Happy Vacation Fling Release Day!

The One With The Vacation Fling is finally here! This is the third book in the Lost Creek series. Like the first two books, most of the story takes place in the tiny mountain town of Lost Creek. It’s filled with nosy families, meddling book clubs, and friends who become family.

In Vacation Fling we meet Karis, a tired single mother on a solo vacation, and Ben, a high school history teacher reluctantly turned football coach. He’s only on this trip to keep his best friend from doing something he’ll regret, but it changes his life when he meets Karis.

Each book in the series can be read as a standalone, but they are best read in order. The point of the series is to be a steamy, fun, angst-free escape from reality.

I hope you enjoy another trip back to both Lost Creek and Calusa Key! Happy reading!

The One With The Mountain Man Bonus Scene

Jackson

I was always learning something new about my wife. I knew she loved the rain. I knew she got excited by lightning and thunder. I just thought she was a fan of thunderstorms.

Then I experienced Marley in her native habitat and realized that there was a whole part of my wife that I didn't know at all. 

Because I'd never experienced a proper thunderstorm in the dead of summer. It was impossible to know this fundamental part of Marley, this essential strand of DNA, until I did.

All it took was her sister, Elora, getting married at home on Calusa Key.

"Are you sure we aren't going to die?" I asked for the fifth or sixth time. 

"We're fine," Marley laughed.

Laughed! In the middle of a torrential thunderstorm. While we were mostly exposed inside an elementary school baseball dugout. Lightning sizzled the air all around us, raining down like Zeus was seriously pissed at this island for existing. 

I jumped each time thunder rattled the air, which was pretty constantly. It was loud. I covered my ears. I had never experienced anything like this. Lightning lit up the sky in different patterns. One second it arced through the clouds, the next bolts struck the ground, repeating and dazzling my eyes. The thunder was so deep it rattled my chest. I was often reminded that Mother Nature was powerful. 

Never like this.

But Marley just sat there on the bench, her legs swinging as she grinned up at the light show. "Welcome, Jackson. You've finally met my home. She's been polite for you up until now."

I flinched again as lighting streaked across the sky. "So this is the real Florida?"

"Yup. Afternoon thunderstorms are the norm."

"But," I waved a hand at the sky and thought better of it. Best not to tempt Zeus. "This is intense!" I could feel the electricity dancing on my skin.

She shrugged. "Normal. It's," she grabbed my wrist and checked my watch, "4:37pm. Right on time."

I blinked at her several times. "On time?" I yelled. "You knew this was going to happen? Why didn't we go back to the resort earlier?"

She just laughed and shook her head. "Oh Jackson. It can rain at any point in the afternoon. Just depends on the heat and humidity. Maybe the sea breeze that day. What are we supposed to do? Sit at home all day?"

"Yes!"

She patted the bench beside her. The metal bench. "Jackson. Honey. I knew it was about to rain. That's why I pulled us in here. We could have stayed in the car but then you wouldn't get the full experience."

I scowled up at the black clouds. Just before she suggested we pop into the dugout, the sky had been blue. "But how did you know it was going to rain?"

"I'm psychic. The daughter of Poseidon." She rolled her eyes. "How do you know all the stuff you know about the mountains?"

Okay, she had me there. "I grew up with it," I grumbled, knowing she was right and I needed to calm down and let her be my guide for a change.

"Exactly. I could feel the air changing and looked up."

At the clouds? "The sky was blue." 

"No, it was blue over there. It was black behind us."

My mouth opened and closed a few times. "But...that makes no damn sense."

"It's how weather works down here. It can be raining cats and dogs on one side of the street and sunny on the other. It will rain and throw lightning down and rattle the air and twenty minutes later there won't be a cloud in the sky."

I hated how she sounded exactly like me, but saying words that didn't make sense to me. "If you tell me there are a dozen different kinds of rainstorms, I'm out."

"But the lightning is still too close by."

Fuck, did that mean there were a dozen different kinds of rainstorms? "All right, Ranger Marley. You win." I wrapped an arm around her and settled the fuck down. 

She snuggled into my side, wrapping her arms around my waist. "This is a normal afternoon storm. Powerful. Electric. Like a mini hurricane."

It was incredible how you could feel the energy in the air. So much potential in one small area. Like a weather bomb ready to detonate. And then when it did, chaos.

The fronds on the palm trees whipped in the wind and their tall, long trunks waved back and forth. I could barely even see the palmettos through the torrential rain. I hoped all those ospreys Marley pointed out to me were okay up in that nest. 

"There are larger storm systems that aren't quite so powerful and they rain down on us for hours. Sometimes days. And all of that is totally different from the storms you've experienced in the winter. That's our dry season."

Now I understood why Marley said they only had two seasons down here: wet and dry. The temperature changes were negligible. There was no changing of the leaves. No animals leaving for the winter. It was always the same, except for the amount of rain they got. 

"I understand why you're a rain aficionado now." I thought I knew. I was naïve. Uneducated. I felt bad that I hadn't pushed for us to spend more time here in the summer. ODX had taken up so much of my brain space that I had let it consume me. "We should take a vacation here every summer. Not just for a wedding."

