Poolside Promises (Seaside Bay #1)
1. Chapter One
Chapter 1
Sunscreen. Check. Magazines. Check and double check.
Linda Brees tossed the items into her large, yellow and white-striped tote bag. As soon as her friend, Sorcha, returned from the grocery store where she’d gone to restock their diet cola and snacks, they would go to the pool to relax in the Florida sunshine.
Linda’s Uncle Paul owned the condo they were staying in. He’d offered it to Linda for any time, and she was taking advantage of his generosity by staying for three full weeks. It wasn’t all fun and sun. She’d promised her boss, Grady, that she would monitor things for his real estate business while she was in Florida. They had a daily call around lunchtime, but it could shift based on Grady’s needs and the Florida weather.
The Florida Gulf Coast was the perfect place to sort out a couple of big issues: number one, how was she ever going to get a date for her sister’s wedding in two and a half months? And number two, what was she doing with her professional life?
Sure, what to do with one’s life seemed like the bigger existential issue to wrestle with, but Linda was more worried about the looming deadline for finding a date to the wedding. It had the more urgent time pressure.
Her dating life was nonexistent, and a wedding date came with a lot of expectations. Her family would be there, and they would be looking at her to get hitched next.
They would be extra-attentive to Linda’s date, and she didn’t want to take any attention away from her sister. To fly under the radar, she hoped for a date that was attentive, good-looking, and under forty. Ideally, under thirty, but sometimes you have to take what the universe gives you.
As for her career, she loved her job, and she loved her boss, but she was feeling restless. It might be time for a change. She was feeling her “career clock” ticking.
After a couple of weeks alone in the sun, she might come up with solutions for both. A girl could dream.
Dream big and execute the plan. She tucked lip balm into the side pocket of her beach bag.
Walking into her bedroom, she put her laptop and notebook on top of the dresser. She changed into her white and pink-polka-dot bikini, threw her colorful paisley cover-up over her head, and slipped into flip-flops. She strolled towards the balcony door and stepped outside.
The sun was beginning its descent, but it was still high in the sky. At this time of day, the sunlight hit the water at such an angle that it reflected in her eyes. She slid the large black sunglasses from the top of her head to her nose. Inhaling deeply, she let the salty smell of sea-life fill her lungs. That’s why she loved coming here. The wind, the water, and miles of sand.
Her parents, both educators, had brought the girls to this beach every June to celebrate the end of another successful school year.
Seaside Bay was a short drive south of Clearwater, nestled between several waterways and the gorgeous white sand beach to the west.
Linda was looking forward to the afternoon on the beach with Sorcha. They would swim and tan at the pool, then move to the beach when the building blocked the sun. Then they would come back to the condo to shower and get ready for an evening of fun, dinner, and a few tequila shots. Sorcha would only be here for two more days, so they would make the most of their last few evenings together.
The door to the condo opened and closed, and Linda left the bedroom to help Sorcha put groceries away.
“Hey, hey,” Sorcha called as she put two large shopping bags on the counter. “I’m back!”
“Perfect timing,” Linda said, peeking into the closest grocery bag. “I finished with my work and am ready to hit the pool.”
“Thank the stars! Girl, I’ve been ready for hours.” Sorcha began pulling fruit and snacks from the grocery bags. “I don’t want to leave Sunday!”
“I wish you could stay longer.” Once Sorcha left, Linda would be alone for the last two weeks of her “working vacation”. She didn’t mind being there alone—she had stayed in this condo in Seaside Bay many times over the years and was familiar with the cute coastal town—but she’d miss Sorcha’s adventurous and outgoing personality.
“Ditto and then some! But I only get a week off. I don’t get to make my own rules like some people I know.” Sorcha shook her head, and her thick, blonde hair swished across her shoulders. She wore a pair of large, blue-leather teardrop earrings that she had made.
They were constantly looking for new side hustles. Sorcha’s latest focus was on handmade jewelry, while Linda preferred to create printables. She designed and uploaded her templates, which people could buy and download. She didn’t have to pack and ship anything like Sorcha.
Linda loved trying new things and earning extra cash. Her primary job as Grady’s office assistant was great. It offered the flexibility to work remotely and came with health insurance.
“That’s what you get for going into education,” Linda replied. Having parents and a sister in education, Linda felt she knew the pros and cons of that career. “You knew the rules when you decided your degree.”
