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Sandcastle Kisses: Epilogue
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Hurricane Kisses: Chapter 1
I looked up from my book and took in a big breath of fresh sea air. This was what a vacation was supposed to look like. White sand turned into pale blue water that slowly darkened as it stretched out toward the horizon. A tiny sailboat floated across the view, its yellow sails bright and cheerful against the sky. Behind me, green palms fluttered in the warm breeze.I took a sip of the latest concoction from the bar and then set it down in the sand beside me. It was sweet with some sort of fruit juice and had a giant paper umbrella sticking out of the top. I closed my eyes, letting the warm sun shine down on me for a moment before starting the next chapter. This was so much better than my normal Novembers in Chicago. A girl could get used to tropical vacations like this.I heard the soft sound of feet on sand and I turned to see two of my favorite people walking toward me. I grinned and sat up on the edge of my lounge chair and waved to my best friend and her son. Maddy walked slowly,
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Hurricane Kisses: Chapter 2
Two Years Earlier...I took a deep breath, smoothed the front of my skirt, and stepped into the office of Travel, Inc.'s Chief Operation Officer. If this worked, I would have the funding and connections to make my dreams a reality. I was going to do the job I wanted, instead of the job I hated. If this meeting went well, Travel, Inc. would add Dream Vacations' services to their already massive empire. I would have all the resources of the biggest travel website to make my concierge travel planning the best it could possibly be.The last two months of my life I had dedicated to getting my business up and running. The computer program that was the heart of Dream Vacations had been a pet project of mine over the past year and a half, and now I was finally ready to use it. I had waltzed out of my terrible computer programming job the minute I had finished it with a smile on my face.I now had the website, the business plan, and the connections, but I needed more funding. Advertisements we
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Hurricane Kisses: Chapter 3
Present DayMaddy laughed and scooted the snot-filled envelope off my desk and into a trash can. “You have a pen?” she asked, setting the unsigned waiver on the desk. I fished her one out of a drawer and went to open the last email in my inbox. It was my daily news and I nearly punched my laptop screen because of the headline article.“What?” Maddy asked as I made an angry growl at the offending article. I turned the screen to face her. Logan Hayes and his brother's smiling faces filled the screen with the headline “Hayes Family Donates Millions to Mayoral Candidate.”“Ah, Logan Hayes again. He is a good-looking man,” she said appreciatively, taking in the image. I glared at her and she clarified, “A jerk, but a handsome one.”She was, of course, right. Maddy was always right. Logan Hayes was incredibly good-looking. It was part of his charm. He was tall with broad shoulders and an easy smile that was made to be photographed. Both he and his brother had short honey-colored curls; Loga
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Hurricane Kisses: Chapter 4
I walked quickly up the path to the dock where Tyler was supposed to meet me. He was standing patiently next to the storage shed, petting a dog and talking to a man whose back was to me. I admired the back of the attractive male form for a moment, taking in the broad shoulders and muscled frame under a skintight rash guard shirt. His board shorts were low slung and accentuated a perfect ass. I hoped that this delightful male specimen would be joining us and that his front was as attractive as his back. I could use a little vacation romance.“Hey, Tyler,” I called out as I approached. “You ready?”Tyler raised his hand and grinned at me. The man he was talking to turned around and I nearly ate asphalt as I momentarily forgot how to walk. His front was as handsome as his back, all right. But that was because he was also Logan Hayes.“Olivia Statler,” he greeted me with a smile. “It's a pleasure to see you again.”“What the hell are you doing here?” I sputtered, trying to keep my temper
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Hurricane Kisses: Chapter 5
The world was a beautiful shade of blue, like a robin's egg, but with swirls of white that made me think of cotton candy. I heard Tyler's voice, full of panic and fear, but it was very far away. Pain rushed through me, but it was as if I had never experienced it before and wasn't sure what pain was. My thoughts were dull and foreign as I slowly came back to myself.“Olivia, can you hear me?” A deep, masculine voice asked. I knew that voice. I loved that voice. No, I hated that voice. That voice belonged to Logan Hayes.I quickly righted myself so I was no longer looking up at the sky to find myself bobbing in the ocean. Logan had been holding my shoulders to keep me floating above the waves since I didn't have my life jacket on and had been out cold. As I sat up, he released me and I had to remember to tread water to keep my head from going under again. There was a splash as Tyler tossed me my life jacket and I clung to it so I wouldn't have to swim. My head was pounding.“Of course I
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Hurricane Kisses: Chapter 6
Logan carefully followed Tyler to the dock where the attendant quickly took our keys and called the resort infirmary and told them to be expecting us. Logan lifted me from the seat to the dock, where my knees threatened to buckle as soon as I landed. He had his arm around me before I even had a chance to sag. I didn't want to, but I held onto his muscled arm. Just for balance, I told myself, not because it's so nice to hold on to.Tyler came to my other side and wrapped my other arm over his shoulder. He was still too short for the action to work as intended, but it was such a sweet gesture, I didn't say anything. He puffed out his chest and helped carry me to the employee golf cart, even though it was Logan who was doing most of the work.Together, the two of them got me settled as the jet-ski attendant hopped in the driver's seat and sped us all to the infirmary. It was only a short drive, but Tyler held onto me like I might go flying out of the cart at any moment. When we stopped,
