Falling In Love In The Burg

By Joshua Valdez

Take a trip to the sparkling gem on Florida's Gulf coast, St. Petersburg, and enjoy a novella of new and old love with shocking surprises. Eccentric millionaire John celebrates his mascarade birthday party with the help of Smith, his assistant. Chaz has just been released from jail and takes on what he th

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joshua Valdez
• Release date: Sep 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088055939

Book preview

1.png

Falling In Love In The Burg

A St. Pete Love Story

Falling In Love In The Burg

A St. Pete Love Story

by

Joshua Valdez

Copyright © 2020 by Joshua Valdez

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.

First Edition: September 2022

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-0880-5586-1

To Codellious Cotner Willaims Valiams III

You Mean The World To Me

Table of Contents

Acknowledgment

There is something to be said about Love. I believe it is one of the virtues in life that can lead to healing, discovery, and happiness. Love comes from within. Loving yourself and another can be even hard, but love doesn’t have to be. Love can be easy when you follow the clues of the universe. I want to thank everyone who has shared a form of love with me, if it wasn’t for your support I could not have written this. I especially want to thank the man behind the curtain. When you walked into my life, I never knew that your kindness and love would help me in the way it has. This story is about love finding a path. It’s never too late to spread love. Many thanks to Marquise Brown for countless readings, guidance, and laughter. I also want to thank the reader for giving me the time of day to share this novella with you.

Preface

I never thought that luck would have it end this way.

Hell, I never even thought it would have begun this way. But somehow, it was all meant to be like this. It was a twist of some universal chaos bringing everything to its climax. Boy, do I mean a fantastic finale. All by accident, I don’t know what to tell you; I don’t know if my story is an American tragedy or a hero story; all I know is that this story is true.

1. The Job

It was raining as it often does in Florida. The sun was out in full force for a five-minute afternoon shower. The cabana of J.C.’s Tiki Bar was half empty. Few early-bird tourists were littered about hiding from the rain under the tiki hut’s thatched roof. The bartender Ray wore a red bandana over his messy brown hair. He wiped down bottles behind the bar just to look busy. A top 40’s station played in the background, drowning out the nearby seagulls. The smell of saltwater and rain was refreshing. The outdoor fans had seen better days but still served that swampy Florida feel.

Smith sat on the bar’s corner, staring out onto the marina, watching the boats rock on the water. A beer with lime sat on the bar, sweating into a small puddle. Smith couldn’t remember the last time wearing shorts. Smith had to buy a pair at a nearby Florida surf shop. The grey shorts cropped past Smith’s knee revealing pale legs.

With a smile, Ray called out, Hey, buddy, you want to order food?

Not yet; I’m waiting on someone, Smith replied with a low and matter-of-fact tone.

Smith could smell the delicious fried seafood but didn’t want to be impolite and eat before the interview. Smith was slightly nervous about this meeting. This new job offer seemed somewhat too good to be true. An independent security consultant job in Florida with good pay. Smith was concerned, the interview was at a bar, and the interview requirement was to wear shorts.

How about a shot of Irish whiskey instead, said Smith.

Hell of a breakfast, partner, said Ray as he smiled. He grabbed the bottle, flipped it, and poured a shot into a glass. Smith had been a bartender in a past life but could never figure out how to do flair. Ray slid the glass down the bar; it stopped perfectly aligned with the beer.

An engine’s low rumbling started to drown out a pop princess belting songs about breakups on the radio. Ray slid the glass down the bar; it stopped perfectly aligned with the beer.

A boat horn drew Smith’s attention to the marina; a white motor yacht had just approached the dock. Black cursive letters that spelled R.E.D. were painted along the side of the bow. A mildly attractive man with dirty blond hair hopped off the boat and started making his way down the pier toward the bar. Smith couldn’t stop staring; the man had pink shorts, a white polo shirt, aviators, flip flops, and a blinding gold necklace. Mr. Pink shorts did a half-wave, and Smith waved back. Smith shot Ray a look with rolled eyes. Ray, with a half-smirk, nodded; they both knew this was the trust fund Florida look.

What a beautiful day in paradise, said Mr. Pink shorts to the bar.

Yes, it is, said Ray, Yes, it is.

Smith nodded. Mr. Pink shorts approached Smith and stretched out his hand. Names John Brown; you must be Smith, he said fast and excitable.

Ray gave Smith a look of surprise and flashed a friendly bartender smile. John held out his hand to Smith as Smith went to shake it. John grabbed the shot off the bar and took it.

Ugh, he exclaimed, shaking his head in a grimace. He slammed the empty shot glass on the bartop, You ordered breakfast, I see.

He grabbed the beer, pushed in the lime, took a chug, gave a silent burp, and said, How did you know I like whiskey? You just may be the perfect person for the job.

John raised his eyebrows, studying Smith’s appearance. Smith was tall, even sitting with grey piercing eyes and short blond hair. I expected you to look different, said John, eyeing Smith’s athletic build and pale legs.

Smith was taken aback and found this the perfect time to cut to the chase before the day got any weirder. So what is this job exactly, Smith said.

John laughed and waved down Ray, Not before we get some more breakfast! Bartender, get us another round for my partner and me.

Smith, about to protest, was cut off as John leaned in and started talking, So about this job for you, I have a plan ...

2. Breakfast Bay Inn

The Breakfast Bay Inn was usually a quiet place where nothing interesting happened. The excitement consisted of snowbirds having extended stays and complaining about the breakfast buffet. The lobby was decorated with tacky wallpaper and wicker furniture with dated pink cushions. They knew all they had to do was ring the front desk bell, and magically, Jess, the one woman wonder, would appear out of nowhere and tend to their needs. Jess loved working at the Breakfast Bay Inn but longed for more. Today was a day quite unusual. She was awoken at 4:00 am by her cell phone. Her alarm was set to 5:00 am. It was the owner of the inn calling from the Bahamas. He never called, and his connection sounded fuzzy. She tried to make sense of what he was saying. He yelled through the phone as if he was on the other side of the universe.

I sold the Inn, he said, The new owner wants all reservations canceled indefinitely, kick everybody out today. Reserve the hotel for two guests.

Jess tried to speak but he cut her off, Uh, Jess, you have always been good to us. You are getting a significant pay raise. Good luck. He hung up, not giving her a chance to squeeze in a word. The call lasted less than a minute, and Jess just looked at her phone. She slapped herself in the face lightly in disbelief.

Am I dreaming? She wondered. She tried to go back to sleep, knowing she couldn’t. All she could think about was the inn being sold. Would she be kicked out of her room at the inn? Would she need to find another job? What would the new owners be like? If she was kicked out, would she still be able to afford school?

All these things raced through her mind. She knew she couldn’t sleep. She got up, put on a housecoat, and headed towards her coffee maker; she started it, grabbed her cigarettes, and headed outdoors. She was greeted by the ocean view, night sky, and a cool breeze as she opened her door. This view always made it seem like her life was on track, that every star had a purpose, and everything happened for a reason. She took a few deep breaths and tried to soak it all in; the moon was almost full. She could hear the water crashing on the shore; the smell of coffee mixed in with salty air always made her feel at home. Her cell phone ringing interrupted her nostalgia. She went inside, grabbed it,