Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous (The Rich & Famous Collections #2)

Chapter 1

Warm and wonderful hope swelled in her chest at the sight. It was a gift, one she appreciated each time she made the annual trek from California to South Carolina.

Through the windows of her rental car, she took in the details that made the Royal Palm one of the country’s finest beach resorts: an array of glowing turquoise pools; perfectly manicured shrubs; and enough well-dressed staff bustling about to keep drinks full, towels fresh, and every guest in a state of tranquil joy.

A fine-tuned team kept the resort running, and Carly was proud to be a part of it each summer.

Beyond the massive resort, dozens of Royal Palm’s private rentals lined the sandy coast. Everything from trendy bungalows and modern beach homes to full-on mansions.

Carly rounded another curve, allowing her gaze to rest on the best part of all: there, beyond the glistening sand and foaming shore, great waves swelled and curled in invitation, urging Carly to grab her board and chase that next perfect wave.

She welcomed the euphoria that washed over her with a grin and uttered a word of gratitude to the heavens. Her life wasn’t perfect, but it was good, and she was grateful for it.

She gripped the leather steering wheel and grinned.

With the quick press of a button, the window rolled down, allowing the fresh ocean air, thick with salty brine, to rush over her face.

She pushed the knob to turn off the stereo and sighed as lapping waves and squawking seagulls played a melody of their own.

Her phone buzzed as she pulled into the parking area. She knew without looking that it was Jill. Her older sister, anxious to make sure she’d arrived safe and sound, watched the clock each time Carly made the trek.

With a quick tap to the screen, she picked up the call. “Hi Jill,” she said as she pushed open the car door and climbed out. The warmth of the sun on her skin, contrasted by the cool breeze, lured her into new levels of peace.

“You made it,” Jill said. “I can hear the beach already.”

“Yep,” Carly said with a grin.

“How was your flight?”

“Not bad.”

“And the drive?”

Carly sighed. “Wonderful.”

Her sister let out a long, dreamy sigh of her own. “Let me guess, you listened to Mozart all the way there. That one about the night. What do you call it?”

“‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,’” Carly offered.

“How in the world do you know how to pronounce that?”

Carly laughed. “Actually, I’ve been listening to Beethoven. ‘Für Elise,’ Symphony Number Five, the Pastoral Symphony…”

“I wish I liked listening to that stuff. It’d probably make me smarter,” Jill said. “Hey, put me on video chat, will you? I want to see the ocean for myself.”

Carly smiled, indulging Jill with a quick tap to the screen. She straightened her arms while holding the small device and slowly panned over the view.

“Oh my heavens,” Jill said. “I’m just going to imagine for a minute that I’m you and not me.

” She pulled in a dramatic breath. “Picture it: instead of juggling baby bottles, burping cloths, and diapers this summer, I’m going to spend my days at a posh resort, sipping cocktails, reading romance novels, and falling in love with a hot guy who wants to make out on the beach. ”

Carly laughed. “I’m working, Jilly Bean, you know that.”

“Oh, did I leave that part out? Okay, I’ll be reading, relaxing, kissing a hot guy on the beach and teaching surf lessons to spoiled rich kids a few hours a day. Does that cover it?”

“Maybe if you were me that would cover it. I look forward to the private lessons. It’s one of my favorite things about coming out here.”

“And the guy part?” The question sounded more like an accusation.

Carly stepped out of her flip-flops one by one and walked over the warm, smooth pavement. As she neared the sand, tiny grains peppered the cement. And soon, she was sinking her feet into the silky depths. She sank lower as the sand shifted and rose up around her ankles.

“Carly?” Jill came. “Turn the camera view so I can see you.”

A lecture was coming on, Carly could feel it, but she tapped the screen as Jill said and squared a look at her. An image of her older sister filled most of the space. A beautiful brunette with her dad’s prominent jaw and their mother’s blue eyes—eyes Jill had passed on to her baby Emmett as well.

“Now,” Jill said, “I want you to turn your focus to the upper corner of your screen. See that beautiful blonde?”

Carly kept her eyes trained on her sister’s face. “Yep.”

“No you don’t. You’re looking at me. Look at the hot blonde chick in the corner and repeat after me.”

“Ugh.” Carly let out a groan. “No.”

