by Annie Rains
She had a picnic lunch packed for them with a few other provisions just in case. When she heard Gabe’s feet scuffling down the pier, her body flooded with nervous butterflies. She’d changed her entire life. She’d quit her job and had purchased a bookstore. What if Gabe didn’t even want her anymore?
Not that she was doing any of those things for him. She’d done them for herself. Having Gabe by her side would be amazing, but it didn’t make or break her decision to stay in Blushing Bay. She was going to make a fresh start here at the coast, and she couldn’t wait.
“Good morning!” Gabe said as he approached. “Looks like you’ve made yourself comfortable.”
He was already climbing in the boat when she turned to look at him.
It took only a second for him to realize who she was. “Jillian?”
“Surprise,” she said nervously.
“This is a surprise.” He sat down at the stern, keeping his dark eyes fixed on her. “I thought you left town.”
“I tried. But I changed my mind. I thought I’d take you up on that date you wanted to go on.” She gestured down at the picnic basket.
“How long are you staying for?”
“Actually, I’ve decided to move here. I already bought a place to live and decided what to do for work.”
His eyes widened. “Pretty rash decision-making.”
“Just following my heart,” she said quietly, shrugging a shoulder.
“I can’t argue with that. In fact”—he leaned in closer—“I think I’m going to follow my heart and kiss you right now. If that’s okay.”
A thrill rode up her spine. She’d worried the chemistry might’ve faded. But no, it was still there between them. Stronger than she’d ever felt for anyone. “That’s more than okay.”
His lips brushed over hers and suddenly she didn’t feel like sailing.
Ending the sweet kiss, he started to set the sailboat in motion, but hesitated. “You sure you want to go back out so soon? What if we get stranded again?”
“There’s no one else I’d rather be stranded on a deserted island with.”
“Can’t argue with that either.” His hand swept up behind her neck, and then his mouth pressed against hers again, this time in a blistering kiss that seemed to go on forever. “I’m glad you came back,” he whispered.
“And I brought provisions for your just-in-case kit.” She nibbled her lower lip as she watched recognition cross his features.
“You really are full of surprises, Little Miss Tough Girl. Well, by all means, let’s go get lost.”
“As long as we’re together.” She snuggled into him as the boat glided forward with the wind at their back and nothing but clear skies and romance ahead.
Epilogue
Jillian had a cup of coffee and a good book in front of her. Her bookstore was full of customers and friends this morning, thanks to her weekly book club gathering. It was good for business, and for the soul.
“Thanks for another excellent meeting,” Lorelai said when it was over.
“Thanks for coming.”
“Kimberly loves spending an extra hour once a week at the recreation center with Uncle Gabe anyway. And I’ll take me-time where I can get it.”
Jillian laughed and handed her a muffin to go. “Take one to Kimberly. Tell her it’s from Aunt Jillian.”
“Will do.” Lorelai winked.
Jillian wasn’t actually Kimberly’s aunt, not yet at least, but maybe one day in the near future. She never thought she’d consider the prospect of ever getting married again, but with the right person, possibly.
After saying goodbye to her other customers, she walked behind the counter and sat down. She didn’t usually count the seconds to closing time—not anymore—but tonight, Gabe was taking her out for their six-month dating anniversary. How things had changed in that time. She’d spent the good part of a decade being lonely and overworked, and in a matter of months, she was downright gleeful.
When the long hand of the clock ticked on the six-o’clock hour, Jillian turned the store’s sign to CLOSED and hurried back to her living quarters to get dressed. November in Blushing Bay got chilly, so she wore a long dress and a cardigan in case they went for a walk along the boardwalk.
Or in case they ended up on one of the sailboats at the Sawyer Recreational Center. No matter the weather, sailing was one of their favorite pastimes to do together.
Her cell phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Jillian hurried over to the counter and read the message from Gabe.
Are you ready?
A giddy little grin settled on her lips. She was ready for anything he had up his sleeve for tonight.
Definitely, she typed back.
Great. I’ll be there in five.
To the second, he arrived at the back of the store, using his personal key to let himself in.
“Hi there, handsome,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “Where are we going?”
“I told you it was a surprise.” He held out a solid red blindfold.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Do you trust me, Jillian Maready?”
“You know I do, but—” Her gaze fell on the blindfold. “Fine.” She turned around and allowed him to tie it over her eyes. “But don’t make me regret putting my faith in you.”
He grabbed her elbow and led her out of the store, then helped her inside the passenger seat of his truck. After he’d buckled her in, she heard him settle into the driver’s seat and crank the engine. “Just sit back and relax. It’s not far.”
“What’s not?”
Gabe tsked. “So beautiful, but very little patience.”
She laughed out loud and then did as he asked, relaxing and enjoying the ride. Trusting him with whatever fate he had in store for her over the next couple of hours.
Fifteen minutes later, she felt the Jeep slow and park in a gravel driveway.
“Can I peek yet?”
“No,” he said sternly. “I’ll come around and unbuckle you.”
