Cloudberry Inn Series Bundle

Visit Cloudberry Inn where three sisters reunite after seven years of silence. Find out why secrets, heartache, and new beginnings are all possible at Cloudberry Inn.

Sometimes, it takes a little bit of an outside perspective to make things clear and Garrett might just be the man who can help save this family.

“Great. I know I brought that pair of underwear. I had exactly three comfy pair and now I only have two.” I stood next to my rental and bent over to look under the car in case I kicked it under the wheels or omething. I groaned and stood back up.

Nothing.

Nowhere to be found.

Both hands whipped to my hips, and I shook my head in annoyance.

It wasn’t the end of the world, but I had three pair that I absolutely loved. They
were roomy, they didn’t cut into any part of me, and they always worked well
under sweats. It wasn’t that I didn’t have other underwear. I packed another five pairs, but they were all...

Confining. And I hated to be confined.

Especially on vacation.

“Ugh.” I bent back down and looked under the car.

“Looking for something?”

I recognized his voice immediately.

The man from inside the inn.

Garrett, I think his name was. I spun around and smiled.

I waved my hand to dismiss his curiosity. “Just must have dropped something earlier. Doesn’t seem to be here.”

Garrett’s striking green eyes connected with mine, and electricity immediately zipped
through my veins. His blond hair had some wave to it as he ran his fingers through the strands, and my stomach tightened as I imagined his fingers elsewhere.

I looked away quickly to compose myself and wondered what had gotten into me.

I’d always loved writing those scenes in my books.

The first encounters.

The quick glance.

The soft, mistaken touches that lead to those incredible first kisses.

The thought of writing about first encounters got me excited all over.

But I rarely lived it.

Okay, fine. I never lived it.

I let out a sigh and noticed that Wyatt had already climbed into the truck, so I slowly brought my gaze back to Garrett’s and swallowed hard.

And sure enough...

The moment our eyes met, I felt a tingling sensation rush through my body as if I’d
just jumped off a cliff.

Maybe not jumping off a cliff but zip-lining.

Garrett smiled and it about did me in. I would definitely be writing this man into my
next book.

I guess it was good to set foot outside of my Manhattan apartment every now and
again. Washington was already turning into an awe-inspiring trip.

Which was good because my editor expected something from me by the end of summer.

Garrett’s deep voice nearly hummed as he spoke, but I didn’t actually hear what he said.

“Pardon me?” I asked, and his smile grew.

“I think I might know what you’re looking for.”

I let out a gasp, and my eyes fell to a huge lump near his crotch.

The man was huge.

Garrett was huge and hard, and I shouldn’t be looking.

My cheeks flamed red, but I couldn’t look away.

For the life of me, I couldn’t pull my eyes away.

A perfect roll pointed away and over just to the left of his pocket, outlined in a dark
pair of jeans that fit him a little too well.

“I doubt it.” I shook my head, finally ripping my gaze away and up.

And up. And up. Had to keep the gaze up.

Since when did I start looking at men’s crotches?

Garrett laughed. “No, I’m pretty sure I found what you’re missing.”

I smiled and shook my head. “And I’m pretty sure you didn’t.”

“Oh, I’d be willing to bet I found what you were looking for.”

I wiggled my index finger in front of him and rolled my eyes. “I’m a hundred percent sure you didn’t, so whatever you might have found, you should turn it in to my sisters. Another guest probably lost some precious valuable.”

“No. We saw it fall.”

My eyes widened, and my stomach roiled like I was out to sea. “Saw... what...fall?”

Garrett reached into his pocket, his fingers sliding next to the lump.

My heart started hammering as so many dirty thoughts raced through my mind.

I had absolutely no idea what came over me.

I wrote for a living.

I purposefully stayed indoors and avoided people.

Interactions.

Encounters.

Just about anything, really.

That involved people.

I liked writing about people.

Not dealing with people.

I loved making up my own best and worst versions using my own personal
encounters.

My fear, however, was that I’d soon run out of experiences to pull from.

Yet, this thirty-second encounter was filling me up with so many wonderful thoughts and feelings I thought I’d explode.

Until his hand slipped free from his pocket, the large roll in his pants disappeared, and my bright white tighty-whities hung between his fingertips.

