Love On Anchor Island: An Anchor Island Novel

the games.
Each attendee had cut a length of the paper they thought would span the mother’s belly. Most had been far too short, likely by design. No one wanted to remind a pregnant woman of exactly how big she really was. Especially not one carrying twins.
The tone lacked malice, but Roxie couldn’t be sure if Mia was talking about Roxie’s many volunteer posts or her date with Alex.
“What do you mean?”
“The work crew. The daycare. Helping Callie out.” She stuffed a large ball of paper in the can Beth set next to them. “You’ve been a huge help since coming to the island. We really appreciate it.”
Roxie wasn’t used to being noticed for something positive.
“That’s what I came for.” Not really, but she didn’t mind the work. Swinging a hammer was doing wonders for her upper arms, and it was nice to get to know Beth’s husband Joe. He’d been intimidating as hell when she’d first arrived, but the guy actually had a sense of humor. A dry one, but it was there.
“It’ll all pay off come festival time.”
“Festival? The pirate festival?” Hadn’t Alex said that was during the summer?
Mia gathered more paper. “That’s not until June. Later this month we have our Anchor Island Spring Festival. It’s the first big tourist event of the year, and the reason we’re all working so hard to get the island back in shape. Catering to tourists is how most of us make a living.”
How had she not heard about this before?
“So there’s a deadline on these repairs?”
“There is.” Mia moved to the pile at Roxie’s feet. “The goal is to have everything up and running in the next couple weeks.”
Then Roxie wouldn’t be needed anymore. She couldn’t justify living with Beth once that happened, and her efforts to find a job had gone nowhere. While reality sank in, the front door flew open, and chaos ensued. Children ran to their mothers, each talking over the next, while their fathers greeted their wives with open affection. Randy Navarro caught his wife coming down the stairs and swept her off her feet as if they’d been apart for years instead of hours. Seeing the door was left open, Roxie crossed the room to close it and walked right into Alex’s chest.
“Oh,” she said, hopping back. “I didn’t know you were out there.”
Alex steadied her with a hand along her waist. “I heard there was a cleanup duty assignment. I thought I could help and check on the patient at the same time.”
Roxie turned to survey the activity behind her. Lucas pulled the banner down over the fireplace, while Joe and Randy carried the long dining room table back to where it belonged. “I’m not sure there’s much more to do.” The trash had been picked up, the furniture righted, and Sid was putting a broom to good use.
“Then I guess I’ll do the one thing no one else here can. Is Callie upstairs?”
Standing so close made her remember the kiss from the night before. Kisses, that was. The memories hindered brain function as blood flow shifted in a different direction.
“Hey, Alex,” said Mia, joining them near the door. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to make sure Callie didn’t overdue during the party,” he said, his hand still lingering on Roxie’s hip. “Sam was on edge, and I figured he won’t relax until he knows she and the babies are okay.”
“We all made sure she stayed put, but she struggled a bit to get back up the stairs.” Noticing where Alex’s hand lay, Mia said, “Are you sure that’s all you came for?”
“You should head up,” Roxie said, putting space between them. “She’s probably exhausted so you need to see her before she falls asleep.”
“Right.” Looking as if he wanted to say more, Alex’s eyes lingered on Roxie’s. She took another step back. “I’ll be back,” he said, clearly for her benefit.
As he took the stairs two at a time, Mia turned her way, but Roxie spoke first. “Will you tell Beth that I wasn’t feeling well and went home?”
“Sure, but Roxie—”
“Just tell her, okay?”
Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her coat from the rack by the door and stepped into the cold.

Chapter Nine
A run had always cleared Roxie’s mind. Until this week. But at six thirty on the nose Wednesday morning, she’d slipped out the door just as she had the two mornings before. The early start came with the added benefit of getting to watch the sunrise, while also guaranteeing she didn’t run into Alex.
He hadn’t been the reason she ditched after the baby shower, but she doubted he’d believe that. If she were being honest, he was part of the reason. Learning that her purpose here was coming to an end, Roxie made a startling realization. She liked Anchor Island. Hell, she’d even started to think of staying. Of giving this thing with Alex a chance and maybe even putting down roots.
But Roxie was not a freeloader. When the roommate situation had blown up and she’d found herself homeless, she could have couch surfed for a while. Crashed with this or that friend until they got tired of her. But pride hadn’t let her. Not that pride had played a part in running home with her tail between her legs, but despite how her family treated her, Roxie still considered her hometown a safe haven.
Or had until the latest fiasco.
Now she had no place to go. She wasn’t welcome at home, and without a job, she couldn’t stay here, but due to her meager savings, she couldn’t afford to go anywhere else. Despair hit like a punch and she bent over with her hands on her knees, fighting the panic that had been threatening for days. Gritting her teeth, she ignored her racing heart and straightened.
“There has to be something I can do here.”
She’d tried all of the small shops, and no one was hiring. She’d even asked about clerical positions at the medical center with no luck. Waitressing