Roses in the Sand

By CS Patra

Lily Ballentyne hasn't had it easy for the last few days. She's unlucky in love and struggling to get through her days. At the urging of her boss, she goes on vacation in hopes that some things will change. However, she spends most of her time watching couples walking up and down the shoreline. Day after day, she dreams that she will find the perfect person in this paradise.

Johanna Villanueva is the drummer of the popular band, Black Widow's Kiss. Much like Lily, she is also looking for love and not finding it. The two of them meet and sparks fly but Johanna doesn't tell Lily who she truly is. She doesn't reveal that she is a rock star who is currently in the middle of a big tour. The two enjoy the time they have together but how long can they possibly last? Will they be able to get through these next few days? Love runs deep and neither one knows just how far the other will go for it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CS Patra
• Release date: Apr 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310219528

CS Patra

Grace Templeton has been writing for a long time and is the author of many series. Her books include the Operation: Genome series, The Reaper's Apprentices series, Cirque Macabre series, The Portman's Creamery Mysteries, Patterns and Parallels series, and the recently added Ghosts of Burning Inn. She currently lives in NC.

Book preview

Roses In the Sand

CS Patra

Cover by CoverMeDarling

Editing by ultraediting

Formatting by sputzie

Table of Contents

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4

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16

Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.

-Loretta Young

We are, we are,

We are timeless, timeless.

Everything we have, we have,

Everything, oh my God.

You are, you are,

The only thing that makes me feel like,

I can live forever, forever.

with you, my love.

-The Airborne Toxic Event Timeless

Chapter 1

Lily Ballentyne looked out of the window of her hotel room and gazed at the sea that greeted her. She was so happy that she had come here for vacation. This place was truly as magical as they made it look on the brochure. The place had nothing but five star ratings and it was said to be better than Disney World. Being an avid fan of Disney and believing it was the most magical place on Earth, Lily was starting to think otherwise thanks to this place. The sea air was fresh and it stung her lungs in a good way. There weren't too many kids around this place and it was a very gay friendly area. She had seen many same-sex couples walking along the beaches. For her, it was nothing short of paradise.

She took a quick glance at the mirror and wondered what was wrong with her image. She wasn’t a bad looking woman. Her hair had been dyed a dark red. It was almost maroon depending on the light. Her eyes were wide and brown and almost doe-like. Her skin was smooth and pale like the sand on the beaches. She had all the right assets and any woman would have been jealous of them. So how could she not find anyone?

She was in paradise all right. The only thing that Lily was missing from this place was a partner. She had come here all by herself and it made her feel a little left out. She couldn't go to some of the parties because they were strictly for couples. On those nights, she was forced to stay in the room watching the Food Network and ogling food that she would never eat or make. There were only so many episodes of Chopped that she could get through before she went crazy.

She saw so many pretty girls walking down the beach, but they already had someone with them. She was hankering for some action and so far, nothing good had come around. They were all beautiful, but none of them were for her. The men in this place weren’t doing anything for her either. As years went by, Lily found herself getting disappointed by both sexes. Nothing was appealing anymore. That was probably why she had writer’s block now. She couldn’t find a thing out there that was giving her any inspiration. Of course, she wasn’t supposed to be working here. She was on vacation. She was supposed to forget about everything related to work.

Lily had taken a vacation due to work being so hectic. She worked in a pizzeria where the nights were long and the customers were too rowdy. Ninety percent of the people were lovely, but the other ten percent knew how to ruin her good mood. Some of them would come into the restaurant completely wasted and they would have no idea what to order. Others would make some rude remarks towards her. They would complain that she was too slow, she had made the food too spicy (even though she was not the cook), or that she was too stupid. It took a lot out of her not to chuck anything at their heads. No one deserved the treatment she got and for the little money she received for it. Sometimes, the assholes would ‘forget’ to give her a tip and that would make her blood boil. That was what added insult to the injury. She knew they didn’t leave a tip on purpose. She would do a perfect job despite what they said and they would pay her back with nothing.

Fortunately, her manager Darlene was a good person and she could see how much Lily was going through. She was the one that gave Lily easier shifts to get through. She knew that Lily was a hard worker and did the best she could. It was her manager that suggested Lily go on the trip to begin with. It was to get her mind of the stress of the restaurant.

You aren’t firing me, are you? Lily asked, worried that this was Darlene’s way of getting rid of her. What if one of the customers had complained so much that they got her fired?

On the contrary, you do a great job. I could never get rid of you, Darlene said. I do notice that you are a little stressed out though. You haven’t taken a day off since you were hired. I think it would do you some good to go somewhere nice for a little bit. I have a suite over in Florida if you want to borrow it. I think it will be a nice place for you to spend some time to yourself.

Let me get this straight; you want me to go on vacation? This isn’t a trick or anything? She asked. Are you sure this isn’t your way of getting rid of me?

No tricks. You do a fantastic job out here, Lily. You work very hard and the majority of the customers really like you. I really want you to go and have some good times to yourself. You deserve it.

As it turned out, Darlene wasn’t tricking her at all. She had given Lily access to her suite in Florida. The room had the most perfect view of the ocean and Lily would wake up every morning to see it. It was like something that had come out of a painting. If she was an artist, she would have painted this scene. In addition to the great view, the suite came fully furnished with everything.

Let's see...we've got some ramen noodles, mac and cheese, those skillet things... She murmured as she shifted through the things in her pantry. Oh, I really wish I had someone to share all this with. Eating it all by myself is going to make me fat.

Dinner time was the worst. Sure, she could go to a fancy restaurant and get something to eat. Sure, she could eat by herself at a table. However, it didn't change the fact that she was lonely. It didn't change the fact that she desperately wanted someone to share a meal with. In her mind, she had pictured candlelit dinners, walks on the beach, picnics in the park, and sharing dessert with a special someone. It was no fun to eat by herself.

I really need to find someone, she mumbled. This is ridiculous. What kind of a vacation can I have here if I don’t have another person? It’s no fun staying here alone.

She felt strange talking