Need You Now
Maria K. Alexander
(A Pelican Bay Novella)
Publication date: June 2nd 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Can two lost souls reunite in time to save her shop and their hearts?
Abby O’Connell returned to Pelican Bay to start a new chapter of her life. With the revitalization of the hurricane-ravaged beach town, it’s a perfect time to open the bath and body product shop she’s always dreamed of. But with her place looking more like a construction zone, the risk of not being ready for opening day is high. Just when she thinks things can’t get worse, she takes a fall on the beach, only to be rescued by her sexy surfer ex.
Connor Maguire was always the party guy. In recovery from a substance abuse disorder, he’s gotten his act together and now is a partner in a home improvement business and co-host of a reality TV show. Surfing has always been a way to escape his worries while becoming one with the waves. When he witnesses a woman fall on the beach, the last person he expects is the girl whose heart he broke ten years ago.
With a week until the grand opening of her shop, can he use his renovation skills to bring her shop and their hearts to life without risking his hard-earned recovery?
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EXCERPT:
She quickly dressed in running shorts, a tank top, and sneakers. After grabbing a bottle of water, she went downstairs and let herself out the rear entrance, refusing to walk through the store and the reminder of all that needed to be done.
There’d be time to freak about work later. Now she needed to clear her head.
The benefit of living above her storefront was its prime location along the boardwalk, only a few steps away from the beach. Abby veered left and jogged along the water, pacing herself. She did a circuit around the lighthouse before turning and heading past where she started and the newly renovated amusement pier.
The sun had peeked past the horizon and was slowly making its way into a new day. Watching the sun rise over the Atlantic was one thing she’d missed most after leaving Pelican Bay nine years ago, a year after Hurricane Samantha hit and wrecked the small New Jersey barrier island. In the months since she’d returned, Abby had made a point of watching it rise every day. Each sunrise looked different and brought her a joy she’d experienced nowhere else.
Usually, she had this part of the beach to herself, but she caught the outline of someone in the water.
A surfer.
Her heart lurched as she got closer.
Could it be…
It was hard to be sure from the distance, but once he rose on the board and got into position, Abby recognized the form…the body…the man.
Connor Maguire.
After riding the wave in, he grabbed the board and paddled out even further. He straddled the board with his back to the shoreline, like a god calling to the waves. Then, with the ease and swiftness of the boy she remembered, he turned and paddled toward shore, rising at the perfect moment to get the lift and rush he needed to propel him forward.
Abby continued to run, mesmerized by his form, by the way his hair and body looked against the backdrop of the rising sun. The damn man was as beautiful as ever.
Despite the magnetic pull, she had every intention of running past him.
If only she had been watching where she was going.
When she stepped on something in the sand that caused her ankle to turn, all she could do was cry out as her knee buckled, and she started to fall.
Author Bio:
Maria K. Alexander is an award-winning contemporary romance author. She writes about strong women, who are fearless in pursuit of their ambitions. Her stories have strong connections with family and friends, both important parts of her life. When not writing, she loves to read, bake, crochet, bike, visit the beach, and watch romantic comedies. She has two adult children and is a semi-empty nester. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and juggles a full-time job, while dreaming of writing full time by the Jersey shore.
You can keep in touch with Maria at: http://mariakalexander.com and https://linktr.ee/mariakalexander
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