Stranded at the Sandbar - Signed Paperback

Chapter One: Tyler

Island music poured from my speakers as I pulled up to the privacy gate and lowered my window. I typed in Mac and Ana’s code, waiting while the tall metal door slid slowly along the track and their little white house came into view. The bright turquoise water of the bay behind it looked even more vivid in the midday sun than it had last night when I’d been there to help Mac move in. Since we’d had to work all week, we’d moved his stuff in little by little throughout the week, finally finishing last night. Now it was time for a barbecue to celebrate, since really, we loved any excuse to hang out at this sweet beach house on a Friday after work.

My eyes scanned the courtyard, and I noted that I was the first one here. Good. It would give me some time to chill out before dealing with what would probably be the most awkward barbecue I’d ever attend. So many questions swirled around in my brain. What would she say? What would I say? How would she look? How would she think I looked? I was a total mess inside, but more than anything, I just wanted to appear as cool as a freaking cucumber.

When I’d first seen Kate Wilson on the beach in Turtle Bay, it was like being hit by a lightning bolt. She and her brother had been on vacation with their parents before he checked into our unit. I’d gotten good vibes from him right away, which was cool since we’d be working together soon. But her? Those vibes were more like a shock to my system. A blaring alarm telling me to wake up from the boring life I’d been leading because this—she—was what I’d been waiting for. And judging from her expression as we’d shaken hands, I knew in my gut that the feeling was mutual. 

I parked in the driveway and hopped down from my Tahoe, taking a steadying breath. I tried not to, but before I walked toward the house, I snuck a quick glance at my reflection in the driver’s side window. Hair, check. Face, nothing on it. Arms, looking good. Knowing I’d be seeing Kate tonight might have influenced the amount of time I’d spent at the gym this week. She’d made several comments during our time together about how much she loved my arms, so I wasn’t about to let her think anything changed in that department. Even if everything else between us was different.

I’d chosen a black tank top and my board shorts, ready to jump in the bay at a moment’s notice. The house had ocean access, for crying out loud. A barbecue here was basically a beach day. Satisfied with my appearance, I crossed the courtyard and took the front porch steps two at a time. The door flew open before I could knock, and Mac’s grin was as blinding as the neon water of Kailua Bay behind the house.

“Stone,” he said, opening the door widely, “welcome to my home.”

I shook my head and brushed past him. “You don’t have to remind me that you live here, buddy. I helped you move all your stuff in less than twenty-four hours ago.”

“I know, I just like saying it.”

I walked into the modern kitchen, my eyes drawn to the view of the bay out the back windows. Between that and the smell of tropical fruit in the air, it felt like I’d stepped into the physical manifestation of the word vacation. Shaking my head, I helped myself to a cold one from the fridge and looked around. “Where’s the wife?”

Mac shrugged. “Probably straightening something up that no one would judge her for. She’s pretty excited about hosting our first barbecue as a married couple.”

“And how is married life so far?”

“Well, I’m only a week in, but so far I’m pretty into it. And I definitely think we should have done it sooner.”

“Done what sooner?” Ana asked, walking into the kitchen from their bedroom.

Mac reached for his wife and tugged her tightly against his side. “This. Marriage. All of it.”

As he leaned in to kiss her, I pushed off the counter and headed for the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up an entire wall of their house. Typical newlyweds being all lovey-dovey. I figured I’d give them a minute to canoodle and go enjoy the sweeping view of the bay just beyond their backyard. Ana made some seriously good money in the world of social media, and don’t ask me how she did it, but it meant they could live in the kind of house normal people would only see if they were looking at a wall calendar.

As I stared out at the ocean, I couldn’t help but think about how much I’d like to just paddle out and get lost. I was the kind of guy who valued my alone time; it allowed me to clear my mind and think. Ever since I could remember, I’d loved going camping with my dad and brother, just for the peace and quiet of it. And now that I lived in Hawaii, I loved to go on solo camping and fishing trips. I didn’t have to talk to anyone or be in charge of anyone other than myself. As a warrant officer in the Marines, I was in charge of a lot of stuff that was out of my control, so I took every opportunity I could to get away. It was my time to just be.

“Hey,” Ana said, coming up behind me, “are you nervous?”

I shook my head and took a swig from my beer. “Nope. Why would I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because the girl who dumped you via text for her ex-boyfriend is on her way here with her brother who is one of your best friends and doesn’t know you guys even had a thing?”

