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Welcome to OCEAN SHORES in the sun-soaked paradise of Oceanside, California where the ocean
pounds the shore, surfers ride the early morning waves, and the local military base sends roaring jets into the sky. Just steps from the sand sits a large
apartment building filled with interesting and quirky tenants, possible love connections, and more than a few secrets! Once you come to visit, you'll never
want to leave…

Don't Miss A Book

1. Hopelessly Romantic
2. Summer Loving
3. Moonlight Feels Right
4. Blame It On The Bikini
5. Love Me Like You Do

Chapter 1

Grayson Holt's jaw tightened in frustration as his father's
voice crackled through the car speaker.

"It's just one month, Gray. Four weeks. That's all I'm
asking," Emerson Holt said.

"Four weeks is a ridiculous waste of time," he
replied, navigating his Audi along the Pacific Coast Highway, the ocean
stretching endlessly to his right. The GPS indicated he was five minutes from Oceanside—five
minutes from an obligation he'd been trying to avoid for months. But he'd run
out of time and options. "The financial analysis is crystal clear. This
building is an underperforming asset we should have divested years ago, Dad.
You know that."

"What I know is that there's more to Ocean Shores than
numbers on a spreadsheet."

"Actually, there isn't." Grayson fought to keep
his voice level despite his rising anger. "The property values in this
area have skyrocketed. We're sitting on prime beachfront real estate that's
generating a fraction of its potential return. We could sell it tomorrow and
make a substantial profit."

His father's sigh was heavy with disappointment.
"You're thirty-three years old, Grayson, and you still think everything
can be reduced to profit margins."

"That's literally the point of our business." He glanced
in the rearview mirror before changing lanes. "Holt Enterprises isn't a
charity. We acquire properties, optimize their value, and sell when the market
conditions are favorable. You know this."

"And yet I've held onto Ocean Shores for thirty-five
years."

"Which has never made sense to me."

A moment of silence followed, and Grayson could picture his
father in his expansive corner office in downtown Los Angeles, staring out at
the skyline, gathering his thoughts.

"That's why you need to stay there," Emerson
finally said. "You need to understand why some investments are worth more
than their market value."

"I don't have time for this. I have quarterly
projections due next week, the Singapore acquisition is at a critical stage,
and the board meeting—"

"The company won't collapse without you for a month. Our
team is more than capable."

"But—"

"This isn't negotiable, Gray." His father's voice
took on the steely edge that had intimidated countless business associates over
the decades. "You want my approval to sell Ocean Shores? Fine. But I'm not
signing off until you've lived there for one month. Helen has set everything up
for you. Your apartment has been furnished, and the refrigerator and cupboards
stocked with essentials. You'll have everything you need."

"That's not the point."

"The point," his father said firmly, "is that
you need to experience Ocean Shores for yourself. Meet the residents. See what
we'd be taking from them if we sell."

"We'd be giving them a generous relocation package."

"Money isn't everything, son."

Grayson nearly laughed at the irony of those words coming
from Emerson Holt, a man whose singular focus on wealth acquisition had built a
billion-dollar real-estate empire. "That's rich, coming from you."

"Perhaps I've learned a few things over the years. Things
I'd like to spare you from learning the hard way."

An uncomfortable knot settled in his stomach. His dad's
words were more emotionally weighted than most of their conversations, and he
didn't know what to make of them.

"One month at the beach," his father continued.
"Not the roughest assignment you've ever been given. You might enjoy
yourself."

"One month. The second it's over, we're listing the
property."

"We'll see."

The call ended, and Grayson continued down the highway for
another few miles, his mind far away from the endless blue sea. He had so many
more things he'd rather be doing than this, but it was four weeks. He just had
to get through it, and then he would never have to think about Ocean Shores
again.

A few moments later, he pulled into the parking lot behind
the two-story building and turned off the engine. He sat for a moment, staring
at the structure in front of him. He'd made a brief visit here in September,
seven months ago, and doubted much had changed. The sign at the parking lot
entrance looked freshly painted, and the newly landscaped hedges and flower
beds added to the neat appearance, but there was no denying the eighteen-unit
apartment building had been built fifty years ago and was showing its age. 

He grabbed his leather briefcase from the passenger seat and
got out of the car, immediately assaulted by the pungent scent of salt air and
the distant rhythm of waves. It was a warm, sunny Friday evening with the
temperature still in the low eighties. He decided to leave his bags in the car
until he located his apartment. Then he'd get settled in.

As he made his way toward the entrance, he started sweating.
He was definitely overdressed in his suit and tie, his Italian loafers crunching
on the gravel as he approached the building. The courtyard entrance was
unassuming—a simple gate with a small plaque bearing the Ocean Shores name.
Grayson pushed it open and stepped into what felt like another world.

