Before It Was Love (Smuggler’s Hideaway #1)

Chapter 1

Sophia – a woman who doesn’t want to go home no matter how good the moonshine is there

Sophia

M y hands tighten on the steering wheel as I cross the bridge onto the island of Smuggler’s Hideaway. Moving back home isn’t where I expected to be at thirty. It definitely isn’t where I want to be. But here I am with all of my worldly belongings in my car anyway.

The sign for the small town of Smuggler’s Rest comes into view and my phone rings.

“You’re here!” Chloe’s voice echoes throughout the car.

“Are you spying on me?”

She giggles. “Welcome back to small town life.”

In other words, my best friend might not have been spying on me but someone from Smuggler’s Rest was. The news of my return with my tail tucked between my legs is inevitably spreading throughout the town faster than news of free shots of moonshine at the Rumrunner bar.

“Don’t,” she orders.

“Don’t what?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re regretting your decision to move back home.”

This is the problem with being friends with someone since you were both in diapers and thought mudpies were the height of cuisine. They know everything about you, including why you don’t want to move back home.

“No one remembers what happened.”

I snort. Chloe’s a big, fat liar. The inhabitants of Smuggler’s Hideaway have long memories. And they love juicy gossip. There’s no way they’ve forgotten how he humiliated me. My cheeks burn at the reminder.

“Yes, they do.”

“Screw ‘em. Who cares?”

I do. “Easy for you to say. No one would humiliate the beautiful, wild Chloe the way he did to me.”

“Beep! Wrong. Try again.”

I perk up. “Who humiliated you?”

“We’re not talking about me.”

“That’s a change,” I mutter.

“I know. I know. I’m the light of your life. The light of everyone’s life on the island but it’s not all about me.”

I giggle. “Your humbleness is humbling.”

“I am who I am.” She clears her throat. “Now stop being all poor me and get your bum to Bootlegger. We’re waiting for you.”

“ Bootlegger ? Why aren’t you at Five Fathoms ?”

Five Fathoms Brewing is the brewery I founded with my four girlfriends. Although I’m one of the original owners, I haven’t had much to do with the brewery in recent years. While my friends worked their behinds off to build up the brewery, I was away in Atlanta chasing my career.

When business at the brewery took off this past year, my friends asked me to move home to Smuggler’s Hideaway to manage the marketing for the brand. I initially refused but then my career blew up in my face.

And I didn’t use a fire extinguisher the way a smart woman would. Instead, I fanned the flames. What would you do if some asshole stole credit for your work?

Silly me. I thought my boss would back me. The woman he recruited. The woman who landed several big accounts for his company. He didn’t. He humiliated me instead. And declared his nephew – the thieving, lying rat – a genius.

“Duh. The brewery’s closed on Sunday evenings.”

I frown. “Shouldn’t the bar and restaurant be open on Sundays? It’s the weekend.”

“Come down to Bootlegger and we can discuss when the brewery should be opened.”

“Nice try. I’m exhausted from the drive. I’m going straight to my apartment.”

“You leave me no choice.”

Those are words no one wants to hear from wild child Chloe. Who knows what she’s up to? “No.”

“Yes. See you in ten minutes,” she says and hangs up.

So much for avoiding my girls until I can get settled in. I don’t know why I thought I could, to be honest. My girlfriends don’t let me get away with shit. At least when I was living in Atlanta, I didn’t have to worry about them showing up uninvited.

I reach the small town of Smuggler’s Rest and turn left. I slam on my brakes when I notice the gray mound lying in the middle of the road.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” I order my car.

I screech to a halt inches from the gray mound. It doesn’t move a smidge at the near miss. Troublemaker. I jump out of my car and stomp over to it.

“Get off the road, Sammy.”

The seal lifts his head and barks at me.

“I’m serious, Sammy. You can’t be lying in the middle of the road. A tourist is going to run you over.”

He barks at me again.

“Not all tourists are in love with you.”

I swear the troublemaker bats his eyelashes at me.

“Sammy,” I growl. “Get off the road before I report you to the dog catchers.”

He barks as he shuffles off the road.

“Thank you, Sammy!”

