Romance on the Reef - Signed Paperback

Chapter One: Maggie

“How’s the apartment hunt going?” Ana asked, taking a sip from her Hydro Flask as she lounged in the camping chair across from mine.

The air smelled crisp and smoky with the fire crackling between us. I sank deeper into my chair, letting the relaxing setting seep into me. Camping near the beach with friends was just what I needed this weekend. The last two weeks had been a whirlwind of classified hunting, realtor emailing, and app scrolling to find a place in Kailua that would fit both my budget and our needs. And between the long list of fellow apartment-hunters and the number of barely legal vacation rentals being snatched up, we weren’t having much luck.

As a single mom of a ten-year-old girl, I wasn’t looking for a huge house. Our needs weren’t outrageous. In fact, the place we were in now was tiny by most people’s standards. But even though we could afford to upgrade, I had a long list of reasons that I didn’t want us to live too lavishly. Bree and I shared a one-bedroom apartment right in the heart of Kailua town, and we loved it there. Being forced to move was definitely a curve ball.

That being said, now that Bree was getting older, maybe moving would give us a reason to get a two- or three-bedroom apartment so we could spread out. But I wasn’t going to be picky. If we needed to stick with one bedroom, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Living in paradise sometimes meant sacrificing on square footage if you also wanted to be able to eat well, play hard, and put money away for the future. Which we did. But the type of apartment we were looking for was actually part of the problem. All of the vacation rentals seemed to be in our exact price range, location preference, and size.

It wasn’t lost on me that many of the places we were interested in were being claimed by military families. They had the stable income that landlords knew they could rely on. In our case, it was a lot more difficult to explain that we were also secure and reliable. Sure, the income I made from my online endeavors as a professional mom-blogger didn’t seem very stable on the surface. But we still had some of my husband’s active duty military life insurance money in our savings account. I’d only used it until my online efforts paid off, then I left it alone so it would be there for the future.

Plus, we’d barely touched the massive death gratuity payment the Department of Defense sent within twenty-four hours of his accident. We also received a monthly stipend from the government equal to fifty-five percent of his would-be retirement pay. Oh, and not to mention the Social Security payments. But I’d trade all of that financial security to have my husband back. In a heartbeat.

So yeah, if you dig deep, we’re stable renters too, despite the fact that I make my living as a blogger of all things. And yet homeowners still wanted a nice military family over a single mom with a variable income.

I blew out a breath. “Not great. Most of the places we like are vacation rentals. And then whatever’s left gets swooped up within an hour of being posted. There’s way too much competition.”

“Mama, remember that one place with the pool? I loved that one.” Bree put her slender hand on her chin and sighed just like I had. The girl was my little clone, I swear. And that place with the pool had gotten our hopes up sky-high only to be revealed as yet another vacation rental.

“Yes, I loved that one, too, baby girl,” I replied. “We’ll keep looking, though.”

“How long do you have before you have to be out of your apartment?” Kate asked.

“Two weeks.”

Ana’s mouth popped open. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, we had thirty days’ notice, but it’s been so hard finding the right balance between budget and what we’re looking for.”

Jacinta, my landlady, was a sweetheart. She and her husband lived on the mainland, and the condo we lived in was a long-term investment property for them. We’d been living there for eight years, ever since my husband passed away and we’d moved out of military housing. We could have stayed on base for a full year afterwards, but I just couldn’t do it. I needed to get away from the other military families. Jacinta’s place in Kailua had been perfect for me and two-year-old Bree to start over. But now Jacinta was ready to retire, and she and Marco could finally move to the island and live out their retirement dream. It was totally unexpected timing for her, or I think she would have given us more than thirty days to find a new place. But I was still happy for them. They’d been good to us all this time and deserved to live their best life.

“Wait a minute, I have an idea,” Ana said, holding up her finger.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I know your budget, and I know PJ’s allowance for housing, so I’m sure this will be perfect.”

“PJ?” I whispered, looking over at the handsome Marine. He sat by himself in front of his single-person tent, his nose in a book, as usual. He was the quietest of all of the guys in our friend group, but when he did have something to say, it was usually some kind of witty one-liner. What could he possibly have to do with my apartment-hunting situation?

“Just trust me.” Ana waved me off and turned to him. “Hey, PJ, didn’t you say your next-door neighbor is moving out? It’s a duplex, right?”

PJ looked up with only his piercing blue eyes and scanned all of our faces before answering. “Yeah, they leave next week.”