“Uh, huh. Oh, hey!” Sorcha tossed a bunch of bananas into the large, blue-glass fruit bowl shaped like a fish that sat on top of the counter. Linda winced, thinking about the bruises they’d find on them tomorrow.
“What?”
“I rode up in the elevator with the hottest, and I mean hottest, guy I’ve seen this entire trip!”
Linda paused, holding the bag of Skittles she was about to put in her tote bag. “Was he delivering something? Everyone on this floor is my parents’ age or older.”
“No, he was pulling a couple of suitcases. Maybe he’s staying with his grandparents. He was not old.”
Linda's mind was whirling. She thought she knew everyone in this twenty-four-unit condominium building. When she stayed, she often volunteered to help Meridian, “Meri”, the building manager, with different activities—shuffleboard games, bingo, trivia night, and dances. There was a large lounge on the first floor with space for the building’s gatherings.
She’d even met the most recent residents, the Wilkersons, on Tuesday, when they’d asked for recommendations on where to eat (she’d suggested the Streamwood restaurant) and where to get little miscellaneous items between trips to the large grocery store, which was twenty-five minutes away (she told them about Franki’s Sundries, two blocks away).
Who could Sorcha have seen in the elevator?
“Did he get off on this floor?” Linda asked.
“Yes! He went in right next door.”
Oh, no. Oh, no. This is not good. It had to be Mason Hauser. When planning this trip, Linda had asked her Uncle Paul if any of the Hauser family would be in Florida at the same time. He said he’d checked with Mr. H., and no, they wouldn’t be there.
Linda pushed the tote bag to the floor and plopped down on the wicker barstool, her heart racing. “What did he look like?”
Sorcha tilted her head and held her hand several inches over her head. “Tall. Maybe six-one. Broad shoulders. Muscular. Looked like he works out. He was tan, too. So, hot.”
From what Linda had heard from Erin, Mason’s sister, Mason’s most recent nursing rotation had been in Southern California. That could explain the tan.
Linda groaned, putting her head down on her forearms. “No!”
“What?” Sorcha held out her hands and turned them palm side up. “Who is it?”
“It has to be Mason.” Nervousness propelled Linda off the bar stool. She paced the length of the counter, tapping each of the four barstools as she passed.
“I don’t know why you are sounding upset. Did I mention how hot he is?”
“You did. But…” She paused. How much did she want to share with Sorcha? She’d known Mason most of her life. They’d tried dating twice, but it hadn’t worked out. She and Sorcha were on vacation; no sense in getting into the what-could-have-been and what-almost-was Mason stories. The only thing Linda worried about was Sorcha becoming interested in Mason. That would be too weird.
Simple. Keep it simple.
“Mason and I dated once upon a time. It didn’t work out. Please don’t fall for him. It would be too weird for me. Let’s just try not to run into him again and go enjoy ourselves.”
Sorcha was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t recall the name Mason ever coming up when we’ve talked about past boyfriends before.”
“Really? Odd. Must have slipped my mind.” Not true. Mason had never slipped her mind. He took up a lot more space there than she cared to admit. “Well.” She stood. “Anything else to put away? I’m ready to soak up some rays.”
Sorcha looked down. “No, that’s it. I’ll pack the cooler. But don’t think you’re getting away with changing the subject. You are going to have to share more details. I’m your roommate and bestie. I need to know everything about this Mason guy.”
Sorcha opened the freezer door and grabbed all six trays of ice cubes. Linda grabbed the blue soft-sided cooler from the closet. She set it on the counter next to Sorcha. Sorcha launched into a story about the people she’d spoken to at the grocery store as she twisted the ice-cube trays into the cooler. She’d set the empty trays on the counter, and Linda would refill and put them back in the freezer.
Linda half-listened to Sorcha’s story. She heard enough to make noises and laugh when appropriate, but she’d never be able to repeat anything that Sorcha had said later. She kept thinking about Mason being next door. How long would he stay? Would they run into each other? What would they say to each other if they did?
She’d avoided him for the last six years. Luckily, his decision to move frequently instead of staying close to home in central Illinois had helped. Plus, they were too old to vacation with their families or attend birthday parties anymore. When they’d seen each other last, it was a few days after their college graduation parties. The last hurrah.
Linda had thought that evening was going to turn out much differently than it had. They’d been dating for over a year. Linda told him she loved him and was certain he’d say it in return. Instead, he’d told her he’d accepted a nursing position in Atlanta and would leave in two days.
He’d broken her heart before; she wouldn’t let it happen again.