CLEAN ROMANCE: Finding Peace (Christian Romance, Inspirational Romance, Second Chance Romance) (New Adult Contemporary Romance/Clean and Wholesome)

by Grace Warren

  “It’s alright, I’m not gonna bite.”

  “I’m Julie.”

  “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, Julie. Fancy a walk?”

  She laughed.

  “Wow, you don’t waste any time, do you?”

  “Nope. You’ve only got one life, right? Besides, my gut’s telling me that you seem like a nice girl, and my gut’s usually right. My gut’s also telling me that it’s hungry.”

  She laughed again.

  “Well, actually, I’m also hungry.”

  “Perfect, then what are we waiting for?”

  They walked along the beach and watched as the tide slowly lapped at their feet.

  “How long have you lived here, Jason?”

  “I don’t live here; I’m just visiting for a few days.”

  “Oh I see. Are you here with family?”

  “Nope, I’m single, if that’s what you’re after.”

  “No, no, I didn’t mean that.”

  “Relax, I’m just teasing you,” he replied.

  “How about you? Are you here with anyone?”

  “Yes, I mean no, but…what I mean is, I’m single but I’m here with my boss.”

  “With your boss? Well that must be a barrel of laughs.”

  “Oh she’s not that bad, really.”

  “Really? Not that bad? Well that’s high praise indeed.”

  After they finished breakfast, Jason just stared at her.

  “So what are your plans for today?” he asked.

  “Well I’m free for the rest of the day actually, but I got to meet my client in the evening, which should be interesting.”

  “Interesting? That doesn’t sound too positive.”

  “Yeah, it’ll be the first time for me to meet him so I have absolutely no idea what to expect. But from what I read, he’s a bit of an arrogant character.”

  “Arrogant?”

  “Yeah, he’s very successful. It’s going be tough to impress him.”

  “I see.”

  “How about you?” she asked. “What do you do when you’re not displaying your pecs on the beach?”

  He laughed.

  “Oh, is that what I was doing? Well, my home is in New York. That’s where I work. I basically work in stocks and shares, investing, that kind of thing. Pretty boring, really.”

  “No, not at all. I’m sure it’s really interesting.”

  “You’re very sweet, but honestly, it’s extremely boring. Anyway, let’s not talk about work. We’re in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, the weather is simply magnificent and we’re enjoying each other’s company. What more could anyone ask for?”

  He lifted his glass and looked at her.

  “You’re right, I’ll drink to that,” she said.

  After they left the café and started walking back to where they had met, Jason tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Follow me,” he whispered.

  “What is it?” she whispered back.

  “Just follow me. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

  She did as he asked and they both walked up a steep incline along the side of the beach. Jason crouched and Julie did the same. He stopped and looked way into the distance in front of them.

  “What is it? What can you see?”

  He didn’t break his gaze and simply pointed. Julie followed his finger and realized that there was a large man, walking along the beach, totally naked. She collapsed in the sand in laughter.

  “I can’t believe that’s what you wanted to show me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean there are so many amazing things to see here, so many natural wonders, yet the thing that fascinates you the most is some naked, wrinkly dude.”

  “You can see his wrinkles all the way from there? You must have amazing eyesight.”

  She burst out laughing again. She laughed so much her eyes began to well up with tears. They carried on, walking along the beach, being careful to avoid the naked man along the way.

  “Well, I really got to go now,” said Julie.

  “Yes, of course, me too. It was a pleasure to spend time with you.”

  “Likewise.”

  They both walked off in opposite directions.

  Should I look back? She thought.

  She did, and just as she did, so did he. Their eyes met again and they both waved to each other. She’d fallen for him. Not for his physique, although that was a definite plus, but also his confidence and charm. He didn’t have an ego and he knew just how to make her laugh.

  Come on Julie, you’re here to do a job, fun’s over. Time to concentrate.

  Chapter Three

  She quickly showered and then met up with Janine back at the hotel. They went over everything they would cover when they met Hugo.

  “Like I told you, Julie, this is probably one of our most important clients, so just follow my lead.”

  “Got it. Where exactly are we meeting him, anyway?”

  “He likes to meet up at a local bar, not far from here.”

  Julie laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” asked Janine.

  “I don’t know, it just seems a little strange that such a high level client of ours, one who is on the brink of being worth billions, likes to hang out at cheap bars.”

  “Yeah well, nowadays the rich aren’t what they used to be. It’s all these young startup tech firms. It seems that any average shmuck can become a millionaire overnight.”

  “You sound kind of bitter, Janine. Isn’t that a good thing? It means more of a level playing field, right?”

  “If you look at it like that, then yeah, it is. But from our perspective, it’s bad news.”

  “I don’t understand, why is it bad news? The reason accounting firms are still here being because everyone needs someone to do their taxes, right? It doesn’t matter if they’re high class or an average Joe, we all got to pay the man.”

  “Yes, that’s how it used to be,” replied Janine.

  “Used to be? What do you mean? What’s changed?”