Ana clapped her hands. “The people who own Maggie’s apartment need her to move out so they can move in, so she and Bree need a new place. There’s so much competition for rentals out here. Do you think you could put a word in with the owner?”

His eyes met mine again, so I gave him a wide, hopeful smile. I hadn’t even seen the place, but Ana had, and I knew her standards were pretty high. Her house was like something off a vision board. So if she thought it would be the right fit for Bree and me, then it probably was. Besides, we hadn’t had any solid leads in two weeks, and there was no guarantee we’d find anything in the next two weeks. As much as I hated to admit it, I was getting a little desperate.

Sure, maybe if I upped my budget out of the realm of affordability for most vacationers and military families, I’d be able to find something that wasn’t so easily swooped up. But I really didn’t want to start dipping into the money from the government. My need to keep that money safe and protected for a future that was never certain was almost like a compulsion. No, we’d live within the budget of my business and save the rest.

PJ appeared to think it over for another few seconds, then shrugged. “Okay. Yeah, sure. I’m pretty cool with the lady who owns it. I can talk to her.”

“Ah, thank you so much,” Ana squealed, turning back to me. “See? PJ saves the day. His place is so cute, I’m sure the other side of the duplex is too.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Uh, hold on. It’s cute?”

I stifled a laugh as Ana shrugged. “Okay, it has the potential to be cute.”

“I don’t see it.”

When he narrowed his eyes at her, Ana mirrored his expression. “When Maggie moves into the other side and decorates it all cute, then you’ll see it.”

“Wait, what?” Mac asked, joining us at the campfire. “Maggie’s moving in next to PJ?”

“Hopefully,” I said, holding up crossed fingers. “If all goes well when PJ talks to the owner. I swear, every time I request more info on a place, they tell me there are like fifty people ahead of me. It’s nuts out there.”

Mac swiped Ana’s water bottle and took a drink. “Nice. But look out, you’re gonna have the world’s crabbiest next-door neighbor.”

“Bite me,” PJ replied without looking up from his book.

“No thanks,” Mac said, shaking his head. There was a commotion down on the beach and Mac looked over, then cheered. “Nice one, Stone.”

PJ turned around in his chair, looking in that direction. “Did he catch a big one?”

“Yeah, let’s go check it out. See ya later, babe.” Mac leaned in and kissed his wife on the cheek, then he and PJ headed for the other guys down near the water.

Kate stared past them, no doubt checking out her shirtless boyfriend and the huge fish in his throw net. She had a dreamy expression on her face that tugged at my heartstrings. It had taken me years after my husband died to even be able to tolerate a romantic comedy let alone listen to a real love story about someone I knew. But lately, I’d been getting little signs that maybe it was time for me to get myself out there again.

It was hard to explain, but it was kind of an openness to the idea that hadn’t been there before. I first realized it when my newfound bestie, Ana, started falling for Mac. I was addicted to hearing about their situation and was totally cheering them on inside my head. Then, when Tyler and Kate had their romantic and life-changing adventure while stranded on an island in the middle of Kaneohe Bay, I was hooked. That had to mean something, right? Not being repulsed by love had to be a good sign that I might be ready to get out there.

“So, how’s it going with Tyler, Kate?” I asked, excited to hear more about their whirlwind survival romance. “It’s been, what, a month since that Fourth of July barbecue where you guys worked everything out?”

Kate sighed, that dreamy expression only getting more pronounced. “Yeah, he’s amazing. I never thought I’d be grateful for getting stranded on a tiny little island, but here we are.”

“Do you think you guys would have worked it out anyway, eventually?” Ana asked.

“I mean, I’d like to think so, but who knows?” Kate replied. “That time we spent stranded together really forced us to rely on each other. It makes me think we can overcome anything that happens to us in the future as long as we work together, you know?”

“Yeah, that’s really sweet.” I swallowed, her words taking a little bit of my earlier hope away.

I’d felt that way about Jeremy, too. As high school sweethearts who had gotten married and pregnant when we were still technically teenagers, we went through so much in such a short time. But we’d always looked forward to the future and knew we were much more equipped to tackle anything life threw at us after having faced so many challenges early on. But then he passed away, and we hadn’t gotten the chance.

“What about your fear of the ocean?” Ana asked, breaking me from my thoughts. “How’s that going now that you and Tyler take his new boat out more often?”

Kate shrugged. “One time I Googled what it means to be afraid of the ocean, and it said something about how being afraid of large bodies of water is like you’re really afraid of being vulnerable. Which makes sense for me, I guess.”

