Barefoot Bay: Forever Yours (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  Table of Contents

  A letter from Roxanne St. Claire

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  A message from Jennifer Perkins

  Acknowledgements

  ~ A letter from Roxanne St. Claire ~

  Text copyright ©2016 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Roxanne St. Claire. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Barefoot Bay remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Roxanne St. Claire, or their affiliates or licensors.

  For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds

  Forever Yours

  A Barefoot Bay Kindle World Romance

  by

  Jennifer Perkins

  Table of Contents

  A letter from Roxanne St. Claire

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  A message from Jennifer Perkins

  Acknowledgements

  ~ A letter from Roxanne St. Claire ~

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome to Barefoot Bay Kindle Worlds, a place for authors to write their own stories set in the tropical paradise that I created! For these books, I have only provided the setting of Mimosa Key and a cast of characters from my popular Barefoot Bay series. That’s it! I haven’t contributed to the plotting, writing, or editing of Forever Yours. This book is entirely the work of author Jennifer Perkins, a friend and fellow Florida girl.

  Nothing like a honeymoon for one at Casa Blanca Resort & Spa, right? One of my all-time favorite storylines, Jennifer brings the emotion and the love to the beach with this one. Enjoy!

  Roxanne St. Claire

  PS. If you’d like to read all of the Barefoot Bay Kindle Worlds novels, or would like to explore the possibility of writing your own book set in my world, stop by www.roxannestclaire.com for details!

  Dedication

  In loving memory of my Dad. He’s always taught me to enjoy life and never lose sight of my goals and dreams. I hope I’ve made him proud.

  Chapter One

  “You know what, Megan? I could live here the rest of my life.” Kinsley Stone pulled off her sunglasses when the sun hid behind a cloud. She put them on the corner of her beach towel and then lay on her stomach, staring out over the turquoise-colored water. The afternoon breeze drifted over her.

  “I know. Me, too,” Megan Chatfield said. Having just finished swimming in the Gulf, she squeezed the water from her hair and sat on her towel opposite Kinsley. “Although I don’t know why you’re staring at the water when you could be looking at the sea of muscle behind us.”

  “Maybe because I’m trying to get a tan?” Kinsley laughed and put her sunglasses back on. She propped herself up on one elbow and looked over her shoulder. Yup. Her best friend was right. There was a definite cluster of testosterone and muscle, and some of them looked like they were getting ready to head down the beach to play one last game of volleyball before the afternoon sun filtered away. Her breath hitched when she noticed one guy in particular. The way the warm breeze gently fingered his chestnut brown hair, and the way his shorts hung low on his hips, he looked like a guy she’d love to get to know better. The corner of his mouth turned up when he saw her stare, and she couldn’t help but smile when he waved. Kinsley resumed her position on the towel. “I guess they’re not all that bad looking.”

  “Not bad? You’re kidding, right? Oh, I know what it is.” Megan turned on her stomach and looked out over the glistening water with Kinsley. “You’re still hung up on Todd, aren’t you?”

  Kinsley didn’t answer. The wound was still too fresh.

  “I thought so. The fact is that he’s the one who broke off your wedding engagement and married your friend, what’s-her-name.”

  “Well, can you blame me?” Kinsley asked, annoyed. Moisture pricked the back of her eyes and she wiped them before addressing Megan again. “‘What’s-her-name,’ Crystal, turned out to be a good friend of Todd’s before she became mine; at least I thought she was. And besides, it was less than seven months ago, so don’t go telling me I should be over him by now.”

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I don’t like it when my best friend gets hurt.” Megan said.

  “I mean, it was supposed to be forever.”

  Megan snapped her fingers. “Think about it. This could be a sign from the universe. Maybe he wasn’t the one. Maybe you’re destined to meet the man of your dreams and he’s waiting for you right here at Mimosa Key. After all, your birthday’s coming up in two weeks, so maybe destiny has a great birthday surprise planned.”

  “Well if it does, it better come with a big slice of gourmet chocolate fudge cake.”

  “With a raspberry swirl topping,” Megan added. “Come on. At least give destiny a chance.”

  “Fine, okay. You win. I’ll go with that,” Kinsley shrugged. “But if destiny messes with me, you owe me a big fat piece of cake. Maybe two.”

  “Deal.” Megan laughed and then they bumped fists.

  Kinsley turned her attention back to the sparkling water in front of them and let her thoughts drift, lost in the memories that brought her here. There were no animus judgements in her feelings, only surprise and disappointment toward her ex-fiancé. After a five-week whirlwind romance, Kinsley was sure she had found the one. Her soul mate.

  Todd had asked for her hand in marriage and he pressed for a small, quick, intimate ceremony, just them and their parents. An expression of their love, he stated. No one could convince her she was wrong, even her family who had cut her off from her trust fund because they thought five weeks was too short a romance and marrying him could be a mistake. They insisted she wait at least nine months for him to be properly vetted to make sure there were no uncomfortable surprises for their family. Todd, however, asserted that this was true love and to wait would mean a loss of trust and add stress to their relationship.

