Wet (The Water's Edge #1) (34 page)
Read Wet (The Water's Edge #1) Online
Authors: Stacy Kestwick
I’d sent a few more and hadn’t heard back. But that was okay. At least he was doing a better job communicating.
Feet propped on the chair across from me, I was sitting at the marina café on the edge of the shore, the rows of docks spread out before me. I knew what his boat looked like, so I scanned the water every couple minutes while I played around on my phone. My last text to West had finally gotten a reply four minutes ago.
West: Almost done. Got a few more things to finish doing, and then I’m headed your way.
I sent back a smiley face and ordered a bottle of water from the waiter. I got tired of Pinterest after a while and switched over to Facebook. Rue had some new shots up from her trip to St. Augustine. Hailey and Cody were making fish lips in a selfie. My brother was giving a side hug to a redhead I didn’t recognize. Pausing on that picture, I sent him a private message, asking who the girl was. Aubrey had commented on a photo Wyatt had posted of General Beauregard, and I couldn’t help but click on her name.
I snorted at the photos she had posted just from today. A view over the water. A selfie of her wearing a plunging bikini top. Her patriotic pedicure. Did she think anyone cared what her toes looked like?
Opening the picture up, I saw it had thirty-two likes and eight comments. Okay, maybe people did care what her toes looked like.
Glancing up again, I saw West’s boat pulling in at one of the far slips. He threw a line to an employee and cut the engines as the boat drew up snug to the dock.
A huge smile spread across my face. His expression was hidden under the brim of the baseball hat he had pulled low on his forehead, but just seeing his muscles rippling in the sun was enough to have me rubbing my thighs together in anticipation. I couldn’t wait for him to realize I was here waiting for him.
As I packed away my phone and my bottle of water into my bag, a familiar voice drifted across the salt air.
I froze.
No.
It couldn’t be.
My eyes had to be playing tricks on me. I lowered my sunglasses to be sure.
West was walking down the dock, carrying a laughing, bikini-clad Aubrey in his arms like a baby, her arms thrown around his bare shoulders. I recognized that bikini. It was the same one from the picture. She reached up and snagged the hat off his head, settling it onto her own. They walked right by me, neither one of them glancing over.
His definition of a
few things to finish doing
apparently wasn’t the same as mine at all.
I flashed back to Nashville. To Asshole.
Déjà vu washed over me.
Not again.
COMING SOON
Want to know what happens next? Look for Soaked, coming soon.
Having hope was her weakness.
If Sadie Mullins hadn’t started to believe in love again, hadn’t let herself fall for him,
she wouldn’t be feeling this way.
Wouldn’t have her heart breaking.
Wouldn’t regret meeting West Montgomery
The cocky bastard should have left her alone, let her forget about him.
Let her move on with her life.
Of course, he didn’t.
That could have been the end of it.
Of course, it wasn’t.
Damn hope.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I’m a Southern girl who firmly believes mornings should be outlawed. My perfect day would include lounging on a hammock with a good book, carbohydrates, and the people around me randomly breaking into choreographed song and dance routines. It would not include bacon, cleaning, or anything requiring patience.
Come visit me! We can hang out and talk about cupcakes and books, not necessarily in that order.
For more information;
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all, if you made it this far, I want to thank you, the reader, for taking a chance on a new author. I went into this whole writing-a-book adventure not knowing if we’d ever find each other. Not knowing if anyone would ever see these words. The gift of your time spent with my characters means the world to me.
Julia, you poor girl. You’ve heard more about West and Sadie than anybody, and you never doubted for a minute that I could write their story – hell, that I could write a story at all. Thank you for being so unbelievably patient as I navigated this crazy path to publishing. This one’s for you.
Emily Snow, thank you for answering an email from a nutty fan. And for working together and asking to see my words and for then believing in those words. And then helping me figure out how to go from having a written story to a published book. You advice has been invaluable.
Erin Noelle – some things were just meant to be. Like us finding each other and just clicking the way we do. Except when it comes to matters of skipping. Then we’ll just have to agree to disagree. We’re proof that when opposites attract, great things can happen. Let’s keep making great things. I love you!
Thank you to my former coworkers who helped along the way – especially you, Hollie.
Mariah Rice, thank you for reading the rough version and being so excited about when the next chapter was coming. Don’t worry, I’ll be sending you more soon.
Thank you to the authors who I’ve met along the way, who took the time the answer my endless, endless questions. Brooke Blaine, Aly Martinez, CM Foss, Liz Reinhardt, Rachel van Dyken, my Indie group girls (I would never *skip* y’all).
Thank you, Hang Le, for the beautiful cover and graphics! I love them so hard!
And thank you to Kay Springsteen, for not just editing, but teaching me how to strengthen my writing (and also telling me the different between blonde and blond – who knew?).
Jill Sava and Love Affair With Fiction, thank you for helping me spread my story. And for not making fun of my newbie questions. And handling all the stuff I still don’t understand.
Candace Wood, thank you for tough love. You know I like it rough and you always deliver.
Ella Frank, you saved my butt at the very end. I’m so grateful.
Michelle Ehrlich, my biggest fan, I hope you loved it.
A huge shout out to all the blogs who shared anything at all having to do with my book! Your contribution is priceless.
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