Genre: Contemporary Romance

About The Inn At Summer Island

Millie Leclair is a mess, complete with a dead-end career and a flat-lining love life. So when she inherits her great aunt’s oceanfront B&B in a resort town in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, she doesn’t hesitate to pack up her car and set off on a new adventure. It’ll be fun.

Of course, life seldom goes according to plan. The B&B is barely habitable for one person, let alone ready to open for business. With dwindling funds, Millie has no choice but to roll up her sleeves and tackle the repairs by herself. Yeah, so much fun.

Ex-pro golfer Braxton Channing thought being a full-time single parent kept him on his toes. That was before he spotted his new neighbor teetering on her rooftop—which is only the beginning of her long list of renovations for the old house—and he added keeping her safe to his to-do list.

But Millie is determined to dive headfirst into repairs regardless of the risk, and suddenly, battling with his daughter over brushing her teeth seems easier than winning an argument with Millie. She’s exasperating. And oddly delightful. And most definitely shouldn’t be let anywhere near a tall ladder.

For a guy who’s sworn off romantic relationships, why does he suddenly want to be the one who gets the privilege of watching Millie conquer not just the B&B but his heart as well?

Exclusive Excerpt:

“She’s a bit of a mess right now, but the plan is to restore her to her former glory,” she said, adding mildew check to the ever-growing fix-it list. “I guess we won’t be taking guests yet, but before the summer is over, she’ll be the thriving inn she once was.”

“Inn?”

Millie turned to him. “Yeah. I’ll probably run it more like a bed and breakfast than an inn. My aunt never really liked the B&B title because she—”

“You’re not selling?” Braxton cut her off, his eyebrows knitted together.

“Selling?” The question caught her off guard. “Of course I’m not selling Seascape. Why would I want to sell something that’s been in my family for generations?”

“You live in Chicago, so I guess we all assumed…” He let his voice trail off.

“I used to live in Chicago.” She tried to sound patient, but why was she having to explain herself to this man? “Now I live here at 121 East Shore Drive where I’ll be running Seascape Inn.” She didn’t want to be rude to her new neighbor on her first day in the neighborhood, but she couldn’t help the hint of bite behind the words.

“Huh.” Braxton said as he looked past her, his eyes sweeping across the front of the house. “You realize you can’t turn this property into any sort of hotel, right? Using it for commercial business is against Oceanside Estates HOA regulations.”

Her new neighbor might have once been known as America’s most charming bachelor, but he was starting to get on her nerves. “I’m not turning it into a hotel. It is a hotel. Since it was built in the fifties, Seascape Inn has been a commercial business. This isn’t something new.”

“Perhaps in the past. But it’s been vacant for a while.” His gaze returned to her, no longer sparkling and friendly. “I can tell you with good authority that the current HOA rules are very clear. No businesses. Especially hotels.”

“How can you make a rule prohibiting something that is already here?” She’d quit her whole life in Chicago and moved here to start over, to have the sort of life she dreamed about as a kid when she spent her summers here with her aunt. Reviving Seascape and running the inn wasn’t just going to be her livelihood, it was a chance to keep her family’s legacy alive.

Sensing her growing frustration, Bear abandoned his spot next to their new neighbor and sat next to Millie, his ears perked on full alert.

Braxton offered another polite smile. She was growing to hate them. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the rules were designed to benefit everyone in the community.”

Millie crossed her arms in front of her chest, defiance swelling insider her. “Well, I’m part of the community now, and I’m meeting with my lawyer later today. We’ll see what he has to say about this.”

It sounded a bit like ‘I’m telling my mom on you,’ but it was the best she could come up with after all the surprises she’d dealt with today.

“I always find a lawyer’s opinion helpful.” There was a bit of snark in his voice that only made the fire in her belly burn brighter. “And if you need any further clarification or want to file a complaint, you’re always welcome to attend one of the HOA general meetings.”

Braxton backed down the steps to where his slick, new sports car sat on the crumbling and cracked driveway. He had gone from handsome celebrity to uptight know-it-all faster than that car went from zero to sixty.

“Great,” Millie called out after him. “I’ll be there.”

He hesitated as he opened the door. “Then I’ll see you there.” He offered her one of his Braxton Channing famous grins, just as empty as his polite smiles. “And since you’re moving in, I guess I should say welcome to the neighborhood.” He slid into the driver’s seat and the engine purred to life.

She stood there with her arms crossed in front of her chest and glared until his car pulled down and through the rusted gate to turn onto the street.

“I’m glad we didn’t ask him for a picture,” she said to Bear. “It would’ve ruined our Instagram feed. And if I need a cup of sugar, I am not going to ask him for it.”

Bear’s tail wagged in what she assumed was agreement.

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About the Author

Rachel wrote her first novel when she was twelve and entered it into a contest for young author/illustrators. Unfortunately, the judges weren’t impressed with her stick figures. So she dropped the dream of becoming a world famous illustrator and stuck to spinning stories. When she’s not busy working on her latest book, she loves to travel with her family and friends. By far, her favorite destination is the beach, which tends to work its way into most of her stories. Between vacations, you can find her at home in The Woodlands, TX with her wonderful husband, their two adventurous kids and a couple of spirited pets, all of whom share Rachel’s love of the ocean. Well, except the cat and dog. They’re both afraid of water. Find out more about what Rachel has been up to at rachelmageebooks.com.

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