Barefoot Bay: A Mimosa Key Christmas (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Cara Reagan

  Chapter Three

  The Casa Blanca Resort was everything and more than Jenni had hoped it would be. Seated out on Junonia's outdoor patio, she felt the tension ease from her body as she gazed out over the lush grounds that stood between the resort and the water's edge. She'd never spent much time near the ocean but she knew she could easily become accustomed to the beauty of the water and the rhythmic sound of the waves rolling in.

  "Ms. Marshall?"

  Jenni turned in her chair and smiled when she recognized the young woman who had checked them in less than two hours ago. Tonya, according to her name tag. "Yes?"

  "I have the keys here for your new rental car." She held out a set which Jenni gratefully took. "The rental agency delivered a red convertible as a replacement, and it's in the parking lot, just outside the main doors."

  "A convertible, cool." Jacob grinned. "That worked out great, I've always wanted to drive one."

  "And you will, in about three years or so," Jenni told him, relieved to see him smile. It was only a reprieve, she knew, until he began to think about the cancelled trip but she'd enjoy his lifted spirits for however long it lasted. She turned her attention back to Tonya. "Thank you so much for helping us."

  Tonya's smile was bright. "I was happy to. I'm just sorry that your first experience in Mimosa Key was less than ideal. But you're all set now. The representative from the rental agency who brought the convertible assured me they'd have the car with the flat tire towed out within the hour."

  "And Mr. Braxton's Jeep?"

  "Two of our bellman returned it about half an hour ago. So you're all set. Just put the whole incident out of your mind like it never happened. We want your stay in Mimosa Key to be as relaxing as possible."

  Jenni watched the young woman make her way back to the reception area. She knew she could quite easily push the car situation out of her mind, but something told her that thoughts of Micah Braxton wouldn't be so easy to banish. She hadn't dated much in the years since her divorce. Providing stability for Jacob had been her primary concern, which precluded extensive dating. Truthfully, she hadn't minded. In all that time she'd never once met a man who even semi-interested her.

  Until today. Micah's Braxton's warm smile and kind eyes had touched her heart. The intensity of her reaction surprised her. She'd been more than a little relieved, if perhaps a little disappointed, when Tonya had assured her that the bell staff would be happy to drive the Jeep back to it's owner.

  "So, Mom, Micah was really friendly, wasn't he?" Jacob asked.

  To buy a moment in which she could hopefully compose a neutral response, she took a sip of her watermelon margarita, savoring the icy coolness as it slipped down her throat. She didn't drink very often, but the day had been long, full of ups and downs, and she was grateful to finally be ensconced in the comfort of the Casa Blanca Resort and Spa.

  "Maybe we should go back and thank him," her son added just before he popped a French fry in his mouth.

  "I'm sure that's not necessary, Jacob. Although I agree, it was nice of him to help us out." But as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she realized that she was downplaying the degree to which Micah had helped them because of the intense physical attraction she'd felt toward him.

  "Not cool, Mom." Her son's tone of voice was frank and certain.

  Jenni set her drink down. "You're right."

  Her son's eyebrows rose. "I am?"

  She nodded. "You are. If it weren't for Mr. Braxton, we could still be sitting by the side of the road waiting for help instead of sitting here, completely relaxed, enjoying the most gorgeous view ever. We should do something for him."

  Jacob's face lit up. "Okay, I take back my 'not cool' comment. You're way cool, Mom."

  A smile stretched across Jenni's face. Way cool? That was praise indeed, especially considering how miserable he'd been for the last few days. Seeing her son with a genuinely happy expression on his face lifted her own spirits. His desire to extend kindness toward a stranger reminded her what she already knew in her heart, her son was a good kid.

  "But, wait, Mom." A puzzled frown replaced Jacob's smile. "How will we know where to find Mr. Braxton? What if he's left the beach and gone home?"

  His question caught her by surprise. Jacob must have missed Micah's reference to living on the beach. Thankfully, homelessness was nothing that her son had ever experienced. No matter how tough things had been trying to get by on her teacher's salary and child support, they'd always lived in a nice home in a safe neighborhood. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, honey, but I think from what he said, that Micah lives at the beach."

