Beauty and the Beach

by Diane Darcy

  Though he’s trying to keep his grieving mother happy by letting her have charge of the commercial shoot, and though Alicia’s trying to keep in mind that this annoying guy is her boss for the moment, they can’t seem to keep from clashing.

  Throw in an overly-handsome prince, a matchmaking mama, and a stunning rose garden, and maybe, just maybe, Alicia can be convinced they have a chance at something real. Because while she might not be a real princess, sometimes an ordinary girl’s got to take a chance, even when it seems too good to be true.

  WHEN DID HAPPILY EVER AFTER BECOME SO COMPLICATED?

  CHAPTER ONE

  “MISS DAYNE? THIS IS WILLA HIGHBORN from Highborn Mattresses. I’m calling about the proposal you sent over. I really like it. I’d be interested in hiring you for the commercial and print ads we’d like done. Do you think we could get together soon to discuss the possibilities?”

  Alicia Dayne’s heart started to pound in her chest. “That sounds wonderful. I’m free tomorrow morning if that would work for you, Mrs. Highborn.”

  “Please, call me Willa. Let’s say nine o’clock? At the store on Main?”

  “Nine sounds great, Willa.” Alicia did a little jig by her desk and grinned at Mike Rameriz, her cameraman/assistant, and gave him a thumb’s up. Mike’s brows rose as he waited patiently to find out what was going on, his expression cautious and hopeful at the same time. “And please, won’t you call me Alicia?”

  “Alicia. A beautiful name. I’m curious, your ideas were so different from any of the other proposals that I’m wondering what inspired you?”

  “Well, I think Highborn Mattress has a royal ring to it. And people often associate royals with fairytales. The fairytale that comes to mind when thinking about mattresses is, of course, The Princess and the Pea. So I guess this idea came out of having my dad read me one too many fairytales as a child. I love them.”

  Willa laughed. “Well, I love fairytales, too, and I think your idea is incredibly clever. If my son had his way, he’d just have a man stand in front of the camera and tell everyone to come on down and get a good price on a mattress. Fortunately, he put me in charge of this one. I understand this would be your first project of this kind?”

  Alicia straightened her shoulders. “Yes, ma’am.” She tried to project confidence across the phone. “Though I’ve helped on many others, and specialized in film in college.”

  “Well, I like your ideas.”

  Anxious to prove her worth, Alicia rushed into speech. “Thank you. If you want to expand on any of the ideas I definitely have more. With your main factory being here in Portland, we could take some shots using Forest Park, or we could contact Pittock Mansion to see if we could use the grounds for some of the filming. It’s such a community landmark and it sort of has that castle feel to it. And since Portland is known as the City of Roses, we could find a way to work some roses into the storyline. What do you think?”

  Willa laughed. “Well, the roses we can definitely do. I like that idea. Since it’s September, all the rose gardens are still in full bloom for another month or so.”

  “Maybe we could somehow fit Mt. Hood into a shot?”

  Willa chuckled. “I like your enthusiasm. Let’s meet tomorrow and go over some ideas. I have to say, I like what you already have, but if we get too elaborate, my son might nix the whole project. He runs the company now.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. My husband and I built the mattress factory, but my son Jonas has taken the reins. My unmarried son. He would normally do this himself, but he’s put me in charge. I think he’s been worried about me since my husband, his father, died last year.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you. I just wish my son would get married and give me a grandchild. That would keep me as busy as I’d care to be. At thirty he’d better not wait too much longer or all the nice girls will be gone. Are you single, dear?”

  Alicia froze, picturing a guy who couldn’t get dates on his own. “Oh. Oh, well, yes I am, but I’m sort of focused on my career right now.”

  “Well, I like your picture. You look like a nice girl. I had Tate, my neighbor, help me research you on the Internet and we found your picture on your company website. You are cute as a button.”

  “Thank you.” Time to change the subject. Fast. “I’m really excited about this opportunity. I can’t wait to get together tomorrow to discuss my ideas in person and, of course, to get your feedback. It’ll be a ton of fun.

