “Sure.” I watched her jump up and head inside. Watching her walk away still sent a flutter through my body, and I jerked my eyes back to the lake, bobbing my head with the beat of music. God, I wanted to know everything about her: her life outside of Endings, her career, her aspirations. So many things had changed in the years since she’d left, also so many things hadn’t. I, for one, was one of the few things which hadn’t changed. My life was a rock in the shifting sand flying around me. I didn’t mind it whatsoever, and it wasn’t me I was interested in; I only wanted to hear all about Jenni’s life, and I hoped she was willing to share it with me.

  “Here.” She pressed a cold cup of amber colored iced tea into my hands.

  “Thank you,” I said before sipping on the frigid liquid. Settling back down next to me, she brought her own to her lips. Sipping in silence, I listened to the pumping beat of music in the distance. It was almost like the stereo was right there in front of her house. I loved it, and when the beat slowed down to a slow song, I hopped to my feet and held my hand out.

  “Come on. Let’s dance.”

  Stunned, Jenni stared at my hand as she flushed beneath the harsh porch light. “Um, I’m not that great a dancer.”

  “Come on. No one is watching. Not even Ms. Ansley. She’s at the wedding party and not minding who sees her dance, mind you. Live a little.”

  Jenni stared at my outstretched arm, frozen. I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and twirl her around. Damn any inhibitions.

  “No, really… I will step on you.”

  “My shoes can take it.”

  For the first time, Jenni eyed me up and down, noticing my semi-formal wedding garb. Lifting an eyebrow, she took my hand, and I lifted her up to her toes.

  “Says the person dressed like he belongs on Dancing with the Stars,” she groaned.

  “Hey, what can I say? I was just at the wedding. Trust me, you’ll do just fine compared to those nimrods at the dance having epileptic seizures and calling it dancing.”

  “How did the rest of the party go?”

  “It was okay. I just hate it when Faith gets so stupid drunk she’s clawing at me to hold her up. Called her a cab. I’m not completely heartless.”

  “Oh? You didn’t wait to take her home?”

  I shook my head. “No. Really. She gets so smashed at these parties, she wouldn’t care if I took her home or a cab. Her father’s butler pays the cab when it gets her there. They all know the deal. She’s rich like that.”

  “And you wouldn’t want to marry a rich girl?”

  I turned to her and laughed. “No. She’s not the marrying kind anyway. She says she’s got plans.” I made quotation marks in the air. “And they sure as hell don’t include me.”

  “You’re just her good time, right?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Must be weird.”

  “What?”

  “Being used like that.”

  “I guess you can say that it’s not one-sided. Sometimes people use each other for mutual benefit. I’ve traveled with her a lot, seen Europe, gone to the Bahamas—all because she doesn’t want to go alone. I’m at fault too. I’ve used her too for those trips, and she buys me nice threads. Can’t say I haven’t gotten anything out of it. Everything is temporary.”

  “So you’re like a kept man, right?”

  “Hey, I wouldn’t go as far as saying that. She got what she wanted, I got what I wanted. It works both ways.”

  “Doesn’t really sound like much fun to me.” I watched her bite her bottom lip. It was swollen and agitated from her constant assaults. I liked the way she did that. My heart excitedly responded to the pink of her lips and the scent of her skin, freshly washed and doused in some girly lotion meant to drive men wild. I wanted to lean forward and distract her from mangling her lips with my own. Maybe I could. This was the perfect time and place for that, wasn’t it? I inhaled slowly, hoping to balance my nerves as I began to drift forward just a bit.

  Chapter Seven

  Jennifer

  I stepped on him again, blushing red at my error.

  “I’m so sorry. This was a bad idea. I don’t know how to dance.”

  “Come on, just follow my lead.” Lucas’s sweet smile melted my heart, but it was racing more from fear than anything else now. I groaned but let him tug me back into his arms while he wrapped his fingers into mine and slid his other hand onto my hip. At the tender grip, my heart stopped.

  “I—I suck at this, trust me.” I peered down at my feet, which were feeling like cement blocks, refusing to move.

  “No one can suck at dancing a slow song. It’s just a sway back and forth on your feet. Just lean into me.”

  “Trust me, I make you look like Fred Astaire.”

  He laughed, a sound that sent sparks down my arms and into my chest, kick starting my heart. The sudden jump in pounding made me suck in a breath, making me swallow down the nervous knot in my throat. I looked up into Lucas’s eyes as they shone beneath the porchlight. The song was one of my favorites—Van Morrison’s Into the Mystic—and it relaxed me despite my inhibitions. The haunting refrain crept into me, and I couldn’t look away from his dark brown eyes. He reminded me of something. No. He reminded me what it meant to feel absolute blissful happiness.

  He felt like home, but I’d been gone for far too long.

  “What are you thinking about?” His voice came out soft, husky, and breathy all at once. The sudden urge to tip forward and brush his lips with mine overwhelmed me. Even his scent was enticing, a hint of faded cologne he’d probably sprayed hours ago and sweated away dancing with other ladies. It didn’t bother me because he wasn’t there at the reception hall with those girls anymore. No, he was here with me, dancing under the stars twinkling brightly above us. The loose dirt beneath our feet felt like the softest pillow as our shoes sank into it and the crickets sang their tunes beneath the moon, accompanying the song. Even the gentle waves kissing the shore kept time with the music. It was all so enchanting, and I found it hard to not fall in love in that setting.

  “I don’t know.” I laid my cheek on his chest, sighing. “It’s been so long between you and me, but it feels like we were like this
just yesterday, dancing on the beach of Sweetbay Lake and listening to the music from the reception hall. It’s like time never touched this place, and the moment you step back in, it warps you back to the happiest time of your life.”

  His eyes brightened. Even in the darkness, they glistened like beacons in a fog.

  “You mean that? It was the happiest of my life too.” He sighed, and I could feel it ripple through me too.

  “Yes. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of those days.”

  He leaned forward, his mouth enticingly close to me. I desperately wanted more of him. He edged closer. Would he kiss me? Would his lips feel exactly how I imagined they would a million times in my dreams? What if nothing felt like it should or how I expected it to? My heart raced as my breath hitched. Regardless, I closed my eyes.

  His lips met mine, warm and sweet like honey. Slowly kissing, the music filled me up as much as he did. His mouth worked mine slipping across my mouth, his pure energy flowing over my own. Dizzy, air hungry, and gripping onto him for dear life, I feared I’d lose my footing. Would he catch me? After all the things that had happened, could we actually work together again? Could he still be that young man who wanted me to be his forever, or had he forgotten?

  I prayed he remembered just as much as I did.

  “Lucas?” I whispered, a question hanging in the static between us.

  “Yes, Jenni?” The way he shortened my name as it passed through his lips made my chest tingle. I wanted to hear him say my name in a more compromised position.

  “I—I… missed you.”

  “I missed you too. So much.”

  “You did?”

  “Of course. You know, I thought of you a lot. Every time I walked past this cabin and every time I went swimming in the lake, it was you who crossed my mind. Everything about this place breathes of you. Don’t you know how much I missed you the moment you moved away?”

  I frowned. “I had no idea. My mother said you moved and she couldn’t locate a forwarding address. I trusted her. I wished I’d taken the time to find you. I should have known she would shun our relationship.”