He opened her door and took her hand, leading her up a hill. She could hear soft music playing in the background and the faint sound of the water lapping on the shore. They stopped walking, and Gabe turned her to face him.
“There’s a chair behind you. I’m going to help you sit.”
“Okay.” With his hands bracing the sides of her arms, she sat back, feeling a table in front of her.
“Careful there,” he said as he scooted her in.
“Now?” she asked.
“Now.” He did the honors of removing the blindfold himself.
Jillian blinked and gasped at the scene. She was seated at a small table with candles at the center. The table was set up on a hill overlooking the water where dozens of boats were parading down the channel. The sun was setting behind them, making a mixture of orange and various shades of blue in the sky. “Tonight’s the holiday flotilla. I completely forgot.”
Gabe sat across from her. “One of my favorite traditions of the season.”
All the boats were strung with colorful lights that were mirrored on the dark water. “It’s so magical,” she said in awe. “I haven’t seen this since I was a teenager.”
“Abby catered our meal for this occasion,” he told her.
Abby Sawyer was a member of Jillian’s book club. She was a world-renowned chef and one of the nicest people Jillian knew.
“This is the perfect way to spend our six-month anniversary,” she said, looking across the table at Gabe. “I love it.”
“And I love you.” It wasn’t the first time he’d told her, but she never grew tired of hearing it. Or saying it.
“I love you too.”
He leaned over and kissed her across the table, then he served their dinner. They ate as they watched the boats of Blushing Bay glide across the water. “Wait for it,” he said after a moment.
Jillian’s brows pinched softly. “Another surprise?” she as
ked as a couple of sailboats came into view. The first was lit up in bright reds. A large banner ran from the stern of the sailboat to the helm, with a spotlight illuminating the word MARRY.
The second boat was lit in vibrant greens with a spotlight illuminating the word ME?
“Marry…me,” Jillian whispered. Then she gasped as Gabe dropped down on one knee.
“That’s my line,” he teased, taking her hand in his. “But if you insist.”
She laughed. This man was always making her laugh. And swoon. And cry in the best kind of way. She’d come to Blushing Bay hoping to feel something. Anything. And Gabe Sawyer made her feel everything. “You make me happier than I’ve ever been.”
He held up a box. “Then say yes and make me the happiest man in the world.”
Jillian swallowed as she eyed the black velvet box. She should be terrified. She should run away from this table screaming because she’d been there and done that when it came to marriage. And it hadn’t worked.
She didn’t feel that way at all, though, staring into Gabe’s rich brown eyes. Instead, she felt alive with excitement, ready for this new adventure he was offering her. In fact, she couldn’t wait. “Yes,” she said, softly at first. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Gabe grinned and opened the box to reveal a ring with a beautiful pear-shaped diamond. It was simple and elegant.
“It’s gorgeous.” Her hand shook as he guided the ring down over her knuckle.
“A perfect fit,” he whispered before standing and pulling her against him. “Just like us.”
A SNEAK PEEK AT FORBIDDEN KISSES
Chapter One
* * *
Grace Donner felt strangely out of place as she walked into the Blushing Bay Café with her decade-old laptop and ordered a coffee and blueberry muffin. She was really here for the free Wi-Fi. She’d been out of work for a full week now. She was hoping something new had posted overnight. She needed a paycheck before her landlord kicked her and her mother out of their modest apartment. Before they couldn’t even afford the canned beans and ramen noodles they’d been subsisting on for far too long.
Everything is going to be okay, she told herself.
She took a seat at a table in the far corner of the café and sat with her back to the other customers, limiting her distractions. Opening her computer, she tapped a few keys and went directly to a job-search site. She’d scoured most of the listings already. Blushing Bay, North Carolina, was a small fishing town, snuggled between two of the coast’s major ports. It was known for its scenic views of the Atlantic Ocean, seafood, and the way the water around the marina was populated by red algae once a year, making it “blush” to a beautiful rosy color. The town, however, was not known for its wealth of jobs. Not unless you had fishing in your blood, which Grace did not—not anymore at least.
She took a bite of her muffin and closed her eyes. It was the best thing she’d put in her mouth in a long time. She chewed, enjoying the moment before slipping back into her depressing job search.
A chair scraped along the floor behind her and she recognized the sound of someone plopping into a seat. A moment later, the person—a man—welcomed a woman to his table.
Grace opened her eyes and continued scrolling down the screen of help-wanted ads on her computer, her hope dwindling as quickly as the coffee in her cup. All of the jobs required some form of higher education—something she couldn’t afford. Her grandmother had set up a college fund for her growing up, but that had been spent during one of her mother’s infamous shopping sprees to buy who knows what. That was the past, though. Her mom was different now. For one thing, her disease didn’t allow her to tramp up and down the mall spending all their cash. Also, her mother didn’t seem to care about the material things like she used to. Maybe that was more from necessity than from choice.
Grace sipped her coffee and tuned in to the man’s voice behind her. He asked the woman a question. She answered. He asked another question. She answered.
