Sunkissed Days Read online

  Sunkissed Days

  Samantha Chase

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Preview of Book One - Remind Me

  About the Author

  Also by Samantha Chase

  Copyright 2019 Samantha Chase

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book, with the exception of brief quotations for book reviews or critical articles, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by an means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Editor: Jillian Rivera

  Cover Design: Uplifting Designs/Alyssa Garcia

  Praise for Samantha Chase

  “Samantha Chase writes my kind of happily ever after!”

  NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Erin Nicholas

  “If you can’t get enough of stories that get inside your heart and soul and stay there long after you’ve read the last page, then Samantha Chase is for you!”

  NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Melanie Shawn

  “A fun, flirty, sweet romance filled with romance and character growth and a perfect happily ever after.”

  NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips

  “A sweet romance that takes its time to court the reader: classic, thoughtful, and sometimes as lyrical as the stars.”

  Kirkus

  “The openness between the lovers is refreshing, and their interactions are a balanced blend of sweet and spice. The planets may not have aligned, but the elements of this winning romance are definitely in sync.”

  Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

  “A true romantic delight, A Sky Full of Stars is one of the top gems of romance this year.”

  Night Owl Reviews, TOP PICK

  “Great writing, a winsome ensemble, and the perfect blend of heart and sass.”

  Publishers Weekly

  “Recommend Chase to fans of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Well-written and uniquely appealing.”

  Booklist

  1

  Six Years Ago…

  “Looks like the ugly duckling finally turned into a swan, huh?”

  Shoving her elbow into her twin brother’s rib, Mallory Westbrook quickly moved away and smoothed a hand down her dress. “Shut up.”

  Laughing, Sam did his best to shoulder her out of the way and get a glimpse of himself in her full-length mirror.

  Rolling her eyes, Mallory nudged him aside. “Seriously, Sam, knock it off! I was getting ready first!”

  “Mal, we’re adults now. Aren’t we a little too old to be arguing over a mirror?” he said with a superior tone.

  “I know I am, but clearly you’re not. And why are you even in here? Don’t you have a mirror in your room?”

  “Well, yeah. Duh. But I was walking by and saw you preening so I figured I’d come in and give you a hard time. You know, for old times’ sake.”

  She rolled her eyes again. “Old times? Dude, you never stopped doing it.”

  “Okay, maybe that’s true but I have to say, you’re looking good. Finally making me proud to be your twin.”

  Unable to help herself, she let out a huff of annoyance. They weren’t identical, but they definitely shared enough similarities – same chestnut colored hair and midnight blue eyes. Same stubborn chin. Sam was definitely taller than Mallory and somehow way more genetically blessed.

  Until now.

  In the last six months, Mallory finally felt like she had moved on from her awkward teen years.

  And considering she was twenty, wasn’t it about time?

  “I hate backhanded compliments,” she murmured, stepping closer to the mirror and carefully applying her lipstick.

  Sam made a face behind her and she chose not to respond.

  “You’re right. That was out of line,” he said and he at least sounded sincere. He took a step back and looked around the room. “But I’m serious. You look good.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You didn’t look like this over Christmas.”

  Clearly he wasn’t going to let this go. Straightening, she placed her lipstick down on her dresser and faced him. “No, I did not look like this over Christmas,” she began patiently. “I joined a gym, then I cut my hair and learned how to apply makeup. Happy?”

  Sam eyed her suspiciously. “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why all the changes?” Then he started to grin. “Oh…a guy, right? You did all this for a guy?”

  Another huff of frustration. “Sam…”

  “C’mon, Mal. Don’t deny it. The only reason a girl goes and does the whole…” He motioned to her whole body, “makeover thing, it’s usually because of a guy. So come on. Spill it. Who is he?”

  There was no way in hell she was going to tell him he was right, mainly because it was a little embarrassing. Basically, she was always athletic and in good shape, but she’d lacked some confidence. Taking yoga and Zumba helped her work on some coordination and toning. And the makeup? Well, that was because the natural look wasn’t doing her any favors. An afternoon at Sephora had been very educational.

  And expensive.

  But as she looked in the mirror and saw the results, Mallory knew it was all worth it.

  It had to be.

  “It feels weird to be back, doesn’t it?”

  Turning her head, she looked at him. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we just finished classes for the semester and I was looking forward to heading home – back to New York – and instead we were all told to come here.” He shrugged. “I really could have used a couple of weeks to decompress after finals before having to deal with all this nonsense.”

  This time she made a face. “I hate to break it to you, but there would have been nonsense back home too. At least here we have some distractions.” She paused. “Plus, fewer responsibilities. I thought for sure you’d be all for that.”

