by Zoe York
He quickly dumped his suitcase in the bedroom, changed out of his traveling clothes, and then headed back out again.
Time to track down his other love. He went to Bun in the Oven first, but the barista on duty redirected him to Evie’s Pilates studio. There, he found the doors locked, and the lights out.
On a hunch, he went around to the back.
He wasn’t the landlord at home. But he was here on the main drag, and he knew the pin code to get in the back entrance of all of the shops in his buildings.
“Hello?” a female voice—Evie—called out as soon as he opened the door. “We’re closed.”
“Landlord inspection,” he called out, and he heard a chorus of laughs.
Carrie’s dark red hair was the first head he saw as he turned into the kitchenette at the back of the studio. Then Evie’s blonde ponytail.
His woman was hiding, though, behind a giant sign. “Jess?”
She popped her face out from behind it. “Hey, babe.”
“What are you doing?”
“The new sign arrived.”
“I see that.”
“And the delivery guys wanted to take it to town hall, which obviously wouldn’t work—”
“Why not?”
“Because of the spirit of Mommy’s Muffin Time, that’s why not. We’re radical agents of change.”
“Everyone in town knows the beach is going to be re-branded tonight. We’ve got a band and a dance floor and everything.”
“Don’t ruin our fun, my darling.” She came out from behind the sign. His gaze fell to her belly, just starting to swell. They hadn’t told anyone she was pregnant, but people would start to notice soon.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Evie looking at him, and she was grinning.
Maybe people already had.
Jess came to stand beside him. “What do you think of the sign?”
He read it with her. Whisper Beach, it read in large, colourful letters.
“Perfectly Instagrammable,” he said.
She beamed at him. “Exactly.”
THE END
Thank you for reading Evan, Jess and Brent’s book! If you enjoyed it, please leave an honest review wherever you picked it up. Reviews help other readers decide to take a chance on a book.
And we’re not done with this town! Ty West gets a book in my brand-new series, Whisper Beach, coming in 2020. For more information, visit my website at www.zoeyork.com/books/whisper-beach/ or join my newsletter at www.smarturl.it/ZoeYorkNewsletter.
Books By Zoe York
THE WARDHAM SERIES
Between Then and Now
What Once Was Perfect
Where Their Hearts Collide
When They Weren’t Looking
Beyond Love and Hate
Perfect No Matter What
No Time Like Forever
Beneath These Bright Stars
Forever Begins With a Kiss
All That They Desire
PINE HARBOUR
Love in a Small Town
Love in a Snow Storm
Love on a Spring Morning
Love on a Summer Night
Love on the Run
Love in a Sandstorm
Love on the Outskirts of Town
Love on the Edge of Reason
SEALS UNDONE
Fall Out
Fall Hard
Fall Away
Fall Deep
Fall Back
Fall Dark
Fall Dirty
Fall Quiet
Fall Easy
HOT CARIBBEAN NIGHTS
Ruined by the SEAL
Bound by the SEAL
Bought by the SEAL
Cherished by the SEAL
SEALS AT CAMP FIREFLY FALLS
Skinny Dipping Dare
Take a Chance on Me
Ambushed by Love
Visit my website and join my mailing list to be the first to hear about new books!
Acknowledgements
aka The People Who Have Hung in There With Me FOREVER
The first two people I want to thank as I wrap up this book are my writing coach, Becca Syme, and my therapist, who will remain unnamed.
I have spent a lot of the last two years trying to make sense of what I want to write, and how, and why.
Marriage in trouble is my favourite trope. And it destroys me at the same time. Almost every series I’ve written has included at least one of those stories. This series has two, and this one took me literally years to write.
I’m grateful for every reader who devoured this series and when they got to the end sent me a message or an email asking where Evan’s book was.
It turns out, his book was hiding inside Jess’s story.
I’m not going to be sorry for how much time she gets on the page. Writing her story was a joy, and an honour, and every time she fiercely stood up for what she wanted, I cheered.
This book is deeply personal for me, and not in any obvious ways. I don’t have a secret poly triad relationship! But Jess is me in other ways, and I love her.
I’ve written acknowledgements at the back of almost fifty books, so it feels a bit “been there, done that” to mention how supportive my husband is of my writing. But he is, and I’m grateful. My kids are older now, and they’re simply the best about how crazy my job can be sometimes. Two nights ago, the eleven-year-old told the seven-year-old they’d have to put themselves to bed because Daddy was at work and Mommy was on deadline. But next week we’ll have extra long bedtimes with all the stories and snuggles.
And that is all thanks to you, my readers. Thank you so much for supporting me in my endless storytelling, and understanding as I followed my wandering muse to Pine Harbour and Coronado and the Caribbean before returning to Wardham.
Thank you for sticking this out with me.
Thank for reading Jess’s story, and yes, there will be more Wardham. Coming soon: Whisper Beach. Jess’s legacy, in book form.
About the Author
Zoe York lives in London, Ontario with her young family. She's currently chugging Americanos, wiping sticky fingers, and dreaming of heroes in and out of uniform.
Connect with Zoe:
www.zoeyork.com
[email protected]
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 Zoe York
All rights reserved.
