Blue Tides

By Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

Welcome home lost fragile souls. Find solace in casting worldly troubles away to my blue tides...so sayeth the Ocean.

Attending the wedding of two close friends, as well as seeking to cleanse her troubled thoughts, Lauren is drawn back to her beloved beach house just north of Cape Hatteras by the lure of the ocean’s blue tides. Spellbound by the echoes of crashing waves and the unexpected sight of a soaring kite, she makes her way down to the beach. There she encounters a message in a bottle in the form of a carefree younger man.

Drawn in by Brody’s free-spirited presence Lauren forgoes her intended solitude by inviting him in. As their weekend time together passes, to each other they reveal how carelessly they were cast away by those they loved. Their mutual attraction fuels cravings to be desired once more. Yet the depths of a secret she initially withholds from him clouds their future together.

Will she accept salvation from his message in a bottle...or cast him back to the blue tides?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luminosity Publishing LLP
• Release date: Jan 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370820610

Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

I was born on November 9, 1967 in Warren, Ohio and grew up in a country trailer park in Southington Ohio with my two brothers and parents.I currently live in Girard, Ohio with my wife and sons. After graduating from Chalker High School in 1986, I went on to attend Kent State University.Originally, I sought to pursue a degree in education, but changed degrees after a few years in school. After working my way through college for eight years, I graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations.Aside from writing, I also draw and paint. My other passion is soccer. I have proudly been a coach of a soccer team for autistic and special needs players.

Book preview

BLUE TIDES

Sea Glass, Book One

Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

Welcome home, lost fragile souls. Find solace in casting worldly troubles away to my blue tides…so sayeth the Ocean.

Attending the wedding of two close friends, as well as seeking to cleanse her troubled thoughts, Lauren is drawn back to her beloved beach house, just north of Cape Hatteras, by the lure of the ocean’s blue tides. Spellbound by the echoes of crashing waves and the unexpected sight of a soaring kite, she makes her way down to the beach. There, she encounters a message in a bottle in the form of a carefree younger man.

Drawn in by Brody’s free-spirited presence, Lauren forgoes her intended solitude by inviting him in. As their weekend together passes, to each other they reveal how carelessly they were cast away by those they loved. Their mutual attraction fuels cravings to be desired once more, yet the depths of a secret she initially withholds from him, clouds their future together.

Will she accept salvation from his message in a bottle…or cast him back to the blue tides?

BLUE TIDES

Sea Glass, Book One

JEFFERY MARTIN BOTZENHART

WWW.LUMINOSITYPUBLISHING.COM

LUMINOSITY PUBLISHING LLP

BLUE TIDES

Sea Glass, Book One

Copyright © March 2015 Jeffery Martin Botzenhart

ISBN: 978-1-910397-67-1

Cover Art by Poppy Designs

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this literary work may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Dedication

For Mom

Chapter One

Feelings of nostalgia flooded Lauren’s mind as her car pulled into the driveway of the beach house. She thought of this place as being one of the perks of her divorce. Anthony, her ex-husband, was happy to rid himself of this property. While they were married he had always hated coming here with Lauren for a week every year. Lauren, however, was passionate about this place. The lure of the sea had always been a constant in her life. Many of the rooms in their house in Baltimore had paintings and collectables that reflected her love of the sea. Here, the rigors of a hectic life in the city would instantly be washed away by the blue tides that caressed the shores near the beach house. Lauren could simply sit for hours and watch the waves roll onto the beach. What seduced her most about this place were the sounds at night. There was tranquility in the songs of the waves at bedtime, a lullaby that she greatly admired.

Each time she arrived, the routine was always the same. The first thing she did, once she crossed the bridge out onto the Outer Banks, was to stop for a bite to eat at an Australian-themed restaurant called The Down Under. And every year the waiters would warn the customers of the blacktip reef sharks that lurked just under the surface of the ocean. They wouldn’t kill you; they just wanted to taste. Never did she fear these beasts of the ocean depths. There were far worse things to be in fear of.

The grocery store was always the second stop. There was a nice one in Cape Hatteras, which usually had everything she needed, especially wine. Alcohol was always a requirement when coming here with Anthony. To endure all of his bitching and moaning required something to dull the senses.

Most of Anthony’s time would be spent with his laptop computer, his cell phone, or the widescreen television in the media room. Dinnertime was one of the few moments they were together during the day. Lauren would either send him a text or an email when the meals were ready. They would then spend an excruciating half hour of trying to find something to talk about. It was both fortunate and unfortunate their marriage lasted six years; fortunate that it was over, and unfortunate that it lasted at least five years longer than it should have.

Lauren found the key to the house under a ceramic flowerpot on the porch. After unlocking the front door and carrying in her groceries, she sat down on a stool at the breakfast bar and looked out through the oversized picture windows. A wide vista of ocean could