Page 132 of Banter & Blushes

“Beck,” she murmured, closing her eyes slightly. Before she could think, before either of them could reconsider, he had pulled her into his arms, and his mouth was on top of hers.

It was as if all the heat and tension simmering between them collided at once. The world spun, leaving only the feeling of his mouth warm and soft against hers.

It was completely unplanned as Caroline found herself kissing him back.

Beck pulled away first, his forehead resting against hers, a little dazed. “Wow,” he said, his voice rougher than usual. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“Me either,” she replied, her voice light with surprise.

“Do you think kissing is on Gigi’s card?”

She gave him a playful shove, but her heart wasn’t in it. “Probably.”

“Was it as good for you as it was for her?” He pretended to duck, holding up a hand to protect himself from another shove.

“Yes,” Caroline blurted, still feeling the warmth of his kiss on her lips. “For me. Not her.”

“How long do you think it will take before they find out?”

“I didn’t know you were a fan of the bingo card,” she finally said, a teasing undertone in her voice as she picked up the binder and shoved it in her tote bag.

“I heard there’s a card out there with some good spaces left to fill.”

She wasn’t concerned about adding a few more marks to a bingo card, giving a giggle, as he leaned in to kiss her once more.

CHAPTER 7

CAROLINE

The phone rang and rang. It rang some more but never clicked over to voicemail. Caroline was determined not to hang up until she reached someone at the Morning Watch.

“Come on,” she muttered. “Pick up.” If she was lucky, her college roommate might answer the call.

Wedging her smartphone between her ear and shoulder, her neck slightly tilted to keep it steady. A stubby yellow pencil rested between her teeth. The eraser chewed to a nub. Most of her pens, now casualties of Quint, lay scattered and forgotten somewhere in Beck’s cottage, leaving her with the trusty pencil as her only choice for jotting down important details.

She hadn’t gotten around to buying new ones yet. Purchasing pens were right up with getting the battery installed in The Hollis Express. There were lots of pens waiting in her online shopping cart, though. She rifled through her tote bag, fingers pushing aside crumpled receipts, forgotten mail and loose change, until she found what she was looking for.

Her fingers brushed against the familiar worn edge of her notepad, and she pulled it out triumphantly and placed it among the papers on her desk just as the click could be heard on the other end.

“Morning Watch. Faye McDaniel.”

Caroline nearly dropped her phone. “Faye! It’s Caroline. I need a favor.”

“Caroline Hollis! I didn’t think I’d hear from you and your sleepy little beach town so soon. What kind of favor?”

“One I can’t manage without. Can you send a reporter to Bluebell Bay?” Caroline moved the pencil to the other side of her mouth.

“When?”

Glancing at the calendar on the wall, she counted off the days. “Two weeks?”

“Memorial Day weekend? No, can do, darling.”

“Faye,” Caroline said, almost pleading. “I know this is last minute, and your show rarely covers stuff like this, but I’m doing a summer gala, and I need someone who can help drive visitors to the beach. Bluebell Bay is practically off the map.”

“I don’t think Blueberry Bay is on any map.”

“Bluebell…”

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