by Annie Rains
Annie Rains
USA Today Bestselling Author
Contents
Kissing In The Rain
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Epilogue
A SNEAK PEEK AT FORBIDDEN KISSES
Want To Keep Reading Forbidden Kisses?
BOOKS BY ANNIE RAINS
DEAR READER
Kissing In The Rain
copyright 2017 Annie Rains
All rights reserved. No part of this contemporary romance may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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Cover Design by NYLA.
* * *
Editor: Linda Ingmanson
1
Jillian Maready slid her sunglasses over her eyes and tipped her head back to stare at the sky above. Bright and clear, unlike everything else in her life.
A pelican glided over the water, and her breath caught at the sight. There was a lot of beauty to be seen in Asheboro too, but she mostly sat behind a desk in a windowless office. And that was the exciting part of her day. The creature spearheaded into the water below and promptly came back up with a silver-toned fish in its beak. It knew exactly what it wanted, and got it.
She, on the other hand, had no idea what she wanted. Not anymore.
Thus, the reason she’d driven three hours here to Blushing Bay two days ago and had been crashing on her childhood BFF Lorelai Sawyer’s couch. Not because she was down on her luck. Or she was, but not financially. She’d spent the last decade in corporate America making a lot of money. She’d also spent the last decade slowly drowning in a life she hated.
A man’s voice in the distance caught her attention. Even though she was on the neighboring boardwalk, she immediately recognized his form as she stopped walking to admire him now too. Tall, muscular, tanned skin and dark hair. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she remembered they were also dark. Gabe Sawyer, Lorelai’s older brother and Jillian’s teenage crush.
Crush being the key word.
He had been older, cooler, and uninterested in her. He’d made that very clear on one such night that she tried never to think of. Even though she’d only been fifteen at the time, the memory still had the power to make her feel two inches tall. She watched him walk to the end of the pier of the Sawyer Water Recreation and Sports Center that he owned. The center rented out kayaks, rowboats, paddling boards, and sailboats to name just a few things. He helped a couple of customers load into a kayak and handed them a paddle. There were also a few sailboats navigating the smooth waters nearby.
She and Lorelai used to love taking sailboats out exploring when they were young. She remembered how free she’d felt with the wind at her back and leaving her cares on the shore behind. What she wouldn’t give to feel that way again. Especially after this past year. That was one of the reasons she’d come here. Blushing Bay was the place of her fondest childhood memories, and maybe here, cliché as it sounded, she could find herself again. She could find her smile. Her laugh.
Hell, she didn’t care what emotion she found, just as long as she felt something.
And she was pretty certain she’d feel something in one of those sailboats at the rec center, if she could manage to rent one without having to interact with Gabe Sawyer. She wasn’t interested in any of the feelings he would stir up.
Jillian pulled out her cell phone, did a quick search for the business’s number, and dialed. She knew Gabe was outside and wouldn’t be the one to answer the main phone.
“What’s up? Sawyer Water Recreation and Sports Center,” a voice answered. “Whoa! That is a mouthful to say. Can I help you?” the man asked on the other end of the line.
“Um, yes,” Jillian said, slightly thrown off by his surfer-esque accent. This was North Carolina, not a valley in California. “I would like to reserve a sailboat for this afternoon.”
“Sure thing. About what time do you think you’ll be coming?”
After staying with Lorelai for the last few days, Jillian knew that Gabe picked up his niece, Lorelai’s daughter, from school at three o’clock every day. Lorelai was a single mom and her job at the hospital didn’t allow her to pick up little Kimberly herself. “Three o’clock.”
“You goooooot it,” he said, drawing out his syllables.
She waited for him to ask for her information. He didn’t.
Instead, he said, “I’ll help you load up in the boat myself. My name’s Jonathan.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you at three, Jonathan.” She hung up her phone and shoved it back in her pocket with a wide smile. For the first time in a while, she felt excited. And that was something.
Gabe Sawyer waved as the young couple he’d just helped into a kayak set off down the channel. The sun was already beating against the back of his neck as he walked down the pier to the main office. Today promised to be hot and busy. It was the start of summer in Blushing Bay, which meant that the next few months would be active with people wanting to rent kayaks and sailboats and every other water navigation item he offered.
Somedays he couldn’t believe this was actually his job. It felt more like play, and he loved every minute. He also loved being in the Coast Guard Reserve, which he did one weekend per month. He had joined the Coast Guard after graduating high school. After serving his four years, he’d returned here to his hometown to open this recreation center.
“We’re booked up through the afternoon,” Jonathan said as Gabe walked into the office.
“You okay to manage things by yourself after I leave to pick up Kimberly?” Gabe asked. Jonathan was a new hire and, while he was smart, he was a bit distractible.
“I’ve got this, boss,” Jonathan said with an easy smile.