  Then came Crystal Aldridge, a week before the wedding. The dynamics in Kinsley and Todd’s relationship quickly began to change when Crystal, a controlling and seemingly long-time friend of Todd’s, bragged that she was heir to her grandmother’s small hotel business, one that Crystal claimed was worth millions.

  Kinsley’s engagement disintegrated when Todd used the famous, “it’s not you, it’s me” line, right before he courted Crystal. Even though seven months had passed since the engagement, Kinsley was still embarrassed to face her family because they continued to remind her of what she had put them through. She had decided a week-long retreat with her best friend was exactly what she needed, but insisted on her own room in case she broke down after her broken engagement. Kinsley didn’t want to see the sympathetic look in Megan’s eyes. This was a necessary break from work, her ex-fiancé, and life in general.

  Laughing gulls seemed to float against the cotton ball clouds, and the waves crested and splashed on the shore where a flock of sandpipers dined on crustaceans. Lying in the sun was soothing and the warmth shining down on her back gave her time to reflect.

  I don’t need a man in my life right now, Kins
ley thought. She decided that, instead of focusing on her lack of a love life, she would contact her family later to try and repair their damaged relationship. This trip confirmed her decision; there was no way she’d be going out with another guy anytime soon. She was done with men.

  “Oh. My. God. Don’t look, Kinsley. Get up and head back to your villa,” Megan said. “I’ll grab our stuff and meet you there. Or we can hang out in my room at Casa Blanca.”

  “What are you talking about? I didn’t get sunburned again, did I? I didn’t think I was out here that long.” Kinsley reached over to the corner of her beach towel and grabbed her sunglasses. She rolled onto her back, sat up and combed her long blonde hair with her fingers.

  “Just get up now and go. Don’t look, just don’t.” Megan pulled on her sandals and picked up her towel.

  “Okay. Seriously. What shouldn’t I look at?” Kinsley asked after seeing Megan stare down the beach.

  How could Kinsley not look? Megan was known to be overly dramatic. She recalled the day Megan called the police before she tried to break up a so-called riot at her neighbor’s house, only to find out it was a barbeque fund-raiser party for the police department. Trying to explain her actions that day did not make her any friends, so looking, when Megan said not to, was the obvious choice.

  “Oh, crap, you looked.” Megan sighed, then reached over and rubbed Kinsley’s shoulder in comfort. “You okay?”

  “Uh, sure. Yeah. Fine. No problem.” Kinsley chewed on her lower lip and tears welled in the back of her eyes.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know Todd and Crystal would be here,” Megan said. “Otherwise I would have talked you out of taking this trip.”

  “No worries. How could you have known? I can handle this. Besides, I’m done with men for a long time.” Kinsley stood next to Megan and dug her toes into the powder-soft sand. She stayed next to Megan as Todd and Crystal approached. Kinsley steeled herself and took a long, deep breath to clear her mind.

  Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

  “Kinsley. Megan,” Todd said. “Wow. Isn’t this a coincidence?”

  “Funny how that works,” Megan remarked.

  An awkward silence grew over the group until Crystal addressed Kinsley. “Todd said you talked about this island all the time. I can understand why. It’s breathtaking.”

  More silence ensued.

  “He said you and your family vacation here every summer and this is where you and he were going to spend your honeymoon,” Crystal continued. “Of course, Todd and I spent our honeymoon in a little shack on the Cape, and it wasn’t even on the water. We had to drive a mile to get to the beach, but it doesn’t matter. He said it would be more romantic, and it was. Anyway, enough about us. Isn’t it a hoot how we’re all here at the same time?”

  Kinsley’s throat knotted and she found it difficult to answer. With the evening quickly approaching and the warm summer breeze sporadic, her palms became sweaty. She opened and immediately closed her mouth to say something, anything, but she realized no words formed.

  “Yeah. It’s a hoot,” Megan responded dryly. She picked up Kinsley’s towel and sandals and shoved them into her oversized beach bag. “We were just leaving, so I guess we’ll catch up another time.”

  “Isn’t this your birthday week?” Todd asked, ignoring Megan. He smiled, his dark eyes glimmering in the afternoon sun, as he wrapped an arm around Crystal’s waist. “I know this is where you like to spend your birthdays. Maybe we can all have a dinner celebration at the Casa Blanca later this week? I remember you saying the food is wonderful.”

  “Of course it is, silly,” Crystal told him, brushing her shoulder-length red hair out of her face. “You told me that Kinsley’s been coming here all these years, so she should already know about the fabulous food. Although, I think we should really be eating in Junonia, right? I’ve never been, but I’ve read many positive reviews about it online.”

  “So, where are you staying?” Kinsley found herself asking, ignoring Crystal’s question. She didn’t really care or want to know the answer, but she didn’t know what else to say. She was uncomfortable seeing them and wished she could escape into the crisp clean water lapping the shore behind her. She suddenly felt exposed, standing in front of them in the bikini she had originally purchased to wear on her honeymoon.