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Hurricane Kisses: Chapter 7
The three of us walked quietly along the manicured path back to the main building. The wind had picked up, but it was still warm as the sun prepared to dip her toes into the ocean below. I couldn't believe the day was almost over. With all the excitement, I had completely lost track of time.“Are you going to the welcome banquet tonight?” Logan asked as we rounded one of the resort pools. No one was swimming, but the water rippled gently in the breeze as we passed.“Yes,” I replied hesitantly. I had already planned on going with Tyler and Maddy, but the idea of him being there made me a little queasy. Despite all Logan’s help today, I still didn't trust him. Once burned, twice shy. I wasn't about to let him ruin me again, even if he did save me from drowning.“I'll see you there, then,” he said with a grin. “Take care of her, Tyler.”Tyler nodded, tightening his grip around my arm, which was still draped over his shoulder, even though I was perfectly capable of walking on my own. “You
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Hurricane Kisses: Chapter 8
I checked my hair in the mirror one last time before opening the door to leave. My injury was barely visible, but I was surprised my ears weren't still red from the lecture Maddy had given me. She delivered a talking to that would have made my own mother pat her on the back for a job well done.I had followed Tyler's advice and apologized profusely, promising never to take my life jacket off again, and then hugged her. She had stared at me for a moment before hugging me back like I had just been resurrected from the dead, but that was the end of the lecture.Smoothing one last flyaway strand of dirty-blonde hair up into my loose bun, I felt pleased with my overall appearance. I wore a light blue chiffon dress with a sparkly rhinestone belt that hid a multitude of sins but still showed my curves. It was casual and elegant at the same time. Maddy had suggested that I put my hair up with this dress, and I had to admit that with the addition of some dangling earrings, I looked pretty darn
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Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Epilogue
I never thought this day would come.Maybe when I was a little girl, I had hoped that someday it would. But I never actually believed it. It feels like a dream, but I know it’s not because it’s even better than anything I could have dreamt up.I’m marrying Gabe Honors. In just a few moments, I’ll be wed to the love of my life.I’m beyond nervous, but also ready. I’ve spent the last twenty minutes looking at myself in the mirror, making sure that my hair and makeup look absolutely perfect for him.“Hey, it’s almost time,” Cora says, as she steps beside me. “You look perfect, Harper. Seriously, you look gorgeous. Gabe is going to melt.”I hope she’s right.“Well, let’s do this,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m ready.”Just outside, my mom is standing there, holding my little nephew’s hand. He breaks away and runs up to give me a quick hug before she tells him to go take his seat. Mom looks almost more nervous than I am. She can’t keep her hands still and she’s tapping her t
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 31
The following week I finally sat down to prepare for my final blog post. My decision was made. It was time to say goodbye and pass the reigns onto a new owner. It made sense and it felt right.Gabe had told me to sleep on the decision, and for most of the week I had made my home at his house, which made sleeping really easy. But the truth was that it really hadn’t taken much deliberation; the blog seemed like a thing of the past, something that opened the door to new writing feats, and I was ready to walk through that door.During our time together I had allowed the blog to slip even further off my mind, which was entirely okay with me. I had checked in periodically and had found a quick selection for Worst Wednesday. But besides that, and for the first time in a long time, I hadn’t paid it much attention. It seemed that the blog and I had finally begun to outgrow each other. At one time it had been my baby, but now it was moving out, and Cora was the perfect guide.If there was anyth
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 30
I had been fairly sure that I would never see the inside of Gabe's house ever again, but now I was standing on the deck watching the ocean once more. Not that I was complaining, though. I was happy to be there. In fact, the view of the ocean with the sun overhead never looked so good.“I’m glad you came over today. We need to talk. I’m ready to work through this and make things right again. But first, we both have to come clean with each other,” Gabe said, leaning against the railing of his deck.“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I agreed. My palms were sweating, but I felt calmer than I had in weeks.His surprise visit at the restaurant had happened just the night before and this was the first time we had really had a chance to hash things out. This conversation needed to happen. It had been a long time coming.“Where should we start?” he asked. The breeze from the ocean ruffled his dark hair.“I guess what I really don’t understand is why you hid it from me?” I asked, starting th
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 29
