Seaside Sweets (Love Along Hwy 30A Book 1) Read online

“But you don’t even know me.”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes people who don’t know you are the best ones to tell your problems to.” She looked down at the ground, her brow worried. He nudged her arm. “What happens at the shore stays at the shore.”

  Her lip went up just a little in a smile, and she looked heavenward, shaking her head slightly. Her gaze fell on his, and she studied him hard. “I haven’t told anyone about this. Not even Cassidy.”

  He stared at her, hoping to convey trust. The last thing he ever wanted was to be involved in drama. He ran from drama like a kid confronted by a skunk with its tail lifted. But for whatever reason, he wanted to know whatever she was willing to tell. “I’m here. Nobody else is around…nobody on earth.”

  She considered him. “Right now, you think I’m just a regular girl, but after we’re done here, you’ll think I’m an idiot.”

  “I can assure you, I won’t think that about you.”

  She took a step toward him across the invisible line of personal space, holding up one finger in between them. “Ten bucks says you’ll think I’m an idiot.”

  If he were the kind of guy who flirted, he’d grab her finger. He drew his bottom lip in between his teeth and then released it to say, “You’re on.”

  She dropped to sit, leaning back, placing her hands down in the sand on either side of her. She cut her eyes at him. “I just met you. I’m not trying to scare you away.”

  “I don’t scare easily. Try me.”

  She inhaled a breath like she was getting ready to go diving without a mask. “I’ve gotten myself into a tricky situation with my ex.” She glanced over at him to get his reaction, but he kept his expression impassive. “I’ve been paying all the rent and bills since last January, and I’m going to keep doing this until December when our lease is up.”

  “Why can’t he pay his part?”

  “Because he’s sick.” She put the word in air quotes, and then dragged her gaze to meet his. “He’s got a gambling problem.”

  Blake nodded, remembering an acquaintance of his in med school who went down a rabbit hole with gambling. It was tough to watch. He’d had to quit school. Last Blake heard he was tending bar somewhere. Who was Blake to judge, though? He was a handyman.

  “I just love how people treat gambling like it’s a sickness,” she said, “like it’s something that’s not the fault of the gambler. You should hear some of the things his sponsor has said to me. I need to be supportive and sensitive to his illness. Like he’s got cancer or something.”

  “How long have you two been together?”

  She held up a finger. “We’re not together. We haven’t been together since last Christmas.”

  He hated to admit that he didn’t mind hearing that. “How long has he been…sick?”

  She let out a breath as if trying to blow out the frustration. “He’s gambled since I met him a few years ago. It was always on football or basketball games. Simple stuff…or so it seemed. But it got worse. Last Christmas, I went to swipe my credit card at Macy’s, and it was declined. I was over my limit, which was really strange. I only use that card at Christmas, because I’ve always been able to pay it off with my year-end bonus.” She huffed a laugh. “What’s so ridiculous was I was trying to buy him this outrageously expensive watch he’d had his eye on for months.”

  “So you were spending your year-end bonus on him?”

  She lifted one eyebrow. “Ready to pay up yet?”

  He smiled at her. “No. Did you report it stolen?”

  She shut her eyes tightly. “It’s not as cut-and-dried as it sounds. I loved him. It’s so weird to say it now, because the last thing I feel when I look at him or think about him is love, but I did love him.” She shook her head, staring out at the dark ocean, seeming to look for answers there. “I thought I could help him…make him better.” The last part of her sentence came out in the form of a laugh, as if the idea were preposterous.

  He understood more than she would ever know…more than he’d let her know. He drew his knees up closer to his chest. “Is that the worst of it…the credit card?”

  She huffed a laugh, shaking her head. “He was so deep into my accounts in such a short amount of time. It was like a tornado hit my finances. I didn’t have much to begin with, but he drove up a lot of debt.”

  “Are you suing him?”

  “Have you ever tried to sue a gambler? I’d have to get in line behind the guys who bust knees.”

