Only Summer with the Rock Star

She’s a conservative pianist. He’s a wild rock star, trying to escape fame. A dating dare forces them together. Will they make music or will they fall flat?

While finishing her master’s degree in music, Claudia Von Plata receives devastating news that sends her across the country. She arrives in the perfect Florida beach town but discovers her aunt’s health and finances are in shambles. The owner of Coconut Cove Café hires her on the spot and initiates her into beach town life: sunblock and sunglasses are a must, but so is dating the first guy she waits on.

Carter “Wilde” Westcott built his reputation on expectation and speculation, landing him on the “Rockers in Rehab” reality TV show. Only, he’s not an alcoholic and is tired of faking the wild lifestyle. Not to mention, he’s lost his muse. When a music student calls and asks for an interview, he gets a brilliant plan. Only, it turns out, she’s the real deal and he can’t manage to keep up the charade with her. But changing his playboy status could ruin his career.

Will they continue to play solo, locked in the stories they’ve told themselves or come together for a duet and play for keeps before the summer is over?

This is book 2 in the Blue Bay Beach Romance series. Each book stands alone but reading them in order provides a deeper, richer experience. It is a sweet, Hallmark style “clean and wholesome” small town romance, is faith-friendly, and contains a happily ever after.

Chapter 1: Claudia

Claudia ducked out of the rain and into the austere stone building on Oak Street. It was the last day of music school for the summer, but that didn’t mean the work for her master’s degree was over. Once the final project was done, that’s when her dreams would really start coming true.

Her shoes squeaked on the polished granite floor as she made her way to class. Despite the unpleasant sound, a different melody hummed under her skin—it wasn’t a song she’d been working on.

Rather, it was a feeling of hope mixed with excitement. The kind of feeling when she’d made a wish on a star when she was a little girl. Never mind that she was in her thirties and by some standards too old to be getting her master’s degree in music—or to be wishing on stars.

As she settled into class, the professor was talking about his weekend spent fishing, which reminded her of a famous proverb. “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Claudia chuckled softly.

The young woman sitting next to her with her long hair twisted into braids turned in Claudia’s direction. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so much as smile in this class. What’s so funny? It’s only eight a.m., we’re about to get our final assignment, and I was running late so I didn’t get my caffeine fix. I could sure use a good laugh.”

“I’ve smiled,” Claudia said, thinking of the many times the professor had them analyze famous pieces that carried her so far away from her thoughts she lost track of time.

Although, her fellow student had a point. She rarely even chatted before or after class and rarely joined in when everyone gathered in the hall or down at the student center after class.

The girl with braids shook her head. “I’m Trisha and I’m still waiting to get in on the joke.”

“I’m Claudia and I’m sorry we haven’t met earlier. I guess I’ve just taken this class too seriously. I’m a non-traditional student and—” Her list of reasons came to mind about why she was focused, a planner, stayed organized, and regimented.

“Age is but a number.” Trisha lifted and lowered her shoulder.

“My Aunt Margot always used to say that. Professor Printz’s story about fishing reminded me of something else she used to say. That’s what had me laughing.”

“I’m waiting...” Trisha drummed her fingers on the desk.

“Have you ever heard the saying if you give a man a fish...?”

Trisha nodded. “Printz has it on a poster in his office. But I always wondered what would happen if you gave a woman a fish...”

“This is fitting then.” Claudia smiled. “My Aunt Margot used to say, ‘Give a woman a diamond, she'll love you as long as it sparkles. Teach a woman how to obtain her own jewels, she'll love herself for a lifetime.’”

“Oh, that’s good. That’s really good.” Trisha laughed.

Claudia felt a warm feeling, like a hug, come over her at the sound of Trisha laughing and the fond memories of her aunt.

Margot Von Plata raised Claudia and even though she could afford to send her to school, instead of doing so, she taught her everything she knew about hard work, creativity, and entrepreneurship. In other words, she taught Claudia how to obtain her own jewels—though that was still a work in progress.

“I think I like this Margot lady.”

“She’s the best. I’m hoping to visit her this summer if work and our project doesn’t keep me too busy.”

