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Six months later...
Heath wrapped one strong arm around Franny’s shoulders as they watched the last car pull away from the bed and breakfast. “I finally get you alone with me,” he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.
She turned and slipped into his embrace, easy and familiar. “What’s it been, three days?”
“Since we spent more than ten minutes together without anyone else around? Something like that.” He caught her mouth with his. Sweet, then turning hot and teasing.
“Um, hello?” Chloe said as she walked into the parlor. “I’m still here. Get a room or something.”
Franny laughed as they broke apart, and she twined her fingers twined Heath’s soft shirtfront. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not,” Chloe said. Earbuds dangled around her neck, and she carried a basket of dirty laundry. “But at least you two are cool about it.” She headed into the laundry room. “I’m gonna start this load of whites and then head back to Mom’s, if that’s okay. All the rooms are done except the Lighthouse Suite, but I have that major Econ test to study for.”
“Go, of course,” Franny said. She still felt spoiled having Chloe here almost every weekend. She loved the extra pair of hands, not to mention the companionship.
“Did you hear back from Thiel College yet?” Heath asked as Chloe balanced the basket on her hip.
“No, but it doesn’t matter. I sent in my deposit somewhere else last week.”
“Chloe! You didn’t tell us,” Franny said. Please don’t let it be University of Florida. Brett had headed there two months ago to start a business major in the spring semester. He and Chloe had broken up, then gotten back together, then broken up again, but Franny had a feeling that warm weather and distance from her mother might just tug Chloe south to follow him.
Chloe turned pink. “I picked Blakely College.”
Heath’s whole body changed, relaxed for just an instant and then straightened with pride. He strode across the room, took her by the shoulders, and kissed her hard on the cheek. “Really?” he said gruffly. “You’re not messing with me?”
“I’m not messing with you, Dad. God.” She glanced at Franny with a wide smile. “I was kind of hoping maybe I could stay on working here, earn some money while I go to school. Weekends, for sure, and maybe during the week if my schedule’s not too crazy.”
“Of course you can,” Heath answered before Franny could. “You could live here, too, if you wanted. If you didn’t want to stay on campus, I mean.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Let’s not go that far. You do want me to have the full college experience, don’t you?” She winked, turned, and vanished into the laundry room.
“I don’t think I do,” Heath muttered.
Franny straightened the curtains and gathered dirty teacups from the sideboard. “Relax. You’ll probably see her more on campus than you will here.” Wilson Hanks had taken him back as a full-time security guard as soon as Heath finished his physical therapy, right after the holidays.
Heath stared after Chloe, brow furrowed. “You’re probably right. Although the last thing I want is to break up another one of her parties.”
Franny chuckled as she carried the teacups into the kitchen, the room twice as big as before, with top-of-the-line appliances and white quartz countertops that seemed to go on forever. I can’t believe this belongs to me.
Heath followed her, slipped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Can’t ever get tired of looking at that view,” he said. “Even with snow on the ground, the water, and the lighthouse...it’s good for the soul.”
“I know.” She leaned into him and let the warmth of his body wash over her. I can’t ever get tired of this either. Heath moved her hair from her neck and began to kiss her, feathery touches against her skin that gave her goose bumps head to toe. His palms slid down her hips, and he pulled her closer, until she could practically feel the vibrations humming between them.
“Have you decided what to rename the Hideaway?” he asked.
She shook her head as her eyes drifted shut. They’d turned over a few options in the last few months, but nothing stuck. “I’m still thinking.”
He returned to kissing her neck and one bare shoulder. “Want some inspiration?”
“Please.” She smiled. “I should probably think of a name before Aubrey and Finn’s wedding.”
He sneaked one hand inside her shirt and began caressing the smooth skin of her belly. “When is it again?”
“July sixth.”
“Here?”
“The reception, yes. The wedding will be at the Catholic church downtown.”
