Sweet Starlight Read online

  Sweet Starlight

  Kay Correll

  Rose Quartz Press

  Copyright © 2018 Kay Correll

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any matter without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental

  * * *

  Published by Rose Quartz Press

  050618

  This book is dedicated to the wonderful writer friends I’ve come to know and admire on my journey to becoming an author.

  Contents

  Indigo Bay - The Series

  Kay’s Books

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Indigo Bay Series

  Also by Kay Correll

  About the Author

  Indigo Bay - The Series

  A multi-author sweet romance series. All of the books can be read in any order. Enjoy visiting the charming town of Indigo Bay, South Carolina.

  Complete list of of the series can be found at:

  Indigo Bay

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  NOVELS - 2018

  Sweet Saturdays - Pamela Kelley

  Sweet Beginnings - Melissa McClone

  Sweet Starlight - Kay Correll

  Sweet Forgiveness - Jean Oram

  Sweet Reunion - Stacy Claflin

  Sweet Entanglement - Jean C. Gordon

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  HOLIDAY SHORT STORIES (2017)

  Sweet Holiday Memories - Kay Correll

  Sweet Holiday Wish - Melissa McClone

  Sweet Holiday Surprises - Jean Oram

  Sweet Holiday Traditions - Danielle Stewart

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  NOVELS (2017)

  Sweet Dreams - Stacy Claflin

  Sweet Matchmaker - Jean Oram

  Sweet Sunrise - Kay Correll

  Sweet Illusions - Jeanette Lewis

  Sweet Regrets - Jennifer Peel

  Sweet Rendezvous - Danielle Stewart

  Kay’s Books

  Find more information on all my books at my website.

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  COMFORT CROSSING ~ THE SERIES

  The Shop on Main - Book One

  The Memory Box - Book Two

  The Christmas Cottage - A Holiday Novella (Book 2.5)

  The Letter - Book Three

  The Christmas Scarf - A Holiday Novella (Book 3.5)

  The Magnolia Cafe - Book Four

  The Unexpected Wedding - Book Five

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  The Wedding in the Grove - (a crossover short story between series - with Josephine and Paul from The Letter.)

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  LIGHTHOUSE POINT ~ THE SERIES

  Wish Upon a Shell - Book One

  Wedding on the Beach - Book Two

  Love at the Lighthouse - Book Three

  Cottage Near the Point - Book Four

  Return to the Island - Book Five

  Click here to learn more about the series.

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  INDIGO BAY ~ A multi-author sweet romance series

  Sweet Sunrise - Book Three

  Sweet Holiday Memories - A short holiday story

  Sweet Starlight - Book Nine

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  Chapter 1

  Richard Nicholson swiped the sunglasses from the top of his head and settled them on his face. He grabbed a baseball cap from the dash of the rental car and pulled it over his short brown hair. With a quick look in the rearview mirror, he figured this was as good as it was going to get.

  He swung open the door and eased his way out of the flashy red sports car. He should have rented something less conspicuous but hadn’t been able to help himself. A weakness of his—flashy sports cars. He clicked the button on the key fob to lock the car. The fresh, salty sea breeze was a welcome change from the hazy, smoggy air in California. It had taken him hours and hours, plus a plane change, to fly all the way across the country to reach Charleston where he’d rented the car to drive out to Indigo Bay.

  He looked up and down the street, taking in the view of quaint shops and a handful of tourists browsing the storefronts. He scowled at his task, but determination swept through him to conquer the job. Why his sister had given him the job of finding a gift for their grandmother’s birthday was a mystery to him, but he wasn’t going to fail.

  He was going to find his grandmother the perfect gift. Even if he hated to shop. Even if he freely admitted he was a horrible gift-giver and usually just called his assistant to pick out something for him. But it didn’t seem right to have someone else pick out a present this special.

  He scanned the names of shops lining Main Street, hoping for inspiration. The bright sign for Happy Paws Pet Shop caught his eye, but that wouldn’t help him much. His grandmother didn’t own a single pet, nor did anyone in his family. They were all too busy with their various careers.

  An older lady hurried out of the shop with a white, fluffy dog in her arms. She swooped down and set the dog on the sidewalk. “Come on, Princess.” He smothered a smile when he saw the dog’s collar perfectly matched the blue shade of the lady’s heels, which, come to think of it, were a strange choice in shoes for a casual beach town.

  The lady looked up and stared at him for a minute, but he quickly ducked his head and turned away. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw her hurrying down the sidewalk, the little dog scurrying at her side.

