A Lot Like Love (Blue Moon Bay Book 1)
Sarah Lewis has a great job in the city developing apps for long-distance communication and teleconferencing. Her only wish is her employer could be less restrictive and allow Sarah to show her real talents in the field, but she surmises this is what happens when you work for someone else. Maybe one day her dream of being her own boss will come true.
Imagine her surprise when she learns she inherited her grandmother's B&B in the coastal town of Blue Moon Bay, where she was raised. Taking a leave of absence, she heads home to spread her beloved grandmother's ashes, settle the estate, and sell the property. When she arrives, she is shocked to see how the inn has deteriorated over the years, and she is still wondering why she became the beneficiary. As a teen, she couldn't wait to leave town. Shy and klutzy, she had been the brunt of teasing from her peers.
Sarah is distraught upon seeing how run down the B&B is and decides if she has some renovations done, she'd have a better chance at selling; this place once was a tourist attraction, but most of all it was a place her gran loved. Can she in good conscience sell, and likely to a developer that will erect condos or even worse, a hotel? Can she ruin the sleepy town whose residents want to keep it small and quaint?
At a crossroads, she ends up hiring none other than Wes Sharrun, a former football champ, and her high school crush. Too bad it was only one-sided. She got to know Wes when she tutored him with his studies, and the more time she spent with him, the deeper her feelings grew. But he was a jock, and she would be the last person he would consider as a girlfriend, especially since he dated Kelly for years. But through the years, Sarah heard Wes married Kelly, and they had a daughter, but sadly, Kelly perished from cancer five years prior.
Sarah's first encounter of seeing Wes, is, of course, embarrassing. He shows up at the inn only to find Sarah hanging from the ceiling after part of the landing had collapsed. Groaning, but needing help, she pleads with him to get her down before she falls and breaks her neck. She wonders why every time she is around Wes, she always seems to be in embarrassing situations, especially one time before graduation where she was humiliated by an incident she'll never forget!
After Wes's football career crashed, he returned to Big Moon to start a construction company. Things have been tough from dealing with Kelly's medical bills, but he is hoping to get back on his feet. His main focus is caring for his nine-year-daughter, Marissa, though he often finds himself lonely. Seeing Sarah again stirs something in him. He's enchanted by her spunk and independence.
Marissa, somewhat of a nerd, upsets Wes for he believes she should be out playing with friends rather than staying stuck in the house on the computer; but she enjoys building websites. When she meets Sarah, she is overjoyed they have something in common. She spends the day working, with Sarah offering her help with her endeavors while Wes works.
Sarah is surprised at how attached she becomes to the young girl. Now she is having second thoughts about selling her inheritance and heading back to the city. It doesn't help that her two best friends, Jessica and Whitney, want her to stay, too.
Always lacking in confidence, she looks to her parents for support but doesn't receive the blessings she is looking for. Yet when she and Wes share a kiss, her heart tells her this is where she belongs, even if nothing could happen between them.
"And despite the pull she'd always felt toward him, it was enough to ground her in the reality of their situation. He wasn't sure if he was ready to move on, and she had no idea how she felt. Her life was far too complicated at the moment to think about a relationship, but she was starting to think she wanted one. Finding love had always taken a back seat to her career, but she'd hoped as she neared thirty, her career would be established, and she could turn her attention to other aspects of life."
Conflicting emotions abound between both Sarah and Wes. She is pulled closer to him and Marissa, but is he ready to let go of the past? And can she give up her career and return home to stay?
Some parts of this novel are steamy and sensual, adding tension to the story, and there are a few editing errors, but overall, this tale is about getting over the past and making second chances work.