Rum Runner

by Tricia Leedom

  “Put the gun down, Ma,” Mitch said from the sidelines.

  Edith turned around, swinging the shotgun in a large arc. Everyone in the group ducked. “Stay out of this, Mitchell,” she said. “This woman has hurt my family one too many times. She needs to go.”

  She swung back toward Lillian and everyone ducked again.

  Mitch moved in. He broke the grasp Lillian had on Sophie’s arm and nudged his daughter toward Jimmy, before he stepped in front of his ex-wife to shield her. “Lily was just leaving.”

  “Not with my granddaughter, she ain’t. She took Sophie from us once. I won’t let her do it again.”

  “It’s Sophie’s decision, Ma.”

  “It’s okay, Edith,” Sophie said, raising her hands in supplication. “Put the gun down. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Edith’s rheumy gaze shifted from Lillian to her granddaughter.

  Sophie gave her an encouraging nod.

  Edith lowered the weapon.

  Mitch yanked the shotgun out of her hands. “Jeez, Ma. You could have hurt somebody with this thing.”

  “That was the point.”

  Lillian rounded on Sophie with the same indignant rage Jimmy had seen her daughter display. “This is precisely why I don’t want you around these people! They’re insane.”

  “You lied to me, Mum, and you destroyed our family because you didn’t have the courage to stand by the man you loved.” Lillian opened her mouth to argue, but Sophie was on a roll. “You’ve always cautioned me not to repeat your mistakes. I see now I would be doing exactly that if I were to leave Jimmy. I love him. I love him so much just the thought of waking up tomorrow morning and not seeing his face makes me want to weep. You might have been able to walk away from the love of your life, but I’d rather cut off my left foot and gnaw on my toes.”

  Jimmy grinned. “Good analogy, Duchess.”

  “Thank you.”

  He slid his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her cheek. His mouth moved to her ear and he said softly, “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  She sank against him.

  “Remember what it was like, Lily?” Mitch said, slowly moving closer to his ex-wife. “Remember that feeling, like your heart was gonna burst because it was so full? Don’t you want that for our daughter, angel? Isn’t that more important than a fancy title and a big bank account?”

  “I do okay,” Jimmy said defensively.

  “Keep your trap shut, son. I’ve got this.” Mitch reached out to Lillian, still careful in his movements as he rested a hand on her narrow shoulder, “You’ve lived both lives. If you could go back and do it all over again—knowing what you know now—which path would you choose?”

  Sophie’s parents stared at each other. Emotion flickered in Lillian’s cool gaze and then was gone. She swallowed hard and looked away from Mitch to eyeball Jimmy again. Mitch dropped his hand and moved to stand behind her, close but not touching. After a moment, Lillian must have come to some sort of decision because she exhaled heavily and said to Jimmy, “You keep her safe or you’ll have me to contend with. Edith Thompson isn’t the only old bird around who knows how to handle a shotgun.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Lillian looked at Sophie. “I will reschedule my flight and stay on the island for one more day. We’ll have lunch tomorrow before I go.” The fight suddenly went out of her and she looked very tired. “I have a lot to explain about my past and you have the right to know the truth.”

  “Thank you for understanding about Jimmy,” Sophie said before she enveloped her mother in a hug. She looked at her father and mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

  Mitch grinned and replied with a wink.

  After Lillian drove off and the others shuffled back inside the bar, Sophie turned to find Jimmy watching her. She suddenly felt shy for some reason. She smiled at him. “Now what?”

  His broad shoulders shrugged. “Wanna take a walk?”

  “Okay.”

  He offered his hand and she took it. As they strolled down Greene Street toward Duval in companionable silence, a rooster crowed in the distance and another one joined him. At this hour of the morning, the street was virtually deserted and incredibly peaceful. The sea breeze carried the tang of fish and the promise of another sultry day. Jimmy pulled her to the right, toward Mallory Square, a place where revelers and street entertainers gathered nightly to celebrate the sunset. Now it was empty except for a family of cats that scattered when Jimmy and Sophie walked across the cobblestone pavement toward the concrete sea wall.

  When they stopped to admire calm blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Sophie said, “Key West is a gorgeous place to live.”

