Love on the Malecon

by Aubrey Parr

  Aubrey Parr waited until her she was forty to publish her first novel. Although she received her Master’s in Accounting, Aubrey always knew that she wanted to write. She was inspired by her great-uncle; author Evan S. Connell, Jr. With a few years of life experience under her belt she decided it was time. She lives with her husband and daughter outside of Chicago, Illinois. When she’s not chasing after her daughter she sneaks off to create steamy stories of wonderful love affairs.

  Connect with Me

  Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/aubreyparrbooks

  Friend me on Facebook: http://facebook.com/aubreyparrbooks

  Follow me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/aubreyparrbooks

  Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/aubreyparrbooks

  Follow me on Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/aubreyparrbooks

  Favorite me at Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/aubreyparrbooks

  Love on Ocean Drive Sneak Peek

  CHAPTER ONE

  You would think that Kate Olesen was used to flying on a personal jet by now, but she wasn’t. Every time she walked into the luxurious cabin, it felt like a dream.

  Her best friend Nicole had been married to her husband, Derek Stone, for almost a year now. And he came with a personal jet. Kate had spent the better part of the year visiting them in different resorts almost every month. Usually the Stones were in Mexico, but this time Kate didn’t need her passport.

  Kate had just landed in Miami and was in a cab, on her way to the hotel. The driver seemed to be in some kind of hurry, weaving in and out of traffic while they crossed the causeway to Miami Beach. It was making her sick. Even with the window down, the humidity took over. It was a million degrees inside the car. The cab driver was humming to salsa music that was playing far too loud. She wondered how bitchy she would feel if she still flew commercially. Kate didn’t like it when she was crabby and for some reason, she was.

  Well, she knew why she was. It was Ethan again. Somehow she had pulled off the “acting casual” thing far too well with him. Ethan seemed to see her as one of the guys. They have worked together in the same law office for the past few years and he had immediately caught her attention. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, she had a thing for him, like a school girl with a crush. She didn’t like feeling that way. She knew he liked her, but just not in the way she had hoped.

  Usually that was okay with her. But some days were harder than others. Being a divorce attorney made her a little jaded about relationships and marriage. It really wasn’t anything she was interested in at the moment, anyways. Her career was going great, she was on track to be a partner before she was forty, and that was what was important right now. She was married to her job and, so far, it was a great husband.

  She leaned her head back on the seat and tried not to breathe in the smell of the cab. Maybe that was her problem. Maybe once she was able to get out of this little sweat box she would be fine. She realized there were a lot of maybes going through her mind at the moment. Soon she would be in Miami Beach with her best friend and all would be right with the world. Although she had traveled far more lately than she ever had before, for some reason, it really felt like she needed this weekend away.

  By the time Kate opened her eyes, they were in the South Beach area on Ocean Drive. She checked out all of the hotels, each with outdoor restaurant seating in front. She could see endless couples and groups of friends drinking and enjoying lunch. It was a gorgeous day, the sun shining bright. She was already feeling better.

  Kate remembered Nicole telling her that they chose a site that was a block inland. Nicole and Derek had stayed at a hotel on Ocean Drive during one of his investigative visits and they barely slept with the music playing till all hours of the morning. Derek knew that his clients would not have wanted that for their guests. The location he found was perfect. It was in the middle of South Beach; one block’s walk from the excitement, but far enough to provide a quiet night’s sleep. Collins Avenue had far more stores than bars and the hotels had smaller bars with coffee shops, rather than a party atmosphere.

  The cab driver pulled up to the Ocean Azul Hotel and Kate immediately relaxed. She grabbed her overnight bag next to her, (she had become an expert packer), stepped out onto the sidewalk, and looked up at the hotel. It was perfect.

  It had a beachy chic look- stark white with blocks of blue in different parts of the building. The name Ocean Azul was written in a bright turquoise blue vertically down the front. There was a small bar and restaurant in front, with tables on either side of the entryway. Kate loved it.

  After scanning the little hotel, she saw Nicole and Derek sitting in the table closest to the door. They looked deep in conversation and didn’t appear to have notice she had arrived. Then again, it looked like they didn’t notice anyone else around them either. That’s how it had been since they met. Deep down, Kate hoped that one day she may be lucky enough to find a love like that.

  She walked right up to the table and didn’t get their attention until she sat down next to Nicole. They screamed at each other and hugged, like they always did. Derek got up and gave her a welcoming hug as well. Nicole was relieved to finally have her there. She loved their monthly weekend visits and she was excited for her to see the hotel.

  “How was the flight?” Nicole asked.

  “That part was wonderful, as usual. The cab ride smelled like shit, but I’m glad to finally be here.” Kate crunched her face at the memory of the cab ride and leaned back in her chair, excited for her mini vacation to begin. Derek hailed the server and ordered Kate a dirty martini without even asking. She loved that he had come to know her almost as well as his wife did.

