Barefoot Bay: Unconventional Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Scarred Hearts Book 1) Read online

  She swallowed hard. She’d done it. She had secured a full-time job she loved and financial security. She didn’t even know she would get a raise. She’d done it. She’d really done it. “I can’t thank you enough. I love it here, and I appreciate you making me a permanent part of the team.”

  “You do us proud here. Now, I’ve had Barbara clear the rest of your afternoon. You get to leave early to celebrate; with pay, of course.”

  She couldn’t help herself; she ran around his desk and hugged him. “Thank you. You won’t regret it.”

  He patted her on the back with a laugh. “I don’t suppose I will. Now, go on. Celebrate. We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  She practically skipped out of his office, and grabbed her pocketbook out of the locker behind the receptionist station. “Bye, ladies; I’ll see you all in the morning!” she called out to Barbara and Annabelle behind the desk.

  She hopped into her white Kia Rio, the only newer car in her price bracket, and headed for home. She rolled down the windows and let the warm, low-humidity air, rare for Florida, flow over her skin and through her hair.

  “Black Magic” came on the radio and she sang at the top of her lungs, scaring the locals as she made her way out of the town center and eventually to her street.

  Her sister’s car was gone; she probably still had Bryce at the beach, so Laura took the extra quiet time to lavish herself with an almond oil bath and then a thirty-minute nap. She woke to the sound of Maureen ushering Bryce to the bathroom to rinse the sand out of his crevices.

  “You’re home early,” Maureen said, breathless from wrangling Bryce.

  “I am. I was made a permanent employee today. Two weeks of vacation, locked-in benefits, and a ten-percent raise,” Laura said, still dancing on the balls of her feet.

  Maureen’s eyes lit up and she hugged Laura hard. “Congratulations, honey! You should go celebrate.”

  “I did; I took a bath and a nap. Both of which I wouldn’t have been able to do if it weren’t for you taking such good care of my son. Thank you,” Laura said, kissing Maureen’s cheek.

  Maureen waved away her compliment, but her cheeks reddened. “Honey, have I taught you nothing? That’s not celebrating. That’s relaxing. I’m talking about celebrating. Put on a nice outfit and go out for the night. You deserve it.”

  “Yeah, but it’s short notice and I’m not sure anyone’s available.”

  Maureen put a hand on her hip. “And since when do you need anyone to go out with you? Get primped up and head back to the Toasted Pelican. Maybe you’ll run into your handsome, seasoned guy, and he’ll help you celebrate.” Maureen let out a little laugh after she said it.

  “You just want me to get laid,” Laura said, calling her out.

  “Well, yes, damn it. Shouldn’t I? I mean, one of us should be getting laid.”

  Bryce popped out of his room then, in clean clothes, his nose pink from the afternoon in the sun. “Who wants to play Tell Me a Story?” he asked as he waved the cards from the game in the air.

  Maureen scooped him up. “I’ll play with you, kiddo. Mommy is going to get ready to go out for some girl time,” she said, effectively ruining any opportunity Laura had to beg out of going celebrating.

  “Agaaaaiiinnnn?” he whined.

  “Yes, Mr. Man, again. And, you know what? If you’re good and let your mama go out guilt-free, we’ll all go to the movies tomorrow night to see the LEGO Batman movie.”

  Bryce pumped his card-filled fist in the air. He totally knew which side his bread was buttered on. “Have fun, Mommy,” he said as he wrapped his skinny little arms around her neck and hugged her.

  She kissed his curls and mouthed a “thank you” to her sister over his shoulder. They took the game to the living room while she got ready.

  She left her hair down this time, her long bangs curving away from her face, and chose a turquoise-blue spaghetti-strap sundress. The skirt flowed, the airy-light fabric brushing against the top of her knees. She slid on a pair of low-heeled, strappy sandals, brushing on mascara and lip gloss to finalize her look.

  Looking in the body mirror hooked to the back of her bedroom door, she twirled. Pretty, but not too obvious. And, more importantly, not slutty.

