Seaside Sweets

by Melissa Chambers

  SEASIDE SWEETS

  Love Along Hwy 30A, Book One

  Melissa Chambers

  © 2018

  ALSO BY MELISSA CHAMBERS

  Seacrest Sunsets (Love Along Hwy 30A #2)

  Seagrove Secrets (Love Along Hwy 30A #3)

  The Summer Before Forever (Young Adult)

  Falling for Forever (Young Adult)

  This story is a fictional account derived solely from the author’s imagination. Any similarities to any other situations, stories, persons, or characters is purely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in reviews.

  Copyright 2018 Melissa Chambers. All rights reserved.

  First Edition June 2018

  Edited by Trish Milburn

  Cover image from depositphotos

  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

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The Next Chapter…

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  For all of those who love South Walton, and for those of you who’ve never been and just don’t know you love it yet!

  Chapter One

  Seanna wasn’t exactly running away, but the opportunity to hide at her favorite aunt’s beachside bungalow was way more appealing than spending another second in the same house as her piece of crap ex-fiancé. When Seanna had rung Cassidy just yesterday, thankfully her aunt only focused on the logistics of getting Seanna from Nashville to the dream world of Seaside, Florida and not on asking why she needed to get away.

  As she cruised through town on her way to Cassidy’s place, the community around her popped in pastels, mod art galleries, and artisanal eateries with the Gulf of Mexico roaring to the shore in the background, causing her to question why she hadn’t escaped from her ridiculous life sooner. Cassidy’s street, Seagull Lane, showcased houses colored in mint green, lavender, and peach, all trimmed in white featuring picket fences and palm trees. As she connected Cassidy’s street address with a baby blue cottage, she smiled as she wheeled into the drive. She popped the trunk to her Honda Civic, shouldered a couple of bags, and then headed up the cobblestone walk.

  She needed a hug from Cassidy like a supermodel needed a hamburger. Seanna had yet to explain to her aunt or anyone else not only why her engagement was over, but that it had ended at all. She’d been holding this secret for nine months. The lie should have gotten easier by now, but it hadn’t, and Cassidy was no fool.

  Seanna rang the bell, and then held her arms out wide to give Cassidy a smile at first sight. But when the door opened, a man about a head taller than her stood there in a pair of shorts and no shirt, shaggy hair dripping wet. Mimicking her, he held his hands out to his sides. “I thought a handshake was more appropriate, but I’m good with a hug if you are.”

  Stupefied by his lean body with just enough muscle to make her sweat and crystal blue eyes that sucked her in like a tornado, she took a step backward almost teetering off the porch. Holy crap he was hot. Wait. She hated men now.

  She righted herself and peered around him. “I’m sorry. I must have the wrong house. I’m looking for—”

  “Cassidy Anderson?” he asked.

  She lowered her chin. “Yeah.”

  “You’re in the right place. Come in.”

  He reached for her bag and she retracted instinctively, causing a frown to form on his face. She had to remind herself that all men were not thieves and scoundrels.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to answer the door without a shirt. I was actually just getting ready to grab one, but I wasn’t sure how long you’d been standing there. I just got out of the shower. That bell doesn’t work.”

  She relaxed and relinquished the bag to him. “Thank you.”

  He pointed to a room. “This one’s yours. Cassidy had me paint it a few months back. I hope you like blue.” A phone buzzed in the man’s pocket, and he pulled it out. “It’s your aunt. She wants to know if you’re here. Says she’s been calling and texting but can’t reach you.”

  Seanna had turned the stupid thing off. Jason had started texting her somewhere around Birmingham with his whiny crap. Could they talk? He needed to explain. He’d just slipped up this one time. It wasn’t what she thought. Blah, blah, blah.

  She pulled her phone out of her purse and powered it back on. She rolled her eyes as the notifications filled her screen. A few from Cassidy, but a million from Jason. She tossed the phone back down inside her purse with a little more gusto than she meant to.

  He tilted his head to the side. “Should I ask?” His piercing blue eyes beamed through her, and a little spark ignited in her chest.

  She blew it out, resting her hands on her hips. “Bad day. So who are you?”

  He closed the distance between them, offering a hand. “Blake Evans. I’m a friend of your aunt.”

  The light bulb went off above Seanna’s head. Go, Aunt Cassidy. She was turning forty-eight this year, and this guy was, what, thirty? Thirty-five, tops. Not that Cassidy wasn’t gorgeous. Regal but rugged, she could have easily strutted down a runway in her day rather than volunteering in the Peace Corps. She’d never known Cassidy to date younger men. In fact, she’d usually liked them a little older. But geez, a guy who looked like that could change most girls’ tastes.

  Seanna shook his hand. “All right.” She walked around, taking in the shabby chic, beach decor. Cassidy had been renting a condo when Seanna had visited last. What was that, four years ago? It was before she’d gotten the job she’d just been booted from. She didn’t realize it’d been that long since she’d been here for a visit. Cassidy usually came to Nashville for a little while in January when she closed the shop for the season.

  “So did you two buy this place together?” she asked.

