by Amelia Wilde
I make my way to a moving walkway.
It’s time to send the damn text.
The walkway deposits me near a bank of television screens, all scrolling lists of departures and arrivals. I mince my way over there and pull out my phone.
I have no idea what to write. None. Hey, I’m in San Francisco?
This was the dumbest idea I’ve ever had, besides letting her go in the first place. Not that I wanted to stop her from having free will. But I should have done something. Anything.
“Charlie?”
I look up into her eyes.
“No fucking shit,” I say.
Leta’s crying. Silent streams of tears, her face red, and as we stand there next to the televisions, she raises a wad of tissues to her face and blots them away. New ones take their place.
“What are you doing here?” she whispers.
“Are you…okay? You’re crying so much,” I say softly, even though the noise of the airport provides as much privacy as anywhere else.
“Yes. I mean, no. I—I read one of my aunt’s journals on the plane.” Fresh tears well and spill down over her cheeks. “I found out the reason she had that house in Ruby Bay. It was because she fell in love with a man there. Will Hudson.”
“Mr. Hudson?” I laugh out loud. “He’s a good guy. He still teaches at the high school, I think.”
Leta lets out an anguished sob. “You know him?”
“I mean, I knew him, when I was in high school. As a teacher.”
She puts her fingertips to her lips and swallows another sob. “That’s incredible. How it all fits together. How are you here?”
I gesture back toward the terminal. “Flew.”
“Did you get on a plane right after me? I mean, how are you here?
“I flew. How are you still here? Your plane must have taken off long before mine.”
“I was—” She laughs, high and pure. “I was trying to figure out which flight to take back. To get to you.”
“To get to me?” My heart swells a thousand sizes. “I’m coming here to find you.”
“Coincidence,” she whispers.
“Uh, no. This was planned. The moment Craig gave me your keys, I knew I’d made a stupid fucking mistake.” I still have the keys in my pocket now. “So I drove to the airport and I got on a plane. And I can barely walk…” I burst into laughter. “Because I spent all morning running, trying to get you out of my head. And that’s the thing. It doesn’t matter whether it’s fate or coincidence or anything else. You’re never going to be out of my head.”
Leta steps closer.
“I love you, and I’ve loved you since I met you in college, and I’m going to love you for a long time. So I wanted to come here and say to you, in person, that if you want me to, I will quit my job at Bliss. Or I will make them let me work remotely. Roman would be pissed, but at this point I don’t care. I want another shot at this with you, and if it has to happen in California, then so be it.”
“You’re Charlie Bliss,” she says, her voice tremulous. “You work at the Bliss Resort.”
“I can work anywhere. Leta. I love you. I—please come closer so I can kiss you. If I take only a single step I think I’ll collapse and that would be fucking mortifying.”
“I love you,” she whispers, and then she kisses me like we’re not in an airport at all. “There’s only one problem with moving to California.”
“What’s that?”
“I own a house in Ruby Bay. And frankly, the rent here is too high. The price…” Leta shakes her head, laughing through her tears. “The price is taking you away from your work and your family, when mine can come with me. I’ve been texting with Margot. She says we can open the first chain at Bliss. She’ll fly out next week to see the property.”
“I’ll build you a storefront,” I promise her. “I’ll build you anything.”
“No need. Just be with me.”
“I will. But first…”
“Yeah?” Leta gazes up at me, adoring, eyes full of love.
“I have to sit down, or I’ll die.”
20
Leta
“How’d you pull this off?”
Huck Bliss stands at the door of my new studio and gallery, which is located in the shopping area of the main resort building. The rest of Charlie’s brothers fill in around him.
Roman, the oldest, lets out a low whistle. “You’ve done this place justice.”
“Would you say that if I wasn’t dating Charlie?” I give him a cheeky wink.
“Of course I would.” He pretends to be offended. “Probably.”
“We need an event in here,” says Beau, who I’ve met the most times. It still surprises me how identical he and Charlie look. It’s only their personalities that set them apart. “Right now.”
“No,” calls Charlie, stepping out from the back room. He has a cardboard box that holds one of my pieces from the old space. Inside will be a veritable roll of bubble wrap, an extra frame, and then the piece itself. “No parties.”
“Too late.” Beau steps into the space and does a slow turn, arms extended. “It’s opening night at the Leta Pearl, and we’re going to do it right. I already invited everyone.”
“Who’s every—”
“Oh, my god,” shouts an absolutely gorgeous woman, who sweeps into the space like she’s practiced making this entrance all her life. “This is beautiful. And you’re beautiful. You must be Leta. I’m Jenny, and I’m with Roman.” She waves vaguely behind her, then pulls me in for a hug. “And this is Claire, and Holiday. Holly’s pregnant, so she can’t party with us tonight.”
“Excuse me,” Holly says, coming forward to embrace me at the same time as Claire. “I can party. I just can’t drink.”
