by Melody Grace
“Have fun tonight,” I say, feeling triumphant. Will manages to hold back his laughter long enough to steer me away.
“I wish I had a picture of his face,” Will grins. “He doesn’t know what hit him.”
“He should get used to it,” I beam. “I’m going to run him out of town.”
Will smiles at me. “You’re so hot when you’re being ruthless.” He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear and pauses. “Don’t look now, your parents are here. I think those balloons are bigger than my house!”
I turn.
“Sweetheart!” My mom descends on us, a massive heart-shaped “Congratulations” balloon trailing behind her. It gets stuck in the doorway, and my Dad and Will have to wrestle to get it out.
“Look at all of this.” Mom gazes around. “We’re so proud of you, sweetie. We can’t wait to see what you’ll do next.”
Dad comes over. “Congratulations,” he says gruffly, kissing me on the cheek. “And is that your handiwork I see, William?” He points to the gorgeous, polished oak desk we’ve pushed to one side, and the illegally comfortable vintage leather chair.
“Aren’t they beautiful?” I ask, squeezing Will’s hand. “I’m lucky he could find the time. His pieces are flying out of the store. Declan’s calling 24/7, begging him to work faster. There’s already a waiting list for his next work.”
Will looks uncomfortable. Even after a write-up in Southern Living about his “rustic, Southern gentleman style,” he’s still way too deprecating about his work. “I thought tonight was about singing your praises,” he says, changing the subject, and I grin.
“Tonight, and every other night.”
My parents laugh. “You’re learning fast,” my mom tells him wryly. “We’ll see you for dinner on Friday?”
“Can’t wait,” Will replies.
“And I’ll see you on the creek,” my dad adds to me. I nod, and give him a small smile. I know our relationship isn’t going to be fixed overnight, but it won’t mend on its own, either. If I can see a way to bring some forgiveness into my life, then I’m hoping, in time, I might be able to move on with my father, too.
“We’ll let you get back to the party,” Mom says, kissing my cheek. “You enjoy tonight. You’ve earned it.”
I spend the rest of the night enjoying the music and friendship and everyone’s best wishes. Half the town shows up, and it turns into a real party, taking up half the block, echoing laughter out across the dark harbor and into the moonlit night. It’s midnight by the time Finn cracks open another crate of champagne, and the call goes up for a toast.
I climb up on the front steps and gesture giddily for quiet, but the music keeps playing until Sawyer puts two fingers in his mouth and whistles. Everyone falls silent.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to stop the party for long,” I say loudly. “I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone. All the people who helped put this together . . . all my friends . . . and you, for showing up to eat all this amazing food!”
There’s laughter.
“But seriously, this means the world to me, to be able to share this new chapter with you all.” I can feel myself tearing up with emotion, looking out at the community I love so much. “I tell everyone I meet that this town is the best place in the world, and it’s all because of the way we show up for each other and lend a hand. So, this is a thank you, for supporting me in this next big adventure.”
My eyes find Will in the crowd, and my heart swells, seeing him look so proud, and knowing he’ll be by my side. “Thank you for believing in me and being patient while I figured it all out. I love you, I can’t wait for everything to come.”
There’s applause and cheering, but I only have eyes for Will. I go to him through the crowd, and kiss him right there in front of everyone, losing myself in the touch of the man I love as the applause fades away around us, and the stars blaze brightly in the sky.
THE END
Not ready to leave town just yet? Keep reading for the first chapter of HEARTBREAKER – an Oak Harbor love story, where happily-ever-after is guaranteed.
HEARTBREAKER
The new stand-alone HEA from New York Times bestselling author, Melody Grace.
They say that time heals a broken heart, but you try moving on when your ex is the most famous man on the planet.
Every time I walk down the street, there's a billboard plastered with his gorgeous face: Finn McKay. Now he’s a drop-dead sexy rock star, but when I first knew him, he was just the boy from the wrong side of the tracks - and the first guy I ever loved. He broke my heart into a hundred pieces when he skipped town without saying goodbye – but now he’s back.
