No Ordinary Love: Sweetbriar Cove: Book Six Read online

  No Ordinary Love

  Sweetbriar Cove: Book Six

  Melody Grace

  Melody Grace Books

  Copyright © 2018 by Melody Grace

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover design copyright British Empire Designs.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Introduction

  Also by Melody Grace

  No Ordinary Love

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Also by Melody Grace

  About the Author

  Thank you for reading!

  It’s always a joy returning to Sweetbriar Cove. After six books, the characters and town feel like old friends, and Eliza Bennett is no exception. Like her namesake in Pride & Prejudice, this smart, headstrong woman is looking for an equal match - and she may just have found it in Cal Prescott. But not without a few complications along the way…

  * * *

  I hope you enjoy reading No Ordinary Love as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. So please, enjoy a taste of summer (and lobster), wherever you are.

  xo Melody

  * * *

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  * * *

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  Also By Melody Grace:

  The Sweetbriar Cove Series:

  1. Meant to Be

  2. All for You

  3. The Only One

  4. I’m Yours

  5. Holiday Kisses (A Christmas Story)

  6. No Ordinary Love

  7. Wildest Dreams

  8. This Kiss

  * * *

  The Beachwood Bay Series:

  1.Untouched

  2.Unbroken

  3.Untamed Hearts

  4.Unafraid

  5.Unwrapped

  6.Unconditional

  7.Unrequited

  8.Uninhibited

  9.Unstoppable

  10.Unexpectedly Yours

  11.Unwritten

  12.Unmasked

  13.Unforgettable

  * * *

  The Oak Harbor Series:

  1.Heartbeats

  2.Heartbreaker

  3.Reckless Hearts

  * * *

  The Dirty Dancing Series

  * * *

  The Promise

  Welcome to Sweetbriar Cove: the small town where happily-ever-after is guaranteed.

  * * *

  Book Six

  No Ordinary Love

  For journalist Eliza Bennett, summers in Sweetbriar Cove were her happiest childhood memories. Now that she’s been unceremoniously fired, evicted, and dumped (all in the same week), she hopes the small town will work its magic again and help get her life back on track. She definitely isn’t looking for a distraction like the handsome stranger she meets on her way into town… especially when she discovers he might be the man behind her recent misfortunes.

  Cal Prescott is in Sweetbriar Cove adjusting to (or escaping from) his new role as head of the family company. He’s always prided himself on his cool logic, but reckoning with the outspoken spitfire, Eliza, is making him forget his responsibilities - and why falling in love would be such a bad idea.

  The sparks between them are red-hot, and soon, their passion is heating up the summer nights. But can Eliza and Cal find a way through their differences - or will this opposites-attract romance burn out before it even begins?

  Find out in the latest swoon-worthy Sweetbriar Cove romance from New York Times bestselling author, Melody Grace!

  The Sweetbriar Cove Series:

  1. Meant to Be

  2. All for You

  3. The Only One

  4. I’m Yours

  5. Holiday Kisses (A Christmas Story)

  6. No Ordinary Love

  7. Wildest Dreams

  8. This Kiss

  1

  Ever since she was a kid, summers for Eliza Bennett began with the drive out to Sweetbriar Cove.

  The moment school was over, they loaded up the car: she and her older sister, Paige, crammed in the back of their dusty family Honda, squeezed between beach toys and books, and a cooler full of homemade tuna-fish sandwiches. Their mom would complain about the traffic, and their dad would commandeer the radio with his old country mixtapes, but as the clogged freeway made way for the sandy two-lane highway, and that first glint of ocean glittered on the horizon, all the stress and arguments faded away.

  Summer had arrived.

  Even now, at twenty-seven, driving the familiar road alone with the brisk chill of spring still in the air, Eliza could taste it. Melting ice cream, and saltwater taffy; evenings by the firepit, and mornings combing the rock pools for new adventures. She crossed the Sagamore Bridge, the unofficial gateway to Cape Cod, and suddenly felt a well of sadness in her chest so sharp, she had to call Paige.

  “Tell me you’re nearly here.” Her sister sounded harried.

  “Another hour away.”

  Paige groaned. “Mom’s driving me crazy. I swear, she’s drawn up a list of every single man on the entire Cape, ranked by eligibility. Anyone would think we’re in a Jane Austen novel!”

  Eliza laughed.

  “She’s got one for you, too,” Paige warned.

  “What?”

  “I took a peek. How do you feel about Tommy McAllister?”

  “Tommy? I used to babysit for him!” Eliza exclaimed. “He would run around with no pants on, mooning everyone on the beach.”