“Great.” Gabe continued toward his personal office for just a few minutes. The whole point of owning and running a business like this was that you didn’t have to stay behind a computer all day. He plopped down behind his laptop and started scanning through his email, pausing on one.
His jaw locked. This was the second email from Todd Matthews, and that was one too many. Yeah, Todd was technically Kimberly’s father, but the son of a bitch had skipped town before she was even born. He left Lorelai to go through the entire experience alone. Or not alone, because Gabe had stepped up and helped. Like a real man. Gabe was Kimberly’s uncle, but he served the duties of a dad because Todd was a loser, coward, and every other despicable thing under the sun. In his last email, Todd had said he wanted some information on Kimberly. He still didn’t want to be in her life, but he wanted to know that she was okay. Todd wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help from afar.
Gabe had yet to reply. “Hell no” sounded like a good response, but the guy was Kimberly’s biological father. Maybe if Gabe gave him a little information about his daughter, Todd might actually want to see her one day. Gabe couldn’t give a shit about Todd’s emotional needs, but he did care about Kimberly’s. She was already asking questions about her father’s whereabouts. As she was only seven years old, Gabe was pretty sure the questions would only increase. And ev
entually, she would need answers.
At least Todd had come to him instead of Lorelai. He and Todd had been friends growing up. Not great friends, but they’d played on the same soccer team and had gone fishing a couple of times. Lorelai didn’t need any more stress on her plate.
Blowing out a breath, Gabe took his hand off the mouse and decided not to open the email from Todd right now. He didn’t need whatever the SOB had to say hanging over him like a dark cloud as he worked. There was nothing but sunshine forecast for the day, and he intended to enjoy every drop of it.
Jillian had spent the morning in Mocha Books, a little coffee shop and bookstore that overlooked the intercoastal waterway downtown. She hadn’t had a lot of time for reading over the last couple of years, but it had been a favorite pastime of hers when she was growing up. She loved getting lost in a story. It was the perfect way to escape her life for just a little while.
When she walked up to the cashier prior to leaving at two forty-five, the older woman who owned the place smiled back at her. She had a tight perm and thick-lensed spectacles.
“I haven’t seen you in town before,” the woman said.
“No.” Jillian placed a stack of books down on the counter. “Not for a while, at least. I lived here for a couple of years as a teenager.”
“Where are you staying?” the woman asked, making easy conversation as she rang up the items Jillian had placed on the counter.
“Lorelai Sawyer’s place.”
“Yes, I know her. She’s a good girl. She comes in and gets books for her little one, Kimberly, all the time. Her brother is a nice one too.” The older woman lifted an eyebrow and glanced down at Jillian’s bare ring finger. “And single.”
Jillian flushed. Nothing wrong with the old woman’s eyes. “I’m not looking right now.”
“Well, heed my advice. If you wait too long, you’ll find yourself an old maid like my daughter. She can’t even pay a man to date her.”
“Oh. Um.” Jillian laughed nervously, hoping that was a joke. “Actually, I just went through a divorce. It finalized early this week.”
The woman frowned. “I’m so sorry to hear that, dear.”
“It’s for the best.” She would prefer old maid-dom over listening to her ex’s constant complaining any day. And when he wasn’t complaining, he was ignoring her. Better to live happily ever after on her own.
As Jillian reached out to collect her change, she noticed a sign posted on the wall behind the counter. “This place is for sale?”
“Oh yes. I’m afraid so. It’s time for me to retire and see the world. My dear husband passed away last year. We didn’t venture too far outside of Blushing Bay all these years, but now I’m ready to go to France.”
Jillian’s eyes widened. “That’s very far away.”
“After that, I’m going to Italy, and I’m going to stuff myself full of pasta.”
“Well, I think that’s a great retirement plan.”
“Really? Because my financial planner didn’t think so.”
Jillian laughed as she lifted her bag off the counter. “Good luck. And thank you again for the books and the wonderful coffee. Now I’m going to spend the rest of my afternoon outdoors.”
“Be careful,” the woman said, offering more unsolicited advice. “It’s going to storm this afternoon.”
Jillian turned back. “The forecast doesn’t call for storms.” She’d checked already. It was sunny skies all the way until nightfall.
The older woman held up a finger. “No, but my bones do. I can predict a storm better than any meteorologist out there. And it’s going to be a doozy.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jillian waved as she exited the store. Then she looked up at the cloudless sky. The old woman was wrong. It was going to be an amazing afternoon out on the ocean.
2
The pickup line at Kimberly’s school was always the most interesting time of Gabe’s day. He was single, and all the available women at the elementary school seemed to know it. As soon as he pulled his Jeep into the school’s pickup line, it was as if there was a spotlight shining down on him. Apparently, women loved men who loved kids. It was true, he loved his niece, but not because it had the potential of getting him laid. And it definitely did. He’d had more than a few single moms dip in his window to say hello and show some cleavage while walking their child down the sidewalk.