“It’s not the giant sea predators or the threat of drowning?” I asked with a chuckle. “Because I don’t really think you need a reason to be afraid of the ocean. It can be a pretty powerful force.”

Shuddering, a laugh bubbled out of Kate. “Don’t remind me.”

“So how do you feel about it now?” Ana asked again.

“I guess I just feel like now that I’ve survived a boat sinking, I’m not as vulnerable as I once thought I was.” Kate sighed. “Or something. I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. But I will say that Tyler is a big reason why I feel so much less afraid when we’re out on the water. He makes me feel safe but also empowered.”

Ugh, this girl was killing me. One minute her love story had me feeling all inspired to love again, the next I wanted nothing to do with it, and now here I was getting all wistful. I wanted that. I wanted a man who made me feel safe. Who’d make Bree feel safe. I’d read in one of my business-mindset books that you should always list your goals so you could manifest them into reality. What if I made a similar list to manifest the perfect man? And what kinds of things would I even want to put on it? Maybe I could work on that while we’re out here camping this weekend. It seemed like a camping friendly thing to do, making a list with an actual pen and paper, dreaming of the future.

Ana reached forward and patted Kate’s knee. “That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you. I’ve always felt that way with Mac, too; even when we were just friends. Like I know he’ll always be there for me if I need him, but I don’t have to rely on him.”

“Right, and that’s a huge deal because in the past, I couldn’t rely on my partner, so I guess it wasn’t really a partnership,” Kate added.

“Exactly.” Ana grinned, then glanced at me and cleared her throat. “Maggie, um, what about you?”

I froze. “What about me?”

“Have you, um … have you thought at all about getting back out there and finding love again?” she asked.

I paused, wondering if this was yet another sign that maybe I should. Biting my lip, I leaned forward and held my hands out to feel the warmth of the fire. Orange and red and yellow danced around the coals, mesmerizing me. “It’s funny, I actually keep getting these weird signs that maybe I should. My mom said she thinks maybe it’s Jeremy giving me little nudges from Heaven or something. She’s crazy, though.”

Ana’s hand went to her heart almost like it was an unconscious move. “Maybe, maybe not. You never know.”

There was a long pause as we all watched the flames, then I sat back again, feeling instantly colder. “I don’t know, it’s been eight years. Bree just turned ten. She’s much less of a handful than she used to be. Maybe it’s time.”

“Well, you could always start slowly. Go on a date here or there and see how it feels,” Kate suggested.

“Yeah, maybe,” I allowed. “I don’t even know how to date these days. I met my husband in freshman algebra when he asked to borrow my pencil. It seems a lot more complicated now.”

My mind spun thinking about all of the things I’d have to fill a guy in on, anyway. He’d have to be cool with the fact that I had a daughter. He’d have to be okay with working around our schedule and not trying to make himself the priority over her and our routine. But then, I’d also want to make him feel important, too, so he didn’t feel like a guest visiting our already established household. At what point would it make sense for him to become part of our household? There were so many things to consider that it made me want to change my mind before the idea even took root.

Ana tapped her temple. “We should set you up with an online profile so you can talk to guys online first. Your whole business and everything is online, so that should help ease you into it.”

She had a point there. My whole way of life was supported by my online mom-blog ventures. I got started in this industry while Jeremy was still alive, posting about being a young military wife at eighteen, pregnant at nineteen, and baby at twenty. I gained a lot of readers to my blog as I shared couponing tips, DIY projects to save money, and my experiences as a new mom going through my husband’s first deployment. By the time Jeremy passed away, I’d had enough followers that the outpouring of love, support, and donations were almost overwhelming. Between that and the benefits from the military, we’d been able to stay in Hawaii and have a pretty great life despite the heartbreak we’d endured. I’d been making money as a blogger and content creator ever since, and I never planned to leave the online space that had become this massive virtual support system for myself and my daughter.

Considering all of that, I figured Ana may have a point about starting out online. It was the way most people dated these days, wasn’t it? I shifted in my seat. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

A flash of bright pink caught my eye, and I turned to see Bree running up to PJ. He’d apparently gone back to his book after the fishing excitement, so of course she’d gone to our tent to retrieve her latest book. I watched as she sat on a log next to PJ’s chair and showed him her book, then took his right out of his hand and started reading the back. He smiled and shook his head as he read the back of hers. I guaranteed he had absolutely no interest in the twelfth book in the Wild Horses of Nantucket series, just as she wouldn’t be dying to read whatever epic fantasy he was currently working his way through. But this was their routine whenever the group hung out. Both of them were bookworms to their cores, and she always wanted to talk to him about reading.

