What happens on the island, lingers in the heart.
Julie Simms moved back to Half Moon Bay to take over her ailing great aunt’s fiber arts store, and stayed by her side until the end. Now it’s Julie’s first Christmas without the sassy old lady, and grief drives her to take some much-needed time off away from a town full of memories.
A week in Honolulu—hula dancers, coconut palms, and sunny beaches—is exactly what she needs, plus a bonus: meeting a gorgeous man who makes her forget everything except getting naked. With him. As often as possible.
Stanford Professor Lukas Klein, who’s just finished up a conference and is ready for a break, hasn’t been this intensely attracted to a woman since his divorce. He’s been leery of getting too deeply involved in a relationship, yet Julie is a breath of fresh air he can’t resist. And doesn’t even want to try.
Half Moon Bay and Stanford aren’t that far apart, but the magic of paradise could be too far removed from reality to let an attraction this mind-blowing last forever.
Note: this book was previously published as Hawaiian Holiday by Crystal Jordan.
“Julie?” Karen called from the front of the shop. “Julie, where are you?”
“In the back.” A bittersweet sensation swamped Julie as she gazed around Purl Moon Fiber Arts. Wooden shelves held stacks of every imaginable color and fiber of yarn—a beautiful, touchable rainbow. An old-fashioned spinning wheel dominated one corner, and the basket beside it contained a long braid of roving wool just waiting to be spun. It was the last batch of wool she’d hand-died with her great-aunt. She hadn’t been able to make herself finish it.
Tears stung her eyes, but a smile curled her lips. Damn, she missed Auntie Eloise. The feisty old woman had taught Julie to knit and crochet in this very shop. She’d learned to spin on that wheel. Lovely memories.
“Here you are.” Karen came around one of the display shelves. “Are you ready?”
READ MOREReaching over, Julie unplugged the lights on the miniature Christmas tree. Crocheted snowflake decorations graced every branch, most of them Auntie’s creations. Putting up the tree had always been something Julie and Eloise did together, but this year she was on her own. It was too much, too painful. She’d held it together during the worst of the holiday shopping rush, but it was four days before Christmas and she was closing up and getting out of town. She just couldn’t bear it.
Clearing her throat, she turned to her friend. “Ready as I’ll ever be. Is Tate with you?”
Karen’s face fell a little before she pasted on a wide grin. “He couldn’t make it, but he said to tell you happy holidays and have fun. He’s busy with work today.”
And every other day, but Julie didn’t say it. Things weren’t golden in Karen’s marriage, which was a shame. Julie liked Tate, always had, but he was a workaholic who wasn’t giving his wife what she needed. If things didn’t improve soon, she wasn’t sure what would happen, but the shadows in Karen’s eyes said she was reaching the end of her tolerance.
Stepping forward, Julie gave her friend a hug. They both could use one right now. It had been a rough year. “Hang in there, sweetie.”
Karen squeezed her tight. “You too.”
The bell jangled over the shop door. Anne shouted, “Are you two about done? Meg’s out here worrying about Julie missing her flight! You know how I hate listening to Meg nag. Get a move on!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Julie rolled her eyes and let Karen go. She pointed to a big suitcase, her purse propped on top. “Grab my bags, will you?”
“Sure.”
A quick check of Purl Moon showed the windows and doors were closed and locked. She switched off the lights, set the security system and motioned Karen ahead of her. Once they’d exited, she secured the deadbolt on the front door.
Cool air wrapped around her, the salty hint of the Pacific Ocean curling into her nose. Tidy little shops like hers ran up and down Main Street, looking like a scene from a postcard, all festooned with Christmas lights and wreaths to celebrate the season. A season Julie wanted to escape.
“It’s about time you got out of town,” Anne barked. “You need a vacation.”
“Well, what do you think the baggage is for?” Julie winked at her friend, who stuck out her tongue in return.