  “It’s paradise.”

  She turned toward Jimmy and rested her palms on his chest. His hands settled on her waist.

  “We’ve been through so much,” she said. “Where do we go from here?”

  A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Wherever the tide takes us.”

  She recalled the last time he’d said those words to her. They had been in that dodgy motel room in Jamaica. She scrunched her nose in irritation just as she had then. “I’m serious.”

  “So am I.” He chuckled and kissed her forehead. Stepping back, he tugged on her hand. “Come on. Let’s sit. It’s gonna be a pretty morning.”

  The sun was just beginning to rise behind them in the East, but it hadn’t quite chased away the predawn chill. Jimmy sat on the edge of the wall, legs dangling a few feet above the water. When she joined him, he slid an arm around her shoulders. She rested her cheek against his chest and nuzzled his throat, savoring the warmth of his body.

  “You sure about this?” he said, a few minutes later.

  “About what?”

  “About staying here. With me.”

  She pulled back and looked at him. “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life. I love you, Jimmy Panama. I want to be wherever you are.”

  A slow grin spread across his handsome face. “I love you too, darlin’ and that’s more than enough for now. We’ll figure out the rest as we go along.” His expression grew solemn. “I promise.”

  He bent his head then and put his mouth to hers, sealing the vow with a deep, luscious kiss that curled her toes and said more to her than mere words ever could. Lost in each other, they glided on the current, two souls joined as one, content to drift wherever the tide took them, as long as they were together.

  Did you enjoy Rum Runner? Then you’re going to love Bahama Mama, Book Two in the Key West Escape Series by Tricia Leedom!

  Releasing January 30th, 2018!

  Click here to preorder!

  Troubles are piling up for Molly MacBain. Between navigating the moods of an increasingly sassy teenage daughter, battling mounting financial difficulties, and wading through a mess of custody issues, Molly certainly doesn’t need any more stress in her life. But when she learns that her best friend, Sophie, has been keeping a huge secret from her, she’s beyond bowled over. Apparently, Sophie’s soon-to-be brother-in-law is Molly’s idol, country music superstar Anders Ostergaard and after years on the country music circuit herself, Molly finds herself somewhere between smitten and awe-struck.

  Anders flies to Key West to attend his brother’s wedding and keep a low profile after a wicked scandal continues to follow him around like a lurking shadow. Usually, he has a strict rule about getting involved with fans, especially fiery, red-headed hot mamas like Molly MacBain, but her sharp wit and refreshing openness draws him in like no one has before.

  But romance and flirting come to a screeching halt, when Molly’s daughter witnesses a murder and winds up in Jamaica. Anders offers Molly the use of his private plane to bring her home and together, they set off for Montego Bay. Between racing against her ex’s impending involvement and the hitman hunting for the witnesses to his crime, both Molly and Anders are completely unaware they’re being stalked by an even greater danger.

  In the sultry Caribbean, Anders and Moll
y discover when a man who’s sworn off love and a woman who guards her heart can’t keep their hands off of each other, something’s gotta give. If their luck doesn’t run out first.

  If you love Sophie Kinsella and Emily Giffin, you’ll love this heartwarming debut from a fresh voice in contemporary chick-lit that offers a lighthearted and fun take on friendship, love, and how to recover from past mistakes.

  Click here to order now!

  For twenty long years, Gigi Goldstein has been pining away for her best friend’s guy. She knows it’s wrong and it has to stop, but she hasn’t been able to let go ever since they all met on the bus to summer camp back when they were 7 years old. The same week that her best friends finally announce their wedding date, Gigi loses her high-profile design job. With all of her dreams unravelling, she runs to the last place she remembers being happy.

  Taking the Head Counselor position at Camp Chinooka, Gigi hopes to reclaim the joy she felt as a camper, but the job isn’t all campfire songs and toasting marshmallows. Gigi’s girls are determined to make her look bad in front of the boys’ Head Counselor—the sexy but infuriating Perry—and every scrap of the campground is laced with memories.

  When Gigi finally realizes she can’t escape the present by returning to her past, she’s forced to reexamine her life and find the true meaning of love. But will she be able to mend fences and forgive herself before she loses her one real shot at happiness?

