Selling Sandcastle


 
 
 
 All of Tinsley Cove would be watching.
 Maybe they should come up with a plan that would give them the on-screen drama he needed for the show but also allow them to keep their dignity.
 Logan asked, “What are you thinking?”
 “This.” Cassie leaned in and pressed her lips to his.
 For the span of a heartbeat, Logan was disoriented as if the axis of his world had tipped and left him hanging upside down.
 A voice in his head said, “Stop. You shouldn’t be doing this.” But his body was singing another tune. As Cassie opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, his nerve endings sizzled like live wires, making his body vibrate until he couldn’t hear anything over the need rushing through his veins.
 He pulled her tighter and leaned into the kiss as if his breathing depended on it.
 The next thing he knew, she’d pulled back slightly. Still holding on to him, she stared up at him dreamily.
 “I was thinking we should get that out of the way so we can move on with what we need to do,” she said. “It wasn’t so bad, was it?”
 
 
 Dear Reader,
 The beginning of a new series is exhilarating and a little daunting. It’s a blank canvas where anything can happen. When I was sketching out the idea for Tinsley Cove, I drew on several things. 
 First, when I was growing up, the beach was my playground. It still speaks to my soul, and lately, I’ve had a yearning for the sand, the salt water and the roar of the wind in my ears. Second, I have a thing for real estate and interior design shows. I can’t get enough of them. The third factor was my Pembroke Welsh corgi, Luna. She’s a bundle of energy and sweetness and she always listens when I talk. Of course she does—there might be a treat involved. 
 I mixed up these colorful ideas, threw them at the canvas and voilà! The McFaddens of Tinsley Cove. 
 Cassie and Logan kick off the series. I hope you’ll enjoy their story as much as I loved writing it. Please keep in touch. I love to hear from readers.
 NancyRobardsThompson.comInstagram.com/NancyRThompsonFacebook.com/NRobardsThompson
 Warmly,
 Nancy
 
 
 Selling Sandcastle
 Nancy Robards Thompson
 
 
 
 Nationally bestselling author Nancy Robards Thompson holds a degree in journalism. She worked as a newspaper reporter until she realized reporting “just the facts” bored her silly. Now that she has much more content to report to her muse, Nancy loves writing women’s fiction and romance full-time. Critics have deemed her work “funny, smart and observant.” She resides in Florida with her husband and daughter. You can reach her at Facebook.com/nrobardsthompson.
 Books by Nancy Robards Thompson
 Harlequin Special Edition
 The McFaddens of Tinsley Cove
 Selling Sandcastle
 The Savannah Sisters
 A Down-Home Savannah Christmas
 Southern Charm & Second Chances
 Her Savannah Surprise
 Celebration, TX
 The Cowboy’s Runaway Bride
 A Bride, a Barn, and a Baby
 The Cowboy Who Got Away
 The Fortunes of Texas: Rulebreakers
 Maddie Fortune’s Perfect Man
 The Fortunes of Texas: The Secret Fortunes
 Fortune’s Surprise Engagement
 The Fortunes of Texas: Rambling Rose
 Betting on a Fortune
 Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
 
 
 This book is dedicated to my Pembroke Welsh corgi, Luna, who is every bit as sweet and sassy as she appears in this book.
 
 
 Contents
 Chapter One
 Chapter Two
 Chapter Three
 Chapter Four
 Chapter Five
 Chapter Six
 Chapter Seven
 Chapter Eight
 Chapter Nine
 Chapter Ten
 Chapter Eleven
 Chapter Twelve
 Chapter Thirteen
 Chapter Fourteen
 Chapter Fifteen
 Epilogue
 Excerpt from Fortune’s Dream House by Nina Crespo
 
 
 Chapter One
 Cassie Houston turned around in a circle and surveyed the skyline of moving boxes covering the walls of her brand-new living room.
 “Where could that dress be?” she said. “You were supposed to help me stay organized, Luna.”
 The corgi tilted her head to the side as if trying her best to understand the question.
 Cassie wasn’t blaming the little dog, of course. Having conversations with her pup had become as natural as talking to herself. Over the years, the animal had proved to be a better listener than her ex-husband and was certainly more empathetic, which was part of the reason why he was her ex-husband.
 Luna crouched with her front paws on the ground and her cute little behind up in the air. Her nub of a tail wagged as she let out a sound that registered somewhere between a yowl and a yodel.
 The reaction always made Cassie smile. She bent down and scratched the sweet red sable dog behind her velvety ears.
 “I know it’s not your fault, lovie, but I need to find that bag fast or I’ll be late for my first day. They’ll fire me before I even start.”
 In a whirlwind of change, Cassie had moved from central Florida to the small beach town of Tinsley Cove, North Carolina, to join the cast of a scripted reality show.
 On a whim, she and her sister, Gabriella, had attended an open audition for an amateur cooking competition show at Universal Studios in Orlando. It wasn’t really Cassie’s idea of a fun way to kill a Saturday, but since her divorce more than a year and a half ago, she’d been trying to keep an open mind about new experiences. Plus, Gabby, who was always up for anything, had promised to pay for lunch if Cassie would go with her. So, the two of them ventured to the theme park to try out.
 Cassie had no illusions. What were the chances of a twenty-seven-year-old amateur being plucked from obscurity to be a contestant on a competition for home cooks? Especially when the line for the audition nearly stretched around the park and the best thing she’d ever made for dinner was reservations.
 Even so, she was spending time with her sister. That still felt like a luxury.