  “I’m looking forward to it, as well. Do you have the address of the main store?”

  “I do.”

  “All right, dear. Until tomorrow.”

  Alicia carefully set the phone in its cradle.

  “Well?” asked Mike.

  She turned and raised both arms into the air. “We’re in!” Alicia gave a couple of jumps. “Pinch me! No, don’t pinch me! We got it! She chose us!”

  “Whoo hoo!” Mike leaned forward on his chair and lifted his hand in the air and she high-fived him. “Why’d she call you and not the old man?” Mike asked, referring to the owner of the advertising firm.

  “I don’t know. She researched me on the Internet or something.” She blew out a breath. “She sort of mentioned that her desperate, single son needs a wife.” She shuddered.

  Mike laughed. “Let’s go tell the boss in person, then come back and take another look at your story-board. We can work on the budget so we’ll be ready tomorrow.”

  She grinned at him. “Good idea. And that is why I love working with you, Mike.”

  As they headed down the hall, Alicia was already thinking of a few models she would inform about the casting call. She pictured the stacked mattresses she’d use, the princess dress, the prince costume; which reminded her--she needed to call a few costume shops to see what they had. This might just be a mattress commercial, but it was going to be awesome!

  One thing was for sure. This was a chance to prove herself to her boss, get something impressive on her resume, and make the best commercial ever. She couldn’t help a little squeal as they headed down the hall. When Mike laughed, she winked at him. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

  If you want to read more, go to www.DianeDarcy.com.

  Excerpt: She’s Just Right

  A Fairy Tale Romance by Diane Darcy

  SOMEONE’S BEEN SLEEPING IN HIS BED…

  Once upon a time, golden-haired realtor Honey Stevens fought with her fiancé before leaving for a three-week business trip to a small Northern California town. Following a map to the cabin in the woods where her important clients insist she stay, she goes inside and--as instructed--makes herself at home to await their arrival. What she doesn't know is that some local boys, intent on revenge, tampered with the house numbers and she’s at the wrong place!

  Divorced game warden Trevor Baron comes home after a long, hard day on the job in desperate need of peace, quiet, and a good hot meal. Instead he finds someone has been eating his dinner, breaking his chair, and sleeping in his bed.

  ...AND SHE’S STILL THERE!

  It doesn’t take long for Honey to realize the wrong man is capturing her heart. The question is, can Trevor let go of the past enough to let his own heart out of hibernation?

  WHEN DID HAPPILY EVER AFTER BECOME SO COMPLICATED?

  CHAPTER ONE

  BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON, Dylan Eley led and his best friends Isaac and Seth followed as they crept through the trees toward the log cabin house.

  It was cold, the trees were spooky, and when a noise sounded behind, a rustle in the foliage, Isaac sucked in a harsh breath. “It’s Him!” he whispered. “He’s found us!”

  Dylan swallowed, his heart pounded, and his grip tightened on the hammer in his hand. He turned to scowl at his friend. “No, it’s not. We’re practically in the country, right? It’s a stray cat or a skunk or something. Besides, we rode our bikes past that building he was fixing in town, remember?” His voice wavered slightly and he knew he was trying to convi
nce himself as well as his friends. “Let’s keep going.”

  Seth started to wheeze and Dylan stopped again, turned, and put a finger to his mouth. “Shh.”

  His expression serious, the moonlight glinting off round-framed glasses, Seth pulled out his inhaler, sucked medicine in, held his breath, and nodded.

  Dylan sighed. His friends looked as spooked as he felt. “Come on. We can do this. We’re twelve now, right? School’s almost out for the summer so we’re practically seventh graders. We’re not afraid, right?”

  After a moment Seth nodded.

  “I won’t be twelve ‘til July,” mumbled Isaac.

  Dylan snorted. “Close enough. Now, come on.”

