Crossroads Summer: Regina Livingston Series, #0

By I.A. Thompson

It was supposed to be the best summer of her life…

… until it wasn't.

Why did he have to rip the blinders of blissful ignorance off her eyes?

Regina and her friends had it all planned. Lazy days lounging at the beach, long nights partying. Their grand last summer vacation before graduating college.

When she catches up with an old friend, he tells her things she can't believe. But there are signs around her… Did the government war mongers really do what he's accusing them of?

Her natural curiosity gets the upper hand, and Regina starts digging. What she finds is unsettling. Deep down inside of her, an urge is forming. It's bound to change her world forever.

Where 'An Officer and a Gentleman' meets 'To Hell and Back' in the Florida summer heat, she finds her calling…

You'll adore this coming of age story, because everyone enjoys a tale of love and heartbreak with a good helping of honor, courage and commitment.

Get it now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sugar Sands Publishing LLC
• Release date: Aug 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781733218528

Book preview

Acknowledgements

Writing a story that is set over a decade in the past turned into a walk down memory lane. There are too many people who played a role in my life’s journey to thank them all. But this book would never have happened, if it wasn’t for the following dear friends:

Beatrice, our trips to Pensacola Beach and the resulting adventures are neatly wrapped up in some of my fondest memories. Stan and Paulina, thanks for taking me under your wings and teaching me about military life and aviation history. Stan, I’ll never forget our epic flight line tours. Nolan and Marco, thank you for the priceless insights into the life of student Naval Aviators.

As always, this book would not be what it is today, without Paige Lawson’s editorial mastery and Mary Drummond’s final touches. You ladies are amazing.

And finally, my family and friends deserve a shout-out for their continued support and encouragement. I couldn’t do this without you.

Crossroads Summer

Chapter 1

By 10 a.m. it was 92 degrees in the shade. Traffic into Pensacola Beach had slowed to a crawl with visitors from three counties and beyond trying to get onto the island before the festivities started. Blue Angels weekend; the highlight of the summer.

Regina Livingston and her best friend Sabrina McLellan had set up lounge chairs on the porch in front of their rental cottage on Via De Luna and watched the cars inch by. They’d already made $80 turning their large corner property into a makeshift parking lot.

How many more do you think we can squeeze in here, before it’s all said and done? Sabrina asked.

Maybe four upfront here and another two behind the house and that’ll be about it. Regina shrugged her shoulders. Either way, it’s going to be an easy hundred bucks towards our booze fund.

Are you guys ready to go? I don’t want to end up having a spot in the peanut gallery. Tess Willis asked as she stepped out of the front door, followed by Grace Turner. They’d arrived the previous evening and were eager to get to the beach.

The four girls had shared adjacent dorms when they were freshmen at the University of Alabama, had become fast friends and were going to share a house off campus in the fall for their senior year.

Almost, just got to cash in on those last few spots, then we’re good to go. Regina answered from the sidewalk, directing a vintage black Trans-Am to a free space near the fence line.

Judging by their flattop haircuts and well-trained bodies, the two young men who peeled out of the car had to be Marines. The driver handed Regina the $5 fee for their parking space.

Y’all ready for the big show? he asked, eyeballing the tall blonde, Tess who ignored him while his passenger unloaded a cooler, two beach chairs and a pop-up tent from the trunk.

Yes, as soon as this parking lot here is filled up, we’ll be heading over to Casino Beach, Regina replied.

Well, we’ll see you ladies there. The driver lifted the cooler onto his left shoulder and started walking towards the dunes that separated the beach from the residential area. His friend followed a few steps behind, toting the rest of their gear.

Grace waited just long enough to make sure the two guys couldn’t hear her. Damn, they were hot. I sure hope we bump into them again.

Sabrina laughed. You’ll get your fair share of squids and jar heads, don’t worry.

What do you mean? Grace turned around to face her friends.

It’s what we call the Navy and Marine Corps guys that are all over the place, Regina explained while she directed another car to its designated spot. You’ll see what I mean when we get there.

When the parking lot was full the four girls packed their beach bags and made their way toward the volleyball court where they’d planned to meet up with some friends.

Regina’s and Sabrina’s friends to be precise. They’d both grown up just north of Pensacola and had been close since elementary school. They’d spent most of their summers at the beach together, first with their families and as they got older with their classmates.

Although their house was less than a mile from the main beach, the walk was a serious workout. The sugar white sand gave way beneath their feet, making every step forward an exhausting task, especially with the sun mercilessly shining down on them.

What’s with all the vacant lots? Tess asked, pointing to a good-sized waterfront property just sitting there, ripe for the taking. Raised in Malibu, California, she wasn’t used to seeing empty waterfront lots.

Hurricane Ivan tore up Pensacola Beach pretty good in September 2004. Even now, almost two years later, some people are still waiting for their insurance money. Sabrina shifted the pop-up tent she carried to the other side. Others are working on new designs that are better suited to handle the force of wind and water from a direct hit. And the last group is trying to sell which is quite a challenge because the market is so overheated.

And some buyers who look for oceanfront property are looking to own their land, not just the right to build while leasing the land from the government, Regina added. Those folks won’t come here.

Sabrina pointed her chin at the glistening white sand ahead of them that went as far as the eye could see. "For those of