  His expression turned fierce for the briefest of moments before going completely neutral. “Yeah, sure. That’s me. You know how I love avoiding being responsible.” Then he laughed and tried to make light of it. “And you can’t beat the location – beaches filled with girls in bikinis. Not a bad way to pass the time.”

  Somehow, Mallory didn’t quite believe him, but she wasn’t going to push it right now. That wasn’t what this trip was about. “We’re here for Pops and he’s the most important thing, right?”

  A shrug was his only response.

  “I don’t know about you, but coming back to Magnolia Sound was exactly what I needed after my finals. No responsibilities, just a chance to hang out with the cousins and sit in the sun. Um…yes, please!”

  “Right. That’s because you’re not being looked at as the family screwup and being compared to Mason the Magnificent.”

  It was a name they had given their cousin back when they were still kids because it seemed like no matter what anyone accomplished, no one could do it better than Mason. His parents – Sam and Mallory’s Aunt Georgia and Uncle Beau – made sure everyone knew all about their gifted and talente
d son.

  It was enough to make you sick.

  “For Pops, I think you can handle it for a few days, right?”

  Their great-grandfather Ezekiel was celebrating his ninetieth birthday and it’s why they were all here on the North Carolina coast. There was going to be three days’ worth of festivities celebrating his life and the whole town was involved because Ezekiel Coleman was the last surviving original founder of Magnolia Sound.

  Quite an accomplishment.

  He not only outlived his own siblings, but his own children. Now all that was left were his three grandchildren – Susannah, Georgia, and Cash – and their families. And they were all currently on hand and ready to celebrate the life of their patriarch.

  Personally, Mallory was excited to be here; she’d been counting down the days until she could hop in her car and make the drive down. With school done for the semester – and the summer – this was something that had become a tradition. Spending the summer – or at least part of it – on Magnolia Sound with Pops and the family was something they’d always done. Maybe Sam was ready to be done with it, but she wasn’t.

  “Any chance I can skip out of here tomorrow?” Sam asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “You know that’s not possible. Tonight is just the beginning of it all. A family dinner down in the main dining room with all of Pops’ favorites and then tomorrow is an all-day affair starting out with the Founders Day parade.” She gave him a small smile. “You know you can’t skip out on that. You’d break Pops’ heart.”

  He muttered a curse and raked a hand through his dark hair. “Yeah, well…at least tomorrow I can conveniently get lost in the crowd at the parade, but tonight…”

  A knock on her door had them both turning.

  “There you two are! I meant to be here to greet you earlier but I had some last-minute shopping to do for the dinner tonight. Pop invited the Summerfords to join us,” their mother Susannah said as she took turns hugging and kissing them both.

  “The…the Summerfords are coming?” Mallory asked nervously and immediately cursed herself. The look on Sam’s face showed her that the slight tremor in her voice was noticeable. Quickly clearing her throat, she added, “I mean, that will be nice. The more the merrier, right?”

  Her mother smiled serenely as she reached out and touched her daughter’s hair. “I still can’t believe you cut your hair, Mallory. It was so long and…”

  “I donated it to Locks of Love, Mom, so it went to a good cause. And besides, it was time. It was way too long and nothing but a hassle.” Turning to look at her reflection, Mallory had to admit she missed her long tresses, but now with her hair gently brushing against her shoulders, she knew it was the right thing to do.

  “Still,” Susannah said, “I look at you now and see a young woman instead of my little girl.”

  Then it was definitely the right thing to do…

  Smiling, Mallory said, “I’ll always be your little girl, but it’s time I started to look like an adult.”

  Sam came over and put his arms around the two of them and hugged them tightly. “And I’ll always be your little boy, Mom,” he teased, giving her a loud, smacking kiss on the forehead before doing the same to Mallory. “And I’ll always be your older and much more attractive brother.”

  She elbowed him in the stomach. “Two minutes! You’re older by two minutes!” she said with a laugh.

  “Still older and still more attractive,” he said, quickly sidestepping another elbow to the gut.

  “You two,” Susannah said with a soft chuckle as she made her way toward the door. “Our guests will be here soon and I need a hand in the kitchen so…”

  “We’ll be down in a minute, Mom,” Sam said. “I just need to talk to Mal first, okay?”

  She smiled at her children. “Five minutes.” And then she was gone.

  Mallory stood and waited for whatever it was her brother had to say, even as her stomach was churning and her heart was racing a mile a minute. The Summerfords were coming for dinner. Did that mean Jake would be with them? He was their only son and Mallory’s every dream come true.