  He gave her a quizzical glance. “No. It’s all your aunt’s.”

  “I take it I’ll be seeing you quite a bit around here.”

  He walked into the bathroom and grabbed a shirt from a bag on the sink. “Actually, you will. I work for your aunt. Not full-time, but I’m in and out a lot.”

  An employee. How scandalous of her aunt. “At the bakery?” She could imagine him hauling around hundred-pound bags of flour, muscles bulging through his white T-shirt. There was something about a man in a plain, white T-shirt and jeans that made Seanna’s insides turn into hot molten fudge sauce.

  “Mostly. I’m a handyman,” he said. “I work for a lot of businesses in the area.” He pointed toward her car. “Do you have anything else out there?”

  She had to look away. She couldn’t believe how attractive this guy was, and he belonged to her aunt. Even if he didn’t, it wasn’t like she was in any sort of position to be dating. She didn’t plan on doing that until sometime around mid-century, and even that timeline was iffy.

  “No, I’m not staying long. But thanks for the help,” she said.r />
  “Sure.” He walked through the doorway and down the steps toward a pickup truck parked on the street. He turned around. “I hope your bad day gets better.”

  She leaned against the doorframe. “It’s actually more like a bad year.”

  “Well, in that case, I hope your year gets better. Anything I can do?” He slipped her a sideways smile that was likely to have caused a few thousand pairs of panties to drop to the ground.

  “Oh, no. Let’s just say I won’t be dating another man until the cows come home.”

  He took a few steps backward. “The cows? Wow. That’s pretty serious.”

  She rested a hand on her hip. “Men suck.”

  “Sometimes that’s not a bad thing.” He widened his smile as he turned around and headed for his truck.

  Man alive. Seanna’s luck with men may be sketchy, but her aunt was doing just fine.

  Blake tossed his keys on the kitchen table as Sadie mowed him down. He really needed to train her not to jump on him, but he was a sucker for her hugs. He pulled a bottle of beer out of the refrigerator and peered around for something to eat. It wasn’t like he was bound to find anything. He hadn’t cooked in a week. He plopped down on the couch, and Sadie followed, resting her head in his lap as he stroked her fur. He started flipping channels, but he couldn’t focus on television.

  The picture Cassidy had shown him of her niece had not done her justice. Seanna was cute in the close-up shot—shoulder-length hair, a wavy mix of brunette and blond highlights, hazel eyes, no make-up…not that she needed it. But standing in front of Blake in Cassidy’s house she had come to life.

  Something else had been missing from the picture. He was trying not to stare, but holy shit. He was only a human man. She wore a V-neck T-shirt with the tip of her cleavage peeking out. Curves in all the right places, even in jeans and a T-shirt her body looked like it belonged to a sixties pinup model.

  He snapped out of it, reality swarming in. This woman was off limits for more reasons than he could count. He’d known it before she arrived, and certainly nothing had changed. Apparently her engagement was off—not that a fiancé was the only reason he couldn’t move in on this girl. Blake had happened to be there when Seanna made the call to Cassidy about coming to Seaside for an immediate visit. Cassidy had been confused and not just a little worried.

  Blake walked over to his computer and checked his email—a message from Dr. Kevin Jacobs, the Emergency Department Director at the hospital in Atlanta. As much as he liked and appreciated Kevin, he couldn’t help the churn in his gut at the sight of his name and of the reminder of the life Blake had worked so hard to put behind him the past three years. He double-clicked on it.

  What’s up, man? Been a few months since I’ve talked to you. It’s been a year since I moved to Kansas City, but I swear it feels like a month.

  I assume you’re still hammering nails and walking people’s dogs down there at the beach, huh? I think it’s time we changed that. Don’t you?

  Let’s talk. Call me when you get a minute. I’m off a full twenty-four hours on Sunday. Call me then.

  A change. That meant Kevin wanted to get Blake back to practicing medicine. He wasn’t ready for that change…not now, and maybe not ever.

  Chapter Two

  Seanna had just finished unpacking when she heard the front door open. She peeked around the corner and smiled. Cassidy with her supermodel height and her out-of-control curls seemed an unlikely candidate for relation to Seanna’s 5’4”, fluffy frame. Seanna had to work for her waves, where Cassidy’s curls refused to be tamed. Seanna took her favorite aunt into her arms and inhaled sweet cakes and sugary frosting.

  Cassidy pulled away and looked her up and down. “Oh, my goodness. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see you, sweetheart.”

  Seanna gave a relieved huff. “Oh my God, Cass. You have no idea.”

  Cassidy pulled Seanna down on the couch, eyeing her. “So, you know I’m not going to butt into your business, but I do need to know if you’re okay.”

  Seanna nodded. “I’m fine. Really.” Cassidy tilted her head to the side and lifted an eyebrow. The humiliation of all Seanna had been through the past year washed over her like a churning stomach virus. Her aunt was such a strong, independent woman. Seanna had always wanted to be her when she grew up. But even though Seanna was pushing thirty, right off a cliff, she felt like a silly sixteen-year-old. Make that six-year-old. Seanna actually made smarter decisions when she was sixteen than she was making now. Besides, she couldn’t tell Cassidy yet…not until she got another payment under her belt. She didn’t want her aunt trying to save the day with a loan.

