Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set

by Grover Swank, Denise

  I hadn’t slept after Josie’s abrupt departure, and I couldn’t put my finger on why I had so much anxiety churning in my stomach. Hadn’t I known she was going to leave? She’d been open and honest about that from the moment I met her. And Josie didn’t seem like the kind of person who changed her mind.

  I had wanted, desperately, for the rockslide to be cleared so that Big Sur could be reconnected with the world.

  But now I wanted to roll those boulders back down the mountain with my bare hands.

  How, in a matter of a week, I could meet a woman who made me want to commit acts of destruction on the place I loved the most, I’d never know.

  I distracted myself with planning a celebration at The Bar for that night, letting the information float down the Big Sur Channel. Until Lucia called, begging the use of The Bar’s kitchen to cook Calvin a surprise birthday dinner. Which I’d been happy to accommodate, especially since Cal had been sly and secret about their obviously blossoming relationship, and there wasn’t anything I wanted more than for sweetly shy Calvin to find his soulmate.

  Well, there was one thing—one person—I wanted more than that. But she was leaving.

  So I’d changed things up and spread the word through the Big Sur Channel that if you wanted to celebrate that night, you needed to start early and be out of there by eight o’clock.

  Which is how I ended up bartending to a bunch of drunk people at four in the afternoon.

  They’d come in droves. Gloria and Gladys. Kevin looking especially harried. The Mayor. Ruth and Mrs. Manahan. Geoff, Fritz, and John sitting stoically in the corner, nursing their beers, and occasionally muttering about crop yields. Even my dad, Austin, and Isabelle were sitting at the bar nursing whiskeys and enjoying the revelry.

  Scott and his crew were in the corner, sloppy drunk and grinning, taking shot after shot purchased for them by the locals. Every so often, he’d catch my eye, slur “We love you Gabe,” and then go back to drinking.

  A week ago, our town had been cut off from food, services, and the rest of the world with no idea when we’d be set free. Countless natural disasters hadn’t gone as well, and the entire community seemed to wait with bated breath and crossed fingers, hoping and praying it wouldn’t be like the others.

  Miraculously, it hadn’t been. The only side effect had been our own trapped crew of Hollywood People.

  “Your dream is ruined, big brother,” Austin said, grinning at me.

  I was drying glasses, trying—and failing—not to think about Josie. But everything reminded me of her—even now, I kept looking towards the door, hoping she’d stride in wearing combat boots and ripped jeans, reach over the bar, grab me by the collar, and pull me towards the bedroom to have her way with me.

  “Which dream is that?” I asked, nudging the whiskey closer to them. He and my dad looked like twins—both slight and shorter than me by at least six inches. I’d inherited my mother’s genes—she had come from a family of giants.

  “The one where everyone gets trapped in Big Sur and can never leave because it’s the most perfect place in the whole world,” my dad said fondly.

  When I was ten, I’d had an actual dream that we could never leave Big Sur. My entire family was stuck there with all of our friends and neighbors. A nightmare, to some people, but I’d declared to my family that I wanted it to happen in real life.

  A silly declaration that they never let me forget.

  “True,” I laughed. “Now the tourists can come back and ruin everything. And the Hollywood People will be on their way tomorrow morning.”

  “Taking all the excitement with them,” Gloria said into her drink. “And their abs.”

  Austin and Isabelle shot each other a bemused look.

  “Just how often did you spy on them?” I asked, running a towel along the rim of an old glass. I recognized it from when I was little—the curved handle with the slight chip on the side. It had once been Robert Ellis’ favorite. I looked up, and my dad was staring at it with the same sad smile.

  Gladys and Gloria exchanged a glance. “Who knows? I mean we couldn’t go anywhere, so we’d just take the donkeys out for a walk, and… oh I don’t know, lay in the bushes for a while. With our binoculars.”

  “Is that why you were late to work every day this week?” Kevin asked.

  The sisters shrugged innocently, but my siblings burst into laughter.

  “Guess you’ll be saying goodbye to the Purple-Haired Satanist?” Dad asked.

