Dreaming of Paradise Read online

  Dreaming of Paradise

  Emma Collins

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder.

  Copyright © 2019

  Contents

  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

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Newsletter

  1

  You’re not in Manhattan anymore.

  Jenna Gilbert squeezed in between a muscular young man and a woman in her fifties, finally making eye contact with the bartender when she stood on her tiptoes. She practically shouted her order so he could hear her over the nineties classic that blared from the speakers hidden behind potted plants and faux palm trees.

  Nina really went all out with the tiki bar theme.

  Wooden stools lined the bar, every single one occupied, and the décor consisted mainly of coconuts and bamboo. Most of the customers were drinking brightly colored cocktails, and the blender never seemed to stop whirring.

  Jenna had smiled to herself as she entered the bar, the bright pink neon sign above the door reading ‘Nina’s.’ She had to admire her friend. Not many people actually followed through when they talked about their dreams. Jenna never really understood that dream though, of owning a bar on the Jersey Shore, but that was four years ago, when she thought she had her own dreams figured out.

  Jenna had nodded and smiled when Nina told her about wanting to move to Asbury Park and open up a bar right on the beach. Nina had been managing a sports bar near Times Square back then. She knew all the ins and outs of running a bar, but Jenna never thought she’d pull the trigger, and now, here she was, standing in her friend’s bar that she’d named after herself. Why not?

  The bartender handed Jenna her cocktail, adding a taxicab yellow umbrella to the glass, and she left her card behind the counter, knowing there would be plenty more of these coming her way tonight.

  Jenna turned, running a hand through her auburn hair and resting her back against the wooden bar as she tried to figure out who Nina’s target audience was. It was August, so a lot of these people could be tourists, but as Jenna’s eyes surveyed the room, the scent of coconut sunscreen lingering in the salty air, she picked up a different vibe.

  “Jenna!” Arms were around her before she even met Nina’s eyes.

  “Hi, Nina,” she said, pulling away to size up her friend. Even though they were almost the same age, getting dangerously close to forty, Nina looked refreshed, her skin tanned and vibrant.

  “I’m so glad you’re finally here,” Nina said, her smile infectious. She’d dyed her hair since the last time Jenna had seen her. It was a lighter shade of brown now.

  “Me too.” She’d really been a shit friend since Nina left New York. She had her opening night over a year ago, and this was the first time Jenna was setting foot in it. “This place is amazing,” she said, her eyes scanning the room.

  It was a mixed crowd, covering just about every age, although most of them were probably in their twenties or thirties, but everyone seemed to be having a great time.

  “I’m so happy with how everything turned out,” Nina said, leaning in so Jenna could hear her over the music. “Why don’t we go sit outside? I’ve got a table reserved for us.”

  Jenna weaved her way through the crowd, following Nina, shielding her cocktail from a few tipsy women who were dancing between tables.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were running a gay bar?” Jenna asked when they were outside.

  “Would it have gotten you here any sooner?”

  Jenna smiled as she sat down on a bamboo chair beside Nina. “Probably not,” she said, a lopsided smile on her lips. “Work wouldn’t have slowed down, even for that.”

  “Well, it’s not exactly a gay bar, but it definitely draws that crowd. Hey, I’m not complaining.”

  Jenna rolled up the sleeves of her black blazer. She’d probably have to take it off. When she was getting ready at her hotel earlier, she forgot that this wouldn’t be her usual night out at a bar with air conditioning. This place was wide open, the sea air drifting through the bar with no windows or doors to hold it back. The gentle breeze was the only relief she got from the muggy night air.

  “So,” Jenna said, glancing back inside the bar. “Is this a typical night? It’s jammed.”

  “For the summer, yeah. I’ve got about four, maybe five more weeks of this, and then things will slowly start to drop off once we get into the middle of September. It’ll be surfing season then, so it’s not too bad. You should try it.”

  “Try what?” Jenna asked, taking a sip of her Caribbean Rum Punch. “Mmmm. This is delicious,” she said, the sweetness of the pineapple hitting her taste buds.

  “Carlos does an amazing job with the cocktails. But I meant surfing. You said you wanted to find a new hobby, right?”

  “Surfing?”

  “Yeah. Why not? You’re in great shape. You could handle it.”

  Jenna scoffed. “I don’t know.”

  “You can swim, right?”

  “Yes, but I don’t know about surfing.”

  “If you change your mind, I’ll leave you the number of the woman I’m taking lessons with, Hayley. She’s really great. Patient, but she takes it seriously at the same time.”

  “Thanks,” Jenna said, “But I came here to relax. I don’t think surfing will do that for me. I was going to try meditation.”

  “Doctor’s orders?”

  Jenna nodded. “I still can’t believe I have to take three months off. I can’t remember the last time I took three days off.”

