When Summer Ends

When Summer Ends A SUMMER LOVE BEACH ROMANCE MJ HENDRIX MJ HENDRIX PUBLISHING LTD. CO When Summer Ends Copyright © 2023 by Mj Hendrix All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover Designer: Y’all. That Graphic. Editor: Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing Proofread: Misha Carlstedt, Verity Ink Editorial Contents About This Book Playlist 1. Alani 2. Reed 3. Alani 4. Reed 5. Alani 6. Reed 7. Alani 8. Reed 9. Alani 10. Reed 11. Alani 12. Reed 13. Alani 14. Reed 15. Alani 16. Reed 17. Alani 18. Reed 19. Alani 20. Reed 21. Alani 22. Reed 23. Alani 24. Reed 25. Alani 26. Reed 27. Alani 28. Reed 29. Alani 30. Reed 31. Alani 32. Reed 33. Alani 34. Reed Epilogue Also by Mj Hendrix About Mj & Social Links Acknowledgments About This Book Giving in to him was like swimming with the undertow. I was destined to get sucked under. Single mom? Check. Trust issues? Double check. When Reed, a sexy-as-sin surfer, becomes my beachside Coffee Cart’s competition, my life begins to unravel—starting with my faulty conviction that I’m immune to romantic desire. The fight to keep my customers is on, right along with my ability to keep my eyes—and hands—off of Reed’s six-pack of abs. This beach needs a dress code. I’ll do whatever it takes to win the Kiki Beach Bash, despite my growing attraction to the competition. If that isn’t bad enough, my son’s dad shows up unexpectedly at my work, demanding I give our relationship another chance. Imagine my surprise when my shirtless, margarita-mixing rival steps in to throw a punch on my behalf. Consequently, I find myself hopelessly hooked on Reed Waldon. He has nothing to gain from staying in Swordfish Cove, least of all a single mom with baby-daddy drama. When summer ends, I’ll have to decide if I will let Reed go or confess to him that I’m not so dead inside after all. To all the deadbeat baby daddies who walked so my book about a hot step daddy could run. Playlist Listen on Spotify. “Harleys In Hawaii” by Katy Perry “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish “The Beach” by The Neighbourhood “I’m yours” by Isabel LaRosa “Love You Anyway” by Luke Combs “Better Together” by Jack Johnson “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift “Sunroof” by Nicky Youre and dazy “Island” by Miley Cyrus Alani They say the first coastal sunrise of summer can cure the blues of a long winter. I stand on the edge of the water, my toes digging into the sand, as the sunlight in hues of orange and pink sends beams of warmth under my skin. Summer has just begun, and whoever “they” are, they’re right. A smile that I’ve been holding in for just this moment finds its way to my face. Something about the sound of the ocean makes me feel like a carefree child again. A deep sigh escapes me as I turn around, walking back to my little seafoam-green coffee stand. My green linen miniskirt blows in the gentle breeze coming off the tide, the matching bandeau the same color as the paint. The Coffee Cart is celebrating its third year on Kiki Beach. I step up into the tiny, renovated horse trailer to check on the French press coffee I’m currently brewing. The scent of Kona beans wafts into my nostrils, brown sugar and hints of floral scent bringing back a flood of memories from the past three summers on Kiki Beach, the most popular beach in Swordfish Cove. My little business has flourished here. A man is walking on the beach, slightly bent over with age. He hobbles over the sand toward my cart. I smile through the serving window. “Good morning. It’s a lovely day.” He smiles. “Nothing like a sunrise on Kiki Beach. I could smell that coffee half a mile away.” I grin back at him as I slowly press down to separate the grounds from the hot water. He’s one of my regular customers. My cart is parked in the second-best location for visibility on either side of the beach. From two directions, my sign can be seen as people walk up and down the beach. There’s only one better spot that would make it visible from the road as well, but the owner of that spot has denied me access despite my countless email requests and borderline begging for three summers in a row. “Would you like to be my first sale of the summer?” He’s already pulled out a ten-dollar bill, nodding. “The honor is mine.” I pour him a cup and press the plastic lid down to seal it, adding a sleeve to keep his hand from burning. He accepts it while handing me the ten dollars. “Your total is four-fifty.” “Keep the change. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” “Thank you. Aloha.” He turns to hobble off down the beach. Every summer, he’s been my first customer. He visits my cart during the off-season too. I need to learn his name. I pull out my phone to snap a picture of the ten dollars to send it to my best friend, Keona. First sale of the summer! And a 100% tip. I pour myself a cup of the French press, breathing in deeply before taking a sip. My phone pings with a reply. You should buy a new car with all that moola. ;) I roll my eyes, typing