  She didn’t know if she would run into Jack, but she was going to the Toasted Pelican, so if she did she’d be ready. He wasn’t a forever kind of guy for a woman like her, a woman with a young son, but he could be a guy for right now.

  She took her car this time instead of walking the half-mile in heels. She parked in the far corner of the lot under a bright light, locked her doors, and made her way in.

  The crowd was much like last week only tonight there was a large group sitting at a cluster of tables in the middle of the dining room, laughing and making a bunch of noise.

  A little louder than she liked, so she headed to the other side of the bar, opposite of where she sat last week. She looked for smarmy guy, just in case, but saw no sign him so she took a seat at the bar.

  “Hey, you’re back,” the bartender from last week said.

  “Yup, I’m celebrating.” She smiled and sat up a little straighter. It was her night and he might well be the only company she had.

  “Oh yeah, what are you celebrating?” he said as he laid a menu before her.

  “Making it through my probationary period at work and a hefty raise.”

  “Nice! Congratulations.” He leaned on the bar; his elbows almost touched hers. “So, what do you want to celebrate with?”

  “You know what? I think I’ll start with the Pink Starburst Cosmo.”

  “Nice choice. Will anyone be joining you for dinner tonight or are you all alone?”

  Cute. He was back to flirting, but she was starting to think that maybe that’s all it was. Nothing he had any intention of acting on. Or he had a brain injury and didn’t remember the debt and son.

  “She’s with me,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

  Her senses went on high alert. When Jack’s hand slid along the skin of her upper back and cupped her shoulder, goosebumps broke out over her skin. She felt that touch go straight to places that hadn’t been pleasured by a man in far too long.

  “Well, I’ll get another menu then,” the bartender said, straightening and dialing his smile back to professional politeness. Another menu popped up, but she didn’t notice if the bartender brought it. She only saw Jack sliding onto the stool next to her.

  “Hi, Laura.” He said it with a smile and nod, putting a bit of distance between them.

  “Jack,” she said, raising a brow at him.

  “He likes you,” Jack said with a glare aimed at the bartender.

  “And I like him,” she shot back.

  “Really? Should I leave you two alone?”

  “Now, don’t go getting snippy on me. I came here tonight hoping I would run in to you.”

  “Is that right? Why me?”

  “Why not you? You fascinate me.” She raised her glass and took a sip of the sweet Cosmo. “And I’m celebrating. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather do that with.”

  He leaned forward and wiped the moisture from her lower lip with his rough thumb.

  Her eyes drifted shut and before she could think about what she was doing, her tongue darted out and brushed his thumb. “Mmmm,” she purred.

  He brought his wet thumb to his mouth and licked off the moisture. “Shall we take this to a table?” he murmured.

  “Please.”

  “Come on.” He took her drink and her hand and led her to a corner booth. He waited while she slid in, and he slid in beside her.

  Heat radiated from him and washed over her. He’d dressed differently tonight. He still wore blue jeans, but instead of the t-shirt and flannel, he wore a black silk dress shirt that shimmered in the candlelight flickering in the center of the table.

  She brushed her fingers over the fabric, right over his chest, and bit her lip. She didn’t know who she was tonight, but she was not Bryce�
�s mother. She wasn’t Ken’s widow. She wasn’t the newly-appointed dental hygienist at Mimosa Key Dental.

  She was a flesh and blood woman who had gone too long without the company of a man. “Is this the part where we go down a road that changes us both forever?” she said.

  He cupped her cheek and gave her a sad smile. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been down one too many of those already.”

  “Me too,” she whispered, curling into his hand. She couldn’t help herself.

  “We’re not going to let it stop us, are we?” he muttered.

  She turned her mouth to his palm and bit down on the meaty part of his hand, making him hiss. “Not tonight. Tomorrow is a different day.”

  “Tonight then.”

  It was like she and Jack had gotten locked in some sort sexual haze where everyone around them disappeared.

