Barefoot Bay: Castle in the Sand (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Jeannie Moon Page B

would miss snow,” he said. “I do like to ski. I never got to take you skiing, did I?”
    “Me, skiing? Throw myself down a mountain? Are you kidding?”
    She was so wonderfully direct. Everyone else skated around him, afraid to say one thing or another. But not Josie. She told him the truth. How he walked away from her still baffled him. She was bright, full of life, and happy. He must have been out of his mind. “How does your hand feel?”
    She made an attempt to flex it, but the bandages were pretty thick. “It’s starting to throb a little bit. The doctor said I’m going to have to soak it in a day or so to keep it from getting infected. I can’t believe I was so careless with that glass.”
    “It happens. I’m glad I was back in time to help you.”
    “Will you help me clean up the sink?” she asked. “I’m a little afraid I’m going to cut myself again. This hasn’t been my day.”
    Tony tossed his empty ice cream cup into a trashcan and patted Josie lightly between the shoulder blades. “I got a look at the sink. It looks like a murder took place. I can’t believe how much one little cut can bleed. But of course, I’ll help you clean it up.”
    “Thanks.”
    Josie stopped and looked out at the harbor. From where they were standing, Naples was clear as day. It was such a contrast to Mimosa. The city was home to some upscale hotels, fancy boutiques and very wealthy people. Mimosa was very much a small town. He guessed that’s why Josie liked it so much. It was safe. It felt like home.
    “You know,” she said, tossing her napkin in a trash can. “That ice cream was delicious, but I’m still hungry.”
    Something else Tony remembered about her, she ate like a sumo wrestler. “What are you in the mood for?”
    “Hmm. I think we need to go find some burgers.”
    “Burgers? Sautéed mushrooms and onions?”
    “Is there any other way?”
    He grinned. “Swiss or cheddar?”
    Josie closed her eyes thinking about the perfect burger; he could see it all over her face. The woman loved food. “Picture this: a burger, medium, on a brioche role, with sautéed mushrooms and onions, Swiss cheese, and bacon. How does that sound?”
    “It sounds like a coronary waiting to happen, but we need to find it.”
    “I think I know just the place.”
     
    They had found the perfect place. Two hours later, they were back at the house, Tony was barbecuing burgers on the grill, and Josie was preparing all the fixings. She loved that she could watch him being normal. Over the past few years, she’d been following him on social media. The palace kept accounts for the Royal Family, and it was there, on the computer, that Josie could see Prince Anton.
    And that’s what stopped her daydreams and brought her back to reality. The images of the man she couldn’t have. That’s who he was. Because of those, her memory wasn’t filled with days and nights spent together, but of him presiding over an event, standing with his family, or dancing with an acceptable prospective bride. She was glad that her anger had dissipated, but the fun they were having today couldn’t last. Josie had to put the brakes on before she and Anton lost their heads, and her heart was shattered a second time.

 
     
    Chapter Five
     
    The little beach community where Josie lived wasn’t far from the bustling Casa Blanca resort, which was the focal point in Barefoot Bay. Rolling her shoulders, she wondered if she could get a massage tomorrow. After spending the last three months of the year bent over her desk dealing with end of year paperwork, and the added stress of having a prince under her roof, she could definitely use a little pampering.
    It had been a week since Tony arrived, and while things were getting better, there was still an underlying edge to every encounter. They were civil with each other. At times, like the other day after she cut her hand, they were downright friendly.
    The two of them had settled into a routine of sorts, like