  I felt every single eye land on me, the sisters’ heads swiveling like nosy owls.

  “Carry on,” I said, waving my hands at the crowd. “I don’t want to hear about Josie on the Big Sur Channel tomorrow, you hear me?”

  Dad snorted. “You can’t control it, son. The Channel controls all of us,” he grinned. “But lean closer, and we can talk more quietly about Josie,” he said in a stage-whisper.

  I leaned in. “She’s leaving tomorrow, and I don’t really want to talk about it.”

  “Are you going to make a grand romantic gesture? Ask her to stay?” he asked.

  Austin nodded in agreement. Isabelle, however, stared into her drink.

  I scoffed, rolling my eyes even though I’d spent the entire day thinking about doing just that. I wanted desperately for Josie to stay—wanted it so strongly it was like a physical pain.

  “I don’t…” I trailed off, thinking about what she’d told me. How she’d been engaged before, and whatever had happened had permanently altered her perception of love and relationships.

  “I’m not sure a grand romantic gesture is what Josie would want. She has… a bad history with romance,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “It might not go over well. Plus, what’s my plan? Ask her to stay and give up her life in Los Angeles? I’ve known her for a week.” Even to my tender, hopeless romantic’s heart, that sounded much too intense.

  “I did it for Paige,” Austin said, pouring another finger of whiskey into his glass. “She was only supposed to be here for a six-month placement and then move back to the East Coast. And yeah, it was a lot to ask her and a lot to put on the line, but the thought of living my life without her wasn’t possible.”

  “Yeah, but Paige also loves Big Sur,” I pointed out. “Josie’s only been here a week and has a whole life in Los Angeles. I know what you’re saying, baby bro, but I don’t think it’s the same situation.”

  “Here’s a question,” Isabelle said, pinning me with a sharp look. “Austin, would you have moved to the East Coast if Paige had asked?”

  “Absolutely,” he said without even waiting a beat. No hesitation. He just knew.

  “Gabe?” Isabelle asked.

  Suddenly, I was floundering. I wanted things to be like they’d been this week—Josie and I floating in a world without consequences, having great conversations and going on hikes and having the best sex of my entire life.

  “What?” I asked, stalling.

  “Would you move to Los Angeles if Josie asked you to?”

  “And leave The Bar?” I said, sounding defensive.

  My dad shrugged. “Lots of folks could tend to The Bar.”

  “I know,” I said. “But this place is everything to me. Our legacy. What it means. All the work I have left to do to have an impact here.”

  All three of them were silent, still staring at me. Because I hadn’t answered the question.

  “Make a grand gesture when you ask her to stay here,” Gladys said, staring at me over the top of her (fifth) drink. “Gloria and I can plan it out for you.”

  I couldn’t help but smile because making a grand romantic gesture was what I wanted to do. Wanted to sweep Josie off her feet and show her what a relationship was really about.

  “What if it scares her away again?” I pointed out. “Like Sasha? I did the whole thing—the picnic on the beach. The romance. The wine. And she dumped me right there.”

  Gloria shrugged. “Maybe she wasn’t the right girl. Seems to me this Josie, even though you’ve only kn
own her a week, might be closer to The One.”

  I looked away for a moment, a battalion of contradictory thoughts fighting for dominance in my head. Josie, throwing up walls for a good reason, protecting her heart. A nagging, nasty feeling that if Josie turned the tables and asked me to move to Los Angeles… I’d say no.

  And I didn’t know what the fuck any of it meant.

  Gladys reached over and grabbed my wrist, her sharp nails, crusted in fake diamonds, biting into my skin. “Listen, it’s simple. Close your eyes and think of Josie.”

  I did. Thought hard. Of her laughter and quirky sense of humor. Her hands, tying me to the bed. The confidence that shone through her movements. Her shy vulnerability.

  “What do you feel?” she asked.

  My heart was full to bursting. “Warmth. Happiness. Joy,” I finally said, letting my eyes open.

  Gladys patted my hand, glanced at her sister. “I’d say a person that makes you feel joy is one worth fighting for. Do the gesture. Ask her to stay. There’s no way she won’t love it.”

