It Happened One Summer Novel Read Online Free

Oh, she’d made a huge mistake. Huge. Piper sat astride a mechanical unicorn, preparing to be elevated through a trapdoor onto a stage. Kirby shoved a puffy princess wand into her hand, and Piper stared at the object, lamenting the fact that she couldn’t magically wish herself out of this situation. Her name was being […]

Brendan stood on the deck of the Della Ray, staring off in the direction of Westport. The direction they were headed now. He saw none of the seemingly endless water in front of him. Saw none of the men pulling lines and fixing lures around him, the low blare of Black Sabbath coming from the

Piper went to sleep pissed and woke up even pissier. She rocketed out of bed toward the dresser drawers Brendan had designated for her, snatching out a black sports bra and red (the color of anger) running pants, along with some ankle socks. As soon as she completed a quick run and walked Abe over

Things were too good to be true. On the water, that usually meant Brendan was missing something. That he’d forgotten to flush out a fuel line or replace a rusting winch. There was no such thing as smooth sailing on a boat, not for long. And since he’d long lived his life in the same

The rest of their time in Seattle was a dream. Hannah and Fox met them in the hotel lobby at the designated time, loaded down with secondhand records. And while Piper still wanted Brendan to speak to Fox about Hannah being off-limits, her fears were temporarily put to rest by the genuine friendship that seemed

Brendan couldn’t shake the sense that Piper had just slipped out of his reach and it fucking terrified him. While cologne shopping, she’d looked up at him in a way she hadn’t before. Like she was getting ready to lay down her weapons and surrender. He’d never had anyone look at him like that. Scared

Piper sniffed Brendan’s neck and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Nope, it’s not the right one yet. Too citrusy.” Brendan leaned an elbow on the glass counter, half amused, half impatient. “Piper, you’re going to run out of places to spray me.” It was getting later in the afternoon, and after lunch downtown—during which Brendan tried

Brendan had been hoping to get a lot of time alone with Piper while in Seattle. He hadn’t expected to get it so soon, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to complain. As the four of them stood in the lavish hotel lobby getting ready to part ways, he did his best not to

Piper had butterflies in her stomach. Good ones. She was going out of town today with her boyfriend. It didn’t matter if she was a little suspicious of the circumstances. Nor did it matter that, by agreeing to be his girlfriend and traveling together, she was sinking deeper into a relationship. One that might not

They pulled into Grays Harbor that evening. Brendan had planned to be back earlier, but Piper had fallen asleep on his chest, and a bulldozer couldn’t have moved him. There she went again, changing his plans. Taking a red pen to his routines. As he parked his truck in front of No Name and glanced

Homey sounds came from somewhere. Drawers opening and thudding softly, bare feet on a floor, the sputtering of a coffee maker. Piper cracked an eye open but didn’t move. She couldn’t, because she’d lose the sweet spot of warmth and fluffy bedclothes and the scent of Brendan. Best sleep of her life, hands down. She’d

Brendan leaned against the wall of Blow the Man Down, arms crossed, a quiet smile on his face as he watched Piper weave her magic over everyone in her vicinity. She was shit-faced—and adorable. Everyone who spoke to Piper got her undivided attention and walked away like she’d just imparted the secrets of the universe.

Piper dragged herself up the steps to the apartment and unlocked the door. Out of concern for her growling stomach, she’d stopped for coffee and breakfast on the ride home, making it close to noon. She’d already texted Hannah to let her know Brendan and the crew were fine, then promptly ignored all the follow-up

Piper woke up to her phone ringing. She blinked at the device, then at her surroundings. White walls, navy bedspread, beige chair angled in the corner by a lamp. No storm sounds. Was it over? The world was almost eerily quiet around her, save the jangling notes of her ringtone, but she ignored the winding

The storm started thirteen days later. Piper had fallen into a daily routine by then. Run along the harbor just after sunrise. Walk Abe to the maritime museum in the morning, visit Opal on her way home, often with Hannah in tow. Work on the bar until dinnertime, then collapse. They’d made a ton of

Piper watched Brendan take a seat on the opposite side of the table and frowned. The boat captain didn’t appear to be easily seduced. When she’d picked this dress out, she hadn’t even expected them to make it through the front door, but here they were, sitting in his charmingly masculine dining room, preparing to

Brendan adjusted the silverware on his dining room table, trying to remember the last time he’d had reason to use more than one set. If Fox or some of the crew came over, they ate with their hands or plastic forks. Piper would be used to better, but that couldn’t be helped. Instead of dipping

Deciding to make over the bar and actually doing it were two very different things. The sisters quickly decided there was no way to salvage the floor in the bar. But thanks to an abundance of foot-sized holes in the hardwood, they could see the concrete beneath, and thus, their industrial-meets-nautical-chic vision was born. Ripping

Brendan watched through his binoculars as Westport formed, reassuring and familiar, on the horizon. His love for the ocean always made returning home bittersweet. There was nowhere he was more at ease than the wheelhouse, the engine humming under his feet. A radio within reach so he could give orders. His certainty that those commands

Obviously they visited the winery first. Brendan was right about Piper loving the selfie spot—damn him—a jewel- toned wall painted to look like stained glass, vines crawling up the sides and wrapping around a neon VINO sign. Essentially an altar at which to worship the social media gods. Hannah was not a drinker. Thanks to