  “I’ll tell you everything,” Seanna said. “I promise. Right now, I just want to not think about it. Is that okay?”

  Cassidy smiled, worry creasing her brow. “Okay. But when you’re ready—”

  “I’ll be ready soon. I promise.”

  “So how long are you going to stay?” Cassidy asked.

  Seanna squinted apologetically. “Until I get a job interview back home?”

  “You quit your job? You love that job.”

  She’d worked her behind off at that job for four years. Her boss, Phillip, had brought her to job sites with him any chance he got, teaching her how to be a project manager, readying her for her career. And now, because of her piece of crap ex-fiancé, he thought she was a thief.

  “Something like that. I’m hitting the online job sites in the morning.”

  “You’re here. You might as well take a break. Lay on a blanket on the beach for a day.”

  Seanna couldn’t afford to take a break. She was paying a hefty monthly rent for an apartment she had leased that her ex-fiancé refused to vacate. December. If she could just get to December, she would be rid of her apartment and of him for good.

  Cassidy nudged her. “You stay here too long and you won’t want to go back to Nashville. That’s what happened to me.”

  The idea had definitely crossed Seanna’s mind. But Jason had humiliated her professionally. She wasn’t one to run from her problems…at least not in a permanent way. She would show her boss and everyone else that she was not going to tuck her tail between her legs and disappear. She wanted her life back. Through this hell she’d been in with Jason, she’d lost her friends, her financial stability, and even her job. She was not about to start over anywhere but where she belonged…in Nashville.

  “I’m sure. But I’ve got to get back home…soon,” Seanna said.

  “Well, you’re welcome here as long as you need or want to be here. You know that.”

  “I do. Thank you.”

  “So…the wedding?”

  A fresh wash of humiliation flooded Seanna’s chest. The wedding had been off for a good nine months now, but she hadn’t been able to tell anyone. The circumstances were too complicated. But it was time to stop hiding, stop covering the boiling pot that was her relationship with her ex. She shook her head, eyes trained on her aunt.

  Cassidy nodded understanding. “You haven’t told your mom anything yet, have you?”

  “No, why?”

  “Because she called this afternoon wanting to know when we could talk about the wedding cake.”

  Seanna rested her head on the back of the couch. “I’m going to tell her.”

  “Sooner rather than later, I hope. You know I’m a terrible liar. And nobody knows that better than your mom.”

  “I know. I’ll call her tomorrow,” Seanna said.

  “Thank you. So you met Blake earlier?”

  Seanna sat up straight. “Oh, my gosh.” She poked her aunt in her side. “You dawg.”

  Cassidy’s eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

  “Blake,” Seanna said.

  “What about him?” Cassidy asked, faking innocence. Nice try.

  “What about him?” Seanna mocked. “He’s gorgeous.”

  “Oh, well, I guess so. If you like that type.”

  “You mean if you like tall, broad-shouldered, bl
ue-eyed, scruffy-jawed men who work with their hands?”

  Cassidy narrowed her gaze. “I’m surprised you’re ready to date again, but…”

  “Me? What are you talking about?”

  Cassidy looked at Seanna out of the corner of her eye. “What are you talking about?”

  “Your boyfriend.”

  Cassidy’s face broke wide into a smile, and she busted out in laughter.

  “What?” Seanna asked.

  “Blake is not my boyfriend.”

  Seanna couldn’t help the jolt of excitement that shot through her belly. “He’s not?”

  “No. He’s like fifteen years younger than me.”

  “So?”

  “So, I usually go for guys older than me.”

  “I would think you’d make an exception for that guy,” Seanna said. “Have you seen his ass?” Cassidy gave a guilty roll of her eyes, and Seanna held out her hands. “Thank you. Have you slept with him?”

  “Seanna!”

  “I’m serious.” She nudged Cassidy in the side with her elbow. “We’re both grownups here. You can tell me.”

  “No, I haven’t. He’s my friend and co-worker.”

  Seanna lifted an eyebrow. “He answered the door shirtless and with wet hair. How do you explain that?”

  Cassidy thought about it a second. “Oh, yeah, I told him he could shower here before he went home for the night. He re-grouted his own shower this morning. He lives right down the street in Grayton. Cute little house, but just one full bath.” Seanna gave her a skeptical look, and Cassidy backhanded Seanna on the thigh. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat.”

  “And drink. I haven’t had a chance to properly drown my sorrows.”

  Cassidy stood up off the couch. “We’ll do that, too. We’ll figure out how to break the news to your mom that there’s not going to be a wedding.”

  “I think I’m going to need pure grain alcohol for that.”

  Seanna rolled out of bed, her head surprisingly clear. She’d had three glasses of wine—more than usual but at least they hadn’t made it all the way through that second bottle. Must have been the good kind—the hangover-free kind. Spending the past six months footing the bill for all the rent and utilities, she’d all but forgotten what good wine was like.