Jumping Right In (Crescent Key Book 3) Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or deceased, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Overall cover design: Nicole Highland – NH Designs

  Cover images courtesy of:

  123RF.comwww.123rf.com

  And a special thank you to Mom for the lovely beach photo in the background!

  Copyright © 2021 Nicole Highland

  All rights reserved.

  www.nicolehighlandwrites.com

  ISBN: 979-873299-360-8 (Paperback edition)

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  I knew I wanted to do a third book in this series, but it wasn’t until one morning while I was getting ready for work that the idea for book 3 came to mind. Being that my phone is never far away from me, I grabbed it and opened up my notepad, jotting down a few notes as they came to me.

  Of course, if I’m being completely honest, the idea was born out of my quest to find my own holy grail book from one of my favorite authors. But, throw in a little sun, sand and sea, and it makes for a perfect beach read.

  And I absolutely cannot wait to share it with you!

  Before we jump right in, though, there are a few important things to note:

  This is part of the Crescent Key series but can be read as a standalone.

  While satisfying and sweet, this book is approximately a two-hour-long read on average, so if you’re into short reads, you’re in luck.

  There’s a hint of steam here, but nothing that should make you blush too much. 

  So, if you’re on board with this and you love bookish heroines, marshmallow-y sweet heroes, and meddling grandmothers, get ready to sit back, relax, and take a trip to Crescent Key!

  XOX

  Sabrina Huffman did not consider herself a lucky woman by any means.

  Oh, every once in a blue moon she might find a penny turned face-up in the parking lot at the grocery store. Rarer yet, she might actually win a buck or two from one of the pull-tabs from the QuickMart down the road from her apartment. Not that she gambled a lot. In fact, she hardly gambled at all.

  But of all the critical moments in her life, she was praying like hell that, for once, luck would actually be on her side this time.

  With her eyes straining against the bright morning sun, she sat up in bed and turned up the brightness on her phone, her heart sagging as she read the notification on the screen.

  Outbid.

  The message on the screen stung like a nasty bee sting, immediately jolting her from her sleepy slumber. Her eyes narrowed. Once again, some idiot out in cyberspace had tossed another bid into the ring, jacking up the price once more on what was arguably an over-priced book by most people’s standards. Hell, the thing hadn’t been more than six dollars when it was brand new.

  And now, thirty years later, and having seen better days, the little vintage romance gem—better known as the first novel from Lisa Maxwell—was up on the auction block, commanding a price that would’ve made Sabrina’s mother scowl with disapproval had she known her daughter was in a bidding war over a book.

  Oh well, she thought. At least the proceeds from it were going toward breast cancer research. That would surely make it a little less eccentric of a spend, and a little easier for her mother to swallow.

  Or at least, that was what Sabrina told herself.

  Charity or not, Sabrina didn’t care, so long as the price didn’t get too out of control. She still had to keep her bills paid, after all. But, she was desperate. And at the end of the day, it didn’t matter that she’d likely have to fork over a pretty penny for the damn thing.

  She would gladly do it in a heartbeat.

  So what if it meant scaling back her Amazon purchases for a while? Just having that book in her hand would be worth forgoing a few one-click buys, and Sabrina could practically smell its old, worn pages and feel all the roughened creases on its spine. True, she loathed when people folded the front cover to the back with a dizzying passion. The way it destroyed the spine over time was reprehensible to her.

  Still, it was the truest testament to book well-enjoyed, and it was the last missing piece of Sabrina’s collection.

  And she’d do just about anything to get her hands on it.

  Sabrina stared at the countdown clock on the screen. With less than one minute remaining, With Passion’s Promise was nearly hers.

  So long as she didn’t get outbid.

  But thankfully, she had a little safeguard in place for that. She’d set the auto-bid feature all the way up to eighty dollars on the off-chance another bidder decided to hike up the price towards the end. And surely eighty dollars would be enough to do the trick…

  Right?

  Sabrina’s heartbeat fell in unison with the countdown clock on the screen, watching the red numbers flash as they transitioned down the line.

  Forty seconds.

  Her pulse thudded in her chest. She could do this. The finish line was in reach, and thanks to the wondrous auto-bid feature, she was still ahead, still galloping to the finish line like a prized horse poised to win the Kentucky Derby.

  For the moment, she had been spared, and thoughts of holding that precious book in her hand as she sat on the beach were so vivid in her mind she practically had tears of joy in her eyes.

  But like all good moments in her life, the moment of bliss was fleeting, and Sabrina’s heart sank as a new dialogue box popped up on the screen. Outbid. Worse yet, the price was coming dangerously close to her limit, yet thirty seconds still remained. It was either up the ante, or go home with her tail between her legs.

  But she was no coward.

  And she didn’t back down from a challenge.

  Sabrina swore under her breath, then murmured an apology to her cat, Midnight, who wore an expression of displeasure on his face. Undoubtedly, his expression was unrelated to his owner’s book buying, and more to do with the fact he wanted to be fed.