  That feeling of joy suffused every cell in my body. Urged me to pick up the phone, dial Josie’s number, and ask her to swing by late tonight after Cal and Lucia left.

  She’d said yes, almost immediately and a little breathlessly. And the hope that blossomed in my chest felt as verdant as a spring garden.

  Even as a smaller, darker voice urged caution.

  But I ignored it.

  “We’re doing this,” I said, and Austin let out a whoop.

  Chapter 35

  Josie

  I was seriously starting to consider the possibility that my brain had split into two personalities. One part heard the news that the rockslide had been cleared, that we were free to leave, and wanted to dance the fucking jig. No more confusion over Gabe! No more vulnerability! No more small-town country living!

  The other, louder, more obnoxious part of my brain wanted to curl up in Gabe’s cozy bed and never leave. Just spend my days alternately tying him up and then having long conversations as we walked through the woods.

  I mean, did I really need to make money?

  In the morning, as I’d crawled back to Lucia’s cabin, she’d sank in front of me, held my hands, and demanded a reality check. Things with her and Calvin had gotten serious quickly, and suddenly our week-long fun flings both felt decidedly different.

  “Look at me,” she’d said, and my eyes filled with tears. “You just met Gabe. One week ago.”

  “Right,” I said, miserably.

  “How well do you really know him?”

  I sighed, petulant. “I guess… I guess I know him as well as you can know someone in a week. But—”

  “No buts,” she’d said firmly. “What conceivable future do you have with him?”

  “None,” I said, and the jig-dancing part of my brain cheered. “Which is why this is so terrible. I mean, my career is in L.A. My contacts are in L.A. There isn’t a big need for makeup artists here. And Gabe? This place is his life. He’s who everyone comes to for wisdom over a drink. For a kind word. He’ll probably be the mayor in twenty years.”

  I was surprised that I could put what I was feeling into words. Because we hadn’t necessarily talked about a potential future together, just delicately danced around it.

  Except for this morning, when Gabe had held my wrist and wondered if we could be different together.

  “Which means leaving here to move to Los Angeles with a woman he barely knows is just not in the cards, now is it?” Her eyes had that intense look she got when she’d held the same pose for six hours straight on set. And I knew this wasn’t just about me.

  “Lucia,” I said quietly. “Who are you trying to convince here?” Because that girl was pining… pining for Calvin and refused to admit it.

  She opened her mouth to respond but then closed it and leaned forward as I wrapped my arms around her. “I’m sorry. I just thought… with your history… I don’t know. Do you want to be talked into something? Or talked out of something?” she said.

  “I think I just want to be sad,” I said, suddenly so awash in the feeling I could only let Lucia hold me as I felt it. I didn’t cry, but I was mourning something.

  And then our heart-to-heart had been interrupted by Calvin, asking Lucia out on one last date. To which she’d said yes, regardless of the consequences.

  She came back inside, grinning like a loon, and fell backward onto the bed.

  “You’re going to need to help me find the right outfit. Something that says: I want to have hot sex tonight and explore our deep, personal connection. However, I do not want to think about our lack of a future.”

  “What about a romper?” I said dryly, tapping my finger against my lips. She laughed, turning to look at me.

  “I know I’m making it harder,” she said, biting her lip.

  I shrugged, staring out the window. We had one night left here before we drove home at dawn. Could I do what Lucia was doing? Subject myself to equal amounts of pleasure and pain with Gabe?

  “Josie,” she started. “If Gabe called and wanted to see you tonight, wanted to talk about the possibility of a relationship, what would you tell him?”

  “No,” I said, firmly. “Because I don’t want to live here. What I want is to live in a fantasy-dimension where Big Sur and Los Angeles are the exact same fucking place.”

  “Fair,” she smiled. “But… what else? Because you seem conflicted, and I would be too. But what if tonight…” she sat up, grabbing my hand. “What if tonight we were brave?”

  “Brave?”

  She nodded. “Like we were talking about the other day. Something about Big Sur is changing me. It’s all the natural beauty. The wildness. It makes me want to be reckless. Seize the moment. The day.” Another smile. “Say fuck the future.”

