Lisa (Beach Brides Book 6) Read online

  The dockworker glanced back and forth between her and Shawn. He suddenly stood, his sober expression indicating he didn’t want to intrude on their privacy. Once he left, Shawn took the man’s place on the opposite bench. “I don’t want you to leave.”

  Lisa folded her arms and stared out at the bay. “You don’t have a choice in the matter.”

  “Look, just give me a chance to explain what really happened between me and Brittany and if it doesn’t change your mind, I’ll never bother you again.” He gripped his knees with white-knuckled hands. “Lisa, I’m sorry for all of the hurt I’ve caused you and I take full responsibility for what happened that night at the Amaryllis. I didn’t handle the issue with Brittany very well, but I swear, I never cheated on you or lied to you. Brittany and I broke up before I left for the island. She didn’t like the idea of being stuck here without her social network and she expressed it by walking out on me.”

  “She still had the ring,” Lisa snapped. “You were still engaged.”

  “When Brittany doesn’t get her way, she throws things,” he said and slipped his fingers into his jeans pocket, pulling out a large diamond ring. “I’ve been the intended target of this several times. The last time we were together before I came to the island, she threw it down and stormed out. It’s a boring story, but my assistant found it and gave it back to her. That’s why Brittany was wearing it when you saw her. When I met up with her in the lounge and told her I wouldn’t take her back, she threw it at me.”

  “I saw you kissing her, Shawn.”

  He sighed. “I won’t insult you by saying it didn’t happen. It did, but I felt nothing and it proved to me that it was truly over between us. I told her to go home and forget about me. It was a kiss of goodbye.”

  Lisa stared at him. “Where is she now?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I don’t care, either. She went back to Florida with my dad the same night.” He scooted forward. “Lisa, I—”

  “You never answered me. Why are you still here?”

  His eyes twinkled. “Didn’t you hear what happened?”

  “I heard you lost your job because the council threw out your proposal. Other than that, no; I’ve been too busy cleaning up from the storm to pay attention to island gossip.”

  “I know. I’ve been driving by your aunt’s B&B every day to check on you. Since you wouldn’t have anything to do with me, I asked Duane, the cop we met at Nigel’s, to check on you, too.”

  Lisa uttered a wry laugh. “So that’s why he kept stopping by. He used the excuse he was hungry for some fresh coconut tart.”

  “I wanted to make sure you and your aunt came through all right—”

  “So, what happened to keep you here?”

  He grinned proudly. “Pete and I bought the Morganville Hotel.”

  Lisa gasped. “You did what?”

  “We met with the council three days ago and laid out our plans. They bought into it. They’re happy someone is reviving the place and they’re backing us all the way. Not only that, but they’re going to restore the cobblestone street and work with all of the merchants to improve their properties. We’re going to revive downtown.”

  His news shocked Lisa so much, she didn’t know what to say.

  “I realize by the look on your face that you’re still skeptical, but I’ll prove to you that Brittany is gone from my life and she’s never coming back.” He held up the ring and pulled his arm back. “So long…”

  “No, don’t!” She lurched forward and grasped at his hand, stopping him from tossing the beautiful ring into the bay. “It’s worth a lot of money! You should sell it and use the cash for rehabbing the hotel.”

  “Only if you agree to join forces with me and handle the finances.” He dropped the ring onto her palm then closed her hand as he covered her fingers with his. “Look, I can’t do this without you, Lisa. It just wouldn’t be any fun.” He stood, pulling her to her feet. “Please stay. This project is just as important to you as it is to me and you know it.” He slid his arms around her. “I need you. I love you.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

  She stood in his embrace, melting under his kiss as her mind swirled with confusion. Could she open her heart to him once more?

  “We’ll make a dynamite team,” he said as though reading her mind. “And I promise, as soon as I can get to the mainland, I’ll buy you an even bigger ring.”

  “I’m not like Brittany,” she said truthfully. “I don’t care about expensive trinkets like that. I’d rather spend the money on a fantastic trip somewhere, like a hotel in the Costa Rican rainforest or exploring an ancient city like Cairo or Ephesus.”