“Tell me you’re not catering it this time,” he said into her ear. The distraction of his breath and his hand moving upward made it hard for Franny to think straight. “Tell me we can enjoy it together.”
“We can.” She turned in his arms, wanting to see him, to kiss him, to look into the deep blue eyes she couldn’t get enough of. “We can enjoy all sorts of things together.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“I did tell her I’d help out, though. With the guest list and seating and picking a different caterer and stuff like that.”
He chuckled. “So what you’re saying is that I’d better get used to seeing less of you between now and then.”
“Not exactly. Well, maybe,” she amended. “She’s a little worried about the guest list – who to invite, who to leave off, things like that.”
“Does Aubrey have skeletons in her closet?”
“No. Not exactly. But everyone has a past, you know?”
“I do.” He bent and kissed her, and her soul soared, the way it always did when he touched her. “I’d rather talk about the present, though,” he murmured against her mouth. “Or the future. Our future.”
Our future. Franny liked the sound of that.
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Reader, I hope you enjoyed this story of two souls helping each other heal. The final book in the Hometown Heroes series actually stars Heath’s daughter Chloe, who’s sent to southern France as part of an international service project. She doesn’t have any interest in being there – until she meets her mysterious next-door neighbor, Bodhi. Travel abroad with me in Art of Love, a novella about finding love where you least expect it.
And if you want a free read, and something a little different, sign up for my newsletter and get the sweet medical romance novella Angle Shot just for joining.
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SPENDING A SUMMER IN southern France might be a dream to some, but all college senior Chloe Garrick wants is to go home to Lindsey Point. The only redeeming quality of studying abroad is her next-door neighbor: the kind, mysterious, disfigured Bodhi Lawson.
Bodhi has mastered the art of living alone. Scarred by a fire as a boy, he’s grown used to the stares of strangers and the rejection of women. Living in a small European town suits him well. But when Chloe moves in next door, he finds himself opening up to the bubbly American in ways he never imagined.
At first, Chloe counts the days until she can return to the States, but the more time she spends with Bodhi, the more she wants to know about the man behind the mask. When an unexpected tragedy summons her home early, will Chloe and Bodhi retreat to the safety of the worlds they’ve always known, or take a chance and risk it all for love?
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“HELLO! BONJOUR! DID I say that right?” Chloe leaned over the balcony of the apartment house and waved down at him.
He hadn’t seen much of her the last few days, but then again, he’d left before eight and rarely gotten home before seven. Short staff at the office meant extra work, though he didn’t mind. Otherwise, he’d be sitting in his apartment, wondering what Chloe was doing in hers.
She rested her arms on the railing and smiled as he got closer. “Hi,” she said.
“Hi. Good day?”
“Not a bad one. It’s the end of the week, which means I’ve survived here for five whole days.”
“Oh. Well, I’m glad for you.”
She didn’t say anything more, so he walked inside and up the stairs. But she was waiting for him at the top.
“I made something for you. Or for us.”
“Uh....”
“Is that wine?” She peered inside the bag. “Is there a liquor store close by?”
He chuckled. He couldn’t help it. She was like a baby bird, hopping from one thing to the next.
He hadn’t ever met anyone like her. Warning. Danger. You thought that the first time you met Bella too.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just hot and tired, and it’s been a long day at work.” Part of that was true. “Can I maybe get to my door?” He was acting like an ass, and he knew it, but he couldn’t stop himself. Too many scars over the years to act any other way. He couldn’t just flip a switch and flirt with a pretty girl because she was in a good mood and looking at him like he was the main course on her menu that night. Although truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if Chloe decided she wanted to sink her teeth into him.
“Oh.” Her sunny disposition faded. “Sure. If you’re hungry, though, I made some bruschetta.”
“I’m not—” In total betrayal, his stomach rumbled before he could finish the sentence. “Sure about that?” He unlocked his door and sighed. He was beginning to wonder if anyone ever said no to this woman. “Let me change. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll be over.”