  "I didn't see a beach house."

  "No, neither did I. But what I actually meant was that I think he is living on the beach because he doesn't have anywhere else to go."

  Jacob's eyes widened. "You mean he's homeless?" He thought a moment, until he came up with a plausible objection. "Maybe he's just camping out there."

  Maybe. Or maybe he was destitue. But he'd been evasive when she'd asked him where on the island he was staying. The sandy strip of beach he'd pointed to was several miles from any hotel or condo. "I don't know, honey. That was my impression but I'll ask at the front desk to see if anyone here knows him, or of him. My understanding is that the island's population is around ten or eleven thousand. It's not a big place, so if he lives here, people will know him."

  But her son wasn't ready to let go of topic just yet. "But his Jeep was pretty sweet."

  "Maybe it's all he has left in the world." Jenni held up her hands and shrugged. "I don't know what to say." She signed their dinner check and got to her feet. "I'll ask a few questions, see what I can find out, and then we'll decide what we should do."

  Jacob stood, his expression thoughtful. "Either way, if the guy's got one million dollars in his wallet, or only two, I think it's the right thing to find a way to say thank you."

  "If you weren't such a teenager, I'd give you such a big bear hug right here, right now. But I'm guessing that would be really embarrassing, right?"

  "Uh, yeah, Mom. Totally." But he smiled as he said it, and Jenni grinned in response. Suddenly, she was absolutely sure that by impulsively planning a last minute trip to Mimosa Key for Christmas, she'd made the right decision.

  ***

  Even though the sun hung low in the western sky, signaling the coming sunset and end of yet another day in Paradise, Micah found himself reluctant to leave the bit of beach that he'd landmarked as his own private hideaway soon after he saw it. Today had certainly been the most eventful since his arrival in Mimosa Key. He had to admit that even though he'd sought out the remote island to be as alone as possible, he wasn't the least bit sorry that Jenni Marshall's rental car had gotten a flat just where it did. If anything, he was sorry that he'd had so little time with Jenni and Jacob.

  But loaning them his Jeep had allowed him to do his good deed for the holiday season. Jenni's uncertainty when he'd first offered her his vehicle had been palpable, but so had her relief.

  As the waves rolled in, he gazed out over the water and wondered about the mother and son pair. Was there a Mr. Marshall? Although she'd been wearing other jewelry, he hadn't noticed a wedding ring. He'd made it a point to look.

  He shook his head and got to his feet, brushing the sands off of his shorts. The Florida sun must be getting to his head if he was wondering if a woman he'd known for less than fifteen minutes was married. Hadn't he come here to get away from people? Away from women chasing after him, women who looked into his eyes and saw dollar signs? Billions of them.

  Gathering up his beach towel and baseball cap, he kicked at the sand as he made his way toward his Jeep. The important things was that Jenni Marshall and her son were safely at their resort destination. This he'd learned courtesy of the Casa Blanca bellmen who'd returned his vehicle. He also knew Jenni's rental had been upgraded to a flashy convertible. The rental agent who'd come out to retrieve the car she'd been driving had promised not to reveal that Micah had sprung f
or the upgrade in return for a generous tip. What else did he need to know?

  Precious little. The only thing that should be weighing on his mind was where to grab dinner. He started the Jeep and, after only a second's deliberation, turned it in the direction of the Toasted Pelican. There he'd grab a sandwich and a cold beer before heading back to the Fourway Motel where he'd catch a basketball game on TV and then drift off to sleep. No fuss. No muss. Every bachelor's dream. Here in Mimosa Key, he was keeping things simple. Living the good life.

  Except that for the first time since he'd arrived, he felt a curious loneliness.

  Chapter Four

  Promising her son that she'd ask around about Micah Braxton ended up being a far simpler task than actually uncovering any information about him. Jenni took a sip from her water bottle before entering the town's floral shop, her fourth stop of the morning. She was greeted by a gentleman in a florist apron who beamed a welcoming smile. She introduced herself and asked about Micah.