  “And now he’s legal.” Paige giggled. “Hey, just be glad you get the toy-boys. I’m practically a spinster. I’ve got a couple of widowed bachelors on mine.”

  Eliza sighed. “That woman is impossible. Someone needs to stage an intervention.”

  “She’s just looking out for us.” Paige’s voice softened. “She’s probably just trying to distract herself. It can’t be easy, coming back here.”

  “I know.”

  Eliza’s heart ached again. It was just over a year since their father had passed away; a year of painful firsts that made the loss feel fresh, every time. She’d thrown herself into work and making new friends, moving on as best she could, but this was the first time the whole family was venturing back to the beach house—without him.

  “Do you know why she asked us both to be out there?” Eliza asked, focusing on the road.

  “You mean besides securing us good marriages?” Paige teased. “No, she hasn’t said what the big deal is. She probably wants us both there for moral support. You know she hasn’t even packed away his things yet.”

  “How long can you stay?”

  “Just a week.” Paige sounded reluctant. “Things are crazy at work right now, we have a big order
due.” Paige was a designer for a kids’ clothing line. “But I figure we can both pop back on weekends if she needs. Will the newspaper give you any more time off?”

  “About that . . .” Eliza eyed the backseat in her rearview mirror, currently piled with boxes containing all her worldly possessions. “It turns out, they’re giving me all the time I need.” She sighed. “They fired me.”

  “Eliza! What did you do?”

  “Nothing!” Eliza protested. “It’s this new boss. He laid off half the staff, he’s turning the paper into some crappy website.” A revolutionary, forward-facing news vertical, the memo had said, whatever that meant. “He put us all on probation, to prove we could ‘evolve’ with the company. And, well . . .” Eliza trailed off with a guilty pause.

  “I knew you did something.”

  Eliza exhaled. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve got plenty of time to help Mom with whatever project she’s got going now.”

  “I’m sorry,” Paige said, comforting. “Who knows? Maybe Tommy will sweep you off your feet.”

  Eliza managed a smile. “I won’t hold my breath. Listen, my cellphone’s about to cut out. See you soon.”

  She hung up and took a deep breath, trying to inhale that summertime feeling again. But thanks to a passing truck, all she got was a lungful of exhaust fumes.

  This year wasn’t going according to plan.

  It was all Cal Prescott’s fault. Or rather, Calvin Archibald Prescott IV, heir to the Prescott media empire, and her new boss. Not that Eliza had ever met the man. All his new rules had been handed down by memo—dozens of them, addressed to the staff in crisp, impersonal business-talk as he set about dismantling the most prestigious newspaper left in Boston. Probation was bad enough—they’d all been walking on eggshells since news of the takeover hit—but then the not-so-helpful suggestions started arriving too. More fluffy human-interest stories, more celebrity coverage. More advertisements, less investigative journalism. Eliza should have been pleased. Features was her beat, she loved profiling oddball people and writing up local events, but even she chafed at her list of assignments, nothing but ritzy society parties and puff pieces . . . until one of those puff pieces landed her in hot water—and out of a job.

  It wasn’t fair. How was she supposed to know that the mayor’s wife was a Prescott cousin, and the paragraph about her screaming at the kids’ nanny wasn’t what Cal had in mind for a “behind the scenes” look at her new charity launch?

  OK, Eliza had known. And maybe she’d written the story as a way to thumb her nose at the Prescotts. But wasn’t journalism supposed to be about the facts—speaking truth to power? It was what her father had always said. He’d been her biggest supporter, from the time she’d decided, aged eight, she was going to be an intrepid reporter, all the way through school newspaper assignments, and those nerve-wracking years just out of college, pitching freelance articles and interviewing all over town. The day the Boston Herald had published her first byline, her father had gone out and had it framed. He kept it hanging in his office at the college where he taught, proudly telling anyone who’d listen about his daughter, the journalist.

  It was a good thing he wasn’t around to see her now.

  Eliza swallowed back the pain and focused on the road ahead. She wasn’t far now, just another few miles of highway before the turn-off to the house. Already, the light seemed brighter, the midday sun glinting off the ocean through the dense, green trees. Eliza felt her tension ease. Maybe some time on the Cape was what she needed right now. She could regroup, catch up with her friends, and try to figure out what she could do next to get her career back on track.

  If Cal Prescott hadn’t blacklisted her for good.

  The radio switched to an upbeat song, and she was just reaching to turn the volume up and sing away her stress when she saw a car pulled over on the side of the road. The trunk was open, and a man was waving a cellphone in the air, looking frustrated. Eliza was so close to the beach she could almost taste the soft-serve ice cream, but her father had always taught her to help out where she could. You never know when you’ll be the one needing a hand.