  He nodded, realizing it was a naïve question to ask. This was her battle to fight. She was a smart woman. No doubt she’d thought through the ins and outs of it all and was doing what she needed to do to get through this. “So I take it you can’t break your lease.”

  “It’s worded in such a way that you can break it any time you want, but you have to keep paying on your apartment until it’s rented, and there’s been five to ten units sitting empty all year. They keep multiplying.”

  A thought occurred to him…one that made him a little uneasy. “So, have you been living there with him?”

  She gritted her teeth like she was in physical pain. “Yeah.”

  All sorts of thoughts about sleeping arrangements and shared showers invaded his brain. “It’s a two-bedroom?” he asked hopefully.

  “Oh, God yes. If it wasn’t his ass would be on the couch, trust me.”

  He nodded, ridiculously relieved, as he watched her pick up a handful of sand and let it flow through her fingers. “Have you been dating other people?”

  “I can’t even think about opening up to another guy like that.”

  That was precisely the reason this walk with her was a bad idea. It was too goddamned romantic. The moonlit ocean, the deserted beach. The intimacy between them, her sharing so personally with him at his request. He should have stayed up on solid ground with her where it was safe. This was Bo’s fault for prodding him, poking him to make a move.

  She swiped the sand off her hands. “At this point, I’m just trying to make it to December 1 with my sanity.”

  “What happens then?”

  “That’s when my last payment is due.”

  He liked the sound of that. “Until then?”

  “Until then I continue to pay for my ex to live in my apartment.”

  He couldn’t fathom the loser who would allow a woman to pay his way without contributing something.

  She looked at him curiously. “Hey, are you okay?”

  “What?” he asked.

  “You look really agitated,” she said.

  “Sorry, I just…I’m not trying to get in your business.”

  “Seriously? I just laid all that on you, and you think I don’t expect you to have a reaction?”

  He clenched his fists, letting the frustration out. “I can’t understand this guy. He just lets you pay, no questions asked?”

  “I know it’s all so stupid. This is why I haven’t told anyone. This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  Even in the moonlight he could see her cheeks turning pink. “Hey,” he said nudging her leg with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s not my problem to fix. I’m sure you’ve covered all angles. You’re doing the right thing, whatever it is, I’m sure.”

  She met his gaze, her eyes hopeful. “Thank you…for saying that.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Do you want Bo and me to go up there and kick his ass out of your space?”

  She chuckled. “I would pay you so much money. Of course, I don’t have that money, which is part of the problem of all this, but it’s a lovely thought.”

  “Where is your apartment? We’ll pay him a visit.”

  “12 South neighborhood. Ooh, but go kick his ass at his job so he’s humiliated in front of lots of people.”

  He blinked, shocked to hear the loser worked. “He has a job? What does he do?”

  “He’s in medical equipment sales.”

  Blake couldn’t help making the immediate connection…medical equipment sales rep who used to live in Atlan
ta. That was way too close for comfort for him. Those guys were in and out of his hospital daily, and he’d been to lunch with a few of them. He had to know if he knew him. “He did that in Atlanta?” he asked.

  “Yeah, that’s where he got started.”

  “What’s his name?” Blake asked, knowing he was on shaky ground.

  Seanna frowned. “Jason Monahan. Did you know him…back in Atlanta?”

  The name wasn’t familiar. That didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t like Blake remembered all their names. “No, I just was thinking, those guys make decent money. He should be able to pay his half of the rent.”

  “That’s true, but it all goes to his gambling problem.” She air quoted. “‘The disease.’ Anyway, if you want to kick his ass, you’ll probably have an opportunity without going anywhere. I imagine he’ll show up here when he gets desperate enough…or gets enough money to travel down here, whichever comes first.”

  That wasn’t a pleasant thought. Not only did he not want this guy anywhere near Seanna, he didn’t want to take the chance that the guy would recognize him. He’d look him up when he got home and see if he was a regular at his hospital in Atlanta. Blake needed to be prepared for anything.