  Granted, he was four years older than Mallory, but now that she had finally stopped looking like a twelve-year-old, he could see her for the woman she was. And maybe, just maybe, he’d stop treating her like a kid and treat her like a…

  “Okay, wipe that goofy grin off your face,” Sam snapped, effectively interrupting her train of thought. “Please tell me you didn’t do all this…” He motioned to her whole self again. “For Jake. Please.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she murmured as she moved around him toward the door. “C’mon, Mom needs us and…” One strong hand on her arm stopped her. Letting out a long breath, Mallory faced her brother.

  “I know exactly what I’m talking about,” he said calmly, softly. “You’ve been crushing on that guy for years and…I don’t want you to get hurt. He’s older than you and he’s a little out of your league.”

  Pulling her arm from him, Mallory wanted to argue, but to what end?

  “You can be pissed at me and tell me I’m wrong, but we both know I’m not.” He paused and studied her. “This whole makeover thing? If you did this for you – to make you feel good – then that’s great. But if you did this to get Jake Summerford to notice you? Then you’re crazy.”

  “Are you done?” she asked flatly.

  “I’m just looking out for you. He’s never seen you as anything other than a kid and he’s still going to look at you like that – no matter how much you play dress up and try to pretend otherwise.” He stopped and gave her a sad smile. “Look, I’m not trying to be a jerk…”

  But she was done listening.

  More than done.

  “Thanks for the advice.” And without a backward glance, Mallory walked out of her room with her head held high and made her way down the hall to the grand staircase to go help her mother.

  The old house was massive – a coastal plantation home that was built around the turn of the century – and right now, she welcomed the long walk from her room to the kitchen. The place was in total need of a makeover, but Pops was against it. He claimed this was the way the house had always looked and it’s the way he wanted it to stay. A quick glance at the faded and ugly floral wallpaper made her cringe. This place could use a little life breathed into it.

  Off in the distance, she heard a door slam and knew it was Sam, which brought her out of her home-makeover reverie. Now as she slowly walked down the stairs, she thought about what he said.

  It didn’t matter that her brother was probably right – Jake Summerford had never shown any interest in her ever – but that didn’t mean it couldn’t change. She had gone and done this makeover specifically with Jake in mind – hoping that he would finally notice her, but after Sam’s harsh words, she was second-guessing herself.

  A small sigh escaped before she could stop it. Just the thought of Jake – of his sandy brown hair, his dimples that were always on display because of his ever-present smile, and his incredible blue eyes made him…perfect. What she wouldn’t give to be able to run her fingers through his hair and kiss his lips and…

  “Oof!” Turning the corner at the bottom of the stairs, she ran right into someone. Taking a moment to get her bearings, Mallory startled at the hands on her arms. When she looked up, she gasped.

  “Hey, sorry. I was just going to look for…” Big blue eyes went wide. “Oh my God…Mallory?” It was hard to tell if he was surprised or horrified by her appearance. Only one thing was certain – he was definitely seeing her.

  If anything, he couldn’t seem to look away.

  One hurdle crossed.

  2

  Holy hell.

  Jake jumped back as if he’d been burned. What the hell happened to little Mallory Westbrook? Last he saw her – which was only a year ago – she was…well…she was a kid! Okay, technically not a kid but…that’s how he saw her. Glancing at her now, it was hard to believ
e the difference a year made.

  Clearing his throat, he asked, “Um…where’s Sam? I was coming to see if he could give me a hand moving some chairs around.” Another quick throat clear. “Your mom said he was upstairs, so…”

  Maybe it was his imagination but Mallory looked a little disappointed. Then again, he wasn’t allowing himself to examine her too closely because he was certain he would gawk until it got awkward.

  “He’s still upstairs,” she said quietly, motioning over her shoulder toward the stairs. And before he could thank her or say anything else, she brushed by him and walked toward the kitchen.

  And yeah, he watched her walk – admiring the soft sway of her hips and the way her short, floral dress moved against her thighs.

  Unable to help himself, Jake instantly wondered if her skin was as smooth as it looked and how it would feel against his hands, his lips, his…

  “Hey, Jake!” Sam came up behind him and clapped him hard on the shoulder, nearly causing him to jump.

  Quickly pulling himself together, he turned around and smiled. “Hey, Sam. You and I are on furniture moving duty. You ready?”

  The two of them made their way to the dining room and began moving chairs from the storage closet to the table. It was the perfect mindless activity – a distraction. If nothing else, it afforded him a few minutes to get his head on straight. Right now, Sam was talking about school and how the last thing he wanted to be doing right now, after a brutal semester, was spending time with his extended family and Jake simply nodded and let him talk.