  He tipped his head back and laughed, sounding relieved. “You have no idea how happy that makes me because that’s what I want, too.” He looked down. “Don’t leave me, Lisa. Stay here and I promise you, we’ll have more fun than you ever dreamed of—no matter what we’re doing.”

  “Oh, Shawn.” She laid her cheek against his chest. “That night at Nigel’s, when we walked on the beach together, I knew then that I loved you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. That’s why it hurt me so much to see you with...with her.”

  “I’ve loved you ever since that day we snuck into the LaBore mansion,” he murmured in her ear. “That’s when I knew you were the one. You’re adventurous and a little crazy, just like me.”

  She laughed. “I am not crazy!”

  “Oh, yeah?” He hugged her tight. “I remember climbing through a bat-infested cave with you, stepping over snakes and ducking spiders as big as golf balls.” He kissed her temple. “That’s my kind of crazy.”

  The Miami-bound ferry arrived and glided alongside the dock, the blast of its horn announcing its arrival.

  Shawn picked up Lisa’s suitcase and grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s go to the hotel. Let’s go home. Pete has the electricity on and the water running now so the place is all ours. You can have any room you want, but we need to get some furniture.” He grinned. “I just happen to have a key to a storeroom at the Amaryllis that is full of used stuff…”

  Chapter Ten

  Fourteen months later on December 29th

  The bridal suite in the Morganville 1861 Hotel

  “Gyal, your boongie looks good in that dress.”

  Lisa smiled at Shakara and spun around for her friend’s inspection of her wedding gown, an ivory, strapless chiffon sheath with a sweetheart-shaped bodice and a nipped waist. Lisa’s mother, a seamstress, had designed and stitched it.

  Shakara had crafted a special bridal set for her; a simple pearl necklace with a sophisticated backdrop made of pearls, Swarovski crystal beads and a single teardrop in Tanzanite. The matching pearl earrings also each had a small Tanzanite teardrop as well.

  Lisa stood in the full length cheval mirror, watching as Shakara fastened the necklace.

  “You look radiant, honey.” Carole Kaye stood to one side, fussing with the dress, making sure the seams were straight. Her dark brown hair, now peppered with gray, was twisted into a chignon at the nape of her neck.

  As mother of the bride, she wore a red silk dress to coordinate with the red chiffon gowns she’d sewn for the bridal party. Lisa had chosen Shakara for her maid of honor and her two younger sisters for her bridesmaids.

  A dozen women filled the bridal suite, drinking Switchta, snacking on fruit and catching up on old times as they observed the slow, painstaking process of Lisa getting ready for the family’s wedding of the decade. So many friends and relatives had responded to the invitations, they had completely filled not only the Morganville Hotel, but Elsie’s B&B and some of the resorts as well. All of Shawn’s family that attended were staying at the Amaryllis.

  Even the members of the Romantic Hearts Book Club were there—all of them. Some of the women were married now and brought their spouses.

  “The wedding is starting in fifteen minutes,” Aunt Elsie announced as she approached Lisa.

  Carole repeated the words to
the crowd in a loud, no-nonsense tone, waving her arms to shoo everyone out of the room except the bridal party.

  She picked up Lisa’s tulle veil with lace appliques and began to position it on her head, taking great care to get it balanced right. The local hairdresser had swept Lisa’s hair into a mass of Grecian curls, interwoven with baby’s breath.

  “Are you nervous, honey?” Carole’s hands shook as she fastened the sheer, fingertip-length garment. Until now, her mother had appeared to be in full control, ordering people around like Mother Superior, but with the wedding just minutes away, her armor had obviously begun to crack.

  “No, Mom,” Lisa said, turning her head. “Not at all.” How could I be nervous when the entire day has unfolded like a fairytale in a dream?

  “Stand still!”

  Oops…

  Lisa stood patiently, behaving like an obedient child while her mother finished positioning her veil and gave her gown one last inspection.