  A waitress came by and took their orders, but she couldn’t remember her face or name.

  The food was good, but she couldn’t specifically recall what it looked like or tasted like, because she spent the dinner overwhelmed by Jack.

  His smell, his smile, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about something that excited him, especially his business. Looking at him didn’t hurt any either.

  When they finished their meal he turned to her, his arm braced on the back of the booth while he played with strands of her silky hair. Goosebumps broke out over her scalp, eliciting tingles of awareness. He listened while she told him about places she wanted to see and things she wanted to do.

  “Egypt. If I could go on only one trip overseas, I’d pick Egypt,” she said with a laugh.

  “Why Egypt?” he asked.

  “Why not? It’s the most unconventional location I can think of, and the pyramids? They’re magnificent. There’s so much history there, and the women, they were so exotic. I’ve fantasized about being one a time or two.” She gave him a mischievous look and sipped her drink. “What about you? Anywhere in the world, where would you go?”

  “Australia.”

  She blinked and tilted her head. “Really, why?”

  He shrugged. “'Crocodile Dundee' was my favorite movie. I always wanted to be as cool as Mic Dundee.”

  She threw back her head and laughed.

  “Hey, it’s no funnier than Egypt. What do you think you’re going to find there, Brendan Fraser battling Imhotep?”

  “Maybe not, but you’re not going to find some leggy blonde wanting to go on a walkabout with you either,” she said with a grin. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling. So much smiling her cheeks hurt. It might be time to lay off the alcohol.

  He dragged his knuckle from her temple, down her cheek, over the edge of her jaw, and down her neck. “The leggy blonde is overrated. I find a freckle-shouldered redhead a bit more my speed.” His fingers caressed that freckled shoulder as he spoke, making her shiver.

  She stared at his mouth, afraid to get lost in those blue eyes of his that had a way of holding her spellbound. “Do you think it’s strange, that after one chance meeting we’re comfortable enough to spend time together like this?”

  He took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles. “No. Not after blurting out my deepest secret on our first meeting.”

  “I wasn’t going to bring it up, but yeah, why did you do that?”

  “It was that line you gave me. You know how many cheesy lines men have to avoid blurting out? Then this woman, clearly out of her element, captures me by reaching right inside me with the most intriguing request. You’re a powerful package, Laura.”

  She searched his face. “I don’t know quite what to make of you, Jack. I don’t know a whole lot about you, but I’m fascinated by what I do know.”

  She never mentioned her family or friends, and neither did he. Their conversation had been both intimate and distant at the same time. For reasons she didn’t know, she held him at arm’s length from her present. When it came to discussing the future, the “what-ifs”, she was all for it, but she avoided the present and the past.

  “You want to get out of here?” he asked.

  She didn’t know what he planned, but she was tired of the lights, the people, the distractions.

  She wanted quiet.

  She wanted him.

  Despite all the reasons she shouldn’t.

  “Yes,” she whispered, sliding her thumb along his chin.

  He tugged her hand, guiding her out of the booth. Before stepping away, he dropped enough cash on the table to cover the bill and a hefty tip before reclaiming her hand and leading her out of the Toasted Pelican.

  “How do you feel about a walk on the beach?” he said just outside the doors.

  “I’d love it.”

  “Come on,” he said, and led her to his bike. Just a few feet short she froze, realizing he meant to get on the bike.

  “Umm, I can’t get on that,” she said.

  “What? Why not? I have an extra helmet.”

  She shook her head, and took another step back and hugged herself. “I just…please. My husband died in a motorcycle accident. I can’t.”

  He tugged her hand and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against her hair. “Shit. We don’t have to go to the beach. It’s okay. We’ll do something else.”

  She shook her head against his chest. “No, we can still go. Let’s just take my car…please,” she said, looking up at him through damp lashes.

  “You miss him,” Jack said. It wasn’t an accusation. Just a quiet observation.