And he wants me.
I’m determined not to make the same mistakes twice, but the chemistry with Finn was always way too hot to ignore. He was the guy who had me sneaking out my bedroom window for just one more kiss, and breaking curfew parked by the riverbanks, steaming up his windows in the backseat of his car. The past five years have been good to him, real good, and between his dirty mind and that ‘I know how to make you scream’ smile, he’s breaking through my defenses all over again.
Maybe one last wild fling for old time’s sake is what I need to finally move on. But what happens when Finn wants more than my body?
This time he wants everything.
HEARTBREAKER is available now! Read on for the exclusive first chapter…
The new stand-alone romance from Melody Grace. Heartbreaker is available now!
HEARTBREAKER
One.
They say time heals a broken heart, but you just try and get over the love of your life when he’s the most famous man on the planet.
At least, that’s what it feels like when I turn on the car radio. Nothing is playing except his latest hit song.
“Bringing you back for your afternoon on 107 Hits, it’s the track everyone’s talking about, Finn McKay—”
“Next up, Everyday, from the new number one smash—”
“And straight to the top, for music’s own bad boy, Finn—”
I let out scream of frustration, and hit the wheel. My horn blasts, and the elderly woman on the crosswalk startles, dropping her grocery bags. Crap. “Sorry, Mrs. Carter!” I call out the window, ready to jump out and help.
She flips me the bird and keeps walking.
Charming.
I head to work and hit the preset for the country station, figuring at least I’ll get some respite there. Maybe a good song about heartbreak, or murder -- either will do. But it turns out the universe really is laughing at me right now.
“Did you see the big duet at the Grammys last week? Finn McKay and Carrie Underwood. So by special request, here’s his latest single, Everyday.”
There really is no escape. It was bad enough when he was the hot new artist on the verge. At least then I could ignore the gossip and pretend like his five minutes of fame would be up soon. But two years later, he shows no sign of running out of steam. If anything, he’s bigger than ever: two number one albums, a dozen hit singles, and his music in the background of every TV show and movie I try to see. This spring he’s been inescapable, staring back at me from billboards and on the cover of my favorite trashy magazines. Peak Finn. AKA, a constant reminder of the boy who shattered my heart and left town five years ago, stranding my sixteen-year old self without a word.
AKA, the reason I’ve developed a serious cookie dough habit, had to boycott my radio, and spend my evenings hate-browsing the latest gossip sites looking at photos of Finn with his latest supermodel girlfriend.
But hey, at least I’m not bitter.
Back at the Oak Harbor Realty office, I deliver a takeout box to co-worker and new best friend, Delilah, then sink into a chair at her desk.
Delilah takes one look in the lunch bag and makes a face. “Screw salad, I’ve got cupcakes!” She opens the box with a ‘ta-dah!’
“Fancy,” I whistle, looking back and forth between the virtuous container of lettuce, and the b
ox of double-chocolate frosting. Who am I kidding? Cupcakes always win. I reach for one and sink my teeth into pure sugar rush heaven. “What’s the occasion?”
“I finally closed escrow for Shana Norton on that new townhouse in the harbor.”
I high five her. “Does this mean she’s going to tell Mr. Norton she’s leaving him yet?”
“Not sure,” Delilah grins. “I’m guessing the moving trucks will be a big clue.”
I laugh. “Want me to do the paperwork?”
“Would you?” Dee bats her eyelashes at me. “Pretty please.”
“Just add it to the pile.” I sigh dramatically, but I don’t mind really. I haven’t closed a deal myself in months, and sooner or later our boss is going to figure out that real estate and I just aren’t a good match. Delilah knows exactly what I’m thinking, because she gives me a look.
“You need to be out there, getting clients for yourself. You could make a great commission if you hustled a little harder.”
“Me and hustle don’t get along.” I focus on my cupcake. “We had a falling out years ago. It’s not speaking to me.”
