What Tomorrow Brings (Florida Keys Series) (2 page)

She spent the last five years writing amazing best sellers and never really took time to date anyone. Several guys had caught her attention, but there was never anything serious that came out of it. She sighed. She would not have changed that because she was doing what she loved, writing. Keeping her head down and putting out best sellers without a thought of meeting someone had been her life. Was she burnt out now? Would writer’s block win out and she’d be just an old dinosaur someday in the book world?

No, she had to get it back! Maggie didn’t want to do anything else, she just couldn’t understand why it was so hard this time. Perhaps she’d take a look at the setting around her, it was perfect for a lover’s romance. Fingers went to work searching for all things related to a great lover’s romance in the Florida Keys.

A few hours later Maggie heard an engine purr as it slid into its place at the dock. She almost starting getting up to quickly hide inside the bungalow, but then changed her mind. She would not let one little incident get the best of her. The guy was sexy and really nice and if she were going to enjoy the next week and have fun, then she had to get over it. The girls were not going to make any guest appearances today.

“Hey there, Jake Hatfield. Do you know where there’s a good place to get a quick meal around here?” Maggie wondered if she sounded too bold.

Jake jumped from the boat and walked up to the screened in porch. He stood there for a moment as if in deep thought, his thumb hitched into the waistband of his shorts. “There’s a great little bar and grill a few miles up the road. I’ll be heading up there in a bit. You’re welcome to come with.”

Thinking about it, she reasoned with herself that she could follow him in the rental car, and that way she could leave any time she wanted. “That would be nice,” Maggie replied. She tilted her head as he walked away and watched him stroll up the little hill to the steps that led into his house. Mama had called that right. Eye candy he was!

He stopped dead in his tracks before going up the steps and turned slowly towards the screened in porch. “Who’s making eyes at who now?” he murmured in a low sultry voice and then chuckled as he disappeared. She was so glad he couldn’t see her cheeks, which turned bright red despite her tan. She rubbed them and then laughed too. Caught red handed gawking at hot man!

When Maggie first came to this rental on No Name Key a few days ago, she was excited to get some well deserved time alone, away from the world she lived in. Driving the rental car off of Highway One, then along the main road and finally down a narrow lane surrounded by a lot of brush, she became worried that perhaps the place was too secluded. Worried there were alligators hiding somewhere in the lush greenery, she had quickly parked and found the little white picket fence, then ran through the gate that led to her small bungalow attached to the main part of the house. That was where the owner lived, she was told. Her Mother left out the fact that Jake Hatfield was the owner and he was home! She was under the impression no one would be around except her.

Maggie could laugh now realizing that she worried about alligators eating her. Even though it was a bit more remote here than she was used to, she wasn’t afraid of being alone. Actually, she preferred it and that was one of the reasons why she agreed so readily to her Mother’s suggestion, or more like orders since she bought the ticket ahead of time without Maggie’s knowledge. No Name Key as it was called, was more remote than other places and without potable water or electricity, everything had to run on generators. There was only a small number of homes in the area, so Maggie did feel a bit reassured when she realized that even though she loved spending time by herself, it was a bit comforting to know there was another person right upstairs.

She could relax, unwind and get her book done without a lot of intrusions. That was the plan.

Chapter Two

Maggie wandered by the edge of the water near Jake’s boat waiting for him to come out for their excursion to get something to eat. If she lived here, it would be ideal to just jump in a boat and travel anywhere in the Florida Keys she wanted, if she had a boat. She could sit on the dock and stick her feet in the water if she wanted. Perhaps she could talk Jake into showing her around on his. It wouldn’t hurt to take in some of the local scenery, for research sake, of course.

The upstairs screen door slammed shut and Jake sauntered down the wooden steps. He looked very nice in light jeans and a t shirt, as the dress code was normally very casual in the Keys. Even though it was the dead of winter where she lived in central Pennsylvania, here it felt like a beautiful spring day. Maggie wore a pair of light blue Bullet Blues along with a white pheasant style top with off the shoulder half sleeves. She knew she looked good, her Bullet Blues weren’t cookie cutter jeans. These curved around every bit of hip she had and they made her feel like a million dollars. She almost felt as if she were getting ready for a real date.

