Page 6 of All You Need Is Love

Chapter 2

He hadn’t thought women like her really existed.

Marshall St. John kept his gaze fixed on Shannon, her long blonde hair swaying against her retreating back. If he were a different kind of man, he’d have asked her out in a heartbeat. But he didn’t do serious relationships. And sure, he’d only spent a few hours with Shannon, but he instinctively knew that she was a forever-relationship kind of girl.

His gut twisted at the thought, but he pushed it away. It didn’t matter anyway. He lived three thousand miles away in New York City, and he was only here in Walker Beach for one reason—to snag a promotion back home.

He couldn’t afford to lose his focus now, not when he was so close. Even if the distraction came with huge blue eyes, a tiny waist, and a heart that, far as he could tell, was more genuine than any Marshall had encountered since his mom was alive.

Checking his watch again, he grimaced and took off at a brisk pace toward his home for the next nine days. The beach was much more crowded than it’d been hours ago when he’d first come this way, wondering not for the first time how he’d gotten himself into this mess. After all, he wasn’t exactly the lying type. And yet, his coworker’s proposition had been too tempting to pass up.

Besides, the lie wasn’t going to hurt anyone. It was only designed to help two people in a business-like arrangement.

Marshall hopped up onto the boardwalk that ran the length of downtown. Bicyclists, in-line skaters, and dog walkers crowded the scenic route, which gave a fantastic view of both the ocean to the west and the mature oak trees and hills extending out just east of Main Street. Even the backsides of the downtown shops along the boardwalk were quaint, their wooden frames painted a cheerful collection of pastels.

It was so completely foreign to the New Yorker in him.

But the kid from Blakestown, Iowa … he remembered well the small-town vibe. The charm. The community.

The gossip that tore lives apart.

Grunting, Marshall swerved around a young mom with a stroller and headed down the alley between two buildings onto Main Street, past the golf course and marina at the south end of town, and into an older residential neighborhood. After passing a few larger homes, he came to the house on Berry Street where he was staying.

Marshall pushed open the red front door and dropped his keys and wallet on the oak entryway table before making his way into the modest-sized living room, where three pairs of eyes swung to meet him. His hosts, Tyler and Gabrielle Baker, sat together on the couch. Tyler’s beefy arm was slung behind his wife, whose hands rested on her very pregnant stomach.

And there, on the leather love seat beside the white brick fireplace, sat Quinn. She flicked a counterfeit smile his way. “Honey, you’re back.”

Marshall tried to hold back a cringe at the endearment—and the biting tone edging his coworker’s lilting voice. With her perfectly styled brown curls, delicate features, and an impressive height that almost matched his own, the woman was beautiful, of that there was no doubt. But Marshall had never been attracted to her, and his lack of attraction had nothing to do with the faint scar trailing down the entire right side of her face.

No, he hadn’t known Quinn Baker for five minutes before he realized she was just like so many women he’d met in New York—aggressive, hyper-focused, determined to be the center of attention and the maker of her own success. Which, in and of themselves, were not bad qualities, except when accompanied by a certain coldness that lent itself to selfish ambition.

So unlike Shannon, the blonde-haired, small-town girl with a heart of gold.

Wow, he really needed to forget about her. Not like he’d ever see her again, and making up some romantic fantasy in his mind wouldn’t help him zero in on his mission objective.

Which, ironically, included pretense of a whole other level.

“Marshall? Where were you, babe?”

He blinked and refocused on Quinn, whose eyebrows were plucked in such a way that she always appeared to be arching them in question. “I was walking along the beach and lost track of time.”

Gabrielle pushed a lock of dark blonde hair behind her ear and snuggled back into Tyler’s embrace. “It’s a charming town, isn’t it? New York is beautiful in its own way, but I’m so glad we decided to settle here.”

She and her husband both worked full time at Tyler’s non-profit, the Amazing Kids Foundation, which was based out of Midtown Manhattan. They’d traveled back and forth for more than half a year, a home in both locations. But when Gabrielle had gotten pregnant a few months after their wedding last fall, they’d decided Walker Beach was a better place to raise a family and had sold Tyler’s apartment in New York.

Marshall wouldn’t be caught dead living in a small town again, but not everyone had had his experiences. Still, he couldn’t deny Walker Beach’s charm. “It definitely is beautiful.”

Just like a certain blonde …

Focus.

Quinn stood. “I’d love to hear all about your morning, but we need to be getting ready for dinner at Mom and Dad’s.”

“Calm down, sis. We have like three hours.” The easy laugh lines around Tyler’s eyes were proof of his status as the more laid-back twin.

“I know it may not take you a long time to get ready, but some of us have hair and makeup to do. Right, Gabrielle?” Quinn shot her sister-in-law a secretive smile.

“Oh, well, I’m mostly ready to go.” Gabrielle yawned. “Though I wouldn’t say no to a nap.”

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