Contemporary Women's Fiction/Contemporary Romance
Date Published: November 6th, 2025
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
On a rainy Manhattan afternoon, career-obsessed writer and news producer Kennedy loses the interview that was guaranteed to catapult her to senior producer status. Hours later, revered and feared book editor Muffin Evans, aka the Manuscript Eater, shelves the publication of her promising debut novel.
Over a night of tears and too many glasses of wine, Kennedy responds to an internet ad for a villa on the picturesque island of Hilton Head. She books a five-week “hiatus from life,” to focus on herself, free from distractions.
However, soon after arriving on the island, J.P. Long catches Kennedy’s hesitant eye. Despite a series of serendipitous encounters around the romantic oasis, Kennedy knows there’s no room in her life for a charming professional golfer turned businessman who is battling his own personal and professional insecurities.
But maybe he’s worth the trouble.
If there’s one thing Kennedy’s learned, it’s that life rarely happens as expected, and sometimes, the best stories unfold when you stop chasing the perfect headline.
Kenny’s first instinct was to quickly look away, like she was caught staring at something she shouldn’t be. She felt like a kid who was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. But, if she couldn’t look at J.P., who she was planning to spend the morning with, where was she supposed to look.
“You
made it! It’s fine to leave the bike up there, no one will bother it,” J.P.
shouted as he walked up the beach to greet Kenny.
“Hey there! I’m here,” she managed to reply
while she waved and pushed down the bike’s kickstand with her foot.
“I
should’ve given you my number in case you had a hard time finding me. I know
that walkway is a little off the beaten path, for lack of better words.” J.P.
laughed.
He’s here. He’s shirtless. He’s talking
about exchanging numbers.
“It’s
all good,” she said enthusiastically. “I figured if I made it all the way to
Oyster Catcher without noticing the sign, I would’ve taken one of the other
paths and walked down the beach until I found you.”
Idiot!
Don’t make it sound like you don’t want him to have your number.
“Smart
girl. It’s surprising how many people probably wouldn’t think about that
alternative route. Between what I overhear at the golf course and questions I
hear asked of the hotel group, it’s astonishing to learn of the naiveté—or lack
of common sense—of some vacationers,” he said like he was letting Kenny in on a
secret only the island locals were privy to.
She
could see that the stupidity of some people fired up J.P. in the same way that
thinking of the New York City subway system and failed attempt to make it to
Yankees stadium did. She found the reaction strangely adorable and giggled at
how animated the sheer thought of certain things made him. It also diverted her
attention from his chiseled abdomen and muscular chest that made her weak at
the knees; so, she thought it was in both of their best interests to keep the
silly, even if juvenile, conversation going.
“Oh,
yea? What’s the craziest question or assumption you’ve heard?” Kenny asked as
she grabbed the beach bag out of the basket on the bike handlebars and the two
walked down the sand toward the kayaks.
“Alligators.
In my opinion, any question or statement regarding an alligator is dumb. ‘Can
we feed the alligators?’” J.P. asked in a mocking way. “No, Sea Pines is not a
petting zoo,” he answered himself. “Alligators only prey on small mammals,
right? No! They’ll prey on you, after you fall in their pond while trying to feed them,” he continued. “But my
favorite question is when golfers ask me what I do with gators when I find them
along the course. ‘Nothing! I don’t do anything. Do I look like a relative of
Jack Hanna’s?’”
“No
wonder people come to you with gator safety questions, you seem to be quite the
expert.” Kenny laughed. “Here’s a question that I don’t think is dumb. I, of
course, would never approach an alligator but
if one ran after me for whatever reason, I’m supposed to run in zigzags
away from it, right?”
She
tried to maintain eye contact with him as he pulled his arms through the life
jacket and zipped it up. She could get lost in his perfectly round, bright blue
eyes that had navy rings around them with visible golden specks when the sun
hit them. But her curious mind was at high risk for directing her eyes to gawk
at his torso and shoulders, which she didn’t necessarily want to do, or get
caught doing. It was bittersweet knowing he was covering it all up with the
feminine-looking Kelly green and purple life preserver.
“I
should’ve assumed the reporter would have a question.” J.P. smirked and put his
hands on his hips. “It’s not a terrible one, though. That myth has been around
for years. But no, you should not waste your time or breath running in zig zags
if you’re being chased by an alligator. Just run. Run straight, fast, and far.
The only thing running in zigzags will do is slow you down and make you dizzy.”
About the Author
A graduate of Fordham University, Caila Klaiss is an award-winning network news producer who spent seventeen years crisscrossing the country to cover breaking and developing stories for platforms across ABC News. The bulk of her career was spent producing true crime documentaries for 20/20.
Since making the difficult decision to leave a career she loved, Caila has pursued her other life-long dream of becoming a writer. When she is not reading, writing, or researching, Caila recharges by practicing yoga.
Born, raised, and currently living in northeastern Pennsylvania, Caila is a New Yorker at heart whose happy place is a warm sandy beach, under a palm tree.
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