  "Braxton?" Bud, not surprisingly the owner of Bud's Buds Florist, cocked his head to the side and appeared to think for a long moment. "Can't say as I remember a Braxton family from this area. What did you say the fellow's first name was?"

  "Micah," Jenni answered. "I'm not entirely sure he's a local."

  "What does he look like?"

  Handsome, was the first word that sprung to mind but she pushed it aside. "Tall, he's got hair, and brown eyes. My guess is that he's in his late thirties or early forties."

  Bud grinned. "Tall, dark, and handsome, huh? Must have caught your eye if you're trying to track him down."

  Jenni ignored the warm flush that suffused her cheeks. Whether she was blushing because of the Florida heat or because the florist had hit a little close too close to the truth, she didn't want to sort out. "Nothing like that," Jenni bent the truth. "My son and I arrived in Mimosa Key late yesterday afternoon. Our rental car got a flat on a fairly deserted part of the road, and Mr. Braxton happened to be there. On the beach. He helped us." Good grief, she was rambling.

  "Ah, well, we have so many visitors come through that it's entirely possible that I've never seen your Mr. Braxton. But if anyone is going to know, it would be Barbara."

  "Barbara?"

  "The lovely Barbara is the owner of Beachside Beauty. Not only is she multi-talented at pampering the ladies in town, she's an absolute encyclopedia of who's who on our fair isle." The florist reached for a pen and paper off of the counter and scrawled an address down before handing her the information. "She's going to be your best bet for useful information."

  As pleasant and helpful as Bud had been, Jenni was more than a little relieved to be out of his shop and back in the fresh air. The good-natured twinkle in Bud's eye had left her feeling as if she was a desperate woman caught stalking an unsuspecting Good Samaritan. Which was ridiculous. She stopped walking, and stared unseeingly down the row of charming shops. Maybe she should just call it over and tell Jacob that she'd tried but hadn't been successful.

  Her cell phone's jingle interrupted her thoughts. She glanced down at the screen and saw it was her son. She tapped the screen. "Jacob? Are you okay, honey?"

  "Yeah, Mom, chill. I'm fine."

  Jenni blew out a long, relieved breath. "How was your game?"

  "Great, we had a lot of fun."

  She could hear it in his tone of voice, and she issued a prayer of thanks to the Vacation Gods that they'd had the good fortune to meet another family at breakfast who had three teens about Jacob's age. They'd shared a relaxing breakfast on the patio, and she'd seen how enthusiastic her son had been when the other kids invited him to be the fourth for a game of beach volleyball.

  "That's why I'm calling. Tyler and his sisters asked if I could go bowling with them this afternoon. And then after that, we're going to a place called Ms. Icey's for ice cream. If you say yes."

  How could she say no? She hadn't heard Jacob sound so light-hearted, so like himself, since his father had called to lower the boom on his trip to Argentina. "Sounds fun, so yes, you can go. But you need to have your cell phone with you at all times, turned on and not on vibrate, got it? And if you go anywhere else at all, you need to call me first, deal?"

  "Totally, thanks Mom. You're the best. And I promise to be home in time to have dinner with you."

  "Have fun, sweetie."

  "Wait, did you find out where Mr. Braxton lives?"

  Jenni bit her lip. Which way should she go on this one? She was more than a little proud that her son cared about returning the kindness of someone who'd helped them out. But she also wanted him to focus on having fun and being carefree. He deserved it after the month he'd had. "No, honey, I haven't had any luck."

  "But you'll keep trying, right?"

  Jenni closed her eyes for a moment. "You think it's that important?"

  "I do, Mom. It's Christmas time. It just seems the right thing to do. You know?"

  She opened her eyes and glanced down the street in the direction of Beachside Beauty. "I'm on it then. Have fun this afternoon."

  "You'll be okay, right?"

  Jenni smiled at the concern she heard in Jacob's voice. "Don't worry. I'm off to get a manicure and pedicure." And with any luck, some information on just who the mysterious Micah Braxton was.

  ***

  "Marshall, you said?" Bud stopped writing, a slow smile lifted the corners of his lips. "What's the first name?"

  "Jenni."