  A dog barked nearby, then stopped. Dylan listened for a moment, then started forward again. Thankfully, the dog was fenced, or it would’ve come after them by now. Goosebumps rose on his arms as he considered the disaster that could have been. Any dog belonging to the game warden would be extremely dangerous.

  Moments later they rounded trees and bushes to peer down a gravel driveway. “He’s not here,” whispered Dylan. “The truck’s gone and the house is dark.”

  Headlights flashed in the distance as a car drove toward them, and they dove back into the trees, held their breath, and waited.

  The car went by, and Dylan’s sigh was heartfelt. Unreasonable as it was, he was convinced that if He were around, He would find them no matter where they hid.

  Sneaking out to the front of the driveway they stood under the hanging sign and Dylan read the name. Baron. He shivered, which made him angry and, lips tightening, he hurried forward.

  Lifting the hammer, he wedged the claw onto one of the house numbers attached to the wooden post. He pulled and it popped off easier than he’d thought it would. He made quick work of the other three numbers and Isaac and Seth gathered the fallen pieces of metal and threw them into the bushes.

  Perfect.

  “We did it,” breathed Seth.

  Isaac grinned. “Yeah! We finally showed him!”

  Exhilarated, his heart pounding in his chest, Dylan smiled, nodded, and considered kicking over the large, carved, wooden-bear statue beside the mailbox. He didn’t quite dare.

  Maybe next time.

  Another car advanced down the long road and the light caught them.

  “It’s Him!” Isaac choked. “It’s the game warden!”

  Even though there was no way Isaac could be certain, Dylan completely believed him. Explosive fear charged through his gut. “Run!” he said to his friends. “If he catches us, we’re dead! Run!”

  ~ ~ ~

  “Hi, Jess. You aren’t going to believe where I am.” Honey Stevens adjusted her cell phone between ear and shoulder so she could place her keys in a luggage pocket.

  “Redding, California?”

  “Smart Aleck,” said Honey as she straightened. “That’s not what I meant. And technically I’m outside of Redding, sort of in the country, or maybe in the woods would be more accurate. But anyway, this is so weird. The family who I’m trying to buy property from wants me to stay with them and they aren’t here yet. They wanted me to let myself in, so I’m in their huge, log cabin home alone, and it’s creepy.”

  “Creepy how?”

  Honey let out a breath. Talking to her friend was already relaxing her. “Well, it was completely dark when I first got here. I couldn’t find any house numbers, so I wouldn’t have even been sure I was at the right place, except there’s a sign that says Baron, a carved bear by the mailbox, and the key was under the mat as instructed.”

  “And?”

  Honey walked over to the mantle and took down a family picture with ten or so people posing in a park. She noticed a bottle of woodworking glue hidden behind it. “And I’m used to going through people’s homes, but this is different. It feels like I’m a burglar or something.”

  “Oh, so you’re the creepy one.” Jessica chuckled. “Besides, you like it and you know it. You’re a natural born snoop. Do I need to remind you of my diary?”

  Honey groaned. “Give it up already. It was twenty years ago! I was nine! It was unlocked and the temptation was unbearable.” The people in the photo were a good-looking bunch. Mostly adults, and a couple of babies, the guys were dark-haired, dark-eyed, big and muscular. One had a full beard and was so big he looked like a lumberjack or something. They took after the dad who sat in the middle next to a pretty blonde wife. The girls, luckily, looked like mom. “Get over it, already.”

  “The old ‘I was only nine’ excuse, again, huh,” said Jessica. “Tell me, what are you doing right now? Right this minute? Are you snooping?”

  Honey set the picture back on the mantle and glanced at a few others. Fishing, hunting, camping. This family was very outdoorsy. “I’m hanging up on you.”

  Jessica laughed. “I knew it. I’m just saying, your overwhelming curiosity is going to get you into trouble one of these days.”

  “Is your hubby there? Can he hear you? Because if you’ve told him that story about the diary, or anything else for that matter, you’re dead. Don’t forget, I have all the dirt on you, too. Does college dorm ring a bell? Victor Wilson? One in the morning? You’re not the only one with stories to tell.”

