Heartbreaker

by Melody Grace

  HEARTBREAKER

  by

  Melody Grace

  Copyright © 2016 by Melody Grace

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.

  All rights reserved.

  Take a trip to Beachwood Bay: the small town where passion and romance are making waves…

  Each book is a stand-alone romance following a new couple, but you’ll enjoy reading the whole series and seeing familiar faces return.

  THE BEACHWOOD BAY SERIES:

  BOOK 1: UNTOUCHED (Emerson & Juliet’s story begins - novella)

  BOOK 2: UNBROKEN (Emerson & Juliet’s story)

  BOOK 3: UNTAMED HEARTS (Brit & Hunter’s story begins - novella)

  BOOK 4: UNAFRAID (Brit & Hunter’s story)

  BOOK 5: UNWRAPPED (Lacey & Daniel’s holiday novella)

  BOOK 6: UNCONDITIONAL (Garret & Carina)

  BEACHWOOD BAY: THE CALLAHANS

  BOOK 7: UNREQUITED (Dex & Alicia begin – novella)

  BOOK 8: UNINHIBITED (Dex & Alicia)

  BOOK 9: UNSTOPPABLE (Ryland & Tegan)

  BOOK 10: UNEXPECTEDLY YOURS (holiday story)

  BOOK 11: UNWRITTEN (Zoey & Blake)

  BOOK 12: UNMASKED (Ash & Noelle begin — novella)

  BOOK 13: UNFORGETTABLE (Ash & Noelle)

  *

  * * *

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  * * *

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The Promise Chapter Preview

  Unbroken Chapter Preview

  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 box 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 ear
ly 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 herself 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?

  A tap at the door breaks through my thoughts. I startle, splashing water as De
lilah’s voice comes. “I know it’s a lady’s right to keep a man waiting, but he’s been cooling his heels out there ten minutes now.”

  I pause. Not for the first time, I wish we’d been closer friends back in high-school. Delilah was a year ahead of me, so she never knew what happened with Finn. Nobody did – we kept it secret. I didn’t want the small-town gossip, and sneaking around only made things more fun – and more lonely when he left. I didn’t reconnect with Dee until I moved back here after college, and by then, I didn’t want to drag the past up all over again. Now, I wish she knew the whole story, instead of expecting me to swoon and drool right along with her.

  I shut off the faucet and open the door. “How do I look?” I ask, reluctant.

  Delilah doesn’t do tact, but I must look pretty pathetic because she gives me a big grin. “Perfect! Irresistible! Now go get him.” She sends me off with a slap on my ass.

  As I head back out front, I feel more like a sacrifice getting tossed to the lions. You can do this. You’re not a kid anymore, I tell myself, trying to pump myself up again. You’re a grown woman with class, and style, and you’ve got moves he’s never seen.

  Not that I’m going to use them. What kind of asshole leaves and never even picks up the phone? I dial back every missed call, even when it’s a timeshare scam in Albuquerque. You’d think he could have returned a message from the girl he swore he’d love forever.

  But when I open the door, and step outside, and find Finn by the curb, leaning again a classic grey Mustang – a molten-whiskey look in his blue eyes– I take it all back.

  Is it too late to pick the lions?

  “So what kind of property are you looking for?” I ask brightly, approaching him. I clutch my file to my chest like it could possibly shield me from that seductive smile and piercing eyes.