“So all of your readers think you’re out with Brian right now?” Cora asked.I nodded. “Yep, I’ve duped them all into thinking Brian is a real person that loves me just the way I should be loved. It’s too bad I had to make all that up, though, isn’t it.”“Whatever. I think it’s fine.” Cora just shrugged. “But I have to ask you an important question, Harper.”“What is it?” I asked, a little nervous.Cora turned to the side and set her jaw, making a serious face. “Do I look like a Brian to you?”I busted out laughing. Her goofy antics got me every time.“You know, you actually do!” I exclaimed. “You make a perfect Brian! Wow, I’m one lucky girl to be on a date with such a handsome man.”“Aw, thanks!” she said, as she turned back to face me and grinned. “If I talk like this does it make me sound like a Brian, too?”She lowered her voice as much as possible and crinkled her eyebrows together. I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. The good kind of tears, though, not
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 28
I sat down at my computer and clicked on the Internet. It was always the first step in starting a new blog post and I could almost feel the writer’s block start to set in as a blank window popped up on the screen and began loading.It had been just over two months since the breakup and about a month and a half since I had introduced Brian.Brian was a tall guy with a toned body, dark hair and eyes bluer than an open sky on a summer’s day. He was funny, smart, a hard worker in his career as a physical trainer, a huge sports fan and… completely fake.I had decided to create Brian in order to appease my Mother and to use as a marketing tool for the blog. After my readers had obsessed over my relationship with Gabe, Brian was designed to be Gabe 2.0 and to carry the burden of a new and passionate relationship. And completely fabricating a fake relationship was much easier than actually getting consumed by one.Brian took me on elaborate dates to all the exciting places around town without
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 27
I took a break from watching my blog to make some belated dinner. I heated up some left over lasagna and made a milkshake with some of the ice cream still left in the fridge as post-breakup comfort food. I couldn’t help but make fun of myself and my current state of affairs. It felt only fitting to throw on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.After about a half hour I heard the phone ring.Immediately my heart skipped a beat. I had posted my blog late at night and had done so purposefully to avoid an instant reaction from Rosie or my Mom. But with as late as it was, realistically they were the only ones that would be calling.I checked the caller I.D. on the phone before answering. It was Rosie, which was better than Mom. I took a deep breath and clicked to accept the call.“Hey, Rosie,” I attempted cheerfully.“Hey, Big Sis!” she exclaimed.“What are you doing up so late?” I asked.“I fell asleep kind of early, and then the baby woke me up. My sleep schedule is so crazy now, thi
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 26
Well, the time has come. Every beginning has an end, and my relationship has found its end. Two weeks ago, Mr. Perfect Match and I broke up and it is time for the corresponding blog post (because blogging about breakups is the best way to move on, right??)It’s not the typical kind of post I’m used to writing. My life is filled with many more bad dates than bad breakups, and maybe that’s a good thing. But it also means that I’m entering new territory without the right map to guide me. They say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have lovedI stopped writing and glared at the screen. I highlighted the last sentence and hit delete as if the force of my click would hurt the words as they left the page. Love. It was like a bad word, something I had been conditioned not to say. And Gabe deserved no exception, even if it would appease an old stupid cliché about breakups.After a few moments of contemplation I picked up again where I left off.Time is a weird thing. It has the a
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 25
The plane ride to Orlando only took less than an hour, but it felt like an eternity. I spent the entire trip trying to hide my sobs, but of course it was impossible. Luckily, I had sat in the window seat and was able to face away from everyone while I cried, but I still knew that people were looking at me. The older lady sitting next to me even asked if there was anything she could do to help. I responded with, “If you can make men honest, that would help.” She just laughed and said, “I don’t think there’s anything I can do about that one.”My makeup was ruined, my hair was a mess and the clothes I had on were a day old. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking like I was ready to hit the town when I crawled off of the plane. It didn’t matter, though. Cora didn’t care what I looked like. She wouldn’t judge me. That was why I had come to see her in the first place.I had only taken a few steps out of the front doors of the airport before I heard Cora calling out my name. I hadn’t even gotten
Billionaires And Beaches: The Kisses Series Island Kisses: Chapter 24
After storming out of Gabe’s office, I went back to the bedroom and got dressed as quickly as possible. I was teeming with emotion, but I didn’t want to let out a single sob. I could save that for later, when I could enjoy a pint if ice cream and a few days of binge watching my favorite TV show. But for now, I needed to keep it together and act tough.So once I was dressed, I gathered my makeup from his countertop in his bathroom and tossed everything into my overnight bag. To think, I was considering what it would be like to spend my life with the guy and now I was doing everything possible to speed up the process of leaving his house for good.I can’t believe this. I should have known that it would only be a matter of time before something like this would happen to me, I thought. Why did I fool myself into thinking I could actually meet a decent guy?I zipped up my bag and tossed it over my shoulder. Before leaving the bedroom, I took one last look at the bed, where the blankets wer
