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

With a coy grin, she teased, “I’d love to hear all about it sometime.”


“I’d love to tell you,” Delaney replied, smirking. “Where’d you say you’re from again?”


“Virginia.” Tara sipped her soda, pursing her lips around the straw in a sexy moue. “I’m here through the weekend.”


From the other end of the bar, a glass thumped onto the counter. “Hey, Del!” a man called out. “Another Bud when you get the chance!”


Delaney rolled her eyes. Tara glanced down at the man, whose attention was already back on Amanda and her friends. Letting her straw slip from between her lips, Tara said, “I should let you get back to work. I don’t want to get you in trouble or anything.”


“It’d be worth it to talk to someone new for a change,” Delaney said as she poured another beer from the bar gun. “Hey, listen. I don’t know what all you have planned for the rest of the night—”


Chapter 14