Today’s Tuesday Teaser is the meet-cute scene from the next Trappers Cove novella: Sweet Summer Surprise, coming in just a few weeks!
When 41-year-old divorcee Danielle’s odious ex whisks their kids away for a (literal!) Disney Dad extravaganza, he leaves her stuck with a non-refundable vacation rental on the Washington shore. Danielle’s book club buddies talk her into a solo beach getaway to figure out her next steps. Reluctantly convinced, our heroine kicks off her beach vacay with a visit to her kids’ favorite gelato shop. But it’s not the cute Italian grandpa who greets her…
She entered the narrow storefront and took her place in line behind a family with three squirmy littles. Beneath bright posters of the Amalfi coast, she hummed along to the strains of Nessun Dorma while daydreaming of top-down rides on twisting, cliff-side roads above a sparkling blue sea.
“Ciao, bella.” The unfamiliar voice snapped her reverie.
“Oh, uh,” she stammered at the gorgeous young man smiling behind the counter. Dark, curly hair, wide, lush-lipped mouth, cleft chin covered with dusky scruff, and espresso-brown eyes that twinkled with flirtatious mischief. Broad shoulders filled out his tight black T-shirt beautifully.
Like a scene from a Fellini movie, everything around her slowed and blurred as his gaze slid down her body, then back up to her eyes and lingered for a long, breathless moment.
His glossy eyebrows flicked up in a cheeky salute. “Welcome to Paradiso, signora. Tell me, how can I serve you today?” With his ice cream scoop, he waved toward the Italian ices. “Something tart to soothe the heat? Limone or mandarino? Or perhaps something richer.” He leaned onto the glass case and rested his perfect cleft chin on his fist. “Cioccolato fondente? Zabaglione? Tiramisu?” Rolling off his tongue, the words sounded far more like seductive foreplay than dessert options.
She swallowed hard and tugged her collar away from her suddenly sweaty chest. “Uh—so many choices. I can’t decide.”
His teasing smile widened, slow and sure. “Place yourself in my hands, bella. Just tell me how many scoops and let me surprise you.”
She was helpless to resist. “Okay. You choose. Two scoops, please.” She cleared her throat and found a bit of courage. “I place myself in your expert hands.”
Was that a blush darkening his sculpted cheekbones? No, it must be a reflection from the deep red gelato he scooped into her paper bowl. He added a scoop of creamy white laced with ribbons of crimson, then raised a spray can and his eyebrows. When she nodded, he topped the bowl with a fluffy peak of whipped cream and handed it over, along with a plastic spoon.
“Tell me if I got it right.” His dark gaze never left her face as she lifted a bite to her lips.
Subtle and creamy, hints of vanilla contrasted with a sharp burst of cherry flavor. “Wow.”
“That’s amarena. Bitter cherries with fior de latte.” He gestured with a tilt of his chin. “Try the other.”
She dug into the fruit ice. Tart and rich, the perfect foil. Mouth full and tongue a bit numb, she smiled and nodded.
“Frutti di bosco. Fruits of the forest. It’s good, huh?” His flirtatious mask slipped a little, giving her a glimpse of the young man beneath, sweet and eager to please. And holy brain freeze, wouldn’t she love to please him in return.
Pre-order Sweet Summer SurpriseThanks for reading!
