Summer Love: A Steamy Small Town Romance Anthology

by Piper Rayne

  But now this… Mack standing up in front of the people in their town and declaring his feelings in a very un-Mack-like way.

  “Zoey.” He reached for her hand. “You taught me a valuable lesson. Making a mistake doesn’t define you. What defines you are the steps you take next—your reaction to the mistake, your commitment to try again.”

  “I do believe that,” she said with a nod.

  “I’m here, owning up to my mistake.” He sucked in a breath. She’d never seen him like this before—strong and vulnerable in equal measure. Open and bare and raw. “Zoey, will you forgive me for being a complete tool? Not saying I loved you back is the most inauthentic thing I’ve ever done.” His eyes looked almost golden in the bright midday light and the sun giving a warm glow to his brown hair.

  She opened her mouth to respond but he held up a hand.

  “Wait. That’s me taking the easy route again. The safe route. Zoey…” The air seemed to crackle around them. She could see the change in him—the change she’d helped make. “I have loved you ever since I was a teenage boy with more hormones than brains and you were my best mate’s quirky little sister. I have loved you more and more every year and now it feels like my life would be appallingly incomplete without you.”

  Her mouth hung open. Words raced in her brain like a flock of seagulls being chased and scattered into the air. Mack had always loved her? Just like she had always loved him?

  “I love you, Zoey, with my whole heart.”

  She blinked, unable to form a response. Maybe it was the rapid lows and highs of the day, but the world felt as though it was tilting beneath her feet. She’d been miserable after leaving his house a month ago, convinced that she’d tried for the last time.

  “Did I fuck it up so bad that you really don’t know what to say?” he asked, his voice soft so that only the two of them could hear. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you speechless before.”

  But she was.

  Because even after he’d hurt her, she still loved him. Nothing would ever shake that as long as they both lived. Even when he’d been with his ex and she’d tried to date around and forget him… she couldn’t. Mack was it. Her forever guy.

  “I uh… I’m going to call Melody, too,” he said. “You made me realise that I’d been pretty hard on her over this whole thing.”

  “I’m so proud of you.” She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

  When his strong arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly to him, it felt as though everything would be okay. Whatever the issue with the food truck was, she would fix it. Whatever damage her reputation had taken, she would fix it. Whatever mistakes she made in the future, she would fix them all.

  And she could, because she had Mack at her side.

  Someone wolf-whistled in the crowd and Zoey’s face burned. Pulling back, she glanced in the direction of the sound and saw Sean flashing her two thumbs up. Best big brother ever.

  When she turned back to Mack, there was hope in his eyes. Excitement. Her stomach fluttered, the possibility of the future like fireworks shimmering in the sky.

  “I love you too, Mack,” she said to the handsome, rock-solid man in front of her.

  “Sorry for taking so long to see it.” He brushed his lips against hers, softer this time but no less wonderful. “And we’re going to make up for lost time.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  A flash of movement broke them apart, and the event coordinator strode towards them. “Zoey? Umm, can I have a word?”

  “Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of Mack.” She reached for his hand and clutched it tight. It felt good to be a team. “And Gwen.”

  She motioned for Gwen to join them. The man with the bald head shooed the rest of the crowd away, asking them to get back to enjoying the event.

  “Okay.” The event coordinator nodded. “We happened to have Pete from the fire department volunteering today because his daughter is one of our vendors. He took a look at the fire and it appears to have been lit by a cigarette butt. Someone must have flicked it onto the ground and it caught on some napkins that had blown out of a rubbish bin. The wind helped it to spread to the grassy area which, unfortunately, was right near your truck. From what I can tell the fire was mostly on the grass, however.”

  “Thank goodness.” Zoey let out a long breath. She’d been too caught up with putting the fire out and then hearing Mack out that she hadn’t gotten around to thinking about whether or not the Westfalia would make it out alive. This was very good news, indeed.

  “I’m afraid you can’t get back to operating out of the truck until we’ve had someone come in an official capacity to deem it safe, but we’ve freed up a stall for you to use inside. If you’re happy to take that table at least you should be able to sell through the rest of your product.”

  Zoey sighed. It certainly wasn’t the way she’d hoped the day would end up, but that was life. Sweet on You would live to sweeten another day.

  “We’ll be looking at the security footage to find out who dropped the butt.” The woman touched Zoey’s shoulder. “I would hate for your business to take the hit of this, so we’ll be issuing a statement about what happened as well. I’m so sorry you were affected.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded. “I really appreciate that.”

  As the woman walked away, Mack slung his arm around Zoey’s shoulders. “Come on, we’ve got a stall to set up and people to feed.”

  She looked up at him, heart full of love. “Are you saying you want to work at Sweet on You?”

  “Nah, how would I get any work done having a boss as hot as you?” His eyes sparkled mischievously. “Speaking of which, I don’t suppose you still have that little white bikini hanging around somewhere?”

  She laughed. “I’m sure I could dig it out of my closet.”

