Moonrise Beach, Book Seven
Blurb:
Mark Young excels at creating the most thrilling and addicting video games but unfortunately, he can’t seem to conquer the dating game at all. After getting unexpectedly dumped, he refuses to give up on his love life. So in a last ditch effort to meet someone new, he joins the local gym and befriends Rose Latimer, a painfully shy redhead.
Every time Rose is around Mark, she can’t help the rushing of blood through her veins, but her struggle with social anxiety prevents her from keeping her cool around attractive men. However, during an impromptu camping trip with Mark, Rose must make a detour into unexpected passion as she is pushed further out of her limits.
Can this modern wallflower find the courage inside of herself to face her greatest fears? Or will true everlasting love continue to elude these two hopeless romantics forever?
Exclusive Excerpt
“Rose!” Mavis called again, this time much more urgently. “Someone is here to see you!”
Rose froze in her approach. “What?” Who would come to see her? In all her years of working here, she had never had anyone visit her at work. Not even Nic had bothered to come.
Curiosity got the best of her and Rose went to see who the hell was waiting for her. To her horror, Mark stood there, smiling at her as she approached. “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked in greeting.
His easy grin widened. “It’s nice to see you, too.”
Rose only realized how rude she probably sounded. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I just wasn’t expecting you here.” Although she had invited him to come visit the gardens, she didn’t actually expect him to come so soon. She could already feel her anxiety rising with his unexpected appearance. What the hell was she supposed to do now?
Mavis glanced between them, looking obviously confused as to why this handsome man was here with her.
Rose leaned into Mark, lowering her voice. “You didn’t tell me that you were coming.”
“I wanted to surprise you.” Surprise her? Why? “Actually, I did try calling earlier,” he admitted, “but they said that you were busy.”
Rose turned her glare at Mavis, who simply shrugged in answer. “I didn’t know it was your boyfriend. You never told me you had one.”
“He’s not my boyfriend!” she cried out.
“He’s not?” Mavis glanced back at Mark, but he simply smiled at her.
Wait, wasn’t he going to agree? This was really too much for her to handle right now.
“I’m Mark,” he said instead, extending his hand for Mavis to hold.
Her boss latched on to him instantly, practically tearing his arm off in the process in her excitement. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry, but Rose hasn’t mentioned much about you. She’s real quiet about her personal life.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Rose interceded. “He’s just a friend.”
“A very handsome friend,” Mavis corrected with a wink. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.”
“Wait!”
But before she knew it, Mavis was gone, leaving her alone with Mark. Letting out a sigh, Rose turned back to him. He smiled at her. Instantly, she felt her cheeks flush with heat. Dammit, what the hell was she going to do now? Once she was alone with him, she felt completely unsteady. “So what are you doing here?” she asked again.
Mark shrugged. “I wanted to see the garden. Although I’ve lived in Moonrise for a few months, I still haven’t been here yet.” He glanced around, seeming impressed by the atmosphere. “It looks really pretty.”
“I would’ve been more prepared if you’d let me know you were coming.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I was just excited to see you again.”
The words nipped her irritation in the bud.
No one had ever said that to her. Not even a friend.
As a blush rose high on her cheek, Rose tried to hide it. She couldn’t get mad at him for coming here. Technically, she had been the one to invite him.
Rose winced as a streak of pain shot through her wrist. Oh my God. Even moving it wrong was causing uncomfortable pain. Rose clutched her wrist to her chest, massaging the joint. That was when Mark leaned in, looking concerned. “Are you okay?”
She dropped her hands at her side. “I’m fine. I just haven’t eaten anything yet.”
“Here. Have this.” In his hand, she hadn’t noticed that he carried two cups. He handed one to her.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s tea.” Surprised by the gesture, she could only accept it.
“What time do you get off? Let’s go eat something together.”
“Thank you, but I can’t leave. I have to work overtime.”
“That’s a bummer. Why don’t I grab something for you to eat and bring it here? What do you want?”
“Thanks, but that’s not necessary.” She wasn’t going to treat him like an errand boy even if she would kill for food right now. “Why don’t I give you a tour since you’re already here?”
Mark arched his brow at her. “Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“Yes. Follow me.” She didn’t give him a chance to argue before she was already walking away. To her pleasure, Mark ran after her, his long strides easily keeping up pace with her. “So what do you want to see first?” she asked.
“Anything. Everything. It’s my first time in a botanical garden.”
“Really?” Surprised his with admission, Rose stopped suddenly, causing him to bump into her. Their eyes met, locking with intensity.
Whoa. Green.
When she had first met him, she hadn’t realized just how stunning his forest-green eyes were. But they were gorgeous! Dark and captivating with flecks of copper in them, they reminded her of the lush, green gardens.
Realizing that she had been staring at him for far too long, she broke eye contact and returned her gaze to the ground. Way to make things awkward, Rose. You were staring at him like he was on display at the museum! But Mark didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he let out a small chuckle that only caused her to flush even more.
Clearing her throat, she asked, “So I was thinking that I could show you the new collections first.”
“New collections?” Mark looked confused as he scratched his head.
“Yeah, we have some new collections of flowers in bloom right now. They’re really a stunning sight. Do you want to see?”
When Mark nodded, she felt her excitement grow. Finally, she was somewhere where she felt like she had the upper hand and a part of her liked to be able to share her knowledge with him.
She led him to the camellia collection first. With their vibrant colors and glossy green leaves, they were a garden favorite. “Wow,” Mark breathed as he took in the sight. “They’re so beautiful.”
Rose couldn’t agree more. She loved camellias too. There was something so special seeing them in full bloom like this.
She watched as Mark walked closer to one of them. “Is this the same thing?” he asked, pointing to another variation of the flower.
She nodded. “Yes. They’re all camellias.”
“Really?”
“Yup. There are over two hundred species and blooms ranging from white, pink, or deep red. Some can look more like wild roses while others can have multiple petals, looking more like peonies.”
“Wow, I had no idea.” Mark looked impressed by her knowledge and that relieved her. Sometimes when she spurted out facts like that, people thought she was weird. She was glad that Mark didn’t think she was crazy. “So are they like this all year round?” he asked.
“No. The typical bloom time is between January and March.”
Mark straightened. “I had no idea. It’s really cool that you know all this.”
Really? Most men weren’t interested in what she did for a living.
“Want to know something else?” she asked him.
“What?”
She gestured at the cup of tea she held in her hand. “Every time you drink tea, you’re enjoying camellias.”
“Really? No way.”
“Yes. Camellia sinensis is used to make tea of all kinds, including green, black, and oolong tea.”
Mark grinned at her, holding up his tea up in toast. “Well, then. Cheers to camellia.”
Grinning, Rose toasted her cup against his and then took a long pull. At first, she had been surprised by his sudden appearance but she was now glad that he had decided to show up.
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