  “I always thought you worked too hard.” Nina caught one of her staff and asked her for another round.

  “I know, and you warned me,” Jenna said, taking another drink. “And now, here I am, trying to pretend that I’m having my own ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ experience,” she said using air quotes. “Without leaving the country. Without finding the love of my life. I might eat though. That I can see myself getting behind. Drinking too,” she said, lifting her glass towards Nina’s before bringing it to her lips.

  “What about Eat, Drink, Flirt?”

  “I could partake in some flirting,” Jenna said, stirring her drink.

  “It’s just a three-month break. People will still be getting divorced when you get back to New York, but until then, you might as well enjoy yourself.”

  “I know, but what am I supposed to do in the meantime?” Jenna asked. Her answer to everything was pretty much work, and she was proud of that. That was how she was the youngest person to ever make partner at her firm, but it all caught up with her in the last few months. High blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia. She’d nearly run herself ragged, but that’s why she was here. “I can’t spend every day here... Although, you do serve food, right?”

  “We do. You can enjoy living with the beach at your doorstep,” Nina suggested. “You can pretend to be me for the next three months. Without the hard work, of course. That’s what my manager is fo
r.”

  “So, I’m just supposed to lounge around sipping on cocktails?”

  Nina shrugged. “Pretty much. That’s what you do when you’re on vacation. And you get to find a new hobby. You’ll definitely need something to keep you busy. Or someone?”

  Jenna couldn’t miss the glint of mischief in her honey brown eyes. “I don’t know about that.”

  “Still playing Don Juan?”

  “I guess,” Jenna said, avoiding Nina’s eyes, preferring to do some people watching instead. Of course, two couples passed by them, all looking very cozy, reminding Jenna that she hadn’t been in a serious relationship in over three years.

  “I’m leaving tomorrow, so I’m not going to try and persuade you to change your ways. Start with trying to take it easy. Maybe, by the time I get back you’ll be more open to meeting someone.”

  “Work was always my excuse, wasn’t it?” Jenna asked, thinking out loud.

  “Yeah. But not anymore.” Nina thanked the young woman who delivered her drink.

  “Uh huh. I’m sure I’ll have come up with another one by the time you get back. So, what’s the plan anyway? Are you really only bringing a backpack?”

  “That is correct, although I think I need to take a few things out. It was surprisingly heavy when I tried it on this morning.”

  “One backpack. For all of Europe? For three months?”

  Nina nodded. “Yes. That’s why it’s called backpacking across Europe.”

  Jenna couldn’t imagine doing that for even a week, never mind three months, but she was always more high maintenance than Nina was. “Whatever floats your boat, right?”

  “That’s it.” Nina said, clinking their glasses together.

  “Do you miss New York?”

  “Not in the slightest.”

  “Really?”

  “No.” Nina leaned back in her chair. “I love it here. I always wanted to live near the water, but it’s been even better than I’d imagined, especially now that I’m surfing. It’s just a different lifestyle down here. More relaxed. It’s exactly what you need. I bet I won’t even recognize you when I get back.”

  Jenna laughed. “I wouldn’t put too much money on that bet. If I can go back to New York feeling refreshed, it’ll have been mission accomplished. I’m still going to be hardworking. I can’t spend all day drinking and sunbathing.”

  “Then you better find yourself a new pastime. Speaking of your potential new hobby...”

  Jenna followed Nina’s eyes. A man and a woman were walking towards them, laughing as they got closer. Both of them looked like they were in their late twenties.

  “Hey, Nina,” the woman said, giving her a wave, her blond hair flowing over her shoulders in beach waves. “All set for tomorrow?”

  “Hi,” the man beside her said, his shaggy black hair falling across one eye.

  “As ready as I can be,” Nina said, stirring her cocktail. “I can’t wait though. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for the last twenty years. This is the first real opportunity I’ve had to do it, so I might as well go for as long as I can.”

  “It sounds amazing,” the woman said, and Jenna wondered if they were a couple. They were standing relatively close to each other, their arms practically touching. “I’d love to do something like that. Even for a few weeks.”

  “You should. Sorry, where are my manners? Hayley, this is my friend from my old life in New York, Jenna,” she said, glancing between them. “Jenna, this is Hayley and Kyle. Hayley’s my surf instructor.”

  Jenna shook hands with both of them as they all said ‘Hello.’

  “So,” Nina said, “Don’t be alarmed when you see Jenna here every day for the next three months. She’ll be staying at my apartment and making sure I don’t go out of business while I’m gone.”

  “I thought that was our job,” Kyle said with a smirk.

  “We’ll all make sure you stay in business,” Hayley said with a warm smile. “Speaking of which. We’re going to head inside and get a drink. It was nice to meet you,” she said, turning her attention to Jenna. “See you later, Nina. Don’t sneak off without saying goodbye.”