  I remembered standing on top of that fallen redwood tree. The blissful freedom of the forest, how the gravity of nature seemed to mute my anxieties.

  “Okay,” I said. “So. If I was… being brave—” I said, and Lucia nodded in encouragement. “I would… I would want to keep seeing Gabe. In a… relationship.” The word felt heavy and awkward on my tongue. Lu’s eyes widened. “Long distance,” I finished. “Just… phone calls. Coming to visit each other. That kind of thing.”

  “Maybe one of you would end up—”

  “No way in hell,” I laughed. “We’re both too stubborn to move. But… if I was going to seize the moment, then yes. I’d want a light relationship with Gabe. Limited. No strings.”

  “That’s a big fucking deal, chica,” Lucia mused, eyes searching mine. Because it was. Not to some people, but to me it was the equivalent of staring down at a map and declaring the Earth to be flat. “To be honest, I actually didn’t expect you to say that.”

  “Well, there’s no possibility of us having a real future. Just a right now. And I’m… okay with that,” I said slowly, expecting a veritable force of butterflies to take flight in my stomach.

  But instead I actually felt… almost normal. Thought of Gabe rubbing my feet and grinning bashfully in his room. His trust in me. My inherent trust in him. If I was going to place the responsibility in anyone’s hands, it would be his.

  “I’m okay with you being okay,” she said.

  I bit my lip. “Me too.”

  Gabe called while Lucia was in the shower, which was probably a good thing.

  “How are you?” Gabe asked, his deep voice so kind I did almost burst into tears. Just because.

  “I’m good,” I said. “Just… packing to leave.”

  There was a bit of a silence, and I could hear the rowdy sounds of The Bar.

  “You’ve got company?” I teased.

  “Oh, just the usual functional alcoholics that run this town—ouch! Gladys, that fucking hurt.” Muffled sounds, then his voice was back. “Excuse me, my bar is merely filled with the lovely, law-abiding citizens of Big Sur.”

  I laughed, and I could feel him smiling over the line.

&nbs
p; “Listen. No pressure at all, and you might not even want to see me, but Lucia is bringing Cal over tonight for his birthday—” he said.

  “I know. Believe me, we’ve talked about it,” I said, laughing.

  “Well, so, after that I’m free for a couple hours. Do you want to… come by?” His shy hesitancy, so unlike him, shook me to my core. “I just thought, since it’s your last night in Big Sur, we could just hang out in The Bar if you want? Totally casual. I’ll even light the fireplace and kick out the law-abiding citizens.”

  I smiled, even though the rational part of my brain was chanting the word NO like cheerleaders at a high-school football game.

  But Lucia and I were going to be brave. I could do it.

  Right?

  “Yes,” I said breathlessly. “I’ll be there.”

  * * *

  Five hours and one-hundred outfits later, Lucia was standing in front of me looking like a blonde goddess.

  “Thank you for the clothing montage,” she said as I applied a coat of blood-red lipstick to her lips. Even off the clock, I itched to put makeup on people. “And for the support. And for not telling me that seeing Cal one last time tonight is only going to make tomorrow even harder.”

  “You’re welcome. And thank you for not doing the same thing when I tell you that I’m also going to see Gabe tonight.”

  She gave me a little shove, and I giggled.

  “Watch it or you’ll smear,” I teased.

  “Lucky lady! You’re just now telling me?”

  I shrugged, trying to play it off. “It’s after he helps you with your date.”

  “Small role,” Lu said. “I’ll only need him for, like, an hour tops.” Her hands were on her hips as she looked out the window, checking for Cal.

  My best friend was nervous.

  “No, it’s good,” I said slowly, watching Lu. “He’s a good friend to Cal. I like seeing that. Clarke didn’t have friends the way Gabe does, didn’t have relationships the way Gabe does. Gabe is… just really fucking kind.”

  Lucia’s head whipped toward me, a strange look on her face “I think that’s beautiful, Jo. Tell him what you’re feeling. Just be honest.”