Page 1 of All Along

Chapter 1

Maya – a shy woman who refuses to be pushed around by her best friends. Mostly.

Maya

“I’m not doing it.”

I wish I could say I shouted those words or maybe stomped my foot to make my point, but I’m barely speaking above a whisper. Being shy sucks sometimes.

“Come on.” My friend, Chloe, elbows me. “It’ll be a blast.”

I hold my ground. “I’m not writing a love message in a bottle.”

Why did I let my friends drag me out to theHearts Beneath the Waves Festival? I should have known one of them – either Chloe, Sophia, Nova, or Paisley – would pull some kind of stunt.

During Valentine’s Day weekend, our hometown of Smuggler’s Rest along with the rest of the island of Smuggler’s Hideaway transforms into an underwater dreamscape. There are romantic mermaid statues, sea creatures holding hearts, and smuggling barrels turned into flower vases.

But it’s not a Smuggler’s Hideaway festival without quirky activities. TheHearts Beneath the Waves Festivalincludes a love parade, siren’s serenade singing contest, sweetheart race, and mermaid’s blessing ceremony. To top it all off, there’s a seafoam ball tonight. Which I will not be attending even if I have to pretend I got buried under all the romance books in my house.

“It’ll be fun,” Sophia claims.

I fail to understand what is ‘fun’ about writing an anonymous love note in a bottle for any festival-goer to read. Or act on? I shiver. I don’t want a date with some random tourist.

“Why would she write an anonymous love letter when the man she wants can’t read the letter?” Paisley asks.

Nova slaps her shoulder. “Leave Maya alone.”

Paisley blinks in confusion. It’s not an act. My big-brained friend doesn’t understand what the problem is.

She pushes her glasses up her nose. “I don’t understand. I’m defending Maya.”

Nova scowls at her. “You brought up Caleb. After we agreed not to bring him up anymore.”

“I didn’t say his name. You did.”

They begin to squabble and I tune them out.Caleb. The boy who helped me climb down the monkey bars when I was in second grade is now a soldier fighting our country’s enemies somewhere overseas. He’s also my pen pal. And the man I imagine every hero in every romance novel I read resembles.

But it’s not to be. Caleb isn’t for me. We’re friends. Nothing more. Nothing less. No matter how much I may wish otherwise.

“What if Caleb finds out she wrote someone else a love letter and gets all jealous and rushes back to Smuggler’s Hideaway to make it clear to all smugglers and mermaids alike that Maya belongs to him?” Sophia asks.

I bite my lip as I imagine Caleb arriving back on the island to stake his claim on me. My stomach warms and I nearly swoon. I’d star in my very own romance novel! He’d shove my suitor out of his way before claiming me with a searing kiss.

“If Maya isn’t going to write a love message, I will.” Chloe marches to the message in the bottle station. We hurry after her.

Sophia swipes the pen from her. “You can’t write an anonymous love message in a bottle. You’re married.”

Chloe waggles her eyebrows. “Imagine how mad my dear husband will be when he finds out.”

“I don’t understand.” Paisley purses her lips. “Do you want Lucas to be mad at you?”

Sophia giggles. “Oh, she wants Lucas to be mad at her all right.”

Because apparently, Lucas punishes Chloe in sexy ways. I don’t know exactly how, but their relationship reminds me of one of those BDSM books that were so popular a few years back. Those books? Phew. They made me all hot and bothered.

Nova moans and grabs her stomach. I rush to her. My pregnant friend is nearing her due date and probably shouldn’t be on her feet all day.

“Are you okay? Is Sprog okay? Do you need to sit down?”

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