Free Summers' Love, A Cute and Funny Cinderella Love Story (LPC Romantic Comedy Series) by Stu Summers Page A

today’s sunset, the rain, a roof that doesn’t leak and the company of a new friend. Amen.”
    He passed the basket of rolls across the table. “Okay, now I’m curious. What’s the story about you and Ocracoke?”
    “I was in junior high the last time I was in the village so it was a while back. But from what little I saw driving in, not much has changed.”
    “On vacation?”
    “Something like that. I came with my father. We stayed on his boat.”
    “Sounds like fun.”
    “I wouldn’t call it fun. But being with Dad made it special. How about you? Do you get down here much?”
    “Hardly ever. That’s why I made the comment earlier about the cupboard being bare.” He tore a roll in half and dipped the edge in his soup. “If you don’t mind my asking, how long have you been divorced?”
    The question stunned Kate. “Come again?”
    “If you don’t want to talk about it, I understand.”
    “What makes you think I’m divorced?”
    “While you were in the bathroom, I had my research assistant do some digging. He came back with a brief but interesting bio on you. How’s the soup? Good I hope.”
    She hadn’t touched it. Now, to give her nerves time to settle, she did. “Wow, this is really good.”
    “A Summers’ Place house specialty,” he said. “Canned soup.”
    “I can’t believe you checked up on me.”
    “You’re the one who chased me down the sidewalk, remember?” He stirred his soup. “And followed me here. I had to make certain you weren’t crazy.”
    Again, his smile left her unsettled.
    She returned it with a grin. “Who says you’re not the crazy one?”
    “Point taken. So how ‘bout it? You were married, but now you’re single which makes you … ”
    Kate looked up from her soup. “What? Desperate? Damaged goods? Deranged?”
    “I’m thinking …” He swirled his glass of wine. “… A rare find. Like a precious pearl discarded by a Māori diver.”
    Kate nearly spewed her wine. “Oh, my goodness. Please don’t tell me that sort of pick-up line works with the models and actresses you date.”
    He laughed easily. “Why, too over the top?”
    “Ah, yeah.”
    “Okay, if you don’t want to talk about it, I understand, but I am curious. From what I could find you were only married one day. How does someone do that?”
    Kate worked on her soup and allowed herself time to think about her response. She wasn’t sure she wanted to discuss her previous marriage; certainly not with someone who made his living writing love stories. What was to say her story wouldn’t, one day, end up in one of his books?
    She took a bite of peas, then dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “We got married straight out of high school. We were both attending the same college. He made it sound so idyllic. Like living in couple’s housing off campus made us more mature than the rest of the freshman class. As if we had it all together. Boy, did I ever misread that. On my wedding day everyone is going on and on about how beautiful I look and how happy we’re going to be. The perfect couple.”
    “Let me guess. The two of you were quarterback and head cheerleader.”
    “Second string tight end and majorette. After our wedding dinner and dance, while everyone else was having a good time, I looked around trying to figure out why my new husband wasn’t by my side. It was just me mingling with our guests in the middle of this huge banquet hall.” Kate placed her fork next to her plate and bowl. “Meanwhile my new husband and my maid of honor were in a coat closet.”
    “Ouch.”
    “He ended up giving her some skank disease. Serves her right.”
    “But not you?”
    For a moment she didn’t get what he meant. Then it hit her. “No, thank God. We never—that is, I was making him wait until … ” She felt her cheeks grow hot. “ I can’t believe I’m telling you this. Please promise me you won’t use this in your next novel.”
    “You have my word.”
    “I mean, it’s humiliating.”
    “I