“Do it, or I’ll tell Mom about the Indian vase I took the heat for…”

Carly sighed and forced her gaze to the corner. Like Jill, Carly had Mom’s blue eyes, but she’d also gotten the woman’s heart-shaped face, which made her resemble her mom most, according to some. Since Carly hadn’t ever seen her own father, she could only guess at what she’d gotten from him.

“I’m a young and single blonde babe on the beach,” Jill declared boldly. “Now you say it.”

Carly spun to look over her shoulder and spotted some James Bond-looking men on the path a few yards behind her.

Handsome, distinguished, and squinting against the sun in her direction.

Sure, it was the direction of the beach as well, but…

Carly set her eyes back on the screen. “I’ll never say that out loud. ”

Jill chuckled. “You’re no fun. Please just promise me that you’ll make out with at least one guy this summer. You’ll never know what’s out there if you don’t give anyone else a chance.”

Anyone else. Her sister hadn’t even said Jimmy’s name.

She didn’t have to. Jimmy McGraw was the only man Carly had loved.

The only man she was capable of loving, it seemed.

She moved her gaze to the glistening sand, then over the lapping waves.

For the last three summers, she’d stood at this very spot and wished on the ocean view.

Please let Jimmy figure out how much he loves me.

Please let Jimmy move beyond the loss. Please help him see that he doesn’t want to spend his life alone.

For the first time in years, Carly couldn’t bring herself to make those wishes.

“It’s harder than you think,” she mumbled.

Uninvited, a flashback shot to her mind: her and Jimmy huddled over the lifeless babe in her arms. She forced it away, knowing she had moved so much further than Jimmy had.

She just didn’t know how to help him do the same.

“I know it’s not easy,” Jill admitted. “But Jimmy is stuck, Carly. He’s stuck and he might not ever get out. That doesn’t mean you have to be stuck your whole life too.”

A hot streak of fear shot through her chest at the thought of releasing Jimmy once and for all. What would the rest of his years look like? Tears welled up in her eyes as she fought the sudden quivering of her bottom lip.

“I can tell you’re getting close to doing it,” Jill said. “Remember what Mom said? ‘In the instant before we release something meaningful, we tighten our grasp.’ This is you tightening your grasp. But you’re only tightening it because you’re about to release him once and for all. I know it.”

Carly brought a hand to her face as she fought back the tears.

Fear shifting to grief at the thought of a life without him.

The grip she had on Jimmy was tied to a whole lot more than the man himself.

It was tied to what they’d lost together, what they’d mourn for the rest of their lives, and what might have been had things all worked out.

If Carly could shake off the weight that had piled onto her shoulders at the topic, she would do that very thing.

Instead, she had to sit with it. “I’m trying,” she promised, setting her gaze back to the small screen.

“Okay? I’m trying to let—maybe I’ll make some progress here.

” The words let go were simply too painful to utter, but she thought them all the same.

She needed to be free, once and for all, from the shackles of Jimmy McGraw.

She just wasn’t sure how to uncurl her stubborn fingers and let go.

Jill studied her for a blink, hope seeming to smooth the concerned crease from her brow. “I’m right, aren’t I? You’re finally going to do it.”

Carly clenched her eyes shut against the pain seeping into her chest. It felt as if a pair of hands waited, scalpel ready, anxious to gouge out parts of her wounded heart.

“Maybe,” she whispered.

As the single word left her lips, a flock of seagulls took flight before her, the sharp snap of their wings echoing as they shot into the blue sky.

“That’s the girl I know,” Jill said. “Use that stubborn side of yours to move forward now. You can do it.”

When Carly remained quiet, her sister spoke up once more. “Okay, I’ll let you get settled. Have fun. Don’t be good. Call me once you’ve got news.”

“Okay, I will. Love you.”

Jill’s husband, Shawn, appeared in the background as she waved goodbye. Carly’s eyes shot to the sleeping baby in his arms. “Emmett and I love you, too, Carly. Have a fun time.” Shawn gave her a wave just before the screen went black.

Carly tucked the phone back into her pocket and peered into the blue sky. The flock of birds, barely within view now, brought a word to mind—freedom.

Yes, the healthy part of her longed to be free. Perhaps her sister was right—maybe she really was preparing to let Jimmy go once and for all. The making out with a guy on the beach part? Chances of that were sliver thin.