  The door opened and Lisa’s cousin, Shelby Dubois, poked her head into the room. “The musicians are ready.” At Carole’s nod, Shelby opened the door wide for the bridal party to exit.

  Someone handed Lisa her bouquet of red roses.

  “Jeannie, Lila,” Carole barked and snapped her fingers at Lisa’s younger sisters, pointing to the hallway at the top of the stairs. “Line up, let’s go! Shakara, you’re after them.”

  Everyone silently did as they were told, giving each other concerned looks that said, “What’s wrong with her?”

  Carole escorted Lisa to the end of the line and told Shelby to let the musicians know they could start the music. The bridal party descended the staircase and proceeded through the wide lobby, stopping at the back door where Lisa’s father, Burt, waited to escort her into the flower-filled courtyard where the guests—and Shawn—waited.

  The short, balding man smiled as they approached, but stayed silent; it was her father’s way of keeping his emotions in check.

  “All right,” Carole said, her voice wavering as she fussed with Lisa’s veil. “D-don’t be nervous.”

  There she goes again…

  “I’m fine, Mom. You’d better go and sit down. I think they’re waiting for you.” Lisa turned her head slowly and stared, surprised by the stricken look on Carole’s face. She reached out and touched her mother’s hand. “It’ll be okay, Mom.”

  Carole’s lip quivered as she grasped Lisa’s fingers tightly. “I know…I just…” Her eyes began to brim with tears. “Yesterday you were my baby. Today you’re getting married. The years went by so fast.”

  Placing a kiss on her fingertips, she reached over and touched her mother’s cheek. Mom, you look like you’re at a funeral. “Mom, you’re not losing me, you’re gaining a son to fuss over.”

  Aunt Elsie appeared and whispered a few words to Carole. Taking Carole firmly by the arm, Elsie led her to her seat in the front row.

  The musicians, a simple duo consisting of a violin and a harp, began to play the processional for the groomsmen to start their march.

  Lisa stood quietly, watching Shawn’s cousin, his brother and his best friend, Pete, enter the courtyard from a side door wearing black tuxedos with white shirts. Shawn followed and took his place at the altar. He turned, waiting for Lisa to appear.

  The bridal party made their way to the altar. Then the familiar cue sounded and Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” began. Everyone stood and faced the bride.

  Burt offered her his arm. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded and slipped her arm in his. “Let’s go, Dad.”

  With her father smiling proudly at her side, Lisa stepped into the courtyard and began her walk, barely aware of the sea of smiling faces doting upon her. All she could see was Shawn and the love gleaming in his eyes. She made her way to the altar and took her place beside him.

  Burt lifted her veil and kissed her cheek. “I love you, sweetheart,” he whispered. He stared at Shawn. “Take good care of my little girl.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Shawn nodded respectfully as Burt stepped away, but his gaze centered on Lisa. “Hey, Island girl,” he whispered and motioned toward the inside breast pocket of his coat. “Wouldn’t you know, I have tickets to go.” He winked. “We’re going Egypt in the morning.”

  Lisa flashed him a mischievous smile. “My bags are packed and I am jacked…” She raised one brow. “Thanks, City Boy, for the warning!”

  A fairytale wedding, a honeymoon in a historic hunting lodge formerly owned by an Egyptian prince and ten days of exploring the wonders of the ancient world with her “dream hero.”

  Life couldn’t get much better than that.

  Author Bio

  Denise Devine is a USA TODAY bestselling author who has had a passion for books since the second grade when she discovered Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She wrote her first book, a mystery, at age thirteen and has been writing ever since. If you’d like to know more about her, you can visit her at www.deniseannettedevine.com.

  BEACH BRIDES THANK YOU!

  Thanks for reading Lisa’s story.

  Hope’s book is next.

  Read a Sneak Peek in the Excerpt.

  Meet all of the Beach Brides!