  Eliza pulled over. “Having problems?” she called, getting out of the car.

  “I’ve got a flat tire, and I can’t get a cell signal.” The man turned. He was dressed immaculately in navy pinstripe pants and a crisp white shirt, a jacket slung on the roof of his car. As Eliza came closer, she could see it was an expensive sedan, gleaming and spotless despite the sand on the road.

  Rich people problems.

  “This is a dead spot,” she explained. “There’s no signal for a couple more miles. Let me take a look.” She bent over and examined the wheel. It was totally deflated, with . . . Ah. A rusty nail was embedded near the rim. “Here’s your problem,” she said, working the nail out of the rubber and holding it up.

  She found herself looking straight into the man’s eyes. His piercing, midnight-blue eyes.

  Eliza blinked. He had a chiseled jaw, and tanned skin, and dark hair that fell in a perfect rumpled wave over his forehead like something out of a fashion shoot. It was movie-star hair, McDreamy hair, the kind of hair that came from $200 salons that valeted your car and gave you a special scalp massage.

  The man took the nail from her and sighed. “Just perfect. Sorry,” he added, with a rueful look. “It’s been one of those days. Make it one of those months. So, what now?”

  “Now?” Eliza arched an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to change a flat?”

  “Sure I can,” the man replied, looking amused. “But it’s a little hard without a jack. It looks like my guy forgot to put it back after the detailing.”

  Make that really rich people problems.

  “No worries, I’ve got one,” she said reluctantly. “Your spare should be enough to get you to the nearest garage. Save waiting on triple-A all afternoon, at least.”

  “Thank you.” The man’s face finally relaxed into a smile that lit up his handsome face and left Eliza breathless.

  Hello.

  She quickly turned on her heel and went to fetch the jack from her trunk—and smooth down her hair. She was wearing jeans and a sweater, picked for comfort on the drive down, but this guy made her feel like she was roaming around in her slouchiest pajamas.

  You’re doing him the favor, she reminded herself.

  “And thank you for stopping,” the man added, looking grateful when she returned. “I swear, half a dozen cars sped right by. So much for small-town hospitality.”

  “Don’t take it personally,” Eliza told him, bending over to fit the jack in place. “It’s just the summer people thing.”

  The man looked confused.

  “You know, rich city people buying up houses and stopping by for Fourth of July,” Eliza explained, starting to crack the handle. “You surge up the property prices, leave them empty, then come swanning around once a year demanding non-fat almond milk and gluten-free fries.”

  “Tell me how you really feel, why don’t you?” The man grinned, looking amused.

  Eliza smiled back. “You’re a grown man, I figure you can take it.”

  He laughed. “You’ve got me. Well, almost. I haven’t bought my place yet, I’m staying with family here, taking a look around. And I had almond milk by accident once, in my coffee. It was sacrilege.”

  “Amen,” Eliza agreed.

  “Here, let me.” The man suddenly seemed to realize what she was doing. He rolled up his shirtsleeves—revealing tanned, elegant forearms—and took over, expertly jacking the car up and then loosening the wheel nuts with a few turns of the wrench.

  Eliza admired the line of his muscles rippling under his shirt. For a preppy summer guy, he was toned.

  “So, you live around here?” he asked, pausing to wipe his brow.

  “No. But my family has been coming here for years,” she added quickly. Still, the man gave her a teasing look.

  “Hmm. Every summer? Like . . . a summer person?”

  She l
aughed. “It’s not like that. My grandpa built our place himself, back in the fifties. He and my grandma retired out here, so we’ve been coming my whole life.”

  “An honorary local.”

  “Pretty much. You should watch out,” she added lightly. “You think you’ll just stay a week or two, but the place has a way of growing on you.”

  “It’s off to a good start.”

  The man held her gaze for a long moment, and Eliza’s pulse skipped. She flushed and looked away, but the man didn’t seem ruffled at all.

  * * *

  “So, do you have any tips for me, to blend in around here?” he asked, effortlessly moving the spare wheel into place.

  “You could lose the suit, for starters.”

  He glanced up, looking amused.

  She flushed. Why did that come out sounding so dirty? “I just meant, people dress pretty casually around here. It’s a good place to switch off and leave your stress behind.”

  “Hence the lack of cellphone signal.”

  “That’s just along this stretch of highway,” she reassured him. “It’s Cape Cod, not the back of beyond.”

  “I don’t know, maybe a forced detox would be a good thing,” he said, with that rueful, tired look again, and out of nowhere, Eliza was struck with the sudden urge to push that stray dark lock off of his forehead . . . and run her fingers through that perfect hair.