Title: What the Ocean Reveals: The Secrets of Banyan Tree Bay
Author: Gracie Guy
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb:
For a man who always followed a plan, everyone was shocked when Tim Harley transplanted his life nearly two-thousand miles south of his hometown and family to take a new job. He’d thought maybe the change of scenery would help heal his broken heart. Afterall, he’d live in paradise. What could go wrong?
With nearly forty years of living on or near the water, Willa Davidson built a very successful career as a fine artist. When she met her boyfriend’s college roommate, she realized she deserved more from a relationship than she had with Damian Buck, the playful surfer-dude.
With Tim’s new job and Willa’s involvement with the dashing Damian, would they be able to move past entanglements to find romance together? Will complicated situations and legal issues keep them apart? Can love win in the end?
Excerpt:
Morning sunlight bathed the warm, white sand beaches of Banyan Tree Bay. From what he’d seen in the past few days, blankets, towels, heavy canvas umbrellas, and countless bodies of all shapes and sizes would cover much of the freshly raked surface by ten a.m., despite the predicted July heat. The idea of “cooling off” in the Gulf waves made him laugh. To his northern born-and-bred feet, it felt as if he were splashing along in the world’s largest bathtub.
When he reached the edge of the public beach, or as he had already started calling it, the Bay, he turned around. Carrying a sandal in each hand, he strode with purpose until he found the single side street that led from the beach to the main thoroughfare, Beachside Promenade.
Tim made use of the public shower before sliding into his Teva Terras and making his way up the short alley-like lane. As he gazed at each of the storefront windows through the heavy steel gates, the cop in him wondered about the local crime rate. In his research, none of the statistics had shown a high incidence of breaking and entering as a problem.
Looking up, he scanned the utility poles and soffits of the buildings, unable to find a single camera. Wait, why is there only one streetlight? And it’s all the way down there at the busy end. Tim furrowed his brow about the logic used by the city planners. Why put it on the end next to the Promenade? That place will be filled with people as the sun goes down. He still couldn’t rationalize their decision but would look for similar situations throughout the city. After all, part of his job was to prevent crime.
“See something interesting?” A sultry, yet familiar, chuckle interrupted his gawking.
“Oh, hey.” Tim crossed the quiet street to where she stood. “You’re Damian’s girlfriend. Willa? Right?” He offered his hand in greeting.
When she took his hand with her much smaller one, he was surprised by the instant warm flush that filled his groin.
“Are you casing the joint?” She pointed to where he’d been looking upward.
“Um, no. Probably more like the opposite.”
“We could play fifty questions here, but don’t need to. What were you so interested in?” The leggy beauty flipped an exceptionally long braid over her shoulder just before perching her hands on her hips.
Wow! Where did that hair come from? Was it that long the other night? Tim tried not to raise his eyebrows in response.
Clearly, she expected a straight answer. Now.
“Honestly, I was a little surprised at the steel gates covering the fronts through here.” Tim waved his hand toward the beach. “I was trying to decide why there weren’t any municipal overhead lights or cameras.”
“Ha!”
Tim tried to decide whether Willa questioned his motives or was about to give him a lecture.
“The city council considers this the low-rent district. Especially since that monster up the block was built.”
Sparks flew from the golden highlights in her enchanting deep greenish-brown eyes. Ooh, she’s a feisty one. “So, not a fan of progress I assume.”
“Nope, I love progress. Better than half of my business is done online. But when an overwhelming majority of the townspeople turn out to express disdain for wiping out a full block of our history to make way for towering concrete but every person on the council votes yes for it? That’s some stinky fish heads you got in that bucket. Ya know?” Willa slid a small pouch around her wrist as she spoke.
“I’ll take your word for it.” Tim caught a flash of sunlight from the gold key she held.
“Damian never said how long you’d be visiting for.” Even though Willa spoke to him, she leaned to her left to look down at the main street.
“Oh, it’ll be a while. I came here for work.”
She brought her head around quickly. “What field are you in?” Her head cocked sideways.
“Semi-disciplinarian, semi-head-cook-and-bottle-washer. Also known as law enforcement.” He watched her closely but saw no change in her features.
“You’re the new chief of police.” An arch of her right eyebrow followed her matter-of-fact tone.
“Not quite. I don’t start for two more weeks.” Tim slipped his hands into the pockets of his beige khakis.
“Does Damian know?”
“I’m not sure. He knows I’m here for a new job. And he knows what I did back home. He’s smart enough to put the pieces together.” He waited for her retort, but she simply stared at him. “Is there a reason why Damian should object to my job?”
Her deep, sensual laugh filled the space between them.
For a moment, as the warm, luxurious sound wrapped around him, Tim nearly forgot that this woman was involved with his friend. Down killer. Unfortunately, his groin was still thinking about what her touch had felt like. Adding a seductive laugh to the already attractive package was causing him trouble.
“I thought you two were friends. Like close friends.”
“We were, in college. That was twenty years ago. Lots can change in two decades, you know.” The face of his late wife, Nikki, instantly flashed in Tim’s mind before he shook himself back to the present.
“Yeah. Just saying this, but you might want to keep that in mind if you’re going to be living here.”
“I guess I should talk to him about it today. Can you give me directions to his office?” Tim caught a flash of emotion as it crossed her well-tanned face.
“I’d suggest you try his after-hours location.” With her face pointed down, Willa looked up at him from under the thickest eyelashes he’d seen without any trace of makeup.
“Ah, the Naughty Parrot?”
This time her laughter was mocking, not deeply sensuous. “Oh boy. I see you’re in need of a geography lesson before you start that new job.”
She placed a hand on his bare arm, as if to soften her tease.
Little did she know that anything she’d said disappeared from his mind the instant he felt her fingers squeeze his arm.
“The Nauti Parrot, as in nautical, is in Fort Myers, with a second location in North Fort Myers. The closest of the two is about sixty miles north of here.” She looked up at him but still had not moved her hand. “However, the Squawking Parrot is about four blocks south of here on the Promenade.”
Willa winked at him as she slowly pulled her hand from his arm and started to walk along the still-quiet side street.
“Hey, wait. Where do you work?”
She pointed over his head, causing him to turn to find affixed to the building a two-foot by two-foot sign with a pastel green background and gold filigree letters crisply outlined in black: Banyan Tree Fine Arts. “You’re a painter?”
“No, chief. I’m an artist.”
Within seconds, her shapely derriere retreated behind a thick wooden door hanging on massive brass hinges. The deep thud of it closing punctuated her last words.
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What’s your favorite way to combat stress?
Hands down, spend time in my gardens or barn. My plants never sass me, and my horses always give me unconditional love.
Why is your featured book a stress busting read?
This book is set in Southwest Florida and the Caribbean, surrounded by beautiful water, lush plants, and sunshine – all of which are stress busting!
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $20 Amazon gift card
Open internationally.
Runs May 1 – 31, 2024
Drawing will be held on June 3, 2024.
Author Biography:
Gracie Guy has been blessed with an eclectic and rewarding life, filled with family, friends, and a passel of animals. She’s a wife, sister, aunt. Farmer, retired athlete who loves her bionic hip, and gardener, who proudly calls Upstate New York her home.
Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.gracieguy.com/
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