  “I won’t.”

  Jenna watched them leave. “So, that’s your surf instructor? No wonder you were so enthusiastic about it.”

  Nina waved her off. “Hayley is really sweet, but she’s probably fifteen years younger than me. I wouldn’t go there, especially not when she’s teaching me how to surf.”

  “But you want me to take lessons with her?”

  “Yeah. Why not?”

  Jenna shrugged. “No reason.”

  “Come on.”

  “What? She’s pretty fucking attractive, okay? I would have trouble concentrating.”

  Nina laughed. “You know I want you to get back out there and go on more than one date with someone but be careful with Hayley. She’s lovely, and as far as I know, she doesn’t do one-night stands, so don’t mess around with her. Not unless, you’re willing to be semi-serious.”

  “Yes, boss.” Jenna saluted her.

  “I’m just giving you the lay of the land,” Nina said, bringing her drink to her lips.

  “What about you and Mr. or Mrs. Right?”

  Nina sighed. “He or she hasn’t appeared yet.”

  “Maybe they’ll be Italian or French? What about Spanish?”

  “I’m not going to meet someone while I’m away, but I’m on a few of those dating sites. No one’s really caught my eye though, you know? It always fizzles out after a few dates.”

  “Which is why you shouldn’t limit yourself to one person.”

  Nina shook her head. “No. That’s not me. I’m not capable of keeping it casual.”

  “Sometimes, that’s what you need though.”

  “Okay, that’s your experience, and I’m sure negotiating divorces on a daily basis isn’t going to do much for your belief in long-term relationships, but what about... Oh, shit. I forgot your ex’s name.”

  Jenna chuckled. “I wish I could. Rebecca. I wasted my good years with her.”

  “That’s a bit dramatic. You’re thirty-eight, Jen. These could be your best years. Your best orgasms are supposed to be in your forties.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. I read that a few months ago.”

  “Well, that’s something to look forward to,” Jenna said, finishing her drink.

  2

  Hayley handed Kyle a bottle of beer before they made their way over to a table that just freed up, pulling out one of the tall bamboo bar stools and taking a seat. She knew it would be busy tonight. Not only was it Friday, but most of the regulars knew it was Nina’s last night before she went traveling.

  “So, what’d you think of Nina’s friend?” Kyle asked, tossing his bangs to the side.

  “Jenna? She seems nice. Why?”

  “She blatantly checked you out.”

  Hayley took a drink. “She didn’t. She was just being friendly.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Hayley’s eyes narrowed when she saw the smirk on Kyle’s face. “Since when is your gaydar better than mine?”

  Kyle shrugged. “I would argue that it always has been.”

  “What gave her away then?”

  “Other than looking you up and down... That blazer.”

  Hayley shook her head. “She’s probably some hot-shot businesswoman or stockbroker, and that’s just the way she dresses.”

  “No. Well, maybe, but she’s also a lesbian, and she thinks you’re cute.”

  Hayley arched her brow. “So, you’re psychic now, too?”

  “I am a man of many, many talents,” he said with a wink.

  “Ugh. You always have to make everything about sex,” Hayley said, rolling her eyes.

  “Hey, you would too if it hadn’t been so long.”

  She hit him, harder than she meant to, and he rubbed his arm. “Jesus...”

  “Sorry.”

  “Struck a nerve?”

  “Maybe.” Hay
ley took a drink. “I’m too busy for relationships.”

  She worked almost every hour she could find. She had more clients in one day than she used to have all week, and on Sundays she had a group of twenty kids. Surfing only seemed to be growing in popularity, and hopefully, if she could keep saving her money and build up a solid reputation, she’d have a surf school established in the next few years.

  “Who said anything about relationships?”

  “Please,” Hayley said, holding up her hand. “Not another speech.”

  “I’m just saying that you really need to expand your mind, broaden your prospects, and stop thinking about everything as so black and white. Just because you’re not ready to be serious with someone, doesn’t mean you need to close off all romantic possibilities.”

  Hayley opened her mouth and closed it again. She didn’t have a counterargument. She’d been depriving herself, because she knew she wasn’t in a position to commit. Business was more important to her than anything else right now. She was twenty-seven, and while that was still young, it felt like her dreams were years away. She needed to buckle down and take the next few years seriously, and for her that meant not getting involved.

  Kyle stared at her wide eyed. “Did I finally get through to you?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “I know the surfing thing is really important to you, and it’s great that you have this goal and this dream, but you’re missing out on life right now. You can do both. Plenty of people do.”

  Hayley peeled back the damp label from the beer bottle, condensation dripping down the neck as she avoided his gaze. He did have a point, but to date, all of her relationships had failed. They’d never lasted more than six months for one reason or another. What would be different now?