J.T. Marie

When Tara receives a wedding invitation from a cousin she hasn't seen in years, she knows it's nothing more than a bid for a gift or money. But Amanda lives in Wildwood, New Jersey, where Tara used to spend her summers as a child, and a much-needed vacation down the shore sounds like the perfect way to finish off a hectic summer.<br><br>Every hotel in the tourist trap is booked, though, so Tara's Aunt Marlene invites her to stay with them the week of the wedding. But Wildwood isn't quite the island paradise she remembers from her youth, and both her relatives would rather get drunk than have fun on the boardwalk. Plus Marlene is determined to set Tara up with a coworker of hers even though Tara isn't interested -- in men or in romance.<br><br>The vacation is beginning to look like a bust until the night of Amanda's bachelorette party, when Tara meets Delaney, a pretty bartender with fiery curls and a personality to match. Suddenly the summer heat isn't the only thing making her sweat. Can Tara salvage what's left of her time in Wildwood with Delaney's help? Or will family obligations keep her from following her heart?

Heat Wave: Wildwood

So she forced a laugh that sounded fake to her own ears and said, “Oh no, Aunt Marlene, it’ll only be me.”


“Well, you drive careful, you hear? It’s a long trip up here. And don’t wait so long between calls next time, honey,” Aunt Marlene told her. “We can’t wait to see you again.”


When Tara was younger, the summer seemed to stretch like taffy, the wait between the end of the school year and the day they’d leave for Wildwood an indeterminable torture. Now she felt the same way again, June melting into July and the hours trickling by, pulling her from morning to night until she feared she might snap. The date of Amanda’s wedding was circled in red on her calendar, but it never seemed to get any closer.


Chapter 4