  “Excellent.” He leaned down and let his lips brush against her ear. “Because I’ve been thinking about seeing you in it again for a full month now.”

  In front of them, Gwen rolled her eyes and clapped her hands together. “Enough of that, lovebirds. We’ve got a business to run!”

  “Yeah, we do.” Zoey grinned. “Let’s go sell some desserts.”

  The three of them worked together to bring everything inside, and she had never felt more loved and supported in all her life. With the right people around her, no dream was too big, and no obstacle was too difficult. Knowing that she and Mack had finally come together—and that mistakes were not the end of the world—meant the world to her.

  After all, relationships were the sprinkles on the cupcake of life, and Zoey intended to make every day even sweeter than the last.

  Thank you for reading Sweet on You! I hope you enjoyed Zoey and Mack’s story. If you had fun visiting Patterson’s Bluff, you can grab another book from this world free here. Happy reading and I hope you visit Patterson’s Bluff again.

  With love, Stefanie.

  About Stefanie London

  Stefanie London is a multi-award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of over twenty contemporary romances and romantic comedies. Her books have been called “genuinely entertaining and memorable” by Booklist, and “Elegant, descriptive and delectable” by RT magazine. Her stories have won multiple industry awards, including the HOLT Medallion and OKRWA National Reader’s Choice Award, and she has been nominated for the Romance Writers of America RITA award.

  Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Stefanie now lives in Toronto with her very own hero. She can often be found reading, knitting, or shouting at whatever sport is on the television. She frequently indulges in her passions for good coffee, lipstick, and anything zombie-related. You can find her at www.stefanie-london.com.

  Also by Stefanie London

  Patterson’s Bluff

  The Aussie Next Door

  Her Aussie Holiday

  It Was Only A Kiss

  Bad Bachelor

  Bad Bachelor

  Bad Reputation
<
br />   Bad Influence

  Other Titles

  Forever Starts Now

  Kissing Lessons

  How to Win a Fiancé

  How to Lose a Fiancé

  Trouble Next Door

  and many more…

  Copyright © 2021 by Delancey Stewart

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  About Treasured

  When Wiley Blanchard’s engagement to his long-time sweetheart comes to a fizzling end, he knows he’s ready for something new—an adventure. So when his old friend calls, asking him to come up for the summer to set up and run the bar at the resort he inherited in Jasper Mountain, Colorado, Wiley jumps at the chance.

  He heads to the mountains, expecting a change of environment, some fresh air and maybe a fresh perspective.

  What he doesn’t expect is that his buddy’s little sister, who he remembers as an awkward tween is suddenly a knockout.

  The summer becomes a whole lot more interesting as Wiley gets to know Aubrey again, and as the three of them start to realize that Jasper Mountain holds a wealth of secrets of its own.

  Chapter One

  Wiley

  “It’s not you, it’s me.”

  They were the words no one in a serious relationship ever wanted to hear, much less from his fiancée. But if I was honest, they weren’t exactly breaking my heart.

  Amberlynn’s face was streaked with tears as we sat on the porch swing at her mother’s house after Sunday dinner, and I took her hand in mine, a deep aching sadness rising inside me at the loss of something I’d known a long time, even though I’d also known for a while it wasn’t right.

  “Amberlynn,” I said, uncertain what words would express my complete agreement that we were definitely not cut out for marriage, but which would also tell her that I was sad about it. Historically, words were not my strong suit.

  “Don’t say anything,” she said, shaking her head.

  Thank God.

  “I can’t bear it. I’ve known you my whole life, Wiley. Loved you just as long.”

  “Well, I mean, not when we were little. Like, not when we were toddlers,” I pointed out.

  She pulled her hand out of mine and frowned at me. “Doesn’t this make you sad at all? You were my high school sweetheart. And it’s over.” Tears rolled down her pretty face, streaking the makeup around her eyes.

  Amber was beautiful—she always had been. She was the ultimate girl’s girl, and maybe that was part of the problem. I wasn’t the most refined of men. I tried, but I’d never really been what she wanted, never really made it to the level of sophistication she seemed to require. And to be honest? It was a relief to be off the hook, even though I’d miss the familiarity of our long-time relationship.

  “Amber, honey!” Lottie Tanner appeared on the darkened porch, coming out the screen door and wiping her hands on her apron. “Oh, there you two are. I was beginning to worry you’d snuck back out to the gazebo again for some—”

  “Mom!” Amber sniffled.

  “Oh dear,” Lottie said, clearly realizing all was not well here as she took in Amber’s tears. “Oh no, what’s happened?”

  “We broke up,” Amber said, wailing the words, which led Lottie to shoot me a scathing look.

  “It was mutual,” I said, hoping to avoid being swatted about the ears with a wooden spoon, something Lottie had done once in high school when I’d told Amber I thought we should take a break and she’d gone home to tell Lottie what an ass I was.

  Lottie sat on the porch swing next to Amberlynn, which made the whole contraption wobble and groan. I worried for a moment that it might fall, thinking back to the time when I’d hung the thing out here, my senior year in high school. Had I remembered to use anchor bolts? Surely it would have fallen before now if not.

