The Sweetest Summer Read online

  The Sweetest Summer

  A novella about first loves and second chances

  By Kenna North

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  The Sweetest Summer

  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

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from The Only One

  Meet Kenna

  Tasty Books

  Copyright 2018 By Kenna North

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  I’ve had a crush on Nora since I was a kid, but I know she’s out of my league.

  After graduating college, Abby is excited to visit an old friend at the family vineyard in hopes of making a good business contact. But she’s not so sure she can stay professional when she sees Nora again.

  I’ve lusted after Abby since the last time I saw her, but I’m sure she doesn’t feel the same way.

  Even as she built a wine empire, Nora always had one woman in her thoughts. Now Abby is visiting and Nora knows this might be her only chance to see if they could be something more than friends. What will it take to know for sure?

  A couple of hot nights and plenty of wine releases inhibitions as passions flare and ignite between two women who get a second chance at first love in this short novella!

  For those who know the thrill of summer romance.

  Chapter 1

  “Why do you do this to yourself, Abby?” Marie asked me. “You’re about to see the one woman you’ve ever loved and you’re looking like... this.”

  I glanced down at the bright fuchsia luggage beside me, my practical khaki shorts, and the flowy, short-sleeved tunic top that hugged my breasts. My long, wavy blonde hair was pulled back in a bun to keep my neck cool and I didn’t wear any make-up, especially since I knew the scorching New York City heat would just melt it right off. Why bother?

  Ever since we graduated high school and went to the same college together, Marie had been after me to try and look “hotter” so both men and women would drool and chase after me. But I dressed and did my hair how I felt comfortable, and screw anyone who didn’t like it. Even my friend. Besides, I felt that if any person had to be baited and trapped, instead of wanting me for the person underneath the clothing, then they just weren’t worth having.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Marie. I’m going to see her for business, not to make eyes at her.” I sniffed, refusing to have this discussion with my supposed best friend yet again. “Just help me put the bags in the trunk. I really want to get to the airport and get this trip started.”

  “Whatever.” Marie threw the luggage into the trunk of her VW without ceremony. “It’s going to be a total yawn if you’re going there to talk business. But you have to at least want to see Nora again, right? It’s been more than seven years since you last saw each other. Just think about how much you’ve filled out.”

  I rolled my eyes, even though part of me did wonder if Nora would notice how my body had changed. After all, I wasn’t the gawky, flat-chested pre-teen following her and my big sister around anymore like some sort of shadow. I was an adult now, just like Nora.

  “I know it disappoints you that it isn’t her that has me all excited,” I lied as I slammed the trunk down and moved to get in on the passenger side. Denying the butterflies in my stomach might make them go away. Maybe.

  Marie pouted at me. “Yes, it does disappoint me. For years, all you did was go on and on about Nora, how you wanted to see her again. And now instead of going out there to show her what you’ve got, you’re still acting like a teenager.”

  “Well, your opinion doesn’t really matter. As far as I’m concerned, this is just business. I really want to see the vineyard. Think about it, Marie: Nora took her family’s failing business and turned it around from facing bankruptcy to a Fortune 500 company in less than a decade. I think I can learn a few tricks from her now that I’ve got my degree in marketing and business, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Besides, she extended the invitation when she heard about my graduation.”

  Even though the lie left my throat dry, the idea of seeing Nora again got other parts of me decidedly not-dry. But I wasn’t about to play into Marie’s teasing. This was about getting a jump-start on my future, not looking back at all those years of ridiculous adolescent infatuation.

  “I bet you want to learn a few tricks from her,” Marie muttered, turning the key in the ignition. “She always did have that powerful Katharine Hepburn thing going on. Who wouldn’t want to have Nora boss them around?”

  “Look Marie.” I glared at her as she pulled away from the curb in front of my house. “Nora was my sister’s best friend in high school, and it’s true that I had a crush on her. She was six years older than me and way out of my teeny-bopper league. Okay? I know you remember what it was like back then, so just drop it.”

  “Teeny-bopper? Really?” Marie glanced at me as she merged onto the highway and headed toward the airport. “Who says teeny-bopper anymore? Is everything hunky-dory and peachy-keen too? Gee, golly, I bet you’ll have a whiz-bang time!”

  “Shut up and drive,” I said, my jaw tightening between laughter and anger. “Besides, my sister wouldn’t want anything to happen between her best friend and me. It’d be too weird, I bet. You know how my sister is, and Nora probably thinks of me like a little sister, too. This trip is strictly business. Who knows, maybe I can even get her to be my first client in the marketing firm I want to start.”

  We fell silent as Steve Miller began singing Dreamweaver on the oldies station. I tried not to think about the fact that I’d had a crush on Nora since before I knew what sex was, back when I was just a dreamy eyed pre-teen sighing and staring at her with puppy dog eyes. Sure, I’d had other crushes, but Nora was the one that lasted. Back then, I followed Nora and my sister everywhere they would let me. I watched them paint their nails and dye their hair crazy colors in the basement, laughing about the other kids at their school, and talking trash about how they weren’t going to stick around our well-to-do little town, but go out and make something of themselves.

