Civil engineer Kim Meyers has built a solid
career on establishing order in the midst of construction chaos. Living off the
coast of Georgia as a Midwest transplant, she’s made a life for herself amidst
the waves, tourists, and palm trees of the Golden Isles. Keeping her focus on
her work and her community, she hasn’t had time to stop and consider how much
she’s already lost. Until her former flame, Landon Beau IV, swoops in and
snatches up her next project.
Excerpt:
Clack clack clack, the head
council member’s gavel slapped against the folding table bringing order back to
the room. The hum of murmured conversations shared between the locals dimmed.
Planning commissions meetings had grown into increasingly crowded affairs as
development of St. Simons Island exploded.
Suddenly, a
familiar set of aqua eyes caught her attention.
What on earth was he doing here?
A spark
electrified her, shooting down her back and through her limbs. No one could
instantly make her crackle with awareness like Landon Beau could. For some
reason the sizzle had lasted for more than ten years.
Kim didn’t know
if she wanted to laugh or scream or cry.
But today she
couldn’t let him distract her from her mission. She understood what she had to
do. She needed to help the Society of Coastal Living, aka SCL, to save the
stretch of land on the north end of the island near her grandmother’s house.
She wouldn’t rest until the island had no more room for development.
Control. Order. Efficiency.
She had to stay
focused.
The council
member cleared his throat to address the crowded room. “We will be moving
forward with LB Holdings, granting a preliminary rezoning permit for a
subdivision. They have proposed a development that meets all the necessary specifications
and requirements, and this committee feels will be a benefit to the island.”
Her chest seized
as the words reached her. She had failed. An even worse, she’d let down her
Grandma Rose.
Her vision
blurred. She didn’t see the council members conclude the meeting or her fellow
volunteers from the SCL get up and leave. The scrape of metal folding chairs
being dragged against the floor echoed in her ears drowning out all other
sounds.
LB Holdings would
be tearing apart the land just down the street from Grandma Rose. Her quality
of life would be destroyed. The rumble of trucks and crash of machinery would
become a constant soundtrack for the next year on Grandma Rose’s wraparound
porch, blocking out the sounds of the marsh. And the reward at the end would be
a congested nightmare to get to and from her grandmother’s home. How could she
have let her best friend down?
Why hadn’t she
pushed harder? Why hadn’t she gone door to door to get support? Why hadn’t she
done more?
Questions and
regrets circled in her mind, keeping her gaze hazy and unfocused until a warm
palm on her shoulder suddenly made her flinch. She jerked her hands up to a
defensive position, palms out in front of her face, and then froze.
Standing before her, he was impossibly handsome with his
chiseled features and sandy blonde hair styled without a strand out of place.
His piercing blue eyes locked onto hers. She opened her mouth but nothing came
out. Her gaze drifted to his lips, transfixed by the easy smile that made his
mouth off-center.
Author bio:
Rachelle stumbled into the world of romance
novels in college; as a way to help speed up reading through Art History
textbooks. After years in the professional world writing dry grant proposals
and auction descriptions, she started writing the contemporary romance stories
she wanted to read. Setting her books in some of her favorite destinations was
her inspired way to require plenty of research trips every year with her
family.
Author links:
Fall #RomanticTravel:
I love Georgia’s Golden Isles, the
setting for this book series. Jekyll Island is an especially romantic place
with beautiful stretches of sandy beach begging for a lover’s stroll, bike
paths galore perfect for bicycles built for two, and lodging at the Jekyll
Island Club built by the millionaires of the Victorian Era.
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