  Amber leaned into her mother’s side, and as Lottie wrapped her youngest daughter in her arms, I knew without question that this was the right thing. Amberlynn was amazing, and so was the whole Tanner family. But it wasn’t right for me.

  “I love you. Both of you,” I told them. “And I probably always will. But I think this is the right thing. We were so young when we got engaged . . .”

  “It’s okay, Wiley,” Amber sniffed, her voice barely audible from where her mouth was smashed against Lottie’s shoulder. “Mom, let go!”

  Lottie released her and wiped at her own face. “Oh, you two.” She took a deep breath and then stood back up, sending another shudder through the swing. “Maybe it’s for the best though. Maybe this is the mature thing to do.” She sniffed. “I was really hoping for a wedding, though.”

  “Mom,” Amberlynn said, sounding much less upset now. “Paige and Addie are both engaged. You’ll get your wedding.”

  Lottie nodded and then turned to me. “Wiley.”

  I stood, realizing she was essentially summoning me to face her. I wasn’t sure if the swat was about to arrive, but she wasn’t holding a spoon, so I decided to be brave. “Ms. Tanner.”

  Then she surprised me by throwing her arms around me and pulling me against her fiercely. She was so short that her spray-fixed silver bob barely came to my chest, but I hugged her back. She’d been my mom too for most of my life, since my own mother had died when I was young.

  “You always have a home here, Wiley, whether you and Amberlynn are getting married or not. We all love you.” She squeezed me tight and then let me go.

  “Thank you,” I said, swallowing a surprising lump in my own throat. “That means a lot to me.” It did. And I realized then that maybe part of the reason I’d stayed with Amberlynn so long was because it was hard to give up the family I’d found here, with the Tanners. “I love you guys too,” I said.

  “Don’t be a stranger,” Lottie told me, and I realized it was time for me to go.

  Amberlynn stood and hugged me again, and I felt my heart release. “Bye,” I told her, already missing everything that had made up my life for the last twelve years. But it was the right thing. And I’d probably already stayed too long.

  I drove to the distillery, needing the familiar tasks of work to keep my body busy while my mind and heart processed the sudden shift in my life.

  “Can’t get enough, eh?” Wade joked when he stepped in to find me checking dates on the whiskey aging in the barrel room.

  My twin brother ran the bar that was connected to the distillery, so it was no surprise to find him here on a Sunday night. He also lived above the place, in the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Veronica.

  “Yeah, just needed to think.”

  “Uh oh.” He faced me, waiting.

  “We broke up.”

  Wade let out a long, low whistle. “You okay?”

  My brother wasn’t the emotional type—neither of us was—but he and I had been together our whole lives and I didn’t have to say much for him to know exactly what was going on.

  “Yeah, actually. Maybe it’s past time.”

  He nodded. “I’m here if you need me.”

  “Yeah, thanks. Just need to process, you know? Figure out what’s next.”

  “Drink?” he asked, picking up two bottles of the Half Cat Whiskey we were famous for to carry back over to the bar. “Just closing up and restocking.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed, following him back through the entrance hallway that divided the distillery and the bar. Mr. FluffyNuts, our cat, was wheeling his way across the floor when I came in, but he detoured to come say hello, his little wheelchair squeaking as he dragged his back half with his front paws.

  I knelt down to pet him. “Hey little guy, how are you? We need to get this chair oiled for you, don’t we?”

  “I like it that way,” Wade said, pouring a couple fingers of whiskey into a glass behind the bar. “I always know where he is.
”

  Our half cat was a rescue, and though he was a little disheveled and unconventional as pets went, he fit us pretty well and we gave him a good home here.

  I slid onto a stool and touched my glass to my brother’s. After a sip, he put his glass down and turned to pick something up from the counter behind him. “Almost forgot. You got a call earlier.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Remember Archie Jasper from high school?” He waved a slip of paper in his hand. Wade and I had both been good friends with a kid whose dad was in the military here for a bit. He’d been here until our junior year and then moved away.

  “Yeah,” I said. “He called?”

  “Yep. Wanted to see if you felt like delivering some Half Cat out to some fancy resort he’s got going in Colorado.”

  “Colorado,” I said, the word rolling off my tongue as my mind turned the idea of a trip over in my mind. “What else did he say?”

  “Just give him a call.” He handed me the number. My brother leaned across the bar on his elbows and eyed me. “You thinking a trip might be a good plan?”

  “I guess I’ll see what he has in mind.” I pulled my phone from my pocket. It was two hours earlier in Colorado, so I figured it wouldn’t be too late.

  “Hello?” A voice picked up after two rings.

  “Jasper?” I said. “Wiley Blanchard.”

  “Hey Coyote, how the hell are you?” His voice was jovial, every bit as good-natured as I remembered, though I knew the guy had been through some rough times since I’d seen him last as kids.

  “Good,” I said. “Well, I mean, maybe I’ve been better, actually. Just broke up with Amberlynn.”