Just dangling in the air for all to see.

I gasped and snatched the underwear right out of his hand.

“Told ya.” Garrett smiled, and the tingles happened all over yet again.

“So, that’s what filled your jeans up.” I smiled, and he cocked his head slightly in
confusion.

“I’m not following.”

I pointed at his crotch and nodded. “You looked like you were saluting a second
ago, but it was just...” I clenched my underwear between my fingers.

“You noticed my—" He couldn’t finish because his smile was so big.

“Don’t turn this around.” I shook my head. “Why would you keep these?”

I bundled them in my fist and scowled at Garrett.

“I didn’t keep them, but I also didn’t think you’d appreciate me pulling them out of my pocket in front of your sisters.” He smiled, and my eyes drifted
down to his less bulky pocket. “It seems you have enough trouble with those two
already.”

I hid a chuckle and grinned, noticing that things still weren’t completely flat and back to normal.

“You gathered that, did you?”

I drew a deep breath and it finally felt like I’d actually gotten enough oxygen
since I arrived at the inn.

Garrett scratched his chin and his smile warmed me right up. His green eyes sparkled in
a way that stirred my thoughts in all kinds of crazy ways. I didn’t know if he looked at everyone like this, but it certainly made me feel good.

Really good.

Definitely going in my next book.

“Did you show up unannounced or what?” His lip curled in a way that kept his mouth slightly parted as I imagined what it would be like to be kissed by those
beautiful lips.

I shook myself out of writing mode and grinned.

Not every part of life had to be captured for some story. It was okay to live in the moment.

But I did wonder what it would be like to be kissed by this sexy stranger.

Garrett narrowed his eyes on me as if he could read my mind, and I quickly straightened
up and dropped the dopey expression from my face.

“Actually, they invited me out here.” I rocked back on my heels and looked toward the Inn. “But I don’t think they expected me to show.” I swallowed back the
embarrassment. “And I’m not even sure why they invited me.”

His expression fell slightly, and it looked like he wanted to tell me something.

Instead, he just nodded and glanced at my clenched fist. “If that were a turnip, you’d
have a quart of blood by now.”

“Huh?”

“Your undies. You’re squeezing them as hard as—”

“Oh, right. Squeezing blood out of a turnip.” I grinned.

“It’s not every day I have an attractive man track me down to hand me a pair of my
own underwear.”

He winked. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

I giggled unexpectedly, and his green eyes brightened. “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not.”

Garrett laughed. “Yeah, I suppose it could go either way.” He glanced back toward his truck. “Hey, are you going to be in town long?”

My stomach felt like a hive of bumblebees was about to take flight. Apparently, that feeling really did exist in the real world.

I sucked on my bottom lip and kept my gaze on Garrett. “I was only going to be here for the weekend, leaving on Monday afternoon.”

He let out a hiss and shook his head. “Too bad. I’d love to take you out for a drink. Think you can squeeze me in?”

Was he asking me out on a date?

Wait.

No.

This wouldn’t qualify as a date since he knows I’m leaving.

“Umm.” I pressed my lips together. “I don’t really sleep with men on the first date.”

Who was I kidding?

I didn’t sleep with men even on a tenth date because I never got to the tenth date.

Garrett laughed and shook his head as his eyes stayed locked on mine. “That’s really
admirable.”

“Thank you.” My cheeks warmed.

At least I set the record straight.

“But I wasn’t asking you to sleep with me. Just have a drink.”

I laughed nervously, feeling completely flustered. “No, I know, but if I’m leaving in a few days, then having a drink isn’t really so we can get to know one another on some deep level.” My brows furrowed. “So, I assumed you’d want to skip over all that getting-to-know-you stuff and go for the hook, line, and sinker. I just didn’t want to waste your time.”

He looked utterly amused, and I had no idea why. “Do you always jump right to the
conclusion?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you completely took the wind out of my sails. I kind of think there’s a lot of
fun stuff that can happen between two people who meet. The middle of the story
is where all the good stuff happens.” His brow arched and he scratched his chin. “And it sounds to me like you just jumped us right to the conclusion.”

I shrugged. “It’s a quirk.”