“You may want to wear something that covers your toes,” Jake mentioned.

Maggie looked down at her sandals. “What’s wrong with these?”

Jake grinned. “You’ll see,” he muttered then turned toward the front of the yard. “Change your shoes and then come out front.”

Maggie ran into the house wondering why in the world she needed to change her shoes, but as a writer, she was very curious what adventure they were going on. Where in the world was this diner at that she needed closed toe shoes? Maybe there were bugs or snakes or worse where they were going that she didn’t know about. She quickly changed into a pair of flats, ran out the door and through the white gate, followed the path along the side of the house and turning the corner she heard the distinct roar of a motorcycle engine even before she saw it.

Of course! Hot man has a Harley! Maggie now realized why the shoes were so important. Riding with open toes was just not smart. This was really starting to come together as the beginnings of a novel. Then a brilliant thought struck Maggie. Was it possible she could get some ideas for a best seller from her neighbor who rode a harley and looked like a steamy, rugged man of your deepest dreams and desires? Oh why not!

She walked up to Jake where he was sitting on the bike, his arms crossed, looking the part of a bad boy for sure. “We’re taking your bike?” Maggie asked, a bit worried as she had never been on a harley. She was so focused on using Jake as a role model for her novel, she had temporarily forgotten how they were getting there.

“Of course, you’ll enjoy the ride.” He winked.

She sucked in a deep breath. Jake Hatfield was coming on to her, no doubt about it. As long as she just went with the flow, relaxed and had a good time, Maggie could use some parts of this night in her novel to get her writer juices flowing. So, she’d give it a shot and see what developed. Besides, she thought to herself, it was kind of exciting to get to ride a harley with a hot guy.

“Here, put this on,” Jake said, handing her a black half helmet. Maggie turned it around feeling a bit helpless and began to place it on her head.

All of a sudden, Jake chuckled. He idled the bike, threw down the kickstand and lifted his leg over the powerful harley. He reached out and grabbed the helmet right before Maggie put it on backwards. “The DOT sticker has to be in the back of the helmet,” he told her.

At first Maggie was a bit flustered, but then she realized since she never rode a motorcycle before, how would she know there was a right way to put a helmet on? She laughed aloud, and let Jake set the helmet properly on her head. Then he took the long strap and his fingers brushed lightly across her cheek and neck while he adjusted it. Warm fingers made her gasp.

“All done,” he said to her, his voice low and husky. “Look up, let me see.” Both hands were holding her helmet and he tilted her head upwards a bit. As he nodded his head in approval, Maggie chanced to look up into his eyes. She held her breath as she wondered how far to take this moment? She was the opposite of her heroine’s, but could Maggie close her eyes and pretend she was Allyson of Tempting The Winds, her very first novel and give him something to remember her by?

Could she grab those muscular shoulders, pull him towards her and kiss him for all it’s worth? For research sake? Should she dare? She just had to conjure up the courage to do some of the things that her heroine’s did. She really wanted to but her hands couldn’t move, she was frozen in time, standing there like a lost puppy, unable to make a move on him.

Then Jake abruptly turned and hitched his leg over the bike and patted the seat behind him. “Hop on.”

Relieved in a way, Maggie adjusted herself on the back and placed her feet on the passenger pegs. Jake maneuvered the bike and they took off down the road. Maggie didn’t know what to do with her hands, so at first she held on to the bar behind her but it just didn’t feel comfortable. It was as if Jake knew what she was thinking, because he reached back with one hand and grabbed her arm and shouted for her to put her arms around his waist.

She nodded and then did what she was told. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Maggie nestled close to his body, enjoying the ride. She raised her face into the air and laughed out loud.

“What’s so funny?” Jake shouted above the thundering rumble of the engine. She shook her head and yelled back and then shouted in delight as she noticed a few key deer off to the side of the road in a low lying field feeding on grass.