Julie watched Anne wrestle the enormous suitcase she was taking to Hawaii into the back of a subcompact car. She wasn’t sure how the other woman managed that feat of engineering, but she wasn’t about to question it either. Anne was tall, wiry, athletic, and as sarcastic as she was opinionated. Even luggage and the laws of physics bowed before her tenacity.
The four of them—Meg, Julie, Anne, and Karen—had been a tight-knit group since elementary school. Julie was grateful for their friendship, but never more so than the last year. They’d been a solid support as Julie watched her great-aunt’s health fade. They’d all been there in the hospital with her when Auntie Eloise had passed.
Hot grief poured through Julie, making her clench her fists at her sides. It wasn’t fair. Eloise had still been so alive, so active. She’d run her own business right up until she’d had a series of small strokes that had left her struggling to walk and speak clearly. Julie had been living in San Francisco at the time, working as an office manager, but she’d come back to help out, taking over Purl Moon until the spunky old lady could get back on her feet.
It had never happened.
Two months later, a massive stroke had stolen Auntie Eloise’s life. Over. Done. Gone. Just that quickly. Julie tried to tell herself that Eloise had lived a long, full life, that she’d had a lot of years to do all the things she enjoyed. But it didn’t help much. It still just hurt.
“I’m really glad you’re getting a break. You need it, honey.” Meg walked up with a carrying container filled with two cups of coffee from a café across the street. She glanced at Karen. “Finn’s saving us a table for when we finally get rid of these girls.”
“Oh, loverboy,” Anne sang out. “I hooked you guys up, don’t forget it. You’d still be giving him a case of blue balls if it weren’t for me.”
Julie had to bite her lip to keep from chortling like an immature teenager. Karen rocked back on her heels, her green eyes dancing with mirth.
“How could anyone forget your act of daring in convincing me to have a wild week in Vegas? My hero. I’ll have Finn start writing thank you cards every time he gets some. Just to show how happy he is to be less blue.” Meg sighed dramatically before she handed the liquid ambrosia to Julie, then popped open the passenger door of Anne’s car to set the remaining cup in the console. When she straightened and their eyes met, there was enough sympathy in her friend’s gaze to make Julie’s throat tighten, and any urge to laugh died away. Meg said softly, “It’ll be good for you to have some time to yourself.”
“You should hook up with a nice Hawaiian cabana boy. Get him to teach you the hula…in bed.” Anne slammed the trunk closed and did a bad imitation of the hula, with a less than subtle bump-and-grind move thrown in.
“Oh Jesus. Don’t ever do that in public again.” Karen shook her head. “And you teach impressionable children.”
“It is amazing they let me loose around kids, isn’t it?” Anne ruffled a hand over her shock of red hair.
Julie tightened the belt on her coat and gave Meg a look. “Are you sure you and Finn want to do Christmas with her?”
“Her, her three whacky sisters, and her drama mama, you mean?” Meg waggled her eyebrows and brushed an unruly curl away from her face. The cold, misting winter rain did nothing to help her tame her hair. “We’ll survive. Probably.”
Julie wrapped each of her friends in a quick hug before sliding into the car. Karen held the door for her and shut it after Julie drew her legs in. She heard Karen’s muffled voice through the glass. “Okay, Anne. Try not to kill anyone on the way to the airport. Auto accidents make for bad vacation starters.”
Bouncing into the driver’s seat, Anne pushed the button to roll down the passenger window and leaned across Julie to blow a raspberry at Meg and Karen. “For the record, I am a fantastic driver, and my family is awesome during the holidays. We put the fun in dysfunctional.”
The four of them burst into giggles before Anne gunned her little car down Main Street. It felt good to laugh. Julie hadn’t done enough of it lately. Anne had offered to have Julie over for the dysfunctional fun, but she needed to get out of Half Moon Bay. She needed to get away from anything that reminded her of Aunt Eloise. Honolulu was just the ticket. A week of lounging on the beach sipping cocktails sounded like heaven right now. No worries, no stress. A little grin tugged at her mouth. Who knew? Maybe she’d even find some nice cabana boy to teach her the hula…in bed.
COLLAPSE