“We’re not having a party,” Charlie says, putting the box out on a table so he can cut it open. We’ve spent the day hanging pieces, and now it’s time to catalog and shelve the rest.
It all happened in reverse. I thought I’d be packing up a few things to send back to California with me, but instead I packed up California and brought it here. Not all of California. Not the absurd rent that I was struggling to pay every month. Not the added rent of the studio. Not the high overhead. I did bring the wine nights, which I plan to have every Wednesday, just to change things up.
“I feel like I’m joining a sorority,” I whisper into their ears.
“If you were joining a sorority, you wouldn’t be whispering about it,” Claire whispers back.
“I don’t know all the etiquette.”
“What are you whispering about?” says Beau, trying to bob and weave his way in. “Do you have a secret cocktail recipe? Tell me what it is.”
“I do,” says Claire. “It’s called back off. The women are bonding.”
“Sounds hot,” Beau says.
“Hey, Drive?” Holly cranes her neck to look over her shoulder. “What about food for the party?”
He raises both hands in the air. “That’s Beau’s department.”
“Taken care of,” sings Beau. “Catering arrives in an hour. It’s tacos, everybody, so put your party pants on.”
“Is a dress okay?” Holiday and Claire release me, and Jenny comes to take me by the arm.
“The dress is perfect,” she says. “You’re perfect. This summer is insane.”
“You started it,” says Beau. “Did Charlie tell you about—”
“Do not tell the dick pic story,” Roman shouts from the front, where he’s been checking out the cash register. It’s a sleek thing, black and thin, and you can barely see it over the lip of the counter. I get chills thinking about ringing up a piece of art with it for the first time.
“At the beginning of the summer,” Beau intones, “Roman was a sad, lonely old man who needed help running his own resort. It was tragic. Someone had to step up to the plate and be the hero, if you will. I was that person.”
“Oh, god,” groans Roman.
“I reached into my deep wells of insight and
decided to hire him a public relations coordinator. That person was Jenny.” Jenny, next to me, is turning a deep red. “They instantly fell in love, and everything was great until…” He lowers his voice. “The dick pic.”
“And he’s been talking about it ever since,” says Jenny. “The end.”
“But it was The Dick Pic that saved he entire resort…or so we thought.” Beau puts on a faux ominous expression that puts me in serious danger of a laugh attack. “It was deleted in a matter of hours, but the effects lived on in heightened bookings until we realized that something else was going on at the Bliss Resort & Club. Something nobody could have anticipated. Well, we probably could have anticipated it, but—”
“Shut up,” shouts Charlie. “I love you, Beau, but shut up. Either tell the story or have the party. Choose one.”
“The end,” says Beau.
“I really want to know how this happened,” I whisper.
Jenny looks down at me. “I posted it. By accident. Almost ruined our relationship.”
From the way Roman is looking at her now, it did not ruin it.
“You’ll need to tell me more about this.”
“Mmm…no. But I will attend your party. And I heard there was going to be a wine night. Is that a false rumor, or is it so true?”
“A hundred percent true.”
Happiness rises in my chest, expanding to fill every available space. The women pull me right into their conversation. Like sisters, I think, and joy explodes over the top like hot fudge on a sundae. Sisters.
It’s later when Charlie wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me aside. “Are you happy?” His voice in my ear is the cherry on top of this metaphorical happiness sundae.
“I’m over the moon.”
“Don’t stay up there too long. I want to dance.”
I kiss his perfect cheekbone. “Dance?”
“On the beach. With you. Right now.”
“You know what I say to that.”
“What?” He beams down at me, Bliss blue eyes shining.
“Let’s go.”
Epilogue
Huck
They look perfect together, even from out here in the lake.
I paddle the kayak through the gently rolling waves, doing my best to give Charlie and Leta some privacy, because it is gross, the way they look at each other. I was less disgusted at my first viewing of a romcom, and before you get any ideas, no, I didn’t have a problem with the genre of the movie. Just the saccharine way the hero of that movie stared at the heroine like she was a plate of prime rib.
Nasty.
It’s also sickening because of how jealous it makes me.
However, I’m willing to admit that maybe it was eating seven tacos in forty minutes at the party. The tacos are the reason I’m out on the lake this late at night. I wore a life vest, okay? Chill.
I’ve never once been jealous of Charlie. Okay—maybe a few times, when he and Beau were at the height of their popularity in school. How can a guy compete with twin brothers who are each other's opposites? People find that shit appealing.
Clearly, Leta does. And she does nothing to hide her enthusiasm. She shouldn’t feel like she has to hide it. That’s not what I mean.
They’re out there again in the afternoon. We’re all here, actually. Me. A Sunfish sailboat. Charlie and Leta, still in love.
I turn the Sunfish around and get another eyeful of the two of them, walking with their feet in the waves. This September, it’s so warm that I think we can keep the boats out another full month. Then I’ll have to transition to doing something else at the resort. Managing the aquatic entertainment isn’t going to be enough.