Jake slowed the bike down, then stopped at the edge of the road so she could get a closer look. The engine idled as they sat there watching the site of these amazing animals so close up. The deer never once jumped at the sound of intruders. “You’ll see this a lot,” Jake told Maggie. “Key deer are an endangered species so it’s important to drive very slow through this area. There are signs posted everywhere. They’re used to humans so they’ll walk right up to you. Not much scares them.”

Maggie hadn’t noticed any signs posted because it was almost evening when she drove from the airport the first day and she hadn’t left the property once, until now...with a hunk...on a harley.

Maggie felt elated as they rode down Watson Road towards their destination. The roar of the engine and the slight wind in her hair gave Maggie the feeling of a freedom she had never known. Holding on to Jake’s body wasn’t so bad either. Her biker landlord turned off down a small path into the boon docks. Then all of a sudden a structure came into view.

Maggie jumped off the bike, clumsily unhooked the strap from the helmet and ran her fingers through her hair, smiling. “That was fun!” She shouted, feeling elated.

“You don’t have to shout any more,” Jake said as he took off his own helmet.

Maggie laughed out loud. “You’re right, but what if I want to?” she sang, turned and ran towards the the small building.

“Wait up,” Jake ordered, laughter in his voice. He strolled over to the building in the middle of nowhere, grabbed the door and held out his hand for Maggie to go first.

The darkness inside was a far cry from the bright daylight outside. Maggie stopped dead in her tracks. “Whoa! Will you take a look at that!” The walls and ceilings of the dingy bar were covered in hundreds of dollar bills. She walked over to one of the walls and reached out to touch the bills and began reading the different signatures and quotes. Her hands moved along the wall, touching every single bill within reach.

Jake stopped behind her, brushing up against her back as he leaned over her shoulder. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? There’s thousands of dollar bills stapled to the walls and ceilings.” She turned her head to look up at him and her mouth all but touched his cheek. She sucked in a deep breath and shivered. This was no good, she was unable to get close to him without starting to hyperventilate. Maggie was all about having fun but unable to breathe in his presence was not one of the options she was going to deal with in this week of having fun.

“I need food.”

Jake laughed, an intense, deep-felt sound that rang in Maggie’s ears. “Come on.” He took her hand as he guided her towards the bar to where a young lady with some tattoos down her one arm was serving a few customers in the early afternoon. The bar stools were so tall that Maggie didn’t think she’d even be able to reach them. She was tall, but they were really high. Jake must’ve noticed.

“We’ll grab a drink and take it out back,” Jake said, then asked Maggie what she wanted. She shrugged her shoulders because she didn’t really know what to say. She was never much of a drinker and hardly ever went into bars.

“We’ll take two house ales on tap,” Jake told the bartender. “Can we get a pizza with some shrimp, bacon and pineapple?” He turned to her. “ Is that OK with you Maggie?”

“Good choice, that sounds delicious,” Maggie agreed as she walked with him through the back of the dimly lit bar to a door that let out back. Scattered around the area was a bunch of fiesta green and yellow picnic tables with bright blue umbrellas opened for shade. They sat at the first empty one they could find. More people were outside than in the dark interior inside.

“A hidden gem,” Maggie mentioned, trying to store that thought as she could use it for her novel. She tried to picture her next scene, the heroine, a writer with a deadline, who slipped away to the Florida Keys for some much needed rest and relaxation and who needed a quiet place to finish her book and stay on top of her game. Then, along comes this dark, hot man to stir things up, distracting her from her work. Would it be her own story she would write? That would be a first.

“A hidden gem it is. It’s also a stop along the keys for the tourists, and in a little bit this place will be wall to wall with them,” Jake remarked. “I’ll be right back. Our pizza is probably done.”

While he went back inside, Maggie sipped on her beer relaxing for the first time in months, perhaps years. There was something about this kind of life that just made you feel as if time stood still. She didn’t feel the need to rush for anything, even her work. Today, Maggie McCoy was gonna have fun, oh and research of course.

Maggie and Jake devoured their pizza as more and more tourists filled up the bar just like he said it would. Jake drank the last of his beer and put down his glass. He looked into Maggie’s eyes. “Want to really escape?”