“I also think someone likes you.” Trisha waggled her eyebrows then lifted her chin in the direction of a cute guy with glasses who chanced a look at Claudia every few seconds.

He was probably almost a decade younger than Claudia since she was late to get her master’s degree, but she had a youthful face.

She’d been in and out of relationships, but they never stuck around for long. Maybe because they didn’t understand her need for music.
Professor Printz called for the class’s attention.

Claudia leaned forward, eager to find out what the professor would assign them for their final project in the class titled Bridging the Past, Present, and Future in Music. She thought the name was clever because a bridge was also a component of a song. Printz was famous in the academic world for being rogue, harsh, and hard to like, but he was also clever and she’d learned more about music in that class than almost all her others.

Just as Professor Printz started to explain, her phone jingled.

She shuffled through her bag as it dinged with the classic retro song Tutti Frutti by Little Richard. Aunt Margot may have been a woman of class, but she also had a wicked sense of humor and insisted Claudia use that as her ringtone whenever her aunt called. It did bring a smile to her face, but her aunt knew she was in class—maybe she forgot about the time difference?

Claudia rifled through, trying to find the thing that kept blaring then her bag tipped, falling down the stairs of the aisle in the auditorium-style seating of the classroom. Her notebooks, lunch bag, a few random cosmetics, half a protein bar, several highlighters, an accordion stack of sticky notes, and her feminine hygiene products all tumbled out and onto the floor.

The cute guy with glasses rushed out of his seat to help her.

Meanwhile, her phone went on. “Bop bopa-a-lu a whop bam boo.”

A few people chucked.

Claudia’s face heated.

The flattening of Mr. Printz’s lips suggested that he was not amused. “Interesting to note that you’re a fan of Little Richard, Miss Von Plata. Now, if you’d kindly turn your phone off, I have a class to teach.”

She managed to find her phone, but just as soon as it stopped, it started ringing again. Her stomach jittered and sank as she wondered why her aunt would call again unless it was an emergency. As far as Claudia knew, Margot was in good health, but she was well into her eighties, nearing ninety, and on the other side of the country.

Even though Claudia silenced the phone, it continued to ring. She finished gathering up her belongings. “I have to take this,” she muttered then rushed from the classroom.

“Hello?” she said, once in the hallway and safe from Printz’s wrath.

“Claudia, darling,” Aunt Margot’s once strong, clear voice sounded frail.

“Is everything okay?” The jittering in her stomach went still and became heavy.

“Of course, darling. I took a little spill. Nothing too bad. They insisted on taking me to the hospital, but it seems my insurance premium wasn’t paid. The kind nurse here won’t let me go home unless I have someone to see to my care. I don’t want to burden you, but I’m wondering if you can help me put my affairs in order.”

Aunt Margot had never asked Claudia for anything other than for her smile.

“Of course, I’ll be there as soon as possible.” She’d been planning on traveling to Florida during the summer and envisioned working on her project on the lanai of Aunt Margot’s mansion overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. She’d have to get the details from her professor later.

Aunt Margot had always been there for her so she rushed down Oak Street to her apartment, going through a mental list of all she needed to do before she got on the airplane.

At an obscenely early hour the next morning, Claudia emerged from the airport and into a wall of humid Florida air. She smoothed her long dark hair.

There was no time to think about how it was likely frizzy or about the few grays she’d found earlier that week. There were just a few. Three to be exact, she reminded herself as she made her way to the car rental desk. Aunt Margot’s voice floated into her head.

Age is just a number. Right then, exhausted and worried, she struggled with her aunt’s particularly advanced number and how she’d fallen down and was in the hospital. She didn’t want to think about anything happening to her aunt.
An hour after that, Claudia arrived at the hospital to find her aunt fast asleep. She consulted the nurses who informed her Margot was doing just fine, except she’d fractured her hip.

“The week she’s been here has been the most fun we’ve had on this floor in a long time. She is hysterical,” a nurse in lavender scrubs said.

Another nurse piped up. “She has the best stories.”

Claudia smiled with relief. Margot Von Plata did have the best stories. Love stories, especially.

...but sadly, Claudia didn't have any of her own.