  He looked at his reflection in the store window in front of him. He could barely recognize himself, so he should be okay, right? He looked down the street, and another sign caught his eye—Coastal Creations. That’s right. He remembered Shawna Jacobson raving about the shop when he’d mentioned he was headed to Indigo Bay. She’d bought some kind of necklace there and posted on social media about it. Evidently, the post had gone viral, and these necklaces were the hot thing after that. Not that his grandmother was trendy. She was traditional. But maybe the shop would have something.

  With determined strides, he headed off to see if the shop could solve his dilemma.

  Whitney Layton looked up from where she sat behind the counter, wrapping a piece of sea glass carefully in thin, silver wire. Sunshine spilled in through the open door. A man stood outside perusing her displays in the shop windows. He looked through the window and caught her staring at him and lifted a hand in a brief wave. She smiled at him, hoping he’d come on inside. She’d had few customers in the shop today, though the online orders had been coming in steadily, like the custom piece she was working on now.

  The man entered the store, and she put down her work. “Welcome. May I help you?”

  He crossed over to the display case she was sitting behind, slipped off his sunglasses, and hooked them on the neckline of the t-shirt he was wearing. “I hope so. I’m looking for something special. Something different. It’s for my grandmother’s eightieth birthday.” He flashed a disarming grin. “Though, to be honest, we’re not really sure how old she is.
She’s been stretching the truth for years, and we just go with it.”

  “Did you have anything particular in mind?”

  “I’m… well, I’m hopeless at this. I have no idea. I just know she loves this town. She started coming here to Indigo Bay to vacation when she was younger… much younger. So we decided to throw her birthday party here. I thought a jewelry piece from the town might hold special meaning for her.”

  “I have some necklace and bracelet sets over here.” Whitney slid from behind the counter and led the way to a display on the wall. “Or I could make a custom piece for you. When is her birthday?”

  “About two weeks.” His eyes held a bit of panic in the corners of their sky-blue depths.

  “How about something like this?” She held up a silver necklace with a piece of emerald green sea glass embedded into a hammered silver drop. “I have the matching bracelet to it, also.”

  “I… I just don’t know.” The man frowned and walked along the wall. “How about something like this one? But do you have more green sea glass? Her favorite color is emerald green like that other set you showed me.”

  “I could make up one similar to this with green sea glass.”

  “Could it be ready in two weeks?”

  “I do have a surcharge for a rush custom order, but I can squeeze it in. It’s not every day a person turns eighty.”

  He smiled at her again with that utterly charming smile. “Or, whatever age she’s actually turning.”

  “If you come over here, I’ll write up the order. I require a deposit, then the balance is due when you pick it up.”

  “Sounds fair to me.” He followed her over to the computer.

  She entered the details of the order and an estimate of the cost. He didn’t blink an eye at the price. “And your name?”

  He paused, then nodded. “Richard Nicholson.”

  “Okay, Mr. Nicholson. Can you tell me where you’re staying here in town and give me your cell phone number?”

  “I’m not sure of the address. It’s two houses on the bay. Two huge pink houses.”

  “Ah, The Pink Ladies. Both of them? They’re beautiful homes. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them.”

  “Yes, we rented both of them. The whole family is coming in. I came early to make sure everything is ready for the big event. They’ll all be trailing in over the next week or so. Then the party is the weekend after next.”

  “Your phone number so I can call when it’s ready?”

  “I… uh… I’ll just check back in with you.”

  Whitney frowned at his answer, but he was holding out his credit card, so she took it from him and ran it. It went through flawlessly, so she figured everything was okay, even if he didn’t want to give her his number.

  She handed him a receipt for his down payment. “Here you go. If you give me a week, I’ll know better when I’ll be finished. I promise to have it done before the party, though.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

  “Thanks for coming in. I hope your grandmother will be pleased with her gift.”

  “Me, too.” Mr. Nicholson stepped back. “I’ll be back in about a week.”

  “I’ll see you then.”

  Whitney watched as he paused in the doorway, slipped on his sunglasses, and adjusted his cap down lower over his eyes. He disappeared out into the sunshine.

  Chapter 2

  Whitney walked along the shoreline early the next morning. She loved catching the sun rising over the sea. This morning did not disappoint. She plopped down on the sand and watched while the sky lightened and the sun tossed colors of pink and orange into the clouds scattered over the horizon.

  She turned away from the view at the sound of someone approaching.

  “Morning.” The man—Richard Nicholson, wasn’t it—from the shop yesterday walked up to her. “I see I’ve found another sunrise watcher.”

  “I do love the sunrise. I try to make it out here to the beach every week or so to catch it.”

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “Not at all. Pull up some sand.” She grinned at him.

