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

Until I have to come back here and play nice tonight,she reminded herself. Thoughts of Amanda’s impending bachelorette party washed over her, leaving a sour taste in her mouth. As much as she wanted to skip it, though, she knew she wouldn’t. The wedding was sort of her whole reason for coming to Wildwood in the first place, so how would it look to blow it off now? Any part of it.


“I’ll be the designated driver, at least,” Tara said out loud, as if that might somehow make things better.


And if Amanda had the bad taste to hand out her “party favors” at the bar? Tara swore she wouldn’t dareopen hers. God, not in public!


Chapter 9