He’d be a liar if he said he didn’t like the attention—sometimes—but he wasn’t interested in dating people in Kimberly’s life right now. If he dated, he wanted it to be someone Kimberly had no association with. He didn’t want people coming in and out of her life. She knew these teachers and parents. Therefore, they were all off-limits.
“Hey there, handsome.” Susan Litmore stopped by his window. “Picking up Kimberly?” she asked, as if there were any other child he might be here to get.
“Yep. How are you, Susan?”
“Oh, great. Brian here is making all A’s in school.” She smiled over at her young son, who was maybe eight or nine years old.
“That's great, Brian. Keep up the good work.” Gabe pointed a finger at the child, who responded with a gap-toothed grin.
Susan cackled. The sound was as fake as her platinum hair and—Gabe glanced down for just a millisecond—fake as her double D’s. “I’m going to the music festival on the waterfront this weekend,” she said, sweeping her hair out of her face. “What about you?”
He looked ahead, wishing this damn line would move. All he wanted was to get Kimberly and take her back to the rec center. Kimberly loved to help him out in the afternoons until Lorelai came to get her. “Not sure.”
“Well, maybe I’ll see you there. And if I do, you should sit with us. There’s always a little extra room on my picnic blanket.”
By an act of God, rain started to fall. Gabe noticed the skies had turned dark too. Summer storms often popped up out of nowhere here on the North Carolina coast. Their unpredictability was downright predictable.
Susan’s smile wilted. “Oh my! Hopefully, I’ll see you at the event. Bye,” she said hurriedly. Then she rushed off, dragging her son behind her. Probably worried her gallon of makeup would run onto her designer clothes.
The pickup line started to move forward. A couple of minutes later, Kimberly came running to the side of his vehicle.
“Uncle Gabe!”
One of the teachers helped Kimberly strap in and waved to him before shutting the back door with Kimberly safely inside.
“Hey, munchkin. Did you have a good day?” he asked, following the line of cars ahead of him out of the school’s parking lot.
“Great.” She proceeded to rattle off every detail, starting with the moment she walked into her class to the very end of the day. Then she fell silent.
He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her bottom lip puckering down. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she muttered. He only knew what she said because he read her lips over the loud patter of rain suddenly beating against the Jeep’s roof.
“Not nothing. Something. What is it?”
“It’s just…there’s going to be an end-of-year Daddy-and-me picnic at school for Father’s Day. And I’ll be the only one without a daddy.”
His heart ached for his niece. “I’ll go,” he said without hesitation. He had never minded taking on that role in Kimberly’s life.
“You’re not my dad, though,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her. “You’re my uncle, and everyone knows it. It’s not fair.”
He swallowed past the lump tightening his throat. “You’re right. It’s not.” What else could he say? Life was cruel sometimes. Not a lesson a seven-year-old should already be learning. The rest of the ride was quiet except for the steadily progressing drum of rain. The wind was picking up and making the sound deeper as he drove.
He parked in front of the rec center’s office, jumped out, and scooped Kimberly out of the backseat. With a few quick steps, he put her down under the awning.
“That was fun,” she said, wearing a smile again.
He swore that smile of hers could cure any disease. “Yeah. Wanna do it again?” He reached for her, threatening to pull her back into the rain.
Giggling, she slipped past him and ran inside the building.
Jonathan looked up. “Hey, bro. Hey, Kimmie!” He’d worked here for barely a week and already he was on a nickname basis with her.
“Hi, Mr. Jonathan!” She went barreling toward him. “Do you have a snack for me?”
“Of course I do.” Jonathan pulled out a snack-size bag of Goldfish crackers and dangled them in the air like bait. It was child-crack for sure, and Gabe had learned a long time ago that junk food was the key to his niece’s heart.
Gabe hooked a thumb behind him. “I’m going to go make sure everything is tied down. The wind is really picking up out there. Are all the customers back?”
Jonathan looked up, but he was half distracted by Kimberly, who was theatrically trying to catch each fish-shaped cracker with her mouth. “All but one. Some lady took a sailboat out earlier. She’ll probably be heading back soon now that it’s raining.”
Gabe nodded. “Hope so.” He grabbed his raincoat and headed out to secure the kayaks and paddleboards. Looking in each direction, he didn’t see any sailboats still out on the water. His sailboats had bright neon-green sails that could easily be spotted.
Thunder cracked overhead. He’d keep an eye out for the woman and an ear on the forecast. Hopefully this thing would move by fairly quickly.
“Pull up the woman’s contact information?” Gabe said when he was back inside. He pulled his rain jacket off and placed it on a hook by the door. “I want to try to call her back in.”