  “I’ll always miss him. That’s not it, though. I just, I was never good about the bike to begin with, and after his death, well, my fear only grew. It’s probably stupid,” she muttered, glancing away.

  “It’s not stupid. I get it. Where’s your car?”

  “In the corner, over there under the light.” She pointed in the direction of the far corner of the lot, near the exit.

  “Okay; why don’t you let me drive.”

  She handed him her keys and he opened her door for her. She stayed quiet for the entire ride to the beach, staring out the window. Memories threatened to resurface. Seeing Ken’s body, holding their young son in her arms while she said goodbye to the man who was supposed to spend a lifetime raising a family with her.

  It wasn’t fair, and it didn’t matter how much she thought it or said it. Ken wasn’t coming back.

  After he parked, he circled around to her side and opened the door for her.

  She stopped just before they reached the sand, slipped off her sandals, and hooked them over her finger.

  He laced his fingers with hers and led her toward the water and the harder-packed sand. “You want to tell me about your husband?”

  She glanced up at him through her lashes and then her gaze darted away. “Are you sure you want to hear this? I mean, we’re kind of on a date and all…”

  He squeezed her hand. “He was a part of you, a big part… so, yeah, I want to hear about him.”

  Her gaze settled on the faint line of the water where small waves broke on the beach. “His name was Ken. He was an electrician. We were married for about three years before the accident.”

  “He was good to you?”

  She smiled. “Yes, very good to me. The best.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “The typical. He went out, just for a pleasure ride. A car pulled out, never even saw him. He T-boned the car.”

  “I’m sorry, Laura.”

  “Yes, well, I tell myself at least he died instantly. His body was thrown seventy-five feet. The people there, then the doctors later, they uh…” she cleared her throat. “They reassured me that he didn’t feel anything. He didn’t even know what had happened.”

  “Did their words comfort you?” He stopped her and turned her to face him. Cupping her jaw, he tilted her face up to his. “Did you find peace with their explanation?”

  Her gaze locked on his and a lone tear rolled down her cheek. “No, I haven’t found peace.”

&
nbsp; “Why is that?”

  “Because it was my fault.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m the one who told him he could get the bike. I didn’t want him to. I worried, but he worked so hard. I gave in. And now he’s dead.”

  6

  Jack and Laura stood there, in almost the same place he ran into the boy, Bryce, for the first time.

  He’d seen him twice now; the second time, the turrets had not been built and Jack helped with adding those to his two-story castle. He didn’t know why he kept playing with him. Other than his nieces and nephews he made it a policy to avoid children, but something about this little boy had hooked him.

  So, he’d been spending a lot of time at the beach lately. In a way, it was a good thing.

  The sun had gone down an hour earlier, leaving lights from condos, houses, and businesses along the shore, and the nearly full moon illuminating the way. Not that it was much. That, combined with the time he’d spent on the sand lately, made him confident.

  Christ, they were a pair. He couldn’t forgive himself for a son he gave up, and she couldn’t forgive giving her husband a bit of happiness that turned to tragedy. “It wasn’t your fault. It could have happened to him in a car.”

  “I tell myself that all the time. He could have gotten hurt on the job, in the car, hiking. You name it, I’ve thought it. It doesn’t change the fact that I wish I could go back to the day I said yes, and change my mind.”

  His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and the view of her glowing skin, the swell of her breasts curving just over the top of her dress, rising and falling with each breath, captured him. Laura wore radiance and light the way warriors wore armor.

  He stopped to wrap his arms around her.

  She was too young. He couldn’t be what she needed in a man. He couldn’t give her a family, and she was the kind of woman who deserved everything.

  But he was just enough of a bastard to take tonight. And maybe a few more if she allowed it.

  He dropped his forehead to hers, her breath mingling with his as he held her and wished he could take away her pain. She shocked the shit out of him when she dropped her sandals to the sand and curled her fingers into the front of his shirt, tipped her face up, and pressed her soft lips against his.