Slowly, I turned to look at her, blinking instead of speaking.

She held out her hands. “What? I’m just saying. That’s a perfectly acceptable reason to be nervous.”

I laughed and looked away. Ana and I almost had a thing when she’d first moved here. She’s gorgeous, there was no denying it. With her nearly black hair and bright smile, I’d been struck by her from the moment we met. But alas, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that she was already spoken for. She and Mac thought they were platonic friends, but it turned out they were madly in love with each other and both too stupid to see it until it hit them in the face. Obviously, I backed off immediately, without looking back. I wasn’t about to have some kind of battle with my buddy over a girl. Not that I would have won, anyway. But still, after what happened with Kate, it stung to get passed over for someone else once again.

“Russo and Molly are here,” Mac called from the kitchen.

Relief flooded me that it wasn’t Wilson showing up with his sister. Kate was moving here from the mainland and leaving behind some serious drama with her on-again, off-again ex. I didn’t know the whole story though, since that was all Wilson had told me. And I hadn’t spoken to Kate since she’d sent me the text Ana referred to. It had been two months, but I could still remember every word of it, even though I hadn’t bothered to reply.

Kate: Hey, Tyler. First of all, I just want to say that I’m so sorry for ghosting you. You’re a really nice guy, but my ex and I talked and we decided to give it another shot. He’s just going through a lot right now and he needs me. But again, I just want you to know that I’m really sorry and I think you are so nice. Don’t ever change. x

Was I a coward for not texting her back? Yeah, probably. But what could I say, anyway?

Good luck with your ex and thanks for the memories?

It’s okay, I understand. Hope everything works out? 

Sure, no problem, I’ll make sure not to change. Because what I’m doing is obviously working so well.

Annoyed with myself, I cleared my throat and went back to the topic at hand. “I will say one thing. I am a little nervous that Wilson doesn’t know about any of it.”

Mac had opened the door to reveal Russo and Molly on the porch, so Ana quirked her head and motioned for me to follow her onto the lanai where we wouldn’t be overheard. We went outside and leaned against the rail, taking in the expansive ocean below us. “Why was it a secret in the first place?”

“Well, for starters, I didn’t even know Wilson then. We met them both at the same time. She said her brother was always teasing her for her relationship choices and didn’t want to clue him in, so we snuck around.”

“That makes sense. Then once you and Wilson got close …”

“It felt weird to bring it up after the fact. Especially because she’d ghosted me by then.”

“Right.” She blew out a breath. “Well, it seems like Wilson actually thinks you’d be good for his sister. Judging by what he said last night, anyway.”

I rolled my eyes, thinking back to the way Wilson had dropped that bomb on me. We’d been sitting around, relaxing on the couch after we’d finished bringing the last of Mac’s stuff in, and Ana said something about how I just hadn’t met the right girl yet. And Wilson chimed in with, “You know who you should date? My sister.” 

The whole room had gone silent, surprised by his suggestion. I mean honestly, what dude suggested to one of his friends that they date his sister, anyway? I’d tried to brush him off by saying I didn’t date tourists, choosing not to reveal that I’d already crashed and burned in that arena with her. And that’s when Wilson dropped the second bomb. Kate was no tourist—she was moving in with him from the mainland. Renting his extra bedroom. Lucky me.

“Back in February,” I continued to Ana, “Kate said she was used to everyone always being in her business because she lived in such a small town. She said she wanted it to be just for us. I didn’t really think anything of it, you know?”

Ana tilted her head from side to side, considering this. “Actually, it’s not a terrible thing by itself. Plenty of people like to keep their private life private. And it was probably kind of … romantic. Right? The rush of sneaking around? The fear of getting caught? Kind of like a movie.”

I laughed as she wagged her eyebrows, then took another sip of my beer to wash down the memories that threatened to surface. “Maybe a little.”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to say to her?”

My eyes landed on a surfer trying to catch a wave a little way down the beach. The swell was calm today, but she looked like a beginner, maybe even a kid. After some wobbling, she stood up and rode the tiny wave to the shore, then hopped off the board with her hands waving in the air. She ended her triumphant ride by tripping and falling face-first in the sand. I winced and looked back at Ana.

“No, not really. So far, avoiding her sounds like my best option.”

“Hmm. I guess that could work.” Ana crossed to the table she had set up in the grass and made minor adjustments to the place settings she’d arranged. It was a picture-perfect dinner party setting that I was sure she’d spent a ton of time on so she could use it for social media content. “Unless …”

“Unless what?”