  Mr. Nicholson sank to the sand beside her and stretched out his long legs. His sunglasses were perched on his head, but no ball cap today. He had thick brown hair that blew in the breeze, and the faintest hint of whiskers covered his face.

  “I didn’t catch your name yesterday.” His words interrupted her thoughts.

  “It’s Whitney. Whitney Layton.”

  “Nice to officially meet you, Miss Layton.” He flashed that captivating smile again.

  Where did someone learn to smile like that? It was the most charismatic smile she’d ever seen. “Um, it’s just Whitney. Call me Whitney.” She brought her thoughts from his dashing smile and looked out at the sunrise. The sun broke through the clouds sitting on the horizon, and rays of light danced on the waves.

  “Nice view.” Mr. Nicholson stared out at the sea.

  “It is.” She mindlessly picked up a handful of sand and let the grains filter through her fingers. “I never get tired of it.”

  “Do you live here in town?”

  “I do. Lived here my whole life.” She turned and smiled at him. “Where are you from?”

  “I currently live in Los Angeles.”

  “You’re a long way from home.”

  “Not sure I’d call L.A. home, but I’ve been there for a while.”

  “What do you do there?”

  “I’m… I’m between jobs right now.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t know what to say to that. Was he looking for work? Had he been without a job for long? He didn’t seem like the drift-through-life type, but what did she know? She’d only just met him.

  “You’re so right about The Pink Ladies.” His words interrupted her running thoughts on his job situation. “I looked through both of them yesterday. Very nice. I figured since I was the first to get here, and I’m doing most of the work planning the party, that I’d get my pick of the rooms.”

  “Bet I know which room you picked.”

  He eyed her. Which one?”

  “Well, if I were staying there, I’d pick the turret room. I’ve seen the photos on the real estate website. Windows all around. So nice and what a view of the bay.”

  He laughed. “Yes, that’s the one I picked. It is nice.”

  She glanced at her watch. “Well, I better go. I have lots of work to get done today.”

  “I hear you have a custom jewelry piece to get started on, too.” He tossed her yet another entrancing smile.

  She was going to have to find a way to break the spell of his smiles…

  He stood up in one fluid motion. “Can I walk you back to your shop?” The pretty blonde woman—Whitney—looked up at him. He held out a hand and she slipped her hand in his. He effortlessly eased her to her feet, and she dusted the sand from her shorts with her delicate hands.

  “Sure. You headed that way?” She reached up and shoved some curls away from her face.

  “Yep.” He hadn’t really planned on heading back to Main Street, but it seemed as good of an idea as any. His other choice was to go back to The Pink Lady and have a lonely bowl of cereal from the well-stocked pantry. His assistant had made sure both houses were stocked with essentials.

  They headed into town, a short walk down Bayview Avenue, then crossed over to Main Street. He regretted he’d forgotten his ball cap this morning when he’d left the house, but he did have his sunglasses at least. Not many people were around this early on Main Street anyway. It was probably safe.

  They walked up to the door of Coastal Creations. Whitney took a key from her pocket and opened the door. She turned to him. “It was nice seeing you again.”

  “You, too.”

  Just then another woman hurried up to them. “Hey, Whit, I was hoping I’d catch you this morning. Here, I brought you coffee.”

  The woman paused and stared at him. He shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

  “I… sorry, I only brought two cups.”
The woman frowned while she stared at him.

  “That’s okay. I was just leaving.” Leaving quickly. Before this woman figured it out. “I’ll talk to you later, Whitney.” He spun around and hurried off down the street.

  Whitney took the welcomed cup of coffee from Meredith’s outstretched hand—though most people in town called her Merry. “Thanks.”

  Her friend looked a bit… stunned.

  “You, okay?”

  “You didn’t tell me he was in town.” Merry looked at her accusingly.

  “That who was in town?” She frowned. “You know Richard Nicholson?”

  Merry bobbed her head, and her brown hair swept across her shoulders. “Don’t you know who that is?”

  “You’re talking in circles. Please try and make some sense.” She walked into the shop with Merry right behind her.

  “Whit, that was Rick Nichols.”

  She frowned. “Richard Nicholson.”

  “Rick Nichols. The actor.”

  “Do I know him?”

  “You’ve got to get out more”. Merry’s brown eyes flashed with exasperation. “Of course you do. He starred in that movie, The Humbleton Castle, with Shawna Jacobson.”.

  Whitney searched her memory. She knew who Shawna Jacobson was because the actress had single-handedly made her shop famous after her viral post about the jewelry she’d purchased at Coastal Creations. But this Rick guy?