  The florist did his best to hide a grin. Well, if he wasn't witnessing the old Mimosa Key magic happening again, he'd eat a dozen carnations. "Are you and your Jenni visiting our piece of paradise for the holidays then?" he asked the man in front of him, knowing full well that his latest walk-in customer was likely the very same man that Ms. Jenni Marshall had just been in his shop asking about.

  The man he believed to be Micah Braxton shook his head ruefully. "She's not my Jenni. In fact, I've only met her once."

  Once was as good a start to a new relationship as any, to Bud's way of thinking. "I see. Tell me about her so that I can help you select just the right arrangement."

  It was Micah's turn to smile. "She's beautiful. She's got long dark hair, pretty hazel eyes, and her smile—well, let's just say I've never seen a woman with a smile like that. It was kind, you know?" He pulled a face. "I probably sound crazy, huh?"

  Bud shook his head. "Furthest thing from it, young man. I've got some absolutely stunning Fire and Ice roses that would impress any lady. Unless you had another preference?"

  Micah pulled a stack of twenty dollar bills from his wallet and handed them to the florist. "Sounds great. I think two dozen if you have them."

  Bud made change and handed it to his customer. "Anything in particular you want the card to say?"

  Micah shrugged. "No card, I think. Jenni doesn't really know me. I just thought some flowers would help brighten up their hotel room. Make it a little more holiday-like, if that makes sense."

  Bud nodded his head in agreement although it actually made no sense. Fire and Ice roses were the least holiday-like flowers he would have ever chosen but who was he to interfere in a budding romance?

  Micah paused at the door. "I forgot to tell you where she's staying. That would help, wouldn't it? Jenni's at the Casa Blanca Resort."

  Bud made a show of thanking Micah for the information but he knew he didn't need it. This was a delivery he was going to make in person.

  Why should Santa Claus have all the fun this time of year?

  Chapter Five

  Jenni swished her feet around the ceramic basin. The jasmine scented water was the perfect temperature, and the floating rose petals topped off what had to be the most relaxing pedicure she'd ever experienced.

  Beachside Beauty was decorated with a charming Old Florida flair. She'd been surprised and pleased to find the salon virtually empty when she'd arrived. It meant that she'd been able to get her nails done without waiting, and more importantly, it meant that she'd had no competition for Barbara's att
ention. The owner, Jenni soon discovered, turned out to be every bit as charming as her shop.

  "Keep waving your hands, Jenni," Barbara instructed her. "Things here in Florida dry more slowly than they do up north." She switched off the water taps and crossed the salon to pull a jar of sea salt crystals from a shelf on the opposite wall. She turned back to look over her shoulder. "Here I've been chatting up a storm since you got here without asking if you're in a particular hurry."

  "I'm not," Jenni answered quite truthfully. "I'm operating on vacation time, and my son is off bowling with some new friends, so my afternoon is my own."

  Barbara settled herself on the small rolling chair in front of the basin. "Just what I wanted to hear. I love everything about my work, and high up on that list is chatting with visitors to our little town. Now, tell me how your trip is going so far."

  Jenni was grateful for the segue. She filled Barbara in about their flat tire and Micah's kindness in loaning them his car. "I'd love to find a way to repay the favor but I don't know anything about him. Do you, by any chance?"

  Barbara's brow furrowed in thought. "Well, I can say with a great deal of certainty that no one by the name of Micah Braxton is a regular on the island. It's entirely possible that he's just moved here, although I have to tell you that news travels quickly through our little island, so I doubt that." She looked up and met Jenni's eyes. "Did he say where he was from?"

  "Not exactly. He only said 'here', which is quite ambiguous, isn't it? He might mean Florida, Mimosa Key, or even the beach itself." She paused to give the other woman a chance to answer but Barbara remained silent, a thoughtful expression on her face. Jenni decided that since she was here, she might as well go for broke. "I wondered if Mimosa Key has much of a homeless population?"

  "Thankfully, no." Barbara reached for Jenni's left foot and guided it to the towel she'd laid on the edge of the basin. "Did this gentleman have a southern accent, by any chance?"