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  My grandmother, Catherine Skidmore, was the very first person who introduced me to romance novels. Long before I was allowed to read them, I watched her devour book after book. Later, after she passed away and I grew up, I discovered the greatest treasure: a box brimming with her favorite romance novels. Each marked with her own personal rating system: G for good, VG for Very good, VG+ for excellent. Not only did this forgotten box of books introduce me to some of the best romance novels of the 1970s and 80s, it also brought me closer to my grandmother and enabled me to share something special with her posthumously. That box of books filled with authors like Johanna Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, Karen Robards, Catherine Coulter, and Julie Garwood made me fall in love with the romance genre.

  However, it was Diana Gabaldon, and her 1991 novel Outlander, who made me want to study the craft of writing. After reading the first three books in the Outlander series, I went to college to pursue my Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing from The University of Tampa and, later, my Master of Fine Arts Degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. I met some amazingly kind and talented people along the way who encouraged and supported me in my pursuit of writing, and taught me how to be a better writer.

  Thank you to my mentors: Victoria Thompson, Felicia Mason, and Dr. Andy Solomon for teaching me the craft of writing. Thank you to my talented critique partners and writer friends: Danielle Modafferi, Dayon Arajuo, Melissa Long, Becky Rae Halsey, Tonya Burrows, and the “June ‘11 Ones” for your advice, support, and friendship.

  A huge thank you to my editors: Danielle Modafferi, Erin Bales, Aileen Latcham, and Lola Dodge and my publisher Ink Monster for believing in me and wanting to take a chance on this project. I’m thrilled to be working with all of you.

  Thank you to my mother, Joyce Leedom, for being my first reader and number one fan.

  Thank you to my British language consultant, Jeni Hackett. My goal was to give Sophie’s dialogue the flavor of a British accent. Jeni came along late in the editing process, but she was so helpful explaining words and phrases to me and offering suggestions when I needed them. Any mistakes are my own.

  Thank you to the Outlander fandom who has produced some of my closest friends and biggest supporters. For two decades, I thought I was alone in my Outlander obsession until the television series was announced in 2013 and then, suddenly, I found my people: Karen Diaz, Brianne Ugelow, Ann (Monigheanruadh) Gaul, Beth Holme, Heather Goodwin, Jean Macomber, Heather Weaver, Florida Outlander Fans, Murtagh’s Maidens, Outlandish UK, Caitrionation, the Heughligans and so many other Outlander fans I’ve met in my travels. I wish I had room here to name all of you, but you know who you are. You are the best group of people I’ve ever met. I’m so glad to know each and every one of you.

  Lastly, I want to thank Outlander actor, Sam Heughan, and his charitable initiative “My Peak Challenge” for inspiring me to keep reaching for my dream when I was feeling discouraged and on the verge of giving up. The goal of Sam’s My Peak Challenge is to inspire people to help others while setting personal challenges for themselves. In 2016, I joined the program and challenged myself in two ways. The first was to train for and run my first 5K. I nailed it and raised $500 for MPC’s cancer research charity Bloodwise. The second personal challenge I set for myself was to not give up on my dream of becoming a published author. To simply keep trying. A few months later, I signed a publishing contract for this book proving dreams can come true if you work hard and, most importantly, persist even through the difficult times. As a way of showing my appreciation to Sam Heughan and My Peak Challenge, and in the spirit of giving something back, I pledge to donate 10% of my first month’s royalties from the sale of this book to Bloodwise. You can learn more about My Peak Challenge by visiting www.mpc2017.com

  TRICIA LEEDOM enjoys traveling to exotic destinations and having torrid love affairs with hot, dangerous men… even if it’s only in her own mind. When she’s not writing romantic adventure novels, she reads voraciously, tweets compulsively, and fangirls over a TV show based on her favorite book series. Tricia earned her BA in Creative Writing from The University of Tampa and her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Her favorite authors include Diana Gabaldon, J.R. Ward, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Karen Robards, and Johanna Lindsey. She lives in Southwest Florida with two very spoiled dogs. Follow Tricia on Twitter and Instagram @tricialeedom