The interior courtyard was alive with activity. A sparkling
pool occupied the center of the space, surrounded by residents lounging on
chairs. Laughter drifted from a group gathered around a barbecue area, where a
man was flipping burgers while telling an animated story. At another table, two
women were engaged in what appeared to be an intense card game, slapping down
cards with dramatic flair.

Potted plants and string lights created an atmosphere of
casual charm. The building formed a rectangular shape, with all doors facing the
courtyard, creating an odd sense of intimacy. The coming and going of every
resident would be visible to anyone in the common area, and that lack of
privacy was not appealing to him, but no one in the courtyard appeared
irritated; they looked happy.

As his gaze swept the area, he found some of the faces to be
familiar from his brief visit months ago, although he couldn't remember many of
their names.

Then he saw her, the beautiful and irritating Lexie
Price, the manager's niece, the woman determined to convince him he shouldn't
sell the building. She was the one person he hadn't forgotten.

As she emerged from the pool, her dark hair was slicked back
from her face, highlighting her striking features—high cheekbones, full lips,
and brown eyes that had challenged him the moment they'd met. But it was the
hot pink bikini that temporarily short-circuited his thought process, revealing
stunning curves he hadn't fully appreciated during their previous encounter.

He quickly looked down at his phone as it vibrated with a
message, grateful for the distraction. But the business text couldn't prevent
him from looking up again, looking for her…

Unfortunately, his view was blocked by a colorful beach ball
hurtling directly at his face. He jerked back, but he was too late. The ball
connected with his forehead, throwing him off-balance. His arms windmilled as
he teetered on the pool's edge.

For one suspended moment, he thought he might regain his balance.
Then gravity won, and he plunged into the water with a splash.

The shock of cold water enveloped him as he sank, his
expensive suit immediately waterlogged. He surfaced, gasping and sputtering, to
find the entire courtyard had fallen silent, all eyes fixed on him. Before he
could haul himself out, he saw Lexie standing at the pool's edge, a mixture of
surprise and amusement playing across her face.

"Well," she said, extending a hand to him,
"you certainly arrived with a splash."

Nervous laughter rippled through the gathered residents.
Grayson ignored her outstretched hand and pulled himself out of the pool, water
cascading from his ruined suit.

"I'm so sorry!" A young boy ran up to him with a
worried expression on his face. "I didn't mean to hit you."

"It's fine," Grayson managed, noting that the boy
couldn't have been more than six or seven.

"I told you to be careful, Henry," a woman said,
putting her arm around the boy's shoulders. Then she gave him a wary look.
"I'm Paige Kendry, Henry's mother. "If you need to have that suit dry-cleaned
or maybe get a new one, I can pay for it."

"Don't worry about it," he muttered, suddenly
realizing he'd lost his phone. As he turned his head, he saw it at the bottom
of the pool. "Damn. My phone."

"I'll get it," Lexie said, immediately going back into
the pool to retrieve his phone.

He frowned as she came back to the surface and moved up the
steps to hand it to him. His phone was definitely not designed for submersion
in a swimming pool. "This is done."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm going to find my apartment."

"You're in 11B, at the top of the stairs in the corner,"
she added, tipping her head to the right. "You have keys, right? We sent
them to someone named Helen."

"I have them." He picked up his briefcase, which
he'd thankfully managed to drop on the ground before landing in the pool, and
made his way toward the stairs, very aware of the attention he was drawing. He
was dripping wet, and his shoes squelched with every step, offering a wonderfully
humiliating soundtrack to his arrival.

When he got upstairs, he was happy to put the key in the
door and step into his apartment, away from those far-too-interested eyes.

The apartment was modern in décor, with designer touches
added to the gray couch and matching chairs, the glass coffee table, and the
cabinet containing the television. A white dining room table with four chairs
sat adjacent to the kitchen, which gleamed with shiny stainless-steel
appliances.

Before he could make his way into the bedroom, a knock sounded
at his door.

He opened it to find Lexie with a towel wrapped around her
hips and a phone in her hands. "In case you need to make some calls before
you can get another phone, you can use mine."

"That's not necessary. I can text from my computer
until I get another phone."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay. If you change your mind, I'm downstairs in 2A,
right next to Josie's apartment." She paused. "I don't know why you
decided to stay here for a few weeks, but I hope you'll take the time to get to
know the tenants, to understand that we have a community here. This might be a
simple business decision for you, but for us, it's our home."

"I'm aware of your feelings on that matter," he
said, noting the anger flaring in her pretty brown eyes. She really was a
strikingly beautiful woman, even with wet hair and not a speck of makeup on her
face.