  Meg (Julie Jarnagin)

  Tara (Ginny Baird)

  Nina (Stacey Joy Netzel)

  Clair (Grace Greene)

  Jenny (Melissa McClone)

  Lisa (Denise Devine)

  Hope (Aileen Fish)

  Kim (Magdalena Scott)

  Rose (Shanna Hatfield)

  Lily (Ciara Knight)

  Faith (Helen Scott Taylor)

  Amy (Raine English)

  Excerpt Copyright Information

  Prologue and Chapter One from Hope (Beach Brides Series) by Aileen Fish

  Copyright © 2017 Aileen Fish

  Hope

  Beach Brides Series

  by

  Aileen Fish

  Prologue

  Hope’s message in a bottle:

  Dear Sir Galahad,

  Once upon a time I believed in fairy tale endings, and I think a part of me still does. What I don’t believe in is a knight on a white horse riding into my life and making everything perfect. Rather ironic, isn’t it, since I call you Sir Galahad? For the sake of the game, I guess what I want is a man who’ll not give up, who’ll stick it out until the end, even when the setbacks seem overwhelming. Life isn’t easy, but it’s so worth it!

  Since this bottle will end up twenty thousand leagues under water somewhere around Atlantis, I’m safe in pretending the good parts of fairy tales are true. Life is happy day to day, and who wants an ending?

  Thanks for listening—er, reading. Maybe we’ll meet one night in our dreams.

  alwayshopeful@...

  Chapter One

  Standing in the principal’s office of Lane Elementary School happened much too often lately. Hope Reynolds kept her gaze on the children outside, who ran screaming and playing in the weak winter sunshine.

  “I know you’d hoped counseling would help Jayden, but we need to do something in the meantime,” Principal Joe Jennings said. “This is the third time he’s started a fight this month.”

  Turning away from the window, Hope rubbed her arms to ward off the chill the situation gave her. “I’m at wit’s end. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

  “I have to suspend him, or it will look like favoritism.” Joe’s lips were thin, but she knew his distress was more at the situation than Jayden.

  “I understand.” Hopefully her mom would understand, too. She felt Hope treated her son with kid gloves, and would happily use a firmer hand to his backside, which Hope was firmly against. The problem was, Mom was the only person Hope could ask to babysit. “I’ll let Marni know she’s on her own for the rest of the day, and then take him home.”

  Returning to the school library, Hope found her friend and coworker Marni. “He’s at it again.”

  Marni looked up from the cart full of books she was
shelving. “Oh no.”

  “He’s suspended for a week. I hope Mom doesn’t have plans.

  Her son Jayden hadn’t taken Hope’s divorce well when he was three, and when her long-time boyfriend moved out six months ago, Jayden’s angry outbursts multiplied. If she wasn’t the head librarian at Lane, he would likely have been expelled.

  “Have you had any luck convincing your ex-husband to let Jayden visit?” Marni slid a book between two others on the shelf.

  Folding her arms across her breasts, Hope shook her head. “You’re kidding, right? With his new wife and baby, he has no interest in us.”

  “Jayden needs a man in his life. What about sports? Sign-ups for soccer are still open.”

  “I don’t know…he might just learn to kick in addition to hitting.”

  “You need to find a good guy. You both can use it.” Biting back a grin, Marni looked away.

  “Look what happened when the last one left. If I date at all, I’m not going to let Jayden meet the guy. He feels abandoned when I break up with someone. I won’t subject him to a revolving door of men. We’ll get through this, somehow.”

  She really didn’t mind being alone, most of the time. Her girlfriends were there for a movie night or going out dancing. Valentine’s Day without a date didn’t faze her, and her mom made sure her birthday didn’t go unnoticed. And Jayden filled every free moment with his love. Life was good.

  Hope picked up her purse and coat and returned to the front office to find her son so they could go home. The weather was perfect for hot cocoa and cookies, but Jayden might take that as a reward for misbehaving. He’d have his usual apple slices and milk, then do his homework, and she’d insist no playing video games for a few days. Mom would have to suffer through the extra grumpiness of a whiny eight-year-old.