He raises a flipper and waves at me.

I climb back into my car and slowly drive past Sammy. I wouldn’t put it past him to jump in front of my car after I claimed I’d sic the dog catchers on him.

I reach my apartment a few minutes later. Nothing is far away on this island. It took me longer to get to the grocery store in Atlanta than it does to drive from one side of Smuggler’s Hideaway to another.

I leave my stuff in the car. I’ll deal with it tomorrow. After I’ve gotten a good night's sleep. Lucky for me, crime is pretty non-existent here.

I dig the key to my new apartment out of my pocket but when I reach the door, I notice it’s already open. I enter to find my girlfriends – Chloe, Nova, Maya, and Paisley – lounging on my sofa.

“Who let you rugrats in here?” I don’t bother asking how they know where my apartment is. There are no secrets on this island.

They squeal before rushing me.

“You’re here!” Chloe screeches before throwing her arms around me.

“It’s about time!” Nova yells.

“We missed you,” Maya whispers.

“Missing someone is a response to the lack of continuity in your life.”

I shake my head at Paisley. She’s always bringing up random facts at odd times. Her brain is full of information. It’s no surprise she’s the brewer at Five Fathoms Brewing.

“You’re such a nerd,” Chloe says.

Paisley pushes her glasses up her nose and stares Chloe down. “Better a nerd than a wild child.”

Maya glances back and forth between the two. “The nerd versus the wild child. I know who I’d bet on.”

“No arguing today. Today is a happy day.” Nova smiles.

Chloe rolls her eyes. “Every day is a happy day in Nova-land.”

It’s true. Nova is the most optimistic person I know. With her sunshine personality, it’s no wonder she’s the sales manager at the brewery. Her dazzling smile could sell fish to a mermaid.

“You haven’t changed a bit. None of you have.”

“Neither have you. Except for the clothes.” Chloe points to my shoes.

“What’s wrong with my shoes?”

Chloe rolls her eyes. “Who are you trying to impress?”

“Impress?” I smooth down my skirt. “I’m wearing normal, everyday clothes.”

Nova waggles her eyebrows. “I always travel across the country wearing a tight skirt, flirty blouse, and sexy sandals.”

“I didn’t travel across the country. Atlanta is on the East Coast same as Smuggler’s Hideaway.”

“Someone wanted to look good in case she ran into a certain someone,” Chloe sings.

My cheeks heat because she’s right. Dang it! I didn’t want Flynn to see me in yoga pants with Cheeto stains on them.

Ugh! It always comes back to Flynn. The reason why I fled the island. The reason why I didn’t want to come back. The reason why no man is ever good enough.

The reason I’m a fool. A big fat fool.

Nova slaps Chloe’s shoulder. “Don’t embarrass her. She’ll run away and it’ll be another decade before she returns.”

“I didn’t run away,” I claim.

“And I’m not shy,” Maya challenges.

“You don’t sound very shy now.”

Chloe smirks. “Ask her about Caleb. She’ll return to her shy persona in a snap.”

Maya’s cheeks flare and she ducks her chin. Interesting.

“Caleb from high school?”

“They’re pen pals,” Chloe says.

“Receiving a physical piece of mail can be more tangible and meaningful to a soldier than seeing a loved one on a computer screen,” notes Paisley.

I glance around the room. “You’ve been holding out on me. Maya is pen pals with a hot soldier?”

“And Chloe has the hots for the sexy cop next door,” Nova adds.

“Cop?”

Nova herds me toward the sofa. “I’ll fill you in on all the gossip.”

“I brought beer.” Paisley hands out bottles of beer.

“And I brought popcorn.” Maya raises a large bucket in the air.

I settle on the sofa between Chloe and Nova while Maya and Paisley sit at our feet. It reminds me of the days when we’d gather in the basement at my parents’ house. We spent countless hours down there in the winter giggling and gossiping while watching movies and television. In the summer, we spent our days on the beach until we were old enough to work summer jobs.

Suddenly, I don’t care about losing my job or how much the inhabitants of town are going to tease me over the humiliation that caused me to leave town. I’m happy to be here. To be with my girls. The women who love me and believe in me despite my career failures.