She sat up with a frown. "But it's your busiest season."

"And this is part of you. Marley, you're shivering. And it's not because you're cold. It's because that electricity," I pointed at the sky, "is in your blood. You need this time to reconnect with it."

The storm was already moving off, just like she predicted. The lightning wasn't on top of us anymore but she still had a full body reaction when it lit up the sky. Everything about her relaxed when the thunder rolled in. "Maybe you have a point. I love it when it rains all day back home and I can sit on our deck and just be one with it, but I do miss the thunderstorms."

I kissed the top of her head. "It's good for me to take time away from ODX."

"Eric certainly doesn't mind." 

Her brother might love ODX as much as Travis and I did. "Too bad he couldn't take over this week."

"That just gives us an excuse to slip away another time." She   ran her fingers over my stomach and I suddenly wished we were back at our bungalow. 

"I definitely need to take advantage of that more than I do." Sometimes it was hard to separate work from life since my work was what I loved doing. 

Other than being with Marley, of course. 

"Well then I will happily accept an annual dose of proper Florida weather."

I kissed her. Hands in her hair, breasts pushed up against me, hips wiggling to straddle me. "Eric can play around at ODX and annoy Travis."

"Perfect." She took my face in her hands and kissed me deeper. "Do you remember how we celebrated our wedding?"

"You mean how I made sure you could feel me all day long?" I smoothed my hands over her ass and gave it a good, firm squeeze.

"I think it's probably best if we do that again. For luck and all. Elora is going to need it."

Spending a few hours naked with my wife? The things we sacrifice for love. "If we must, we must."

She hopped off my lap, as beautiful as ever, but a little different. More...mischievous. "Take me to bed, Cowboy."

I tipped my invisible hat. "Anytime, anywhere, anyway."

"Jackson," she sighed. 

"Marley," I teased.

She smacked my ass. "Get in the car before I jump you right here."

"I will happily get arrested for indecent exposure if it's what you want." 

She looked up at me, a mix of amused and aroused and annoyed. "I want you in bed. Now."

I picked her up and raced to the waiting car. 

We were only a little late to the wedding. 

©2026 by Alexis Sykes

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Now you’re all caught up for The One With The Vacation Fling out February 6th, 2026! You can preorder now!

The One With The Secret Crushes Bonus Scene

What have Scott and Mackenzie been up to since they fell in love in The One With The Secret Crushes? Find out in this special bonus chapter!

Mackenzie

"He's going to love it no matter what it tastes like," Joanne sighed. "And for the record I think it tastes great!"

I tried not to roll my eyes. Joanne...did not have taste buds. I was convinced of it. She thought everything tasted great! She couldn't tell you if there was vanilla or cinnamon in a pie or if there was too much salt in a sauce. All of it was...

Great!

Which...I suppose was good for her. She wasn't a picky eater. At all. Her only true abomination was the liberal use of hot sauce. Maybe one day she'd find a nice young gentleman who equally didn't care about the taste of food.

But it mattered to me because Scott loved food. He made it for everyone. And while he said my baking was exactly what he needed, it didn't feel like enough. 

So I had made it my mission to learn how to cook the best chicken pot pie in the world. Or at least the most comforting. I tried Aunt Sharon's recipe but it was too heavy. Maeve's was too watery. Aviana's was too healthy. 

Who puts zucchini in a chicken pot pie "for more nutrients?"

Monsters. 

And honestly, I was still shocked Maeve's recipe failed me. Usually she had the best dishes at the potlucks. Cooking for all her kids over the years made her a seasoned pro at comfort foods. 

But alas, I'd fallen back on a recipe from one of my college friends. Her mother always made us a big tray and left it in the freezer for emergencies. She happily emailed me the recipe and a few tricks and variations. 

Apparently I'd gone a little too crazy because this tasted like the ingredients were fighting with each other. 

"I'm giving it one more shot."

"Suit yourself," Joanne shrugged as she slid the casserole dish in front of her and dug in. 

"You can't eat an entire pot pie."

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Watch me. I'm on my period and I've had a shit week. If I want to gorge myself on pot pie, I will gorge myself on pot pie."

"How was your week bad?" We worked together, nearly side-by-side, day in and day out. Nothing terrible had happened.

She kept shoveling huge forkfuls of creamy chicken and vegetables into her mouth while staring at the dish.

"Joanne?"

She sighed and set the fork aside. "Noah bailed on our movie meetup."

The ex she was totally, not at all, seeing again. I wasn't fully onboard with her letting him back into her life but I wasn't against it either. They were high schoolers when their relationship blew up and it was a very long time ago. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

But not if he was already letting her down again. "Did something come up?"

She shrugged again. "Technically yes. He was leading a crew up to the Tuckaway Creek Dam and they got stuck in a storm. He didn't make it back in time."

I stared at my friend. Was she seriously moping around because he got stuck on a mountain by Mother Nature?

"Don't look at me like that. I know I sound insane! It's the hormones!" She dug back into her pie. "I was really looking forward to seeing him. We haven't gotten to spend a lot of time together one-on-one. It's all texts and emails and phone calls."