  I tagged along when they went to hang out at the mall. I saw more inappropriate movies then I care to admit, just so I could sit next to Nora in the dark. I was totally smitten.

  Of course, there wasn’t just the age difference between us that kept me from ever revealing my feelings. Nora was also way out of my league and her family would never approve of me. First, they had very traditional ideas about relationships. Second, they held the reins when it came to their fortune. It’d been clear from the get-go that Nora wouldn’t stick around after high school, because her family had a multi-billion dollar wine empire they’d expected her – their only child – to run. Even the classiest boys and girls were passing flings for Nora, and goodness knew I watched them try to hold onto her.

  It didn’t happen for any of them.

  She graduated our high school and moved to wine country where her grandfather ran the family’s main vineyard. I only saw her once more, when she came to visit for the holidays while I was in high school. She was still so beautiful and self-confident that it made me wet just to be in the same room with her. Granted, I was dealing with a case of raging teen hormones back then, but I still spent most of the night in the other room,
watching Nora through a doorway.

  Every time she looked over at me, I looked away because I didn’t want her to think I was some love-struck little girl. After all, she was heir to an empire and I was just her best friend’s little sister, girl-next-door, Abby Blankenship.

  I pulled my legs together as thoughts of her made my heart leap and other parts of me react in a similar fashion. If Marie pressed the matter, I could always tell her it was her insane driving and the airport traffic that had me flushed with heat...

  Chapter 2

  I saw Abby coming toward me and had to do a double take, just to be a hundred percent certain it was her. There was no mistaking those eyes and that blonde hair, though.

  She’d become a beautiful woman since growing up. The severe bun did nothing to detract from her beauty and each movement of the light material of her shirt showed me a tantalizing hint of pale, smooth skin beneath it. She stood out from all the other women in the airport, looking so fresh and innocent, rolling a ridiculously bright suitcase behind her. All the other women simply faded out of existence.

  Ever since I’d been old enough to care, plenty of men and women had thrown themselves at me. I came from big money and that was like catnip to them. But I learned pretty quickly that was all they cared about – what I could do for them and not the person I was beneath the stylish suits and crisp hundred dollar bills.

  Even worse were the gold-diggers who thought showing all their assets in skintight, low-cut clothes made me want them. Too bad they could never have what Abby had without even trying.

  All the old feelings came flooding back to me. I hadn’t seen her since I went to visit my parents during Christmas in New York City seven years ago. Even after all these years, my body hadn’t gotten the memo that Abby Blankenship was my best friend’s little sister, and therefore off-limits. Regardless, I felt a tingle deep inside as I watched her move toward me.

  She waved, her smile brightening the whole airport. I tightened my jaw and raised a hand, fighting the urge to run it through my dark, wavy hair. I couldn’t show how much I wanted to just run up to her and hug her, hold her against me, and never let her go. Considering all the time she’d spent tagging along with me and her sister, I imagined she saw me as just another big sister. I knew that when it came to lust, and perhaps something more, Abby couldn’t feel the same way I did.

  Despite that, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Off the woman I’d often dreamed of just stealing away across the country to my vineyard and hiding away from the rest of the world.

  When she got to where I was waiting, I moved to take her suitcase. It seemed only courteous after she’d spent several hours on an airplane.

  “How was the flight?” I asked, rolling my eyes as I turned away. It was a lame question, but I couldn’t clear my head enough to think of anything better to say.

  “Fine, but I’m glad I’m finally here. It’s nice to see a friendly face,” Abby said, moving to hug me.

  I hugged her the best I could, awkwardly patting her back while still leaning away so my breasts didn’t brush against hers. As much as I wouldn’t mind just whisking her off to the car and showing her how I felt, I didn’t want to scare her away. I’d been anticipating her visit since she first emailed me to tell me she was graduating college. Everything she said about how she couldn’t wait to get out into the real world left me with a shared sense of excitement. I couldn’t help but ask if she wanted to come out and learn about the business.

  We walked to the car, making small talk about the weather and airplane food. I glared at any of the men who looked at Abby with appreciation. They had the good sense to look away when they noticed me. I was taller than most women and wearing heels, and not at all afraid to stake my claim when it came to space, taxi cabs, or even women. Abby was mine – at least for the next few weeks – and no one else had any right to look at her in that way.

  I reminded myself that I didn’t either.

  When we arrived at the car, I opened the door for her and watched her long, sleek legs as she folded them into the passenger side. She was so naturally beautiful, I couldn’t stop looking at her. Once upon a time, she’d been that quiet kid taking everything in, probably hearing things she was too young to understand thanks to me and her big sister. Now, though, she was most definitely a woman.