  “So why are you here?” he asked, wanting to get away from this subject quickly.

  “I had nowhere else to go. I couldn’t be around him anymore after this last bit he pulled. None of my family or friends know about any of this, and I want to keep it that way…at least until December. I can’t have my mom and dad swooping in and saving me, because they absolutely would and they can’t afford it. And if I ask to stay with one of my friends, they’ll want to know what’s going on and why I haven’t kicked him out and it’ll be a whole thing. Besides that, I’ve been retracting from all of them this past year. It’s much easier than explaining all this to someone and waiting for the judgment. Not that they’d be wrong.” She drew in the sand with a stick, aimlessly.

  He knew exactly what she meant. He’d done the same thing three years ago. Kevin was the only person he’d allowed to stay in touch with him. Everyone else went. It was too difficult to be around them knowing they probably blamed or judged him for what he did.

  He wanted to pull her in close to him, easing her stress just for a minute. With every word she spoke he was clear on two things: he was the last thing she needed, and he was growing closer to her by the second.

  He let silence sit between them for a bit and then asked, “What happened? What was this last bit that broke your limit?”

  She stared solemnly at the ocean. “He stole money from the firm where I work and made it look like I did it.”

  He winced, thinking of the humiliation she must be going through. “How did he...” Blake wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence.

  “He hacked into my company’s system using my credentials.” She shook her head, a humorless smile on her lips. “He’s done some low stuff before, but I never dreamed he’d go that far.”

  She stared off into the dark ocean distance, worry etched on her features. He wanted to reach for her hand or some similar gesture that showed he cared. But the moment already seemed intimate enough, the two of them alone in the dark, lit slightly by the activity of 30A behind them. He didn’t want to seem like he was coming on strong, but more importantly, he wasn’t sure he could trust himself to keep from getting even more intimate with her if she let him.

  He cleared his throat as he adjusted himself on the sand. “So what’s going on now…at your company? Are they pressing charges or…”

  She closed her eyes and dropped her head. “No. My boss Phillip went to bat for me. He was able to stop them from pressing charges, but he wasn’t able to keep my job.” She looked up at the sky, shaking her head. “He’s done so much for me these past four years. He sort of took me under his wing and helped me learn the ropes of the business.”

  “Construction, right?”

  She sort of rolled her eyes. “Yeah.”

  He considered her. “That’s what you love to do?”

  She blinked, staring at him hard. “Yeah,” she said, after a long moment’s hesitation. “I guess.”

  “How’s the job search coming?” he asked.

  She pursed her lips “I don’t know. I’ve sent out about twenty-five resumes between yesterday and today, but my resume’s weak since I hadn’t been promoted from assistant yet. I need a resume builder…a project to work on…something that’s mine.” She leaned forward, pulling her knees to her chin, wrapping her arms around her folded legs.

  He wanted to help her, to be the one to make everything okay for her. “What about a kitchen remodel?”

  She separated her chest from her thighs. “Hmm?”

  “I have a friend who’s looking for a kitchen remodel. Would you be up for quoting it?”

  She turned her whole body toward him, a sparkle in her eye. “Are you serious?”

  He swallowed. “Sure. Can you handle a quote like that?”

  She closed her eyes quickly, and then reopened them with a nod. “Of course. I’ll just need to do a little research on local prices, but yes, I can handle it.”

  He nodded, feeling proud and guilty all at the same time. He loved the fact that he could help turn her mood from solemn to hopeful in a snap. But he also knew he was full of shit. Chase was going to kill him. He’d get over it.

  He hauled himself up off the sand, and then held out his hand to help her up. After he stood her upright, he held her hand a second longer than he should have. He couldn’t help it. He wasn’t ready to let her go just yet, even though the touch of her hand would be as far as he’d ever let himself get with her.