  Jessica laughed again. “Okay, okay, truce.”

  Honey grinned. “How’s Baby Bop doing?”

  “She’s good. A handful. She misses you. She’s been asking for her Bunny. You need to come out and see her.”

  A wistful feeling enveloped Honey as she thought of the chubby blonde baby. She’d like one of her own, and at twenty-nine, was anxious to start a family. “The class I’m taking lasts three weeks. I’ll come see you as soon as I’m back in Napa.”

  “So now for the big question,” said Jessica. “How does Christian feel about being separated from you for that long?”

  Honey blew out a breath and sank down on the leather sofa. She ran a hand across the smooth seat and thought about her fiancé. “How does he feel?” Honey couldn’t help but grimace as she thought about the fight they’d had before she left. “I’ve actually been trying not to think about it. The short answer is, he didn’t want me to leave, but in the end it wasn’t like I had a choice. Nick was determined to send me, even though Michelle was begging for the opportunity. With the brokerage class thrown in, it seemed like too good an opportunity for me to pass up.”

  “You needed this break from Christian, anyway. It’ll give you a chance to think things through, right?”

  Think things through. Nice. Weren’t engaged couples supposed to be excited? Joyful? Eager? But not them. They needed to think things through. It was depressing.

  “Sure,” said Honey. “But not right now. Right now it’s late, I’m starving, and apparently the clients want me to make myself at home, so I’m going to take them at their word. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Okay. Take care. Call me if things get weirder. Or if you find any diaries or anything.”

  “I’m hanging up.”

  If you want to read more, go to www.DianeDarcy.com.

  Excerpt: Pride and Precipitation

  Chick Flick Clique Romantic Comedy #1

  Breezy Jones is crazy about the weather, rain or shine, which makes her job as the local television station’s meteorologist perfect. She’s even hoping the new buyers of her Aspen Grove station will make some positive changes.

  That’s before she meets the attractive new general manager, Noah Drake, who is determined to repackage everything—including Breezy’s down-home delivery and casual, girl-next-door appearance that seems too Pollyanna for him. He replaces her with a high-powered diva weathercaster and makes Breezy her off-screen assistant.

  With a flood of angry emails from the community, plummeting ratings, and incessant demands from the diva, it doesn’t take long for Noah to see which way the wind is blowing.

  Will the station survive the competitive clash between pride and precipitation?

  More importantly, can their blossoming
attraction survive?

  CHAPTER ONE

  Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. (John Ruskin)

  “MOM, DAD, I HAVE SOMETHING important to tell you.” Breezy Jones sucked in a deep breath as she stood on her higher-than-comfortable heels and straightened her skirt. She had to act casual or she couldn’t pull this off.

  On Breezy’s left, her mother looked up from loading the dishwasher and, at the far end of the breakfast nook table, her father lowered his newspaper. He had an iPad, but would doubtless cling to his daily print newspaper right up until the day they stopped delivering, probably because it looked silly to hide behind an iPad.

  “Have a seat, Mom.” Breezy bit the inside of her lip. “You’ll need it.”

  Her mother circled the counter and sat next to her father, and both watched Breezy expectantly. They made such an adorable pair. Her big, strong, silver-haired, handsome father and her petite, cute-as-a-button, flibbertigibbet blonde mother. Apparently opposites did attract.

  “I don’t know how to say this other than to just say it.” Breezy sighed dramatically, and then lowered the April Fool’s boom. “I got fired from the station.”

  Other than her mother’s ferocious gasp as she placed her hand to her heart, the kitchen was silent. Her father tipped his head and studied her.

  It only took a moment for her mother to recover her voice and jump up from the table. With a worried look, she said, “Breanne, you cannot have been fired. Everyone loves you at the station. Your ratings are high. Your forecasts are accurate. What on earth would they fire you for? This has got to be a horrible misunderstanding.” She looked over at her husband, who set the newspaper on his lap. “Your father will go to the station with you and straighten this out. Tell her you will, Arthur.”