Page 67 of The Kiss Keeper
She checked on Leo, then spied Marcus, coming in hot. “I know! I know! Hurry! Mr. Funyun Breath is almost to the log!”
“I’ve never kissed a lobster queen before,” he mused as if she wasn’t in grave danger of having to kiss not only another idiot doctor but a doctor with a predilection for noshing on bait.
“Ring the damn bell,” she said, laughing.
Thank God, the man complied. The clang of the old bell cut through the cheers and chants. Jake peeled off the bandana as a wide grin stretched across his face. “Did you ever doubt me?”
She stared into his eyes—the eyes of a man she hardly knew, yet she could barely remember what life was like before he got in line behind her at the airport.
“No, I never doubted you,” she answered, unable to look away.
He straightened her crown. “I’m ready to claim that kiss.”
“You don’t want to eat your lobster first?” she teased.
His gaze darkened. “Hell no.”
She glanced around to find her entire family watching them, then leaned in and lowered her voice. “Remember, we have to make this look—”
Before she could sayreal, Jake cupped her face in his hands and planted one hell of a kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her feet off the ground as their kiss picked up steam. His grip tightened around her waist as their tongues met in a slow, sensual rhythm. His teeth grazed her bottom lip, and she sighed, again, losing herself to his scent and taste and touch, ready to surrender to her growing desire when someone cleared their throat.
She pulled back a fraction to find her grandfather biting back a grin.
“About done there, claiming your kiss?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Jake answered, setting her down, then took a step back.
“That was some kiss,” her grandmother added, threading her arm with her husband.
“They do that,” Lara chimed.
Marcus nodded. “Yeah, you should have seen them last night.”
“You should have heard them last night,” Leo mumbled.
She glanced up at Jake, then pasted on a beauty queen, or in her case, a lobster queen-sized grin. “Congratulations on your obstacle course win, Jake Teller. Would you like your crustacean?”
For a beat, nobody moved or said a word. Yes, she sounded like a moron. But what was she supposed to say with her family staring at her, all slack-jawed? Thanks for that amazing kiss? It’s too bad that my grandpa is hovering a few feet away or else we could have totally gone at it right here on the beach?
“Let’s hold off on the lobster for a minute, Nat. I’ve got a few things I’d like to announce,” her grandfather said, sharing a look with her grandmother.
“Is everything okay, Grandpa?” Lara asked.
“That all depends on one of you,” her grandmother answered.
“One of us,” Lara and Leslie echoed.
“Your grandmother and I have spent fifty wonderful years here at Camp Woolwich. We’ve raised our children here and welcomed friends, cousins, grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. But we’ve come to a turning point.”
“And as much as we love Camp Woolwich, we’re getting older, and there are some things on our bucket list we’d like to do while we still can. So, tonight, we’re announcing that we’re ready to pass the torch, and we’re hoping that one of you will accept,” her grandmother said, smiling into the crowd.
“You want one of us to take over?” Natalie asked. She’d known something was up with her grandparents, but never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined they’d give up the camp.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to sell the land since no one in the family has followed in your footsteps? There’s nobody among us that could drop everything to run a camp,” Leslie replied.
Bev nodded. “That’s true. We never expected any of our children or grandchildren to follow in the family business. We wanted you all to have your own lives and follow your own passions.”
Her grandfather nodded. “We’ve looked into several options, but Bev and I know it’s time to take a step back. We’re seventy-five years old, but I’ll be damned to sell this place to a stranger before trying to keep it in the family,” her grandfather added.