  She turned away from him, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. She wiped the sand off her pants, and they headed back down the beach. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, they put on their shoes and started to head up, but he took her arm and she turned toward him. With her on the step and him still on the beach, they were face to face.

  He held out his hand. “Where’s my ten bucks?”

  She smiled. “I’ll do better than that. I’ll take you out to lunch to thank you.”

  “I’m just making the connection for you. There’s no guarantee—”

  “An introduction is all I can ask for. Thank you.”

  Staring into her hazel eyes, an ocean breeze blew over them. Her face opened in a wide smile as she turned her back to him and walked up the stairs.

  As he watched her rejoin the group, he held back, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He pulled up his buddy Chase’s name and hit send.

  “Yo,” Chase answered.

  “You know that piece of crap kitchen you’ve been talking about remodeling for like two years now?” Blake asked.

  “I know the one,” Chase said.

  “You’re getting a quote on it.”

  “I am?” Chase said, not missing a beat. Chase had more money than he knew what to do with. He always talked about fixing up his house, but he was just too damn busy to do anything about it.

  “Yep,” Blake said.

  “Hmm,” Chase muttered, and then sat silent for a minute.

  “What?” Blake asked.

  “Nothing,” Chase said. “I’m just trying to figure out if you’re hard up for money or if this has something to do with a girl. Maybe both. You getting engaged or something? Need a loan for a ring?”

  Blake shifted, pocketing his hand. “Just make yourself scarce around eleven o’clock tomorrow morning, okay? I’ve got my key.”

  “Ah, so it is about a girl.”

  “It’s about your kitchen,” Blake lied.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Blake rolled his eyes as he ended the call. Seanna sat on the blanket as Sebastian handed her a cup of wine. She shifted her gaze to Blake and held up her drink with a nod.

  “Definitely about a girl,” Blake said under his breath.

  When he got home, he opened his laptop and pulled up a search engine. He typed Jason Monahan med
ical sales Atlanta and the results populated, pictures of Jason Monahans flooding his screen. One face took up more real estate on the page than the others, a decent looking, clean-cut guy in his late twenties or so.

  Enlarging one of the pictures, he searched the man’s face, looking for some sort of recognition. He clicked the source of the picture and found it connected with an industry newsletter featuring some accolades. This guy had been awarded rep of the month in this particular issue, and the article bragged about Jason’s uncanny sales abilities. He was described as a force to be reckoned with.

  No wonder Seanna had been taken in by him. This guy’s job was to convince people to do things. She was an honest, caring person, and he’d seen that as a weakness and exploited it. He was less worried about Jason showing up in Seaside and exposing him, and more concerned about going to jail after he beat the hell out of the guy if he did show his face.

  He shut his computer and ran his hand through his hair. He could feel his heart swelling as he thought about Seanna. His emotions were on high alert…more so than usual. He needed to be friendly and kind, and that was it. Keep this girl and this situation at a distance…that’s what he’d do. As he lay in bed later than night, images of her rushing his brain, he begged the universe to help him figure out a way how to do that.

  Chapter Six

  Seanna cracked eggs into a cup while turkey bacon sizzled in the skillet. Cassidy stirred from somewhere down the hall. Nothing like the smell of bacon to wake up one of her family members. She plated their breakfast and poured orange juice.

  “I love you,” Cassidy said.

  “Because I’m your favorite niece, or because I made you bacon?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think I probably shouldn’t push my luck,” Seanna said, pouring Cassidy a cup of coffee.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “Just thought you’d want a carb-free breakfast at least one day of the week.”

  Cassidy took a seat. “My body will probably reject it, wondering where the gluten is.”

  As they ate, Seanna gauged her aunt’s mood. It was time to spill the beans. Telling Blake the whole story had helped tremendously. She’d broken the seal with him, and the world hadn’t ended. He’d just listened and hadn’t chastised her for any of it…hadn’t questioned her actions. He had no idea how much that had meant to her. She’d wanted to tell him that but didn’t want to get weird on him. She knew her story was strange enough on its own.