Love on Beach Avenue(97)
“Yay,” Taylor grunted.
“It’s definitely a ‘yay’ for you, T, because I have you down as away that weekend to attend the wedding expo in Atlantic City. We get a ton of business from that, and Mom and Dad have had a booth there forever, so you need to cover it.”
“I won’t argue with that assignment.”
Gabe laughed. “Gambling, alcohol, and hot men figuring out they just want to be single after all? We’ll never get you back.”
Taylor stuck out her tongue.
“Bella, Gabe, I need you both to work that wedding. Carter and I are flying out to Texas to visit Ally that weekend, so I won’t be around.”
Her sisters gasped. Gabe’s jaw dropped.
“What?” Avery asked.
“You’re taking an entire weekend off during holiday-wedding season?” Bella asked.
It struck her full force how much her life had changed since the summer. As much as she loved work, she didn’t want to live for it any longer. She wanted to enjoy Carter and Ally and Lucy. And she realized the world wouldn’t fall apart if she took a few days off.
“That’s right,” she said. “If you’re okay to cover me.”
“Good for you, babe,” Taylor said.
Bella nodded. “Of course. I’ll handle everything.”
Gabe gave her a pointed look. “We’ll handle everything.”
Uh-oh. Something told her change was on the way—a slight simmer of tension, a swirl of emotion, and the way Gabe looked at her sister, like he was finally tired of being ignored.
She wondered what was going to happen next.
Avery finished the last of her chocolate croissant as her phone flashed. She smiled as she adjourned the meeting and took the call from the man she loved, pushing Bella and Gabe out of her mind.
For now.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I’ve mentioned some real businesses in Cape May and created some fictional ones for convenience.
I began traveling to Exit 0 in my late teens with my best friend. From the moment I visited, it became a magical place for me. Every year we’d go down for a week and made a solemn vow on our friendship that no matter what happened—whether we were married, had children, or moved away—once a year we’d meet again in Cape May. We never broke the vow, even when our children were a few weeks old and we were terrified to leave them with our husbands!
One day I will own a house there and sit out on my rocker, listening to the horses’ hooves clap past, the ocean roaring in the distance, and be at peace.
I’ve wanted to write a story in this setting for years, but like everything, patience is key, along with the right story.
This one was it.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A huge thank-you to Catherine Walton from Weddings by the Sea for helping me learn the lingo and advising me on all the complicated details that make up being an amazing wedding planner. I’d definitely hire you if hubby and I decide to renew our vows! Any mistakes I’ve made are truly mine.
I want to thank the entire team at Montlake, especially Maria Gomez, and my AMAZING editor, Kristi Yanta, for whipping this book into the best it can be. A special shout-out to the team at Social Butterfly and Nina Grinstead, my go-to person for all things PR. Also to Kiki Chatfield at Next Step PR for her support and much-appreciated help. Thanks as always to my agent, Kevan Lyon, for all her advice and career guidance. A big thanks to my new assistant, Mandy Lawlor, for keeping me organized and supported on all fronts.
I adore my Probst Posse reader group and the Ladies Who Write. They inspired me by sharing all their wedding disasters for use in this series! Look for two of their stories in the next installment of the Sunshine Sisters series.
Finally, to my loyal, supportive readers who allow me to tell stories for a living.
Thank you. None of this happens without you.