  “Thank you,” she smiled at him. She really had come to love him like a brother.

  “I’m going to leave you two to catch up,” he returned the smile and wandered inside the hotel.

  “What shall we do first?” Nicole asked, taking a drink of her wine. Just then, her martini arrived and Kate was ready to savor it.

  “I don’t think I’ve been here since college,” Kate confessed. “I’m not sure what to do.”

  “Did you think about the tattoo idea? We could do that tonight.” Nicole loved tattoos and Kate had always teetered on the edge of getting one. This time, she was prepared to do it.

  “I did decide,” she smiled, waiting for Nicole’s response.

  “Yes, finally! You can’t back out now. What are you getting?” Nicole was ecstatic.

  “I’ll show you a picture.” Kate pulled out her phone and opened it to a screenshot of a tattoo, a simple drawing of a little girl reaching for a red heart-shaped balloon.

  “You have this on the wall of your apartment. What is it?” Nicole took the phone from her to get a better look.

  “It’s the Girl with Balloon stencil from Bansky, the street artist. I love that there can be so many interpretations. What does the balloon represent and is she reaching for it or releasing it? Depending on my mood, I see it differently. I’m thinking the inside of my wrist or the back of my shoulder. I have to think of work, after all.”

  Nicole wasn’t surprised at Kate’s choice. Kate had been an art history major in college, before she decided to change her major to pre-law and continue on to law school. Something to do with artwork did make sense.

  “I love it. There’s a tattoo shop Derek suggested just down the street.”

  “Great. I want to get into the room and take a quick shower and change.” After that cab ride, Kate was a bit concerned that she could still notice that weird smell on her.

  Nicole already had Kate’s key. With their hotels and resorts, Kate never had to officially check into a room at the front desk. Nicole always had a key for her and the room was always huge and excessive for one person.

  This was not any different. The door opened into a sitting area with a two comfortable chairs and a huge TV on the wall. There was a small wet bar with a small refrigerator and microwave. The fridge was alw
ays stocked with the tiny airplane-sized bottles of alcohol and somehow there was always a martini glass and shaker tin. Kate thought the personal touch was sweet. The sitting room opened up to a bedroom with a king bed, side tables, a dresser, and another large TV. The entire exterior wall was all windows, with sliding glass doors that accessed a balcony. The windows were already opened and she could hear the sound of people talking and eating from the sidewalk tables below.

  Nicole grabbed the remote and sat down in a chair. “I’ll wait for you to get ready.” Since her trips were always just weekends, Nicole already knew she wouldn’t want to waste time relaxing in the room. Kate turned on the shower and stared at herself in the mirror while she waited for the water to heat up. She noticed that flying in a private jet somehow made one look far less disheveled than commercial travel. She wondered why that was.

  Kate was about 5’5” tall, with striking black hair around shoulder length and angled toward the front. She had dark brown eyes and a little button nose. Her mouth was big, with a wide smile that made everyone in a room want to know what she was so happy about. Her skin was fair enough that she always expected to return home from visits with a freckled nose.

  She could see Nicole through the reflection in the mirror. She was sitting sideways in the big chair, her long legs flung over the arm rest. She loved that woman like a sister, but they looked absolutely nothing alike. Nicole was tall and tan with long blond hair. Kate never wished she was a blond though. She honestly liked the way she looked. That brought Ethan back to the front of her thoughts. Was that the problem? Was he into tall blondes? He seemed to genuinely like Kate, but maybe she wasn’t his physical type. They laughed at work and hung out and had drinks with everyone. She just seemed to be stuck in the Friend Zone and she wasn’t sure why. She had never brought it up with him; that idea made her cringe. “Girl, you need to get laid,” she said out loud to the reflection in the mirror.

  “What babe?” Nicole asked loudly from the next room.

  “Oh, just telling myself I need to get laid this weekend,” Kate laughed. She would always tell Nicole anything. There was no reason to feel self-conscience with her.

  Nicole practically spit out her water she was drinking. “We’ll get right on that, honey,” she called back to her.

  Kate showered and put on some makeup. Being an attorney, she had to dress rather conservatively at work. She used these visits to have some fun with her clothes. Nicole was wearing a bright orange summer dress, so Kate chose a green backless number that came just above the knee and tied around her neck in a halter-style. There was a little bow at the base of her back. When she was ready, she came out and turned around to show Nicole.

  “I love it,” Nicole smiled at her.

  “I’m thinking about the tattoo as well. If I decide on my shoulder, I figured this gave good access.”

  “Plus, you’re bound to get laid wearing it,” Nicole joked.

  “Perfect. Let’s go.”