  “The same reason that anyone can now earn a million, is the same reason that accounting firms like ours are going extinct. Our industry is also susceptible to the online boom and there are startup accounting firms that are taking chunks of our business already. Basically Julie, our days are numbered.”

  “I see.”

  “Okay, it’s time to go,” said Janine. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.”

  They both walked out of the hotel lobby and back onto the crowded streets. After a few minutes, they came to a small bar, which was just off a side road. The sound of music and laughter could still be heard but it was less noisy than on the main road.

  “Okay, this is it, after you, Julie.”

  Julie pushed away the beaded curtain and walked in. The place was almost empty, except for a few older locals playing chess in the corner. They stopped and stared at Julie. She felt a strange tingle down her spine, as if they didn’t want her there. She went and sat on the opposite side of the room. Janine opened her briefcase and took out some papers in preparation. She then sat down and waited. Julie noticed that she was cracking her fingers and looking around anxiously.

  “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this before Janine. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, there aren’t many clients who make me nervous but Hugo’s one of them that does.”

  “Wow, why?”

  “Because if we lose him, I lose a big part of my earnings. The reason I was promoted to Senior Partner was that I was able to seal the deal with him, but things were different back then. He needed us and we knew about some loopholes that other firms didn’t. Things are a lot different now though and we’re kind of on the back foot.”

  “I see.”

  Before Julie could say anything else, Janine suddenly stood up.

  “Hugo! Long time no see! How have you been?”

  “Not bad, how about you, Janine?”

  “Oh, you kno
w me, busy, busy, busy. I’m doing great.”

  “Yeah, you’re always working too hard. That’s why I like to arrange our meetings here, it gives you and I, both, a bit of a break.”

  Julie got up and turned around and her jaw dropped.

  “Hugo, this is Julie,” said Janine, smiling awkwardly.

  “Yes, I know, we’ve already met,” said Jason with a smile.

  “You’re Hugo?” asked Julie, still in shock.

  “You two already met? When?”

  “This morning at the beach,” replied Jason.

  They all sat down and shared an awkward moment until Janine finally broke the ice.

  “So we’ve put together a plan for you and…”

  “Yeah it’s fine,” said Jason, his eyes still locked on Julie, who was now looking at the floor.

  Janine’s mouth quivered, not really knowing what to say.

  “I don’t understand, what do you mean by ‘it’s fine’?”

  “I mean, I’m sure that whatever you and your team have put together is more than adequate for my needs. I trust you Janine. You’ve never let me down before and I have faith in you that you’re not going to start anytime soon. So it’s fine. Whatever you think.” He patted Janine on the shoulder.

  “Right, well…that’s excellent news Hugo! Thank you for being so direct!”

  “Not at all.”

  “Well, we really don’t want to keep you. We’re sure you have plenty of work to do.”

  “Oh, Janine, before you go. I may need to go over some numbers, nothing important, but it would be nice if you could look them over. It’s probably the job of an assistant though…”

  He looked at Julie and she smiled. Janine looked at them both and it finally clicked.

  “Ah, I see. Well Julie and I are here for the next two days. Julie is at your disposal.”

  Janine winked at Julie as she said it.

  “Right. Well, I’ll leave you guys to it.”

  Janine walked off leaving Julie and Jason alone. There was another awkward silence.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

  “Tell you what?”

  “Oh don’t play games with me, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Why didn’t you tell me that you were Hugo? I mean that Hugo was you? I mean…”

  “Okay just calm down, I understand what you mean. Well, the truth is I didn’t know who you were at first, but once you told me that you had a business meeting later that day, I figured it out.”

  “Okay but that doesn’t answer my question.”

  “I wanted to see what you really thought about me, that’s all.”

  “But you lied!”

  “Ah now that’s where I draw the line, Julie. I never lie. Not to family, not to strangers, nobody.”

  “Oh really? But you told me your name is Jason. But it’s actually Hugo, right? That’s a lie, don’t you think so?”

  He started smiling, which only infuriated her more.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, did I say something funny?”

  He put his hand in his pocket, pulled out his wallet and showed her his driving license.

  Jason Hugo Brown.

  “See,” he said. “I didn’t lie.”

  “Oh, you are so tricky! I can see why you’re doing so well for yourself.”

  “Ouch, that was a little below the belt Julie.”

  She smiled.

  “Okay, okay, so you didn’t lie, but I said some horrible things about you.”

  “I know; I have this reputation of being an irresponsible playboy.”

  “And are you?” she asked.

  “I should ask you that question. You’ve met me in person now, so what do you think?”

  She looked him up and down.

  “Actually, I haven’t really made up my mind yet.”

  “Oh you really are harsh. Okay then allow me to take you to dinner and we can get to know each other a little better.”

  She didn’t reply as she wanted to see him squirm. To see what else he would say to convince her.

  “We can take my yacht to…”

  “Okay, sure,” she said immediately.

  As they walked out of the bar, Jason held out his arm.

