Finding Serenity (Serenity Beach) Read Free

the vast majority of them were from the city and seemed to be part of the sports agent’s entourage.
    “What about you, Jordyn?” Boomer’s friend, Tim, asked. “How do you spend your days?”
    “In a constant state of denial,” I joked. Then I remembered that I should be trying to make friends. “I’m a waitress at the Seaside Bar & Grill.”
    “Waitress?” Tim smiled. “A working girl. I like it.”
    I didn’t get the impression that he was being patronizing. He seemed genuinely impressed that I had a job that required me to do more than look skinny and pouty.
    “Tim!” Boomer yelled from the makeshift bar. “Flip cup!”
    Everyone around the bonfire cheered and jumped to their feet.
    “You in?” Tim asked me.
    I feigned regret as I shook my head. “I don’t want to make all of you feel bad with my flipping prowess.”
    “Right.” He smiled knowingly; I wasn’t fooling him. “Keep the fire warm for me.”
    I suddenly found myself alone in front of the fire, slightly tipsy. I had lost Kennedy in the crowd hours ago and the other people I had just met were all lining up their red plastic cups.
    Whatever Boomer had put in his drinks, it packed a punch. Things were getting a little hazy, so at first I thought I was seeing things when a shadow passed over me.
    “Feeling antisocial?” a voice asked, confirming that I wasn’t hallucinating.
    I half-turned in my chair to face the owner of the voice. “Just taking a break from all the fun, thank you for asking.”
    “Right. Can’t risk having too much fun.” The voice laughed.
    I squinted and shielded my eyes from nothing. The voice moved closer, into the firelight, and I could see that it belonged to a very attractive young man.
    “Why aren’t you at the party?” I said.
    He shrugged and smiled. “I was having too much fun. Thought I could use a break.”
    It was pretty obvious he was making fun of me, but I didn’t mind. He had a nice smile.
    I pointed to the chair next to mine. “Would you like to sit while you’re not having fun?”
    “I would. Thank you.” The chair squeaked as it absorbed his weight. “So Miss Antisocial, do you have a name?”
    “I do.” I paused, suddenly feeling speechless. “I’m Jordyn.”
    “Jordyn.” He nodded thoughtfully. “I like it. I’m Nolan.”
    “Nolan.” I turned the name over my tongue and repeated, “Nolan. That’s a nice name. Nolan.”
    He chuckled softly. “Have you been drinking tonight, Jordyn?”
    “A bit.” I held up my empty cup. “Boomer juice.”
    “You’re going to regret that in the morning.” Nolan settled back into his chair. “What brings you to the party?”
    “My friend, Kennedy. She knows Cassidy. Cassidy knows people, and they know people…” I trailed off, trying to remember if any of us actually knew the host of the party. “I just go where I’m told.”
    “You and me both.”
    “Are you a model?” I asked abruptly. Nolan was good looking enough to compete with Boomer and the others.
    He looked at me quizzically. “No. Is that a problem?”
    I smiled. “No. That’s good.”
    “What about you? Model? Actress? Superhero?” Nolan slipped his feet from his shoes and dug his toes into the sand.
    “Purveyor of food and beverage.”
    “Come again?”
    “I provide meals to the hungry tourists at a place called Seaside Bar & Grill.” I was beginning to sober up just enough to realize how lame that sounded. “It’s not as glamorous as superhero, but it’s a job.”
    “Working on a beach all day? Doesn’t sound too bad to me.”
    I studied him closely to see whether he was joking. “How about you? What’s your superpower?”
    Nolan studied his toes, digging them deeper into the sand. “I’m taking a break from work right now. Thinking about switching careers.”
    Something in the way he said it made me sit up straighter. “Thinking of hanging up the cape, huh?”
    “Something like that.” Nolan looked toward the water. “It’s beautiful