Adams - Stranded on the Beach (Holiday Acres, #1)

Stranded on the Beach

Holiday Acres, Book One

Noelle Adams

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright 2018 by Noelle Adams. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

One

O N A DIFFERENT DAY , Rebecca Holiday might have thought being forced to take a two-week vacation at the beach was a pretty good problem to have, but today she wasnt happy about it.

In fact, she was having trouble not scowling as her sister showed her around the lovely beach house her family had rented for her on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Laura, Rebecca said, trying to get her sisters attention.

At thirty-one years old, Laura was the oldest of the four Holiday sisters, and shed been bossy and driven all her life. She wasnt easily swayed from her mission as she opened doors and blinds and sometimes drawers on her tour of the house, showing off the three large bedrooms, updated fixtures, and expansive bay views.

Rebecca loved the houseespecially the sunlight streaming in through the wide windows, the covered patio with a porch swing, and the luxurious master bathroom. But when Laura told her this morning that her sisters had arranged a surprise for her twenty-fifth birthday, Rebecca hadnt expected to drive three hours across Virginia and then be informed she was being left here on her own for two weeks.

Laura, wait, she tried again.

Laura was pretty in a no-nonsense way with brown hair, brown eyes, freckles, and a slim figure. She always walked quickly, particularly when she was excited about something. At the moment, she was speed-walking down the long hallway of the main levelthe second floor of the houseto take advantage of the water views over the dunes.

When her sister kept going, Rebecca raised her voice. Laura!

Stopping abruptly and turning around, Laura asked, Whats the matter? Dont you like it?

Yes, I like it. Its amazing. But I dont understand whats happening here.

Whats happening is that we all chipped in and arranged this vacation for you.

But why? Rebeccas voice cracked slightly. From bewilderment, disorientation, and some sort of deeper emotion.

Because you need it. Laura said the words as if they were obvious, as if that was the only answer Rebecca needed.

It wasnt.

I do not need it. Not any more than anyone else. Why would you all

You do need it. Lauras expression softened slightly as she stepped closer to Rebecca. We all know you need it. Youve been exhausted lately, and you refuse to take any downtime.

I dont need

Yes, you do. Stop saying you dont. You passed out last week and ended up in the emergency room, didnt you?

Rebecca made a dismissive gesture with her hand. Thats because Id gone all day without eating. You know how stressed I was, getting ready for Charlottes wedding. That woman was a bridezilla if there ever was one. But its over now. We dont have any more events like that coming up. Im not going to forget to eat again, and its

Its not just occasionally forgetting to eat. Youve lost weight. Youre always tired. You dont swim or jog anymore. Youre worn out. Even the doctor said so. You took care of Mom all last year, and you never took any time to recover after she died.

All of us

We all did what we could, but you did the most. Dont try to deny it.

Rebecca couldnt deny it. She had been their mothers primary caretaker for more than a year after she was diagnosed with cancer, suffered through a number of treatments, and then finally died almost six months ago. Her sisters all had much more essential roles in the family business than she did, and taking care of sick people was something Rebecca was good at.

Shed been so glad to be able to take care of her mother in the last year of her life, but it had been hard. Really hard.

Although she wasnt about to admit the truth to Laura, she was still exhausted from the physical and emotional strain.

Laura was still talking. And now, on top of everything else you do, you take care of Tommy every day.

Tommy was Lauras six-year-old son, the consequence of a one-night stand with an asshole whod never even wanted to meet his son. Since Laura was so busy with responsibilities in the family business, Rebecca had started looking after her nephew when he wasnt in school.

Taking care of Tommy isnt a burden. You know I love him.

I know you do. And we love you. You refuse to take days off when we ask you to, and youre just getting more and more tired. So we had to take drastic measures to get you to take some time off.

Its not that bad. Rebecca understood what was happening now, but she was still disoriented by the unexpectedness. She felt almost dizzy and wished she could sit down. All of us work hard. We have to.

She was convinced she didnt work any harder than her sisters did. They all had different gifts, and so theyd taken on different responsibilities.

Thirty years ago, their father, Jed Holiday, had bought a large piece of land outside Charlottesville, Virginia, and had opened a Christmas tree farm.

His trees had been highly sought after, and hed slowly grown a wider business to go along with the farm that included cozy, picturesque cottages for vacation rentals, a coffee shop and bakery, a quaint barn and gardens for events, and a Christmas shop so large that people would drive hours to visit. Holiday Acres had been a thriving business when their father died five years ago, and his wife and daughters had kept expanding it ever since.

Laura handled the business and financial side of things with her characteristic efficiency.

Penny, the second oldest and artistic by nature, oversaw anything creative or aesthetic connected with Holiday Acres.

Olivia, two years older than Rebecca, dealt with all the public relations because she was so good with people.

And that left Rebecca with whatever remained to be done behind the scenes.

She didnt mind. She wasnt as brilliant and talented as her sisters. She still loved Holiday Acres, and she wanted to help however she could. The only task she really hated was running herself ragged assisting spoiled, demanding brides who were getting married in their event spaces.

I know we all work hard, Laura was saying now. No one is denying that. But what youve had to doparticularly with Momtook a lot out of you, and were worried about you.

Im fi

Dont try to tell me youre fine. Youre exhausted. When was the last time you tried to cook? You love cooking, and I cant remember the last time youve done it just for fun. You dont hang out with your friends as much as you used to. And you havent been on a date in more than a year.

Theres not been anyone Ive wanted to date.

Maybe. Maybe not. But its more than that, and you know it. We want to do something for you, and this is what were going to do. So stop whining about a vacation and just deal with it.

Rebecca made a face at her sisters tone, but she didnt want to seem ungrateful, so she relaxed intentionally. Okay. Fine. I dont mind taking a few days vacation. But two weeks is too long.

No, its not. Its the right amount of time since its going to take you a few days to even wind down so you can rest. We thought wed get you a place here because the ocean beaches are always so packed and chaotic this time of year. Its quieter here. Not so frantic. Weve stocked the refrigerator and the pantry so you have plenty of food. You can cook to your hearts content. And you saw that grocery store we passed down the road, so you can get more stuff if you need it. There are several little restaurants within fairly easy walking distance if you go into town, so you dont even have to cook if you dont want. As she talked, Laura walked into the kitchen where she opened a small drawer. Youve got plenty of cash here for anything you need.