Read Online Trapped in Tourist Town by Jennifer Decuir - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jennifer Decuir
Ads: Link
pace, sitting quietly as she listened to the shriek of the gulls and the chatter of the families at the surrounding picnic tables enjoying the early summer evening. As the night crept in, so did a chill that had nothing to do with the drop in temperature. She leaned into his body, trading her own warmth and comfort for a little of his.
“I thought I was. Yeah, I wanted to write. But I’ve got these stories in my head. They need to come out. And lately they’ve been nattering at me, louder and more insistent.”
“You want to write novels? That’s so exciting!”
“I don’t know. I mean, Stephen King seems to have cornered the horror market in this state, wouldn’t you say?”
“Stephen King has made a name for himself. But that doesn’t mean you can’t too.”
“I’ve been sitting at my makeshift desk every morning. That view of the ocean. It’s awe inspiring.”
“You want to write books, exclusively. Are you saying you want to stay in Scallop Shores?”
“What I want and what I get to have are two very different things.” His frown deepened, his chiseled countenance grew even stonier.
A tiny seed of selfishness was trying to take root in her heart. It wanted Burke to move back to the city with her, once summer was over. Sure, finish the article series and then focus on a book—but not in Scallop Shores. Yeah, moving to the city was supposed to be Cady’s time to make new memories and discover herself. But plans change. She could still make new memories and be her own person with Burke in her life.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Her voice was barely a whisper, yet she knew he heard her from the slump of his shoulders.
Burke sighed, sliding a few inches to the right. Cady had to catch herself or she would have tumbled right into him. He was looking for distance right now. She needed to give it to him. He turned, finally, and faced her. His smile was for her benefit, she knew. Oh, how she longed to reach out for him. But he didn’t want that. Her fingers flexed uselessly in her lap, so she sat on them.
“I told you a little about my parents and my whole ‘poor little rich kid’ story. My dad owns a chain of hotels. I’ve lost track of how many different countries he’s invaded. I don’t care. It was his thing. His business. His legacy. I wanted no part of it.
“I needed to make my own way in the world, do something for myself that had nothing to do with my dad’s name or money.”
He gave her a look that said he knew she’d understand that better than most. He was right.
“So good ol’ dad is retiring. And as his only son and heir, it has been brought to my attention that I have a responsibility to the family business. I am to abandon my job, shrug off my dreams, and report for duty as the new CEO of Sanders Resorts.”
“Sanders ... Resorts? Oh my God, are you kidding me? I didn’t even make the connection. They’re ... huge!”
“Ah, then I was doing my job well. Look at me. Okay, I might be a city guy. I know more about how to tip the valet than where to catch the best lobster. But I’m no titan of industry. Do you even realize how many people would report to me?”
Burke ran a hand through his hair. His eyes snapped angrily. This was good. This was better than the defeated look that had made Cady long to comfort him. This Burke was ready to fight. And she would fight alongside him.
But if he were CEO of a company based in Manhattan? She’d have it all. The little seed of selfishness was trying hard to take root.
Not gonna happen. Cady would much rather hang on to Burke as a friend, in Scallop Shores, where he would be happy and living his life to the fullest, than to dream of a relationship with him in New York, where he would be but a mere shadow of the man he once was. She’d do anything to help him get out of this familial duty.
“What will they do if you tell them no?” She could tell by the determined glint in his eye that he had a ready answer.
“There
“I thought I was. Yeah, I wanted to write. But I’ve got these stories in my head. They need to come out. And lately they’ve been nattering at me, louder and more insistent.”
“You want to write novels? That’s so exciting!”
“I don’t know. I mean, Stephen King seems to have cornered the horror market in this state, wouldn’t you say?”
“Stephen King has made a name for himself. But that doesn’t mean you can’t too.”
“I’ve been sitting at my makeshift desk every morning. That view of the ocean. It’s awe inspiring.”
“You want to write books, exclusively. Are you saying you want to stay in Scallop Shores?”
“What I want and what I get to have are two very different things.” His frown deepened, his chiseled countenance grew even stonier.
A tiny seed of selfishness was trying to take root in her heart. It wanted Burke to move back to the city with her, once summer was over. Sure, finish the article series and then focus on a book—but not in Scallop Shores. Yeah, moving to the city was supposed to be Cady’s time to make new memories and discover herself. But plans change. She could still make new memories and be her own person with Burke in her life.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Her voice was barely a whisper, yet she knew he heard her from the slump of his shoulders.
Burke sighed, sliding a few inches to the right. Cady had to catch herself or she would have tumbled right into him. He was looking for distance right now. She needed to give it to him. He turned, finally, and faced her. His smile was for her benefit, she knew. Oh, how she longed to reach out for him. But he didn’t want that. Her fingers flexed uselessly in her lap, so she sat on them.
“I told you a little about my parents and my whole ‘poor little rich kid’ story. My dad owns a chain of hotels. I’ve lost track of how many different countries he’s invaded. I don’t care. It was his thing. His business. His legacy. I wanted no part of it.
“I needed to make my own way in the world, do something for myself that had nothing to do with my dad’s name or money.”
He gave her a look that said he knew she’d understand that better than most. He was right.
“So good ol’ dad is retiring. And as his only son and heir, it has been brought to my attention that I have a responsibility to the family business. I am to abandon my job, shrug off my dreams, and report for duty as the new CEO of Sanders Resorts.”
“Sanders ... Resorts? Oh my God, are you kidding me? I didn’t even make the connection. They’re ... huge!”
“Ah, then I was doing my job well. Look at me. Okay, I might be a city guy. I know more about how to tip the valet than where to catch the best lobster. But I’m no titan of industry. Do you even realize how many people would report to me?”
Burke ran a hand through his hair. His eyes snapped angrily. This was good. This was better than the defeated look that had made Cady long to comfort him. This Burke was ready to fight. And she would fight alongside him.
But if he were CEO of a company based in Manhattan? She’d have it all. The little seed of selfishness was trying hard to take root.
Not gonna happen. Cady would much rather hang on to Burke as a friend, in Scallop Shores, where he would be happy and living his life to the fullest, than to dream of a relationship with him in New York, where he would be but a mere shadow of the man he once was. She’d do anything to help him get out of this familial duty.
“What will they do if you tell them no?” She could tell by the determined glint in his eye that he had a ready answer.
“There
Similar Books