That served me well when writing. I always enjoyed knowing the end of the story I
was writing. I needed to know where I was headed. Sure, there were those times
when where I thought the story was headed and where the story actually went
were two different things, but I’d say for the most part, I rarely started a relationship with my keyboard unless I knew the ending.

And I knew the ending with Garrett. I’d get on an airplane headed back to New York,
feeling cheap and wishing I hadn’t slept with him.

Then I’d wonder if everyone in town knew.

If my sisters found out.

It would be a whole mess that I wasn’t willing to deal with.

I froze and glanced at the inn. I had the distinct feeling I was being watched.

Garrett let out a heavy sigh.

“You know what? I changed my mind.” I smiled, watching the complete look of surprise
wash over his face. “Pick me up tomorrow at seven.”

“Okay, then.” Garrett nodded as his gaze drifted to my clenched fist. “I’m glad you
changed your mind.”

“Well, don’t get any ideas. This is the only time you’ll be seeing these.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Garrett smiled and shook his head. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“Great.”

He turned toward his truck before I made my way back to the inn, and my legs felt like two wet noodles.

What had I gotten myself into?

I moved my underwear to my other hand and trudged up the steps to the inn and
stepped inside.

The old mansion was as quiet as a high school library, which was completely
unusual.

I didn’t hear any noise from the kitchen, no creaking from the upstairs, and no voices on the phone. It was eerily quiet.

I decided to make my way down the hall to the study.

As I approached, I heard my sisters talking in hushed voices and put my ear up to
the door to listen, except the door wasn’t completely closed and I tumbled
forward into the room.

My sisters both looked up at me, completely surprised, as I straightened and cleared my throat.

“I didn’t know it was open.” I looked at Vera, who flashed me a fresh scowl, and over at Lana, who was sitting at the desk my mom sat at for decades.

All sorts of memories drifted into my mind as I thought about the days that I’d
crawl onto her lap as she tried to use the ten-key or the days I’d slump in the chair across from the desk and complaining about school. The familiar ache
washed over me as I stared at my sisters.

I missed my mom.

It had been seven years, and I missed her as much today as the one she’d left this
world.

“Anything I can help with?” I asked, not having any clue what I could actually do.

Vera shook her head. “A bride-to-be is having her bachelorette party here, so the
second floor is booked, but they aren’t getting here until tonight. Just going
over details.”

That was the longest sentence from Vera since I'd arrived. Maybe things were turning
around.

Lana nodded. “We’re pretty much set. Linens have been changed, chocolates laid out,
new flowers in all the rooms. Why don’t you go to town and just relax a bit?”

My brows furrowed and I looked around the study. It, too, was like a time capsule with secrets tucked onto the bookshelves along with figurines. The floral couch
under the bay window hadn’t been moved an inch, and the mini-refrigerator by the desk hummed as it always did.

But what stuck out to me most in the room were my two sisters acting as if
everything were normal.

“Are we just dancing around the elephant in the room here or...” My arms lifted high into the air when I realized I was still holding a balled-up pair of underwear.

I quickly dropped my arms and stared at Vera and Lana. “I fly across the country because you asked me to come and then you want to send me off to town?”

“You didn’t have to come,” Vera muttered under her breath.

I pointed at her with my free hand. “You’re absolutely right, which is why I’d like to know why you invited me out here when you haven’t wanted me to visit for years, and I’m not sure you actually want me here now.”

Lana stood and let out a slow breath. It had always been her way of trying to defuse a situation, buying seconds of time to produce calmness.

It rarely worked because we had Vera as a sister.

“Don’t act all high and mighty because you took a flight out here.” Vera glared at me, and I threw my head back in frustration.

“If you’d like me to leave, I have no problem packing up and going back. I just thought you needed me.” I swallowed down the emotion that went with those
words.

Why would I think my sisters ever needed me? They made it clear that they never did.

“No, Sammi.” Lana walked over and reached for me. “Don’t go.”

My stomach knotted, and I wanted nothing more than to be back in New York. It wasn’t like I had a huge circle of friends waiting for me back there, but I had a life.

My life.

The one I created so many years ago.

The one my mom helped me create.

Vera brought her gaze to mine and she cleared her throat. “I’m sorry.”

When the words tumbled out, nothing else mattered.

Maybe we were making
progress.