  There wasn’t even a hint of make-up on her face. Everything about her was authentic, not trying too hard. I’d missed that girl-next-door sweetness, especially out here in California, where bottle blondes and big boobs reigned supreme. Nor did she have the same pretentions as so many of the people who came from our wealthy little town just north of New York City. Abby was sweet, authentic, all-natural, a true breath of fresh air for someone like me.

  After putting her luggage in the trunk, I opened my own door and climbed into the driver’s seat. Pulling out of the parking space so I could navigate out of the parking garage gave me the perfect distraction. She couldn’t expect me to talk while I dealt with those ridiculous, tight turns, which was just as well. I didn’t trust myself to not say something stupid, or worse, flirtatious.

  “Tell me about the vineyard,” Abby said as we finally merged with rush hour traffic.

  “It’s as good a topic as any, I guess,” I said, checking my mirrors and moving to the fast lane. She’d come out here to discuss business, so I’d give her all kinds of business talk. It just might keep me from saying something about how gorgeous she looked. “As you probably know, things weren’t going well and my father needed me to figure out a way to turn everything back around. I could have gone to Yale, of course, but the need to have me out at the vineyard was much more pressing.”

  “Really?” Abby smiled and my pulse sped up. “What would you have done if you went to college?”

  “I have no idea. Probably study business, like you did,” I said, looking at her sideways. She was watching me and I stumbled over my words. “No doubt that’s what my father would have demanded, since me managing the vineyard was kind of a foregone conclusion, but the choice was taken from me anyway, when he sent me to California immediately after high school graduation.”

  “What happened that made him send you out here so soon, rather than college?” she asked, tucking a loose strand of that golden hair behind her ear. It was the most adorable thing I had ever seen.

  “My grandpa was declining, so I dug in and found out everything here was pretty much a mess. My father handles all the corporate aspects, so it was up to me to take control at the vineyard.” I spared a glance at her crossed legs.

  There were other things I’d like to take control of, like running my finger along those smooth thighs. Talking about work apparently did little to ease the lust thrumming inside of me.

  “I spent the first few months working in the fields, so I could understand everything from the ground up, literally. It took a while to learn about soil and ph. and other things you need to know to grow grapes for wine. Then, once all of that was under control, I moved into the bottling process. I really enjoyed it though. It wasn’t even like work. It felt like I had a new hobby, one with tons of history, math, and science. I worked with my hands and head every day, and I couldn’t have been happier.”

  I felt like an idiot telling her all of this. What woman wanted someone who loved math and chemical equations, let alone one that liked hard work in the sun? Well, I’d wanted to avoid flirting and managed that, at least. Geeking out about the vineyard was pretty much the opposite of coming on to her. I pushed forward, not knowing what else to do.

  “With Grandpa not well and my father insisting that I take over, I stayed on instead of going to Yale, and I honestly don’t think I missed much. Work turned out to be much more interesting than spending another four years in a classroom.”

  Abby chuckled, a sound that let me know she was completely at ease, not to mention understood where I was coming from.

  “I checked the books and noticed that things weren’t all that bad, they were just neglect
ed. Slow deliveries, missed deadlines, and other things because they were over-extending themselves out here. I took it upon myself to make life easier on my grandfather, went to bookkeeping and the warehouse, and tweaked a few things so all the shipments fell into place and were filled without straining us. It cut our orders, but it also made us feel more exclusive. Suddenly, people wanted our wine even more.”

  “Interesting,” Abby murmured, her lips caressing the syllables, the way I wished they’d caress my body. “So to turn things around, you embraced the idea of scarcity to make your product seem exclusive, while actually getting down and dirty yourself.”

  What a turn of phrase. I swallowed, but nodded. “It’s really boring. I won’t get into things like field rotation and what makes good wine versus bad wine. Suffice it to say, I got a crash course in winemaking and business, and things have been perfect ever since. I suppose that’s why I thought you’d be interested in seeing the vineyard, to really see what goes into taking a business and turning it into a success.”

  The way she was looking at me, I could tell there was more going through her mind than just business. But she simply said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m looking for. I appreciate the invitation and definitely admire your passion, the way you just dug in and got to work. That must be why you’ve been such a great success. Very few people could focus on the actual problem, but you got to the core of it.”

  Her praise sent heat shooting through my body, filling me once again with lust. She wasn’t making this easy. “Is that what you think – that all it took was passion?”

  Laughter filled the air, the sweet sound making me want to pull over, take her in my arms, and make love to her then and there. Once again, I fought the urge. How was I going to stand having her around me for the next few weeks?

  “No, I know that’s not all it took,” she said. “But considering I just finished four years of college to learn what you picked up through experience, well, I’m impressed. With a little knowledge behind your business, you would have done even better. It really makes a case for experience being even more important than formal education. I love that you stuck to the basics and made a failing vineyard into one of the top companies in the world, with a product that’s in huge demand. How do you feel about controlling it all?”