  “We’re staying at the Fourway Motel,” he answered. Todd’s eyes diverted to the ground. He shifted his feet from side to side and his cheeks turned crimson red, a deeper shade than the morning glories, among the honeysuckle, that dotted the path to several of the villas.

  Ha! He should squirm for causing her heart to break. Serves him right since he couldn’t even remember when her birthday was. Why would Todd would settle for a honeymoon in a shack at the Cape when she knew he would rather have chosen a remote hideaway? And why would he stay at the Fourway Motel? While it wasn’t as run-down as it had been in the past, it wasn’t as luxurious as the Casa Blanca Resort & Spa. Certainly, she hadn’t heard of any weddings or large parties planned over the next week, so there should have been a few rooms available at Casa Blanca.

  She studied Todd a little more carefully when he crossed his arms, and she noticed the subtle differences in him she had missed earlier. In place of his Rolex Yacht Master II, he wore what looked to be a department store knock-off. And gone were his cherished ten-thousand-dollar Louis Vuitton croc cowhide shoes that he swore he would never replace. Were those tennis shoes?

  “So, why are you here?” Kinsley asked. “This is a private beach. You know it’s not open to the public. If you’re staying at the Fourway you’re really not allowed to be here. I’m surprised no one stopped you.”

  “Oh, they did,” Crystal spoke up. She wrapped her arms around Todd’s neck and ran her fingers through his mousy brown hair as she continued. “We said we wanted to check out the beach before deciding to commit to staying here. For some reason, Todd was concerned about you, so we had to make up that little fib to make sure you’re okay. I told him you’d be fine, especially because you’re the one who broke the engagement, but he wanted to make sure.”

  Kinsley took a breath and a step back. She placed her hand on Megan’s arm, stopping any rebuttal. Then Kinsley looked at Todd, her eyes narrowed. “He said that, did he?”

  “Well, sure he did. He said you were always focused on your career, being in advertising and all, that you really didn’t have time for a relationship. He said he just wanted to give you the chance you needed for success. Isn’t he absolutely wonderful that way?” asked Crystal. “Always thinking of others. Always concerned for everyone else. Of course, if it were up to me, I’d rather be poking through one of the exclusive shops around here. But now he sees you’re okay and probably still way too busy.”

  “Oh, you can bet I’m busy. Way too busy for anyone. At least I know what I want in life.” Kinsley fisted her hands and glared at Todd. She noticed how he shifted his feet and diverted his dark eyes again, looking anywhere but at her.

  Crystal smiled at Kinsley, showing bright teeth that could only come from whitening. “That’s good. I thought for a minute there we’d be uncomfortable whenever we saw you.”

  “Well, we really should be going. I’m sure you have a lot to do. So, we’ll see you later, maybe catch up at dinner sometime.” Todd pulled on Crystal’s arm, stepping backward as he started to leave.

  “Oh, that would be so much fun. And you can bring a date,” Crystal called to her. She stopped and walked back toward Kinsley. “You are dating aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Kinsley stated in a firm manner at the same time Megan answered no. Kinsley and Megan looked at each other and then back at Crystal.

  “Okay, so which is it? That’s odd if you don’t know if you’re dating.”

  Kinsley chewed on her lower lip before speaking. “Yes. I said I was. Besides, it’s serious. You don’t think I’m still harboring feelings for Todd, do you? That’s absurd. Totally ridiculous. It’s ludicrous. I don’t know why you’d t
hink I don’t have a boyfriend.” Kinsley stopped rambling when Megan patted her on the shoulder.

  “Yup,” Megan confirmed. “I misspoke. She’s dating. And it’s serious.”

  “Great! Then I’ll call later, so we can have dinner at Junonia this week. Maybe we can even reserve one of their private cabana tables outside and we can get to know all about your new boyfriend. That would be so cozy and so much fun. This is exciting!” Crystal smiled and then turned and jogged down the beach to catch up with Todd.

  “Seriously?” Megan turned to Kinsley after Todd and Crystal left. “You have a boyfriend? You. Kinsley Stone has a boyfriend. So soon after your breakup? And after insisting you’re done with men? Does he have a brother I can meet? Maybe we can double date. And why isn’t he here instead of me?”

  “Well, I might have a boyfriend. It’s possible.” Kinsley felt her cheeks warm and she tried to avoid looking at Megan, who stood with her hands on her hips. It was no use, she’d have to confess. “Okay, okay. So, maybe I don’t have a boyfriend. All I have to do is avoid Todd and Crystal while we’re here. And then, maybe, for the rest of my life. Problem solved.”

  “No. Problem complicated. From what you’ve told me about Crystal, she’ll stalk you just to find out everything about your new boyfriend. Who he is. What he looks like. Where he works. You know she’ll probably be after details, just for the bragging rights of hearing about it before anyone else. Especially because you decided to say it’s a serious relationship.”

  Kinsley groaned and then patted her stomach when it growled. “Okay, so I guess I went a little overboard.”

  “Only a little? Maybe the lack of food confused you,” Megan shook her head. “How about we grab something to eat? At least on a full stomach we can try to figure out how to get you out of this mess.”