“Liar. You hustled plenty at the animal shelter holiday fundraiser. You talked half the town into emptying their wallets.”
“That’s different!” I protest. “It’s a good cause. Who can say no to puppies?”
“Me,” Delilah curls her lip. “I never got the appeal. They’re all drooling and needy, and piss everywhere. They’re like a frat-boy on a Friday night.”
“Cruella,” I laugh.
She grabs a file from her desk. “Hustle or not, you’ve got an appointment this afternoon. Some mystery client looking for a rental. I told Marcie you’d take it.”
“But I’m not dressed for clients!” I look down at my laundry-day skirt – missing a button – and the shirt that, yup, now has a smear of chocolate frosting over my right boob. I start dabbing, but the stain only spreads. “Look what I’ve done now. You take them.”
“Nope. And I’m saying this as your friend, and not because I booked an early nail appointment,” Delilah grins. “Go on.” She shoves the file at me. “It’ll be good for you. Work the whole small-town girl charm. They’ll be eating out of your hand.”
“I’ll be eating what now?”
A familiar male voice comes from the doorway behind me. Blood rushes to my head. I freeze, my heart pounding.
It can’t be.
It can’t be.
It can.
Delilah lets out a shriek, and bounces out of her chair. “Holy shit, Finn! What are you doing here?”
I hear a warm chuckle as she launches himself at him. “Hey Dee.”
I can’t bring myself to turn around. My mind is racing to try and make sense of this. Finn McKay, here. Now.
Why? And why today of all days, when I’ve got a button missing from my shirt and frosting smeared all over my chin? Sure, I’ve pictured the time I would finally run into him again, but in those fantasies I was always looking fantastic, in some great, sexy outfit, out with friends, or – even better – a hot guy on my arm. Never mind the fact I haven’t been on a decent date in months. This was my fantasy, dammit. But it turns out real life is anything but a dream.
Bracing myself, I slowly swivel around. Maybe he isn’t hot anymore, I send up a silent prayer. Maybe those magazine shoots are photo-shopped, and in real life he’s skinny with a bad case of adult acne. Maybe—
I’m screwed.
He’s even more gorgeous in the flesh. All six feet of tanned, muscular flesh.
The Finn I knew was handsome, sure, but this is something else. His lithe build has filled out, body taut against a white tee that looks anything but plain, with dark jeans that hug his ass just so. His hair is longer now, pulled back in a low bun with gold glimmering through, and he’s got tattoos I’ve never seen curling down his muscular arms.
But it’s his eyes that still stop me in my tracks, blue and stormy as the December ocean. They meet mine across the room in a silent greeting.
I try to remember to breathe. Finn may have left a boy of nineteen, but he’s come back all man.
“What brings you back to town?” Delilah is still hanging off him, babbling at full-speed. “Wait, don’t tell me, you decided to bring your whole touring band for a special live show?” She looks around, on alert for a whole crew of hot, tattooed musicians, but Finn just chuckles.
“I’m not enough for you, sweetheart?”
“No man is,” she smirks. “God, look at you! How long’s it been now?”
Five years, I answer silently. Four years, eleven months, and sixteen days, but who’s counting?
“A good long while,” Finn answers easily, with that faint twang of Southern drawl soaking his words in sweet bourbon. He hugs her and stands back. “You’re looking good, Dee. How are things?”
“Oh, you know, the usual.” Delilah shrugs. “Breaking hearts, taking names.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Finn flashes her a grin, the kind of charming smile that let him get away with every reckless bad boy stunt, and left a string of damp panties and broken hearts through the halls of our high school.
Including mine.
That old familiar grin triggers something inside me. My brain unfreezes. I quickly choke down my mouthful of cupcake and try to discreetly wipe my face. Pull it together, I tell myself, but when Finn finally strolls over to my desk, nothing can prepare me for the rush of emotion.
“Eva.” He smiles. “It’s good to see you.”
“Finn.”