  Still, she felt the need to explain. “Hey, don’t give me that look,” she teased. “You’d understand if you were in my shoes!”

  Midnight blinked, seemingly unaware of the heart palpitations wracking his owner’s body. Damn it all, why couldn’t she just win for once?

  And why did everything always seem to be just out of reach from her grasp?

  Twenty seconds remained, and Sabrina squeezed her eyes shut, willing her breath to steady as she upped her limit another five bucks. After all, what did it really matter in the grand scheme of things? She was already going to pay a healthy sum, anyway.

  And she could think of it as the price point she would’ve paid had shipping not been free.

  Ten seconds.

  The dampness that had begun to form on her forehead gleamed in the early morning sunlight. She may have still been ahead, but this damn fight was far from over. Someone would sneak in at the last second. She just knew it. She could feel it in her bones.

  And at the six-second mark, someone did just that.

  “Damn it!” she swore.

  With the power of her index finger, she frantically flipped back to the previous screen, and in a desperate measure that even she herself couldn’t explain, she increased the maximum bid again, this time a whole whopping twenty dollars, and prayed desperately it would be enough to stave off another disaster.

  But by the time the app completed the request, a mere three seconds remained, and much to no one’s genuine surprise, the bidding was up to two-hundred and forty dollars.

  Sabrina stared blankly at the scr
een, feeling a wave of horror wash over her, followed closely by a wave of white-hot anger. Clearly, there were more ravenous readers out there with bigger wallets.

  Or at least, larger credit card limits.

  But, once again, she had lost the book she had tried so hard to get her damned hands on.

  And for what seemed like the millionth time, she had been a failure.

  Oh, she had been such a fool to think she would be able to win that easily. After all, when had been the last time something ever came easily to her? Truly, she could count that particular number on one hand.

  Tossing her phone aside, she flopped back down on the bed, flat on her back as her golden hair splayed out against her pillow. Midnight, still agitated by her lack of attention, came up to greet her, purring so loudly she thought he would combust.

  “Yes, yes,” she sighed. “You’re hungry. I get it.”

  She stumbled to her feet, feeling the weight of frustration pulling her down with every step she took. This had certainly not been the way she wanted to start her Friday morning. Friday mornings were supposed to be blissful and carefree, buoyant with the promise of the incoming weekend and all the fun plans ahead.

  But not even the faintest hint of a smile could be found on her face, and as she scooped the shredded chicken into Midnight’s bowl, she sighed, feeling slightly embarrassed that she had allowed her emotions to get the best of her. After all, it was just a silly little book. A silly, purple prose-filled fairy tale of a romance all about a common man and his valiant attempts to find his long-lost love.

  Yes, there was something about that vintage treasure that had appealed to all her senses in the best of ways. Perhaps it was the fact that despite every overwhelming obstacle set upon Sir Garrett Rutledge’s path, his heart sought his one true desire: Josephine Westcourt. Or perhaps it was simply the nostalgia of reading something so profoundly beautiful at a time where life had been anything but beautiful. Those awkward teenage years had been some of the most painful of her life, setting in motion a ride of disappointment that had been difficult get to off of.

  But no matter the reason, somewhere within the pages of Lisa Maxwell’s novel Sabrina had found hope; an escape to a better place where endings were only of the blissful variety, and where pain was nothing more than a fleeting feeling. She felt every emotion with every page she turned, riding the highest of highs, and sharing the characters’ lowest of lows. Truly, something about Maxwell’s writing left her spellbound.

  And perhaps someday, Sabrina would be lucky enough to find a love so true and as everlasting as Garrett and Josephine’s.

  Despite Sabrina’s best efforts not to allow the loss of the auction to affect her mood, she couldn’t help but feel sour as she made her way to her first showing of the day. Of course, dealing with such an indecisive couple wouldn’t help matters any. Her patience had already begun to run razor-thin with them by the fourteenth house showing they’d had. And much the same as the North Pole and the South Pole, Stacy and Adam Williamson couldn’t have been any more diametrically opposed if their lives had depended on it. Where Stacy loved all things unique, vintage, and rustic when it came to choosing a living space, Adam loved clean lines and vast, open-concept spaces with a heavy dose of modern aesthetic. And if Adam was the sugar of the relationship…

  Well, then Stacy was very much the spice, adding a nearly overbearing amount of commentary to every house they explored.

  Sabrina winced as she recalled their last meeting. Unfortunately for all parties involved, the homeowners had returned a little too early.

  And were rather unpleasantly surprised to find such boisterous, ugly opinions being volleyed as the couple roamed their halls.

  Suffice to say it had been one of the most humiliating experiences so far as a realtor, and Sabrina prayed it would be her last.

  But given how the day was already progressing, she had little doubt the day would manage to turn itself around.

  Sabrina breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled into the driveway of 2138 Crestfall Drive. Being that she’d arrived first, she had a little time to pull herself out of her slump before the newlyweds arrived. And right about now, she needed all the time she could get.

