Something Borrowed

By Alex Winters

A stolen kiss and stubborn witness equal a lifelong bond between three young friends, but will this simmering secret tear them all apart or bring them even closer together?
 
Lexi, Grace, and Lydia all worked together, waiting tables during their gap year. At a Christmas party, Lexi and Grace shared an intimate, one-time kiss, never to be spoken of again. They thought no one had seen, but Lydia had. She, too, never mentioned it.
 
Five years later, the three have gone their separate ways. When Lexi and Grace receive invitations to Lydia's wedding, they can't fathom why. That is, until it's clear Lydia considers them a couple, despite not having seen each other for years, and has given them an all-expenses paid week at an exclusive resort to see if their stolen kiss has stood the test of time.
 
Now all they have to do is make up for lost time, even if takes the rest of their lives ...

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Feb 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9781685506704

Alex Winters

Alex Winters is the pseudonym of a busy restaurant manager whose curious young staff would love nothing more than to follow him around the dining room reading his steamiest, most romantic passages aloud! When not writing romantic holiday stories of various heat levels, he enjoys long walks with his wife, scary movies and smooth jazz. Visit him at www.awintersromance.com to see what stories are brewing up next!

Book preview

Something Borrowed

By Alex Winters

Published by JMS Books LLC

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2024 Alex Winters

ISBN 9781685506704

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author's imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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Something Borrowed

By Alex Winters

Chapter 1

Lexi

I don't actually need to see the invitation, ma'am.

Lexi Kinkaid paused with her hand out toward the front desk clerk, a cheery fellow in a subdued Hawaiian shirt and rather unsubdued, some might even say sumptuous red curls. You don't?

The freckle-faced young clerk gave her a vaguely patronizing there, there dear glance before fixing on his patented customer service smile and beaming at her patiently. No, I mean, you're already booked in for the week. I just need the name, but...

Palmer, or so said the Sand Pebbles Resort nametag clipped to his left pocket, glanced at the gold embossed invitation Lexi had lugged all the way from South Carolina as if for the first time. Actually, that's quite a bit different than all the others I've seen so far.

Lexi didn't know whether to feel special or lame. It is?

Yeah, can I... Palmer took it gently from her outstretched hand, chubby fingers holding it just as carefully. This one has a poem.

Lexi blushed faintly, then even more so when Palmer read it, aloud:

Whoever's first to marry,

Invites the other two;

One brings something borrowed,

The other something blue...

He paused, as if taking in the words he'd just uttered. Thankfully there was a lull this time of day and Lexi was the only one at the reception desk. He glanced at it once more, full lips moving and green eyes scanning as if rereading it a second time. Then he handed it back to Lexi with an impressed expression. That's...really nice, actually.

I thought so. Lexi perked up, giving a little shoulder wriggle as she glanced at the personal note the bride-to-be had scrawled on the back of the invitation that read, You're the something borrowed, Lex!

Palmer gave her a curious glance before asking, Are you part of the wedding party?

Hardly! Lexi blurted, wondering why she'd been invited at all, let alone been the recipient of such a tender poem and invited to bring something memorable for the occasion. No, just a guest.

Palmer glanced down to tap away at the keyboard hidden behind the slate-colored countertop between them and smirked. I was gonna say, the bride and groom and all their family are staying up at Sandcastles, the big resort a little further up the beach.

Lexi sagged with disappointment, glancing around the cheery, coral-colored and wicker studded lobby as if she might see her old work friend round the corner at any given moment. They are?

Palmer gave a little snort, rolling his eyes conspiratorially as if the two were old friends. Yeah, sorry to disappoint. Any family staying here at Sand Pebbles is distant at best. Step-siblings, nieces twice removed, kissing cousins, that kind of thing.

Lexi heard the snark in his voice and felt like she was back in the break room at the Bait Bucket, dishing about the cute new busboy and who he'd slept with the night before. And guests, of course.

Palmer glanced up from clattering away at the keyboard and winked. Of course. He clacked a little more before curiosity got the best of him. Forgive me for prying but what, exactly, did you do to warrant a poem on your invitation where everyone else just got the date and time of the reception?

Lexi bit her lower lip nervously before responding. I'm not really sure. I mean, I worked with Lydia for a year or so back home but--

You know Lydia Haversham? Personally? Suddenly, Palmer was all ears, chubby cheeks aglow beneath his curious green eyes, fingers poised for once atop the ever-clicking keyboard.

Well, she wasn't Haversham then, Lexi reminded him. Won't be, actually, until after this weekend, but...yeah. We were waitresses together, once upon a time.

Hold up, hold up. Palmer was clearly enjoying this, inching closer atop the registration desk as if eager to spill a little tea of his own. The wife, sorry, future wife of Alistair Baldwin Haversham III waited? Tables?

I mean, don't alert the media, but...yeah, sure. We all did.

What, back in high school or something? Palmer started clacking away at the keyboard again, giving a solid harumph for good measure.

Hey, it was only a few years ago, pal. You make it sound like we were riding to school on dinosaurs or something.

If the fossil fits, Palmer teased playfully, finally glancing up from his keyboard with a merry wink to make sure she wasn't about to leave a nasty review on Yelp.com. Seriously, though, that's awesome. And makes sense, somehow.

Palmer turned to gather up a parcel of materials at a nearby printer. What does? Lexi asked, carefully slipping her invitation back in her purse for safe keeping.

I mean, I suppose all the real housewives start somewhere, right? Palmer turned, handing her a welcome packet festooned with the same turquoise and corral pattern as the lobby as well as the frisky baby turtle logo above the stylish Sand Pebbles Resort brand. Why not the wife of one of the sons of the most powerful media companies in America, right?

Stepson, Lexi reminded him, as if that somehow made any difference in Lydia's soon-to-be net worth. But, yeah, I get your point.

A