"It's understandable to be disappointed. But you might want to watch how you describe Noah's behavior."

She glared at me. "I'm not mad at him for doing his job. I'm just being selfish and complaining to the only person not giving me a hard time for being friends with him again."

I started assembling yet another chicken pot pie while she vented about her brother being overbearing and an odd encounter Noah apparently had with Red. I made the roux, defrosted another bag of peas and carrots, opened the can of diced potatoes. When the chicken was done cooking I diced it up as well. I refrained from adding extra spices and ingredients from the optional list and kept it simple and creamy. 

"So do you have plans to see this movie another day?"

She chewed on her lower lip. "If I tell you the truth will you be nice about it?"

I abandoned the pre-made pie crust. "Joanne, I'm going to trust you. And you're going to trust me. If I see a red flag, I'm going to shout about it and you're going to listen. Until I see said flag, I'm following you." Because damn it, that's what friends do. Joanne was a fully grown adult woman who was more than capable of deciding if a man was worth her time without the collective input of the town.

Especially not her brother.

"I'm going to his place tomorrow night for dinner and a movie. In. We're staying in."

"And are you hoping this leads to romantic feelings being rekindled?" I went back to my crust and began sealing the pie. 

"Honestly? I'm not sure that what we had in high school was all that romantic. We were best friends who were exploring growing up with each other. He was safe."

"Until he wondered what it felt like to kiss a different girl."

"Mack."

I shrugged. "I'm not faulting him for being curious. My only complaint is that he disrespected you in the process."

"And he's paid that fine many times over. He couldn't even come home and visit his mother without having to avoid Travis."

Joanne was very close to strangling her brother with her bare hands if he didn't back off. Luckily he'd been a whole lot more distracted recently. 

If I was being honest, watching Travis Montgomery get eaten for breakfast day in and day out was my new favorite pastime. 

"So you're friends again and it's as good as before?"

Joanne actually pushed the casserole aside and leaned on the counter. "I love you, Mack. I've always been able to tell you anything. You're my ride or die. But there's always been something a little deeper with Noah. It's still there. It might even be deeper than before." Her cheeks pinked up. 

I carefully placed my final attempt at a chicken pot pie in the oven. "I understand that. Scott and I have always been that way. It's good having different kinds of friendships and intimacy."

"That's the thing. We kissed and cuddled but it was never more physical than that. But now? I want to chain him to a bed."

"So tonight you figure out if he feels the same way. Good luck."

"Thanks. I think this is the way it will always be with Noah. We're too much when we're together. It's either perfect or a disaster."

I thought about how easily I loved Scott. We were intense, but not in that way. "Maybe you two find the extremes because you've never had a chance to settle into a comfortable middle as adults."

"Maybe." She didn't breathe another word about Noah because Lucy joined us and as much as Joanne didn't talk about Noah around Travis, she was even more tight-lipped around her sister.

But thank goodness she was here. Lucy had a much more discerning palette and I could actually trust her feedback. 

She wrinkled her nose. "Oh, no. That has way too much... what is that? Parsley?"

I grimaced. "Yep."

Lucy took another forkful and chewed slowly. "Too much garlic, way too much chicken, not enough salt. I feel like I'm working to eat this."

Joanne made a face. "Y'all are way too picky. This pie is delicious."

Lucy just shook her head, then traded a look of confusion with me. "So the next batch is different?"

"All those things you just listed are corrected, plus a couple others. I want this to feel like a hug. Scott deserves a hug!"

"You two are adorable," she snickered, pulling her phone out of her pocket to check a message. She grinned and laughed quietly to herself as her fingers flew over the keyboard. 

Joanne's eyes pinged from her sister to me and back again. "Who the hell are you texting?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and tucked the phone back in her pocket. "War. He sent me a picture from the Mantas game. He's beet red and drenched in sweat from head to toe. Apparently it's hot in Atlanta."

Warwick Bratkowski was a Lost Creek local who worked as a sports journalist. He traveled all over the country and sometimes the world. "It's nice you two are still friends. I haven't seen him in years."

"He hasn't been in Lost Creek in at least three or four years. He's too busy being important and winning awards for his amazing talent." She waved her hand through the air. "Every once in a blue moon we'll be in the same city and grab a dinner or a drink depending on how much time we have."

I swear Lucy only came back because of how close she was to her family. Otherwise she'd be just like War...or me until recently...traveling the world and having a great time. 

I brought out the wine and we enjoyed catching up until the oven timer dinged and it was time for the moment of truth.

We all waited impatiently as the steaming slice of pot pie cooled on the plate. "Why am I nervous?"

Lucy nudged my shoulder with hers. "Because you love him."

I really, really did. Scott made me feel alive again and I just wanted him to know, to understand, that he was the most special person in the whole world. 

"Let's do this." Joanne dove in first. 

Lucy and I followed. The creamy combination of crust, chicken, vegetables, and roux burst on my tongue and I let out a low moan that matched Lucy's. 

"Huh," Joanne frowned at the plate. "You're right. This one is better."

"It's amazing!" Lucy immediately dove back in for another bite. "Everything blends together. It's more than a hug. It's a cuddