“Nice to meet you both.” Jack shook Becki’s hand and Mac’s and then stepped back to address Becki. “Laney talks about you all the time.”
“Nice things I hope,” Becki said.
“Of course.” Jack smiled and Becki laughed.
“So, are we ready to get dinner?” Mac asked, gesturing at the restaurant behind them.
Laney nodded. “I’m starving.” She looped her arms through Jack’s and they all walked in together.
Once they were seated and had ordered, Becki turned to Jack. “So how do you like Fortune’s Bay?”
“It’s beautiful.” He glanced around the restaurant. “I hadn’t been here much in the past, but that will definitely change in the future.” He gazed at Laney with such love that her insides turned to mush.
“Do you think you might move here someday?” Becki asked. “Long-distance relationships are tough.”
Mac elbowed her in the side.
Laney stared at her. “Becki! We’ve only started dating. I don’t think Jack intends to make any major life changes right now.”
Jack laughed. “It’s alright.” He rubbed his chin. “I’ve given it some thought. I’m thinking about taking some time off from the university to write another book, this time about the Livingston. I think Fortune’s Bay will be the perfect home base for me while I’m writing it.”
Laney looked up at him. “I do too. For now though, we’ve decided to take things one day at a time.” She eyed her sister. “We’ll visit each other on the weekends. I, for one, am excited to get to spend more time back in Ambright. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being a student there.”
Jack squeezed her hand and she felt a rush of love for him.
Their food arrived, saving Jack from any more inquisitions from Becki. After dinner, Becki pulled Laney aside.
“He’s great,” she whispered. “I really hope things work out between you two.”
“I think they will. We’ve already made it through a major trial in our relationship and things are stronger than ever.” She stared at her sister pointedly. “But, it would help if you stopped quizzing him on how he plans to spend the rest of his life.”
Becki blushed. “I’m sorry.” She squeezed Laney’s arm. “I just want everyone to be as happy as Mac and I are together.”
“I know.” Laney gave her a hug. “Thank you for caring. But, I can take care of myself. Remember, I’m the big sister.”
Becki smiled. “I remember. You’ll never let me forget that.” She glanced at Mac. “We’d better get going. Mac’s daughter is in town and we promised the babysitter we’d be home before nine.”
They walked closer to where their dates were chatting with each other.
“I’ll see you later,” Laney said.
“Nice meeting you,” Becki said, giving Jack a little hug. “We have to go, but the four of us will have to get together next time you’re in town.”
“Definitely.” He smiled at her. “It was nice meeting both of you.” He shook Mac’s hand.
Becki and Mac walked away, leaving the two of them alone in front of the restaurant. Jack held out his hand to her. She took it, threading her fingers between his. Being with him felt
like nothing she’d ever experienced before. There was reassurance in this simple touch that spread down her arm and filled her with warmth and a sense that everything was so right.
“Do you want to take a walk down on the beach?” He tipped his head toward the ocean. “It’s a beautiful night.”
“I’d like that.”
“Race you to the pier?” he asked, winking at her.
She laughed. “You’re on.” She took off running before he even said go.
They didn’t make it all the way to the pier before he grabbed her, encircling her waist with his hands and bringing her close against his body. Laney gazed up at Jack, seeing nothing in his eyes but love. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. He grinned and tilted his head down, meeting her halfway. They stood that way for a while, locked in a close embrace, knowing that together they’d make it through whatever the future may hold.
* * *
Thank you so much for reading Laney and Jack’s love story.
Did you miss Becki and Mac’s love story? You’re in luck! Read the full short story, starting on the next page.
* * *
As always, if you liked this novella, I’d really appreciate a review on Amazon.
If you’d like to be notified of my new releases, please visit me at nicoleellisauthor.com and join my e-mail newsletter.
<<<<>>>>
Becki and Mac
By Nicole Ellis
“Becki had vowed to never again date a tourist...until she met Mac.”
© 2017 Nicole Ellis
Becki Lindstrom stepped back from the white wooden gazebo to assess her work. Not quite right yet. One of the sets of twinkly white Christmas lights hung crookedly from the eaves. She pushed the ladder over to the string of lights and adjusted it. A warm breeze off the Gulf of Mexico blew a lock of her chestnut-brown hair into her face and she brushed it away to see better. There, now it’s perfect.
There was still so much to do for the Fortune’s Bay Winterfest. This was her first year as the town’s event coordinator, and she wanted to make sure this year’s celebration topped those of past years. In addition to her festival responsibilities, one of the visitors from last year had been enchanted by the holiday decorations and had asked to have their wedding in the Providence Park’s gazebo. The town’s Chamber of Commerce had seen dollar signs and eagerly accepted the request. Now, not only was her reputation on the line for Winterfest, but for a wedding too.
She stepped down from the top rung of the ladder, but instead of resting securely on a solid surface, her foot slid on the metal step and she toppled backward. Her arms flailed in the air, trying to gain a hold on the ladder, but the ground rose quickly below her. In her peripheral vision, she saw something brown fly through the air.
The ground wasn’t as unyielding as she’d expected. Stunned, she lay flat on her back, staring up at the cloudless blue sky. The fall had knocked the wind out of her, but after testing her limbs, she determined she was still in one piece.
“Are you okay?” a deep voice asked.
Awareness crept back into her consciousness. Shouldn’t a fall onto the hard dirt and grass below the gazebo have hurt worse? She turned her head to the side and encountered a man’s muscled torso. Her gaze slid upward and the man smiled at her.
“You didn’t have to throw yourself at me. I would have given you my number if you’d asked nicely.”
Heat blazed across her face and she scrambled to her feet and offered him a hand up. “I’m so sorry about that.”
He pushed himself off the ground and gave her another easy smile as he brushed off his khaki pants. “Don’t worry about it. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for catching me. I’m not usually so klutzy.”
A red stain smeared across the bottom of his shirt made her eyes widen. “Is that blood?” She suddenly felt woozy. Her sister often teased her that she’d never be a doctor. Luckily, that wasn’t something she was remotely interested in.
He lifted his shirt tails to examine the red substance, revealing a tanned, muscled torso. Her stomach flip-flopped, and not from the sight of blood. She averted her eyes.
“Ketchup.” He jerked his thumb over to a bun-wrapped hotdog lying forlornly in the grass near where they’d landed. “I was eating my lunch when I saw you fall.”
Not blood, thank goodness. And that explained the brown UFO. “Sorry about the hotdog. Can I buy you another?”
“No, but you can let me buy you lunch.” He picked up the grass-covered hotdog and deposited it in the trash. “It’s the least you can do, since I saved your life and all,” he dead-panned.
He had a point. After bad past experiences dating tourists, she’d sworn to never get involved with another one. But she did owe him, and after all, this was
n’t really a date.
He gave her another heart-melting grin and her defenses crumbled.
She checked her watch. There were still decorations to hang, but her festival prep was running ahead of schedule. “I can do lunch. Let me get this stuff cleaned up and I’ll meet you at Joe’s Shell Shack. Let’s say twenty minutes from now?”
He squinted into the sun toward Main Street. “I’m not from around here; where is it?”
“It’s right over there, behind the bakery. Do you see the big pink cupcake?” She pointed toward the Vanilla Kisses bakery sign. He nodded.
“I see it. I’ll see you there in twenty minutes.” He sauntered off, whistling as he headed toward Joe’s.
She turned her attention back to the gazebo, which sat squarely in the middle of the town green. The white lights draped over the top of the gazebo’s lattice, creating a fairy wonderland atmosphere. They’d be even prettier in the dark.
She and her crew had constructed signs and placed them throughout the park to direct people to the various Winterfest activities. She’d grown up in the Northeast, and this would be a very different Christmas than she was used to. Normally, she’d awake on Christmas morning to snowdrifts. Here in Fortune’s Bay, Florida, Santa would be more likely sporting swim trunks than a fur-trimmed red coat. She raised her face to the sun. There was something to be said for not freezing in December, although she’d miss the snow a little.
She picked up the last of the lights and carried them across the street to her office in City Hall. The Chamber of Commerce had leased space from the city for their offices. It came in handy when she needed to get permits and only had to walk across the hall to obtain them.
In her workspace, she stowed the lights into one of many bins bearing the ‘Christmas lights’ label. Most of those bins were now empty, but about twenty more containers of decorations taunted her. It was going to be a long day. She glanced at the clock on the wall. There wouldn’t be much time for lunch with the handsome stranger. Hopefully he wasn’t a jerk like some of the other tourists she’d met.
* * *
When she arrived at Joe’s, the man wasn’t in the waiting area. Had she been stood up in that short of a timespan? Maybe her sister Laney was right when she called her an optimistic romantic.
“Hey, you made it,” a familiar voice called out. She turned and saw him standing in the doorway to the outdoor deck overlooking the water.
He smiled at her, crinkling the corners of his eyes. Now that she had her wits about her, she checked him out. He had short, sandy-blond hair and a strong jawline. Small lines near his mouth told her he liked to laugh, and he had piercing blue eyes that mesmerized her. She remembered her resolution to avoid dating tourists and took a deep breath. Don’t fall for this guy, no matter how nice he seems at first. They’re all the same.
She waved at him and walked over to the gate. He pushed it open for her.
“I’ve got us a table over here.” He gestured to a table for two along the railing. A blue umbrella covered the wrought iron table.
She took a seat and put the linen napkin on her lap. His chair rubbed against the wood as he scooted closer to the table.
“You know, in the excitement of things, I didn’t properly introduce myself.” He stretched his arm out across the table. “I’m James Macintosh, but everyone calls me Mac.”
“Becki Lindstrom. Nice to meet you, Mac.” She shook his hand.
The waitress appeared with two frosty glasses of water and set them on the table.
He slid one across the table to her and she gulped down half the glass. “Thanks.”
That was another weird thing about a Florida winter. Who’d expect to get dehydrated from the sun while hanging Christmas lights?
He regarded her with a twinkle in his eyes. “Hot out, isn’t it?”
“It is. Are you from around here?”
“Not exactly from here, but from Florida, yes. You?”
She laughed. “You can probably tell I’m not a native.” She drained the rest of the glass, leaving only ice in the bottom. “I’m originally from a small town outside Boston, but I’ve been here for a few months.”
“So enough to know what to order here?”
She smiled. “Yes, I’m familiar with their menu. My sister and I like to come here for happy hour. I recommend the conch fritters.”
He nodded. “Conch fritters it is.” The waitress came over and they ordered their food and drinks.
“So your sister lives here in town too?”
“She does. Actually, she went to college down in St. Petersburg and loved the weather so much that she stayed after graduation. She went back to school to get her Master’s degree and got a job as a librarian in Fortune’s Bay. I finally came down to Florida to visit her over the summer and I fell in love with the town. The events coordinator position for the town was open and I applied.” She paused her story while the waitress dropped off their drinks. “The rest is history. I moved down here as soon as I was hired.” She stared out at the ocean. The blue waves slapped against the sand rhythmically. Above them, the sun shone down, turning the beach to gold. “It’s like it’s summer here all year long.”
He laughed. “I guess it is. I’ve never known anything different.”
Becki sipped her Pepsi. She wanted to keep their conversation casual, and the Fortune’s Bay Treasure Hunt seemed a safe subject. “So what about you? What brings you to Fortune’s Bay? Were you here for the Treasure Hunt last week?”
“No, I’m afraid I missed it. I’ve heard about it from some of the other guests at the hotel I’m staying at. Sounds fascinating. I’d love to see it sometime.”
“It’s a blast. The hunt draws tourists from all over the state. I didn’t manage the event this year, but I’ll be in charge of planning the Treasure Hunt next year.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’ve heard it’s huge. That will be quite a project. Have you been an events planner before?”
“Yes, I worked at an event planning firm back in Boston. Mostly weddings and corporate functions, but some local government events as well.”
The waitress set steaming plates of conch fritters down in front of each of them.
“Dig in.” Becki picked one up and took a bite. She wiped some grease off her fingers from the fried ball of seafood and looked up at him.
“These are good.” He finished chewing. “I can’t believe I’ve lived in Florida for most of my life and never tried them.”
She nodded, trying to think of something to steer the conversation away from anything personal. The more she was around Mac, the more she liked him. To avoid being disappointed by him, she needed to keep her distance. “So where are you staying in town?”
“At Fisher’s Hotel. It’s cozy, but nice. Do you know it?”
“I do. Bob Fisher is pretty active in the Chamber of Commerce, so I’ve met him at a few events.”
Mac’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. He fired off a text and then slipped it back into his pocket.
“Work?” Becki asked, and then wished she hadn’t. It was none of her business.
He picked up his last conch fritter. “Nope, just something I need to take care of today.”
She nodded. “What do you do for work?” She crossed her fingers and hoped he wasn’t a playboy living off a trust fund. Working in a tourist town made a person jaded toward those who didn’t work for a living.
“I’m a freelance app developer.”
She raised her eyebrows and he laughed.
“Basically, I work for different companies all over the Southeast that need a phone app for their products.”
“Ah, so you travel a lot.” Another reason not to get involved with him.
“I do.” He frowned. “Sometimes I love it, but other times not so much. It tends to make having a personal life difficult.”
“I can see why.” She glanced at her watch. “Mac, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. I have so much left to do today.”
It did look good, but she was starting to think of this as a date, and if she wanted to save herself from future pain, she needed to get out of there ASAP.
She shook her head. “Sorry, I have to have the park ready for the festival this weekend and the Chamber of Commerce let someone rent the gazebo for a wedding tomorrow.” She made a face. “There are still boxes of decorations to put up. I’m going to be out there until midnight at this rate.”
He nodded and signaled for the waitress to bring their check. She paused on the edge of her seat. Here it was, that awkward, ‘who is going to pay’ moment.
The waitress brought over the check and Mac reached for it. He scanned the bill and pulled out his credit card.
“I should buy you lunch.” She plucked a credit card out of her wallet and held it up. “After all, you’re the one who saved my life.”
“Don’t worry about it. I had a great time with you. And think, you saved me from eating a food cart hotdog alone.” He scrunched up his face in disgust.
She laughed. “Well, in that case, you probably owe me a few more meals. That hotdog didn’t look too appetizing.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Would he think she was hinting for another date? She busied herself with picking up her purse to avoid making eye contact with him.
They stood and he followed her out. As they walked toward the patio gate, a server carrying a full tray brushed past them, and she stumbled trying to get out of his way. Mac hooked his hand around her waist to keep her from falling. Heat radiated from his fingers, warming her more than the summer sun.
“Thanks. You saved me again,” she joked.
A Map To Destiny Page 8
