One More Night (Sweetbriar Cove #13) - Melody Grace

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Letitia Prescott was at her wits’ end. But looking out at the perfect summer’s day, with the sun shining down and the ocean sparkling just a few steps away, she had to admit: the view from here was pretty great.

“It’s a wonderful space, lots of light, and the location can’t be beat.” Her realtor, June, showed her out onto the back porch, with spray roses climbing up the railings, and a picture-perfect view of the shore. “It was all booked up for the summer, but they had to cancel last week. Divorce,” she added with a knowing whisper. “Poor things. But lucky for you. What do you think?”

Letitia took a deep breath of salty ocean air, and couldn’t help but smile. The waves crashed, blue under a cloudless summer sky, and the small grassy backyard even had a little gate leading straight onto the sand.

It was perfect. And perfect for her plan.

“I’ll take it,” she said, turning back to June.

“Of course you will.” June said, like it had never been in doubt. “I held it for you especially.” She produced a sheaf of rental papers from her bag, and a pen for Letitia to sign.

Letitia took them, trying not to wince at the cost of the summer lease. This was an investment in her future, she reminded herself, as she signed on the dotted line – and wrote a hefty check to match. She wouldn’t think twice about paying for a training seminar, or a big professional conference to take her career to the next level. This was just the same.

Kind of.

“Now, we’re all set!” June declared, taking the contract, and passing Letitia a set of keys. “The furniture’s a bit outdated, I know, but you won’t be spending much time indoors. All a woman needs is hot running water, and a comfortable bed. And we can make do without the bed, if there’s something better available. Or someone,” she added, with a saucy wink.

Letitia laughed. She’d heard about June’s reputation – for gossip, and wild romantic adventures – and she wondered for a moment if the older woman might be a useful ally in her plans…

But she was getting ahead of herself.

“Thanks for all your help,” she said, showing June to the door. “This is perfect. I can already tell, I’m going to feel right at home here.”

“Do you have any big plans for the summer?” June asked, and Letitia was almost tempted to tell her. But instead, she just smiled.

“Oh, you know…” she said vaguely. “Relaxing, catching up with friends…”

“Well, I’m sure I’ll see you around town.” June said, enveloping her in a friendly, jasmine-scented hug. “Welcome to Sweetbriar Cove!”

Letitia closed the door, and took a moment to look around the sunny room, reveling in the possibilities of the summer rental – and everything it represented. She could only imagine what June might have said if she’d revealed the real reason she was blowing off all her commitments, putting her regular life on hold, and moving to Cape Cod for the summer:

To find herself a husband.

It sounded crazy, even to her – which was why Letitia still couldn’t quite bring herself to say it out loud. Only one person had overheard her plans and… Well, that hadn’t exactly turned out great. No, Letitia knew what people would think. They’d probably assume she was some lonely, pathetic spinster, looking to trap an unsuspecting guy and drag him down the aisle. But it wasn’t like that. She had a great job, plenty of friends, and a family that only occasionally drove her crazy. She didn’t need a man in her life to make it worthwhile.

She just wanted one. Desperately.

The right man.

Letitia headed out to her car, and started hauling her luggage up to the cute first floor bedroom. She definitely hadn’t packed light: she had a month’s worth of date outfits crammed in her suitcases, and hopefully, she’d be wearing every single one of them. Because Sweetbriar Cove had more to offer than just friendly locals, a quaint town square, and gorgeous beaches.

It also had a curiously high population of handsome, available men.

Letitia had been visiting her cousin, Cal, a few months ago when she’d first noticed. He and his friends had all met their partners here in town, and fallen madly in love. They joked about it, wondering if Aunt June was slipping something into the local water supply, but Letitia had made a mental note. She knew from the business world that the data rarely lied, and when it