The Inn at Summer Island
by Rachel Magee
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Release Date: August 23, 2021
Millie Leclair is a mess, complete with a dead-end career and a flat-lining love life. So when she inherits her great aunt’s oceanfront B&B in a resort town in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, she doesn’t hesitate to pack up her car and set off on a new adventure. It’ll be fun.
Of course, life seldom goes according to plan. The B&B is barely habitable for one person, let alone ready to open for business. With dwindling funds, Millie has no choice but to roll up her sleeves and tackle the repairs by herself. Yeah, so much fun.
Ex-pro golfer Braxton Channing thought being a full-time single parent kept him on his toes. That was before he spotted his new neighbor teetering on her rooftop—which is only the beginning of her long list of renovations for the old house—and he added keeping her safe to his to-do list.
But Millie is determined to dive headfirst into repairs regardless of the risk, and suddenly, battling with his daughter over brushing her teeth seems easier than winning an argument with Millie. She’s exasperating. And oddly delightful. And most definitely shouldn’t be let anywhere near a tall ladder.
For a guy who’s sworn off romantic relationships, why does he suddenly want to be the one who gets the privilege of watching Millie conquer not just the B&B but his heart as well?
He pushed away from the table and headed toward the snack table. But halfway there, his new neighbor, Millie Leclair, appeared in front of him with her hands on her hips and her lips pressed together in a grim line.
“Why do you hate my aunt’s legacy?”
Braxton frowned. “I have nothing against Mildred’s legacy. I thought she was a lovely woman.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then why are you trying to buy up her land and block her hotel?”
It’d been a hard day and all Braxton wanted was a bottle of water, to finish his work, and get home to put Alice to bed. He let out a sigh and reached around her until he could snag one of the bottles on the edge of the table. Still, he admired her tenacity.
“I’m not trying to block you.” He twisted off the top and raised an eye brow. “Plus, I thought you said you wanted it to be more of a bed and breakfast.” He took a long pull from his drink, keeping his gaze on her.
She blinked in rapid succession. While he’d managed to catch every word she’d said on their first meeting, he somehow missed how pretty her eyes were. They were the color of rich caramel and they simultaneously calmed and ignited something within him.
“It’s… well… yeah. So you were listening.”
Braxton nodded. “Of course I was listening. My job, however, is to make sure everything that happens in the neighborhood is in everyone’s best interest.”
She propped her hand on her hip again, regaining her footing and igniting the passion for her project in her beautiful eyes. “And you don’t think my great-aunt’s legacy, my livelihood, is what’s best for the community?”
He took another swig of his water, trying to turn is attention to anything other than the way her eyes sparked when she spoke. Or how they were causing a flurry somewhere deep in his chest.
“I didn’t say that, but there are a lot of things at play here. The bylaws were written to protect our residents, our neighborhoods and our beaches.” It might be an unpopular opinion, but he happened to like rules. They protected things that needed to be protected. They kept people safe.
“What exactly do you think I’ll be doing at the B-and-B? Holding midnight raves and dumping my trash on the beach?”
“I wouldn’t think so, but one should never assume.” He leaned in as if sharing a secret. “By the way, if you’re planning on the rave, you should make it an early evening thing. There’s also a noise ordinance that goes into effect at eleven.” He gave her his best ‘what-do-you-do?’ look and shrugged.
She rolled her eyes and the flurry in his chest upgraded to a fluster, which he immediately stomped down. He didn’t have time for that, no matter how much he admired her gusto.
“Why do you hate my aunt’s legacy?”
Braxton frowned. “I have nothing against Mildred’s legacy. I thought she was a lovely woman.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Then why are you trying to buy up her land and block her hotel?”
It’d been a hard day and all Braxton wanted was a bottle of water, to finish his work, and get home to put Alice to bed. He let out a sigh and reached around her until he could snag one of the bottles on the edge of the table. Still, he admired her tenacity.
“I’m not trying to block you.” He twisted off the top and raised an eye brow. “Plus, I thought you said you wanted it to be more of a bed and breakfast.” He took a long pull from his drink, keeping his gaze on her.
She blinked in rapid succession. While he’d managed to catch every word she’d said on their first meeting, he somehow missed how pretty her eyes were. They were the color of rich caramel and they simultaneously calmed and ignited something within him.
“It’s… well… yeah. So you were listening.”
Braxton nodded. “Of course I was listening. My job, however, is to make sure everything that happens in the neighborhood is in everyone’s best interest.”
She propped her hand on her hip again, regaining her footing and igniting the passion for her project in her beautiful eyes. “And you don’t think my great-aunt’s legacy, my livelihood, is what’s best for the community?”
He took another swig of his water, trying to turn is attention to anything other than the way her eyes sparked when she spoke. Or how they were causing a flurry somewhere deep in his chest.
“I didn’t say that, but there are a lot of things at play here. The bylaws were written to protect our residents, our neighborhoods and our beaches.” It might be an unpopular opinion, but he happened to like rules. They protected things that needed to be protected. They kept people safe.
“What exactly do you think I’ll be doing at the B-and-B? Holding midnight raves and dumping my trash on the beach?”
“I wouldn’t think so, but one should never assume.” He leaned in as if sharing a secret. “By the way, if you’re planning on the rave, you should make it an early evening thing. There’s also a noise ordinance that goes into effect at eleven.” He gave her his best ‘what-do-you-do?’ look and shrugged.
She rolled her eyes and the flurry in his chest upgraded to a fluster, which he immediately stomped down. He didn’t have time for that, no matter how much he admired her gusto.
Rachel wrote her first novel when she was twelve and entered it into a contest for young author/illustrators. Unfortunately, the judges weren't impressed with her stick figures. So she dropped the dream of becoming a world famous illustrator and stuck to spinning stories. When she's not busy working on her latest book, she loves to travel with her family and friends. By far, her favorite destination is the beach, which tends to work its way into most of her stories. Between vacations, you can find her at home in The Woodlands, TX with her wonderful husband, their two adventurous kids and a couple of spirited pets, all of whom share Rachel's love of the ocean. Well, except the cat and dog. They're both afraid of water. Find out more about what Rachel has been up to at rachelmageebooks.com.
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