“Unless she takes it upon herself to talk to you. Girls do that, you know. Make the first move. Don’t wait for the guy to initiate contact. Stuff like that.”

I smirked. “Well, if she wants to talk to me, I hope it’s to tell me that we should just forget the whole thing even happened.”

“Is that what you want?”

“I think it would be for the best, yeah.”

“Just do yourself a favor and give her a chance to explain. For all you know, she had a really good reason for going back to her ex.”

Mac came outside then, Russo and Molly following behind. They were about to get married and Russo was moving back to the mainland, his time in Hawaii officially over as of yesterday. I still had two years left, so I was pretty bummed to see him go.

He, Mac, and our other buddy PJ had been my first friends when I’d moved here last year after completing warrant officer school. We’d met at work, since we’re all in the same squadron, but I can pretty much only socialize with them when we’re off duty. We’re all around the same age, but they’re on the enlisted side, and I’m a warrant officer, so technically that’s a pretty big gap as far as fraternization goes. So, we just keep it chill at work and then hang out when we’re off the clock. Once Wilson arrived, we had a pretty solid group of guys, and it was going to suck to lose Russo.

“How’s it going, Rus? Hey, Molly,” I said, nodding at my buddy and his girl. “Getting ready for the big day?”

“Can’t wait,” Molly said, clapping her hands.

“Yeah, you’d better hurry up,” Mac warned, “I’m still not convinced this guy will go through with it. He’s a runner.”

“You went through with it. If you can, I can,” Russo countered, then put an arm around Molly. “Don’t listen to him, babe. I’m solid.”

Molly rolled her eyes. “Oh, trust me, I’m not worried. He needs to keep me around if he wants to moonlight as a helicopter pilot to the stars in LA. If you ditch me, I’ll make sure you never fly in that town again.”

Everyone laughed at Molly’s dig as Russo looked wounded. Molly had a sweet job as the assistant to a major celebrity in LA, so she and Russo had gotten a place halfway between there and Camp Pendleton, where he’d be stationed next. He still had years left in the Marines, but on the weekends, he planned to fly celebrities around in helicopters for a fun side gig. Russo had some pretty extreme hobbies, if you asked me, but I was excited for him and his new life in California.

The doorbell rang, and Mac bounced to the door, making Ana chuckle. “He’s very serious about being the host of this house.”

“Clearly,” I said, trying to ignore the nervous tingling in my hands, thinking it might be Wilson and Kate at the door. Relief washed over me as I saw PJ walk across the threshold, followed by Ana’s friend Maggie and her daughter, Bree. That was the whole crew now. No one left but Wilson and his sister. Sweat trickled down my spine as I stood under the hot sun, so I hooked a thumb at the bay over my shoulder. “Hey, does anyone know what time Wilson is supposed to get here? Maybe we could go down to the water before they show up.”

Russo looked at his watch. “Yeah, he might be another hour. I’m always down to get wet. I’ll go grab my paddleboard from the Jeep.”

“I’ll go change into my suit,” Molly said. “Ana, is it okay if I use your room?”

“Yeah, I’ll show you the way,” Ana replied.

They all went back into the house to get ready, so I put my beer down and took off my shirt. I didn’t bring my paddleboard, but I knew Mac had several lined up along the side of the house since I’d helped him move them there the day before. I walked over and chose one, then carried it down the steps and placed it in the water right there on the edge of the lanai. Yep. This was good. Solitude and the sea. Taking some time to clear my mind would be just the thing.

❤️ Brother’s Best Friend

❤️ Second Chance Romance

❤️ Military Hero

❤️ Survival Romance

❤️ 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."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Can I be stranded on an island?

"This book was so cute! I absolutely love their story. I feel like I even learned a little about what to do if I get stranded on an island. Haha"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If it's meant to be it will be

"Loved Stone and Katie`s story. Loved the fact that they both got a second chance. I love how the goods guys finish last theme showed that is not always the case!! But loved the intensity of the wreck and survival. Especially with Katie discovering her calling. This series just keeps getting better and better!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Second chance, or maybe third

"Kate and Tyler are quite a pair. The circumstances of being stranded on the sand bar make things intense and helps their relationship grow faster than it would normally. But it is also a second chance. I sure fell in love with these characters and kept hoping for things to work out for them. But of course there are some problems to figure out. Stranded at the Sandbar is a superb second chance romance."