  “It’s just a stupid book,” she muttered to herself, slamming her head against the headrest. “But, maybe if I’m lucky I’ll get my hands on it before I’m eighty.”

  She flipped down the visor, carefully examining herself in the mirror as she waited for the Williamsons to arrive. No doubt Stacy would be in another one of her particularly trying moods today. That seemed like it would be par for the course today.

  Because of course, it would be too much to ask of the universe to make the woman have a better disposition for once.

  A gleaming, freshly-washed Genesis pulled up against the curb, and a wave of dread slithered through Sabrina as her eyes honed in on the car. Pasting on a smile wouldn’t be easy this morning, but if this was the day she’d finally be able to make a sale with them, so be it.

  That commission check would certainly be worth it.

  A wall of stifling heat nearly choked Sabrina as she exited her car. For being eight in the morning, the thick, humid air was oppressive, ushering in an almost instant sheen of sweat as she smoothed her sundress, and with a slight tilt of her floppy sun hat, she smiled slightly, waving in the couple’s direction.

  “Oh, Adam, this looks even more gorgeous in person,” Stacy swooned. “You know, I actually have a good feeling about this.”

  Adam forced a smile, hoping his wife wouldn’t see the apprehension brewing just beneath the surface of his facade. “It looks a little dated, but I’ll reserve judgment until we go inside.”

  “Well, what do we think?” Sabrina asked, holding out her arms open wide, Her smile beamed despite the frustration that still ate at her mind. “Do we think today will be the day?”

  Stacy shrugged her shoulders and gave a half-hearted smile. “Eh…we’ll see! I’d like to think so, but we all know how daunting this has been.”

  Yeah, no kidding, Sabrina thought. She of all people knew how exhausting and tedious the search had been.

  And she of all people knew better than to think the search would actually be over today. But, as the old saying went, one had to fake it to make it at times. And today of all days, there was a whole lot of fakery going on.

  Especially where Sabrina was concerned.

  The combination lock opened with ease, and a blast of cool air greeted the trio as they stepped inside the large foyer.

  “Honestly, this wallpaper looks better than it did in the photos,” Stacy said. “It adds a certain charm to the room.”

  Sabrina nearly cringed as she read the expression etched across Adam’s face. The poor sap looked as though he’d swallowed a mouthful of bugs, and Sabrina braced herself as she waited for his response. Damage control, she thought. Better figure out a way to diffuse this quickly or we’re all going to be up shit creek without a paddle.

  “It’s not staying,” he said coldly. “I’m not gonna look at that shit twenty-four seven. It’s too way too loud, and by the time we get all our furniture in here this entire room’s gonna be an eyesore.”

  Stacy frowned. “You could’ve spoken up last night when we were looking on Zillow. You could’ve spoken up right then and there! But, no. You didn’t. And now, you’re here wasting our realtor’s time all because you were too afraid to speak up!”

  Sabrina practically winced in discomfort. Fewer things in life irritated her more than being caught in the crossfire of two quarreling parties, yet here she was, dealing with it on an almost daily basis now with no real end in sight.

  And all she knew for certain was that something had to change.

  Yes, she loved the idea of pairing everyone with the home of their dreams. But more often than not, as of late, those dreams had begun to take shape in the form of nightmares; nightmares she couldn’t quite manage to wrangle.

  “You know what?” Stacy seethed. “If yo
u’re just going to be difficult, I’m not sure I want to look for a house anymore. Might as well chuck and everything and forget it.”

  Sabrina’s eyes widened as Stacy turned tail and stormed out of the room, rendering her completely speechless as she and Stacy’s husband froze in the foyer. This had been the first time a client had stormed out.

  And if Sabrina had anything to say about it, it would be her last.

  She didn’t need this kind of stress. Hell, dealing with her annoying, clingy neighbor was stressful enough. She didn’t need to come to work every day and feel as though she needed to play mediator for squabbling couples.

  And although her commission was healthy, it didn’t pay nearly enough to deal with the tears of grown adults, nor the all-out catfights she’d been subjected to as of late.

  Adam shook his head softly. “I’m… I’m really sorry about that. It’s just…” His words broke off on a frustrated sigh. “She’s used to getting what she wants all the time.”

  Sabrina suppressed a sardonic laugh. Lord knew that getting what she wanted was a foreign concept to her; one that she’d fought tooth and nail for most of her life to attain, yet somehow never quite seemed to have within her reach.

  Still, she knew how frustrating it was to have your heart set on something you couldn’t have, and Stacy’s plight was so reminiscent of Lisa Maxwell’s Temptress of Mine, that Sabrina nearly recommended that her husband read it until she remembered a few little important facts…

  He was a client.

  A man.

  And most likely not a romance reader.

  Oh sure, there probably were some men out there that did. But they were few and far between, a rare occurrence in the real world.

  Still, it would be wonderful to meet a man that understood her; one that would happily accompany her to the bookstore and never complain when she left with an armful of books.