Just saying his name again hurts my heart. I’ve spent years trying not to think of him, trying not to let his face creep back into my mind. It should have been easy to forget him; nobody knows what we shared, and there was nothing left to tie him to this town. But love doesn’t obey logic sometimes, and I’m ashamed to admit just how long it took me to get over him, how many restless nights I wasted to the memory of his kisses, the damp slide of his body against mine.
“What are you doing here?” My question comes out harsh, but luckily, Delilah is still in full flow.
“Yeah, aren’t you too much of a big shot for our little town?” she teases. “How come you’re gracing us with your presence after all these years?”
Finn gives an easy shrug. “I figured it would be a good place to get some R and R. I’ve been touring for two years straight. I need a break. Someplace to lay my head,” he adds, and Delilah snaps her fingers.
“You’re Eva’s new mystery client!”
“Wait, what?” My chest clenches.
“I just gave you the file. Lucky girl.” Delilah grins, and turns back to Finn. “Anyway, it was great seeing you. We’ll have to get a drink while you’re in town.”
“If you can fit me in your busy schedule,” he laughs.
This isn’t just a fly-in visit? “How long are you staying?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady. “Just a week or two?”
“No. I’ll need somewhere for a month, at least.” Finn is watching me, and I swear, he smiles when I stop breathing. “I’ve got the rest of the day free to look at places with you.”
Finn. This afternoon. Alone.
“I’m kind of busy,” I protest weakly, my head spinning. I’m not prepared for this, not even close, but Finn looks pointedly around at the empty office. Oak Harbor isn’t exactly a fast-paced destination, especially before the summer season starts. Aside from Delilah and me, there’s only our boss Marcie around – and she’s napping at her desk in the back.
“Sure looks it,” he smirks.
My panic grows. “I have paperwork!”
Finn doesn’t even reply to that, he just gives me an amused look. “I’ll be in the car. You know, if you want to clean up.” He leans over and snags my half-eaten cupcake from the desk and takes a bite. “Mmm,” he sounds a low growl of satisfaction, slowly licking frosting from his thumb. My pulse kicks, just watching his mouth. “You always did have a sweet tooth.”
While I’m reeling, he gives me
a wink and strolls back outside.
Delilah lets out a slow whistle and fans herself with a condo brochure. “Hello, lover.” She leans against the desk like she’s swooning. “The road’s been good to that boy. Real good.”
“I guess.” I grab the file, and pray we’ve got some decent listings. Hopefully, he’ll want the first place I show him, and this nightmare will be over in twenty minutes flat.
“Well, never let it be said I don’t make sacrifices for our friendship,” Delilah adds, dramatic. “I saw the way he was staring. He’s all yours.”
“What? No!” My head snaps up. “You’re wrong.”
“Mmhmm.” Delilah just laughs, and goes to rifle through her purse. “Come on, the man’s waiting. You can borrow my lipstick.”
Part of me wants to walk straight outside looking like this, to show Finn I don’t care at all, but the other part – the one still reeling from that smile – needs a moment to pull myself together. “Thanks,” I tell Delilah, and race to the bathroom. I slam the door, and face myself in the mirror.
Oh boy.
I drag my hair up into a ponytail and quickly slick lipstick on – then blot it all off again. I can feel the storm of emotions whirling in my stomach, and I run the cold water to cool off my sweaty hands.
My reflection isn’t the problem; it’s the illegally hot guy waiting outside. It shouldn’t be a big deal. I used to have game, and flirt with cute strangers in bars all the time, but that was years ago. And besides, Finn isn’t a stranger – he knows me right down to the core.
Why is he back here, after all these years?
I close my eyes. Finn didn’t just leave town that night after graduation. He erased himself completely. No note, no calls, no casual updates online. He vanished so thoroughly, he didn’t even tell his father where he’d gone. I don’t blame him for that, since the two of them were never close. Lord knows Hank McKay wasn’t exactly the warm, fuzzy type. But still, how could he do that to me?