  “Fancy walking arm in arm?”

  “Erm, isn’t that what couples do?”

  “I suppose, but we are technically a couple, aren’t we? I mean we’re a couple of people, that’s the definition of a couple in my book.”

  She started laughing hysterically.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Is that your idea of flirting? It feels like you’re in one of your business meetings or something.”

  “Hmm, yeah I guess, it does sound like that, doesn’t it?”

  “It’s cute though,” she said with a smile.

  She took his arm and she felt a bolt of electricity go up her spine. For the first time in a long time, she was feeling…happy. Content. Like all she needed was his arm and an endless stretch of beach to walk along. She thanked God for the millionth time for putting her on this path. She genuinely loved being around Jason.

  “Hey, by the way, how far is the port exactly?”

  He looked at her and smiled.

  “We’re not going to a port.”

  “Oh? Then were exactly is your yacht?”

  He pointed towards the ocean and she saw a stunning white yacht in the distance.

  “Wow, that’s yours? How on earth are we going to get there?”

  “Oh, so many questions, Julie.”

  “But I mean are we going to have to swim?”

  He started laughing.

  “No, look again.”

  She did as he asked and she realized that there was a speedboat heading towards them.

  “Okay, this is so cool.”

  Take it easy, she said to herself. Just breathe and whatever you do, don’t, under any circumstances, start blubbering.

  Chapter Four

  She managed to hold it together. They boarded the speedboat and sped back to the yacht. As they got closer to it, Julie’s jaw dropped. It was much bigger close up. They went in and Jason escorted her to the main room, below deck. Julie gasped. The room was so big and spacious. So much so, in fact, that there was a gigantic crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was like stepping inside an expensive five-star hotel.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this before in my whole life.”

  “Yeah, I should hope not. The entire interior was custom designed by me.”

  “By you? Are you serious?”

  “Yup.”

  “Wow, you really are a man of many talents!”

  “Well, I’m not very good at watercolors, but apart from that, I’m pretty much perfect, I’m afraid.”

  She laughed.

  “Come on, now that you’ve seen the inside, let’s go up.”

  They went upstairs and an older man dressed in a blue suit saluted them.

  “Hello sir. Are we ready to set sail?”

  “Yes, thank you, James,” replied Jason.

  James walked over to the control and started up the boat. Julie watched him with great interest as he gently swerved the boat around. James noticed her watching him and smiled.

  “Would you like to take the controls, ma’am?”

  “Me? No way, thank you, but I’ve never driven a boat before. I can barely drive on land, as it is. No, giving me the controls is a bad idea.”

  “Oh, come on, Julie,” said Jason. “It’s easier than driving a car. Trust me, you’ll be fine.”

  Julie shook her head.

  “Hmm, okay. I’ll make a deal with you,” said Jason.

  “What kind of deal?"

  “I’ll answer all of your questions, if you take the wheel for five minutes.”

  “Hmm, okay, you’ve got yourself a deal. I can give Janine a lot of useful information.” She winked.

  She took a deep breath in and grabbed the controls.

  “Now, gently push the lever,” sai
d James.

  She did as he asked and the boat slowly sped up.

  “Wow! This is so exciting!”

  She spent the next few minutes following his instructions and learned how to steer and stop.

  “Okay, okay. You’re a natural,” said Jason, smiling as he grabbed her arm.

  “That was…exciting,” she said as she was pulled away.

  “Where are you taking me now?” she asked.

  “It’s time to eat!”

  “Ah yes, where shall we go?” she asked.

  “We’re already there.”

  “Oh?”

  He moved aside and she saw a small table laid out near the other side of the yacht. There were candles dotted around and a man stood next to the table, patiently waiting for them.

  “Oh my gosh, this is, this is…”

  “Amazing? Incredible?” interrupted Jason, jokingly.

  “I was going to say awesome.”

  They both sat down and the waiter brought over a platter of fruits and meats, all arranged with loving detail.

  “Wow.”

  Jason laughed.

  She looked at some of the slices of meat in front of her. They were so thin that they were just barely thicker than a sheet of paper. Some were marbled and she’d never seen anything like it.

  “What is this?” she asked, as she held up a piece.

  “Ah, that’s called wagyu beef.”

  “What’s wagyu beef?”

  “Hmm, a little hard to explain. It’s a special type of beef that comes from cows that are fed on food that’s high in fat. That gives them this marbled texture. Many people consider it to be the highest quality beef you can buy. Try some and let me know what you think.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Well, I get that it’s a great piece of meat and everything but, it’s raw, how are we supposed to eat it?”

  He smiled.

  “You use that bowl of soup next to you.”

  “Yes?”

  “Dip the meat in there and swish it around for a few seconds. Because it’s so thin, the heat from the soup alone is enough to cook the beef.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  She did as he instructed and then took a whole piece in her mouth.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  “It’s absolutely delicious. You’re right, the beef tastes so rich! What is this dish called?”

  “Shabu Shabu.” Jason said in between bites.