I think another thing I’d want to put on my list was a guy who loved to read. Bree would love that. She’d want to have something in common with a new father figure, I was sure, and that seemed like as good a quality as any, right? Plus, when I wasn’t writing blog posts, I was reading self-help books for female entrepreneurs. Okay, most of my “reading” came in the form of audiobooks these days because then I can read and clean the house or do the dishes at the same time. That still counted me as a bookworm, right? Just a super busy, multitasking one.

Ana reached over and poked me, breaking my gaze. “At least you know Bree and PJ will get along great.”

“PJ?” I jolted. “I’m not going to date PJ.”

Ana quirked a brow and shared a knowing glance with Kate before turning back to me. “I know, girl. I meant when you move in next to him. If it works out with his landlady.”

“Oh,” I said, letting out a choked laugh. Clearly my train of thought had led me in the wrong direction. “Yeah, of course. When we all hang out like this, she’s always glued to his side talking about books.”

“He has a huge library wall in his living room,” Ana said, wagging her eyebrows. “That’s like some Beauty and the Beast stuff right there.”

“Girl, hush.” I rolled my eyes.

Kate tilted her head. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen PJ without a book within reach. He’s so funny.”

Funny, yes. Handsome, definitely. He was tall and strong and that quick wit of his pretty much got me every time.

But he was also the one thing I swore I’d never ever go for again. And that was a Marine. At the end of the day, no matter how amazing he was, I wasn’t going to put myself or Bree in a position to lose another Marine. However ready I thought I was to get back out there and find love, I knew my heart wouldn’t be able to handle that twice in one lifetime. Another item to put on my man manifestation list crossed my mind: Not in the military.

❤️ Grumpy/Sunshine

❤️ Widower/Widow Romance

❤️ Military Hero

❤️ Neighbors to Lovers

❤️ Single Mom

❤️ Beach Romance

❤️ Small-Town Vibes

Kailua Marines

📚 Treasured in Turtle Bay - Roman & Molly

📚 Promises at Pyramid Rock - Mac & Ana

📚 Stranded at the Sandbar - Tyler & Kate

📚 Romance on the Reef - PJ & Maggie

📚 Heartbeats in Honolulu - Hunter & Nora

📚 Christmas in Kailua - Logan & Tess

📚 BONUS 📚

Love the Kailua Marines? They follow our San Diego heroes! For a fun detour, you can read "Trusting in You" between "Heartbeats in Honolulu" and "Christmas in Kailua." It's where our San Diego and Kailua worlds collide! But no worries—if you're all about that island vibe, feel free to skip straight to "Christmas in Kailua."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A reminder of how great Jess' stories are.

"It's been a while since I have read some of Jess books and this story is a great reminder of why I love her books! Get ready for a story that you not only won't be able to put down but can't put down until the end."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved it!

"I have been enjoying reading this series, but so far this is my favorite of the series! I loved Maggie, PJ, and Bree so much!Maggie is such a strong, wonderful character. I appreciate that she homeschools Bree and has a flexible career that she thrives upon. Her emotional character development was so well done, and I loved seeing her fall for PJ, the Marine next door. PJ is also such a fun character! In the previous books in the series, PJ is a quiet, snarky bookworm, and it was so great to see that part of him while getting to know him on a deeper level. Also, can we talk about how awesome it is to have a hero who is always reading a book? 🙌🏻 Bree is such a fun kid, and I loved how she and PJ bonded over a mutual love of books! I wasn’t as snarky and witty as Bree when I was a kid, but I was definitely like her in that I would rather read a book than play sports. 😂I teared up a little bit over the ending for this book. It was absolutely perfect, and so sweet, and now I want to borrow the book again so I can reread that part! This was definitely one of my favorite books for this month!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My favorite by Jess Mastorakos!

"Jess' books are clean and dreamy, with believable characters and situations that, while still unlikely, aren't unbelievable. This one is my favorite yet. Her characters are well-developed and realistic, relatable and lovable. PJ is a less stereotypical brand of hero, and I love that. When the final conflict rears it's head, PJ has the most masculine, mature reaction I've ever read in a romance novel-- he's level headed and deals with the issue, and I find that significantly more romantic than running away and finding your way back (like most romance-couples do these days).Overall, a great cast of characters and a well written plot-- I'm in! Will continue to follow Mastorakos."