This is a job interview, Grace realized. And the woman interviewing for the position knew nothing about running an office, which was apparently what he needed.
“I can make a mean pot of coffee,” the woman told him. Her voice was crackly, suggesting age and maybe a cigarette habit, Grace guessed, unable to help eavesdropping.
“All right. What about managing deliveries? There’s a tight schedule. Calling and taking orders, and scheduling drop-offs up and down the East Coast is a huge part of the job.”
Bigger than making coffee, Grace thought, feeling sorry for the woman, who was obviously underqualified.
Grace continued to listen until the interview ended ten minutes later.
“I’ll call you by the end of the week,” the man promised, his voice deep and . . . sexy.
Something about it vibrated through Grace’s bones. She shifted and recrossed her legs.
“Well, it was nice to meet you,” the woman said. Her chair scraped along the floor as she stood. “Thank you very much.” Then her heels clicked along the café’s tile as she walked away.
Grace’s heart sped up. She was good at juggling schedules. She could make calls and schedule deliveries of whatever the man needed. Unless he was dealing drugs, but surely he wouldn’t be interviewing for a drug dealer job in the middle of a café.
This could be my job.
And she really needed the money. She straightened, took a deep breath, and turned around. “Excuse me,” she said, putting on a polite smile. She was so nervous that the person in front of her was a blurry image. She didn’t give herself time to focus. She just started talking before she lost her nerve. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you’re interviewing for an office manager position. I’m proficient in all the skills you mentioned and—” Her words stuck in her throat as she finally took in those deep-blue eyes. Jack Sawyer was seated at the table behind her. His was the blurry, now very clear face attached to that sexy voice. Her mind froze, like a computer swirling its blue circle of death.
Jack was her ex-stepbrother, her first true friend in Blushing Bay, and first big teenage crush. He’d also been her first kiss—forbidden because of the bond they shared, which only made it that much sweeter. Then Grace had learned of her mother’s first shopping rampage—one that had devastated their two families. Jack’s father had promptly divorced her mother, and Jack had never looked at her in the same way again. She and her mother had only ever garnered looks of distrust, disdain, and disgust from the Sawyers after that.
“Grace,” he said.
Heat crawled through her chest and neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was you.”
He smiled back at her, the motion crinkling the corners of his eyes. “It’s good to see you. Been a long time.”
Even though it was a small town, Grace had managed to evade the Sawyers. If she saw one of the brothers or their father, she quickly turned in the opposite direction. Not this time, though. This time she felt like a caged animal, ready to bolt at the first opportunity.
“I’m interviewing for an office manager to replace Aunt Mira. She finally retired,” he said.
“Oh.” Grace nodded, stuffing the last of her muffin into a brown paper bag. She couldn’t afford to waste food right now. And even though she was looking for a way out of this conversation, she also couldn’t help but think that managing an office sounded like a heck of a good job. She’d worked that job the summer when she was fifteen years old and Mira had had back surgery. Things were different then, though. Grace couldn’t possibly work for the Sawyers now.
Except there were no new job listings online, and she only had twenty dollars to her name. That would barely cover the copay for her mom’s medication. She needed employment almost as desperately as she needed to bolt out of this café.
“I know how to manage a schedule,” she said before she could stop herself. She didn’t look up to meet Jack’s eyes, though. Not when she was humbling herself to ask for a job from someone whose family had already turned their backs
on her once. This was definitely a new low.
Jack leaned in. “What?”
Swallowing, she reminded herself that her mother was the only family she had left. They needed to continue having a roof over their heads and food to eat. “I made orders over the phone at the bar where I used to work all the time. I was in charge of making sure we never ran out of anything, and if we did, I placed the orders. I booked parties and managed the schedules of myself and the other employees. Dewy even had me handle filing the taxes last year . . . I’m good at business management.”
“Are you interviewing for this job?” he asked, sounding a bit stunned.
Say no, Grace. Jack would never give it to her even if she was. Swallowing her bitter pride, Grace blinked and forced her gaze upward to meet his. “I’m not at Dewy’s Bar anymore.”
And if she didn’t find work today, she’d be on the streets with her mother by Friday.
“What happened at Dewy’s?” he asked.
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. “Dewy and I had a, um, misunderstanding.” The misunderstanding being that she wouldn’t sleep with him. In retribution, her former boss had accused her of stealing from the register. She’d been called a lot of things, but being called a thief wasn’t something she took lightly. So she’d punched him, square in his bulbous, spider-veined nose. A smile twitched on her lips at the memory. She’d been wanting to punch Dewy for over a year before that. He’d had it coming and she wasn’t a bit sorry.
Jack was staring at her. “Well, how are you with money management?” he asked.
Her body tightened. “You didn’t ask the last woman that question. Why me?”
“Managing finance is part of the job,” he said.
“And you don’t think I’m good at it. Because of my mother.” Of course. Chalk this up to a moment of temporary insanity. “Never mind. Forget I turned around.”
“Grace—”
“Excuse me,” a woman interrupted, approaching Jack’s table. “Are you Mr. Sawyer?”