And what’s Katie going to do?
I steer the boat back toward the private Bliss docks, and there she is, in a red polo shirt and khaki shorts that hug her ass so perfectly I could almost imagine cupping that ass in my hands.
Almost.
She walks up and down the docks, clipboard in hand. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail that hangs neatly down her back, shining in the sun. The girl’s cut out for a shampoo commercial, and I don’t know how she does it. We’re constantly out on the water, the wind whipping through our hair. I haven’t been back at Bliss that long and I can already feel the difference when I run my fingers through my hair.
Which I do now as I approach the dock. Then I drop my hand to my lap. Katie is the last person I need to worry about impressing.
She lifts her head from the clipboard, looks in the direction of the Sunfish, and waves. A big wave, as if I were in any danger of not seeing her. Katie sticks the clipboard under one arm and cups her hands around her mouth. “Hey, Huck,” she shouts, her voice hopping and skipping over the water. “You want to get—” The wind picks up the end of her sentence and carries it away.
“What?” I shout back.
“You want to go get a drink at the bar?” She emphasizes each word, baring her teeth, and it’s fucking hilarious. A surge of delight rushes through my chest at the sound of her voice.
She’s a good friend, Katie. One of my best friends. How the hell did I ever live without her in college?
How am I going to live without her when we both go to separate jobs at the end of the season? There’s no way she’s going to stay here.
I scoot the Sunfish up to the dock, coming in at a wide, leisurely angle. Katie’s waiting to grab a line when I get there. She flexes one arm while she pulls the tip of the boat flush with the dock and winks as she kneels down to tie it off.
“What’s with the wink?” I ask her. “Is your eye broken?”
“Your eye’s broken, dummy,” she shoots back, and the insult is so stupid it makes me laugh.
“I thought you wanted to get a drink with me.” I put a hand to my chest. “And now you’re calling me a dummy.”
“I could call you worse,” she says with a smile that lights up my entire soul.
“I call you…” I finish tying off my own line and stand up, just so I can lean in close. “…buying the drinks.” Then I turn on one heel and run off, keeping just out of range of her clipboard.
Laughing this hard erases the jealousy.
…almost.
Thank you so much for reading Crazy on You! I’ve loved Charlie and Leta for a long time, and I’m so happy to have been able to share them with you.
Now, get ready to meet Huck Bliss, just out of college and back at the resort. LOVE ON YOU has everything:
✓ a friends-to-lovers rollercoaster
✓ a delectable heroine
✓ more Bliss Brothers shenanigans
Be the first to get the next Bliss Brother on your Kindle by ordering here! ➳ LOVE ON YOU
Connect with Amelia
Amelia Wilde is a USA TODAY and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of steamy contemporary romance and loves it a little too much. She lives in Michigan with her husband and daughters. She spends most of her time typing furiously on an iPad and appreciating the natural splendor of her home state from where she likes it best: inside.
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See you on the other side! <3
P.S. There’s more where that came from!
Are you in the mood for wounded warrior heroes with huge hearts? Read BEFORE SHE WAS MINE free in KU today!
Do New York billionaires strike your fancy? Read about the irresistibly intriguing men of the Purple Swan, starting with RICH BOSS, free for a limited time!
And don’t miss my favorite sweet, angsty, hilarious single dad hero in OVER EASY, first in my laugh-out-loud Main Street Single Dads series! Read FREE today!
Also by Amelia Wilde
Bliss Brothers
Crush on You: Roman Bliss never saw Jenny London coming. Thi
s ugly duckling turned brunette bombshell could either save his resort…or destroy his heart.
Stuck on You: Beau Bliss meets his worst enemy in this opposites-attract firecracker of a novel. Who’s going to win this battle?
Hooked on You: Driver Bliss needs his freedom, but he might be willing to give it up for a mysterious one-night stand…
Crazy on You: Charlie Bliss would be crazy to give Leta Quinn a second chance…
Wounded Hearts
Before She Was Mine: Dayton Nash survived the war, but he might not survive falling in love with his best friend’s little sister.
After I Was His: War has torn Wes Sullivan apart. Whitney Coalport could put him back together…if they don’t destroy each other first.
When He Saw Me: Bennett Powell never stops searching for the truth. So it makes sense when he falls for Eva…who is a liar through and through.
The New York Billionaires Series
Rich Boss: Kate already had a demanding boss. Then she meets Jax Hunter, the new owner of her company.
Rich Scandal: Graham Blackpool is never getting married. But when a sex scandal forces him into a fake engagement, he finds himself wanting to say I do…
Main Street Single Dads
Over Easy: Ryder isn’t looking for love, but he can’t help falling for the waitress serving him pancakes in his brand-new town.
Cold Brew: Dash isn’t in Lakewood to make friends. He’s here to crush the competition… until he meets his rival and things reach a boiling point.
