Sheâs over her crush...isnât she?
Luci Monroe is on top of the world. Sheâs just graduated from journalism school and sheâs already landed her dream job in PR. Then Cody Jarvis saunters into her office. Nothing like finding out that your teenage crush, now a gorgeous, globe-trotting, freelance photographer, is going to be your staffer for the summer. Never mind. Theyâre both professionals. And sheâs over him. Kind of. Anyway, heâs not interested. Cody is always waiting to disappear on his next assignment, and Luci needs someone stable. Someone who wants to build a life right here in Willow Beach...
âIâd better get back to my guests.â
âThanks for coming, Cody, and good luck with your next assignment.â
He laid a hand on her arm. âDonât say goodbye yet. Iâll be around for a while. In a town as small as Willow Beach, weâre bound to run into each other.â
Just then, Don came around the corner. âThere you are, Cody. Been looking for you. Glen Thomas wants a word.â
Cody raised his eyebrows. âThe Chamber of Commerce president wants to talk to me? Why?â
Don shrugged. âDonât know. He didnât say.â
âOkay,â Cody said. âSee you later, Luci.â
âSure. See you...later.â
Luci hugged herself as she watched Cody and Don head back to the party. Sheâd thought she was telling the truth when she said she was over Cody. But the moment sheâd laid eyes on him tonight, all her old feelings came rushing back.
Dear Reader,
One reason I love writing a series is that even though a particular book ends, I donât have to say goodbye to the characters. I can meet them again in the stories that follow.
I met Luci Monroe and Cody Jarvis in Evaâs Deadline, the first book in the Return to Willow Beach series. Luci was a high school senior interning at the Willow Beach Herald. I remember how enthusiastic she was about her chosen profession and also the crush she had on Cody, the Heraldâs photographer.
Fast-forward four years to Her Summer Crush. Now a college graduate, Luci returns to Willow Beach to begin her dream job with the Chamber of Commerce. Then she learns Cody will be working with her. Thatâs okay, though, because sheâs over him.
Or is she? Has her crush turned into something more serious?
But what does it matter, because at the end of the summer Cody will leave to follow his dream of traveling the world as a photojournalist.
Getting these two seemingly mismatched people together presented a challenge. I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
You can visit my website at lindahopelee.com or email me at [email protected]. Iâm also on Facebook and Twitter (@lindahopelee).
Linda
LINDA HOPE LEE lives in the Pacific Northwest. She likes traveling to new places, especially to small towns that might serve as settings for her novels. In addition to contemporary romance, she writes in the romantic suspense and mystery genres. When she is not writing, sheâs busy creating watercolor paintings or drawing in colored pencil or pen and ink. Another pastime is photography, which she uses as inspiration for her art and for her stories. She also collects childrenâs books and anything to do with wirehaired fox terriers.
To Pearl, the new kid on the block
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Harlequin Heartwarming senior editor Victoria Curran and assistant editor Dana Grimaldi for helping to shape Her Summer Crush. Their expertise is invaluable and much appreciated.
CHAPTER ONE
âCODY JARVIS! Whatâs he doing here?â Luci Monroe stared at the man whoâd just stepped out the back door of her parentsâ home. âI didnât see his name on the guest list,â she added.
Her sister, Francine, set a plate of crab cakes on the buffet table. âMaybe Don invited him,â she said. âDidnât he say he had a surprise for you tonight?â
âHe did, but I thought he meant the combo.â Luci nodded toward the musicians her older brother had hired. Their music provided a pleasant backdrop to the party celebrating Luciâs graduation from Seattleâs University of Washington and her return to Willow Beach.
âCodyâs spotted you,â Francine said. âBetter put a smile on your face.â
âIâll be okay. Iâve been over him for at least a year.â And yet, as she watched him approach, her heart was beating wildly.
âCâmere, Luci.â Cody opened his arms and swept her up in a warm embrace.
With a resigned sigh, she looped her arms around his neck and hugged him back.
He drew away and let his gaze rove over her. âLookinâ good, Luci.â