"But you don't care about feelings," she said with
annoyance.

"Look, I'm not trying to hurt anyone. If we decide to
sell, there will be generous relocation packages for the tenants."

"Because money fixes everything, right?"

"Not everything, but it can fix a lot."

"From my experience, it can also ruin people. But, clearly,
I'm not going to change your mind tonight." She paused. "We're having
a barbecue in the courtyard. Why don't you join us after you dry off and get
settled in?"

"I have work to do, and I had a late lunch. I'm going
to be here for a month. There will be plenty of time for me to meet
people."

"Fine," she said with exasperation. "But
since half the building is in the courtyard, you're missing a great
opportunity." 

As she left the apartment, he let out a sigh, feeling
completely off his game. He'd wanted to arrive as the professional business
owner he was, not some idiot who fell into the swimming pool. That incident had
changed the power dynamic, and he needed to get it back. But first, he needed
to get his suitcases out of his car and take a shower.

Heading down the stairs, he was once again greeted by the
sound of conversation and laughter. He tried not to make eye contact with
anyone, moving quickly into the parking lot. Once at the car, he grabbed his
suitcases and headed back inside. The little boy who'd hit him with the ball
and his mother, Paige, were standing by the stairs, clearly waiting for him.

The little boy held a piece of paper in his hand. "This
is for you."

"Henry wrote you a note," Paige added.  

"That wasn't necessary," he said as he looked down
at the note where Henry had written I'm sorry in big colorful, uneven letters.
"Thank you for this. I accept your apology."

"I hate that your first impression of us was getting hit
in the head by a ball," Paige said. "I know you're here to assess the
building and our community."

He frowned at the worry in her expression. "Like I
said, it was not a big deal. But I would like to change. So, if you'll excuse
me…"

"Of course. I hope you'll join us for dinner or a drink
later, once you get settled in."

"I'll see," he said, not wanting to get into a
longer conversation.

As Paige and Henry left, he saw Lexie and several other
people watching him, their expressions a mix of suspicion and worry. He quickly
turned and jogged up the stairs. He needed to get himself together before he
had any further discussions with the tenants. Once he changed, he hoped he'd
start feeling more like himself.

* * *

Lexie gave Paige and Henry a smile as they returned to the
pool area. "That was nice of you to give him a note."

"I'm not sure it helped," Paige replied. "I
don't think he's coming to the barbecue. I'm so sorry this happened, Lexie."

"It's fine," she assured her. "We have plenty
of time to make Grayson Holt see how great this place is and how amazing we are."
She tried to infuse confidence into her voice, not wanting to let anyone get
discouraged too early.

"Can I play with Olivia?" Henry asked.

"Sure," Paige said, following her son to the other
side of the pool, where Olivia was playing with a boat on the steps of the
pool, her mother, Bree, watching over her.

"I'm not sure forever would be enough time for that man
to see how great this place is," Kaia said with a pragmatic shrug of her
shoulders.

Kaia Mercer, a pretty redheaded paramedic who dealt with
life and death situations, was also the most cynical person in their group of
friends and tenants. And she always spoke the truth as she saw it, with little
to no sugarcoating. Before she could reply, her aunt, Josie, joined them.

"It's enough time," Josie said with a bright smile.

At sixty-five, her aunt had an optimistic vibrancy that made
her seem years younger. She'd been the manager at Ocean Shores for thirty-five
years and had become a second mom to the younger residents and a good friend to
the older tenants.

Lexie couldn't imagine what her aunt would do if the
building was sold. It was her home, her career—her everything—which made her
aunt's cheerful attitude even more inexplicable. Josie never seemed to be that
worried about losing the building. She didn't know if that was just because her
aunt had decided not to think about things that bothered her or just didn't
understand the gravity of their current situation.

Giving her aunt a doubtful look, she said, "I don't get
it, Aunt Josie. Why are you so hopeful?"

"Because we have him for a month. We just need to show Grayson
how charming, supportive, and caring our community is. Make him feel like
family."

"I don't think he wants to be a part of our
family," she said. "And his stay certainly didn't start out well with
his fall into the pool and the destruction of his very expensive phone."

Josie gave a dismissive, uncaring wave. "That was an
accident. I'm sure he won't hold it against us."

"I wouldn't be certain of that. I invited him to join
the barbecue, and he said no. And Henry's apology letter didn't make a
difference. He's clearly here under duress."

"Why do you think his father made him come here for a
month, Josie?" Kaia asked curiously.

Her aunt gave them a somewhat secretive smile. "Grayson's
father, Emerson Holt, is a fair man and a smart one, too. If he thinks Grayson
can make a better decision after a month with us, then I have to believe it's a
possibility."

"If Emerson doesn't want to sell, why did he give the
control of this property to his son?" she asked, still feeling like her
aunt wasn't being completely forthcoming.

"I'm not sure. But time reveals all. Now, I'm going to
get a burger. They smell delicious, don't they?"

As Josie moved toward the grill, Kaia gave her a pointed
look. "Your aunt isn't telling us everything. And what was that about time
reveals all? Has she been reading the Tarot cards again?"

"She's always doing that," she said with a smile.
"But I agree that she's acting very strangely about this whole thing. She's
usually open with me about everything. She's not a secretive person."

"Maybe you just think that because she's good at
keeping secrets," Kaia said. "She was once an Oscar-winning actress,
after all."

"That's true." In her twenties, her aunt had been
an award-winning actress, but she'd given it all up after winning an Oscar and
divorcing her husband of three years. The events had always seemed intertwined,
but her aunt had never been forthcoming on that subject, either. "Secrets
or no secrets, Aunt Josie might be right. We need to show Grayson Holt what a
great community we have here and hope that will change his mind."

"Sure. A group of friendly people will definitely
compete with the millions he could make on this property."

"Stop. I have enough doubts of my own. I don't need
yours, too."

"Sorry," Kaia said. "I will do my part to be
friendly."

"Thank you."

"I'm sure everyone else will, too, although I'm not
sure about our newest tenant, the one who moved into Hunter's old apartment two
weeks ago. What's his name again?"

"Jax Ridley. That's all I know. Aunt Josie said he was
a friend of a friend, and when I quizzed her about him, she just said she
thought he'd be a good fit."

"Maybe everyone who lives in that apartment is destined
to start out as a mystery man," Kaia said. "Hunter lived there for
months before he started talking to any of us." She paused. "Speak of
the devil…"

"You couldn't possibly be talking about me,"
Hunter said as he and Emmalyn McGuire joined them poolside, their hands
intertwined, which always seemed to be the case these days. The past few months
had seen their love story only get stronger, and seeing them together made her
heart clench. Hunter had been a wounded warrior when he'd first moved into the
building, but he'd found healing and love since then. Emmalyn had had to battle
her share of demons, too, but now that they were together, they both seemed to
be constantly smiling.

"I was just commenting that everyone who moved into
your old apartment seems to have a little mystery behind them," Kaia said.

"Really?" Emmalyn asked curiously. "I haven't
heard anything about the new tenant. What's the scoop, Lexie?"

She shrugged. "His name is Jax Ridley. That's all I
know."

"Ridley is a good name for a riddle," Kaia said
with a laugh. "I saw him from afar and gave him a wave. He acted like he
didn't see me."

"Maybe he didn't see you," Hunter put in.
"And maybe you need to give him a chance to settle in. This group can be a
little overwhelming at first. Trust me, I know."

"But you came to love us," Lexie said. "Or at
least one of us."

"I love all of you," he admitted, his smile
broadening as he glanced at Emmalyn. "But one most of all."

"You're so sweet," Emmalyn said.

"And you two are too much," Kaia said dryly.
"I need a drink to tamp down all this sugar."

As Kaia headed toward the bar that had been set up on a
nearby table, Emmalyn said, "Is the new owner here? He's coming today,
right?"

"He's here. But his entrance was a disaster. Henry hit
him in the head with a beach ball, and he fell in the pool, with his phone in
his hand."

"That sounds bad," Emmalyn said with worry in her
eyes.

"It sounds kind of funny to me," Hunter said.

"Not funny," she said. "I tried to make nice.
I offered to lend him my phone in case he needed to make some calls before he
could replace his, but he threw that back in my face. I also invited him to the
barbecue, and he said, 'No thanks.' But he's going to be here for a month, so
hopefully we can get things back on track."

"A month is a good amount of time," Hunter said.
"You don't have to win him over in one night."

"I guess," she said as Kaia rejoined them.

"I will say one thing about him," Kaia began.
"He looked good wet. In fact, he's a very attractive man."

"Until he opens his mouth," she said dryly.
"Then he sounds arrogant and entitled. I know his type. I worked with a
bunch of them when I was a lawyer. He's the kind of man who thinks he's right
about everything."

"We'll help him feel more comfortable here. Maybe I'll
bake him some cookies."

"That worked for me," Hunter said with a laugh.

As Hunter and Emmalyn exchanged a kiss, she felt a little
pang. She was more than a little happy to see her friend Emmalyn so in love.
Finding that kind of connection wasn't easy. But she didn't have time to worry
about love. She had one month to convince Grayson Holt not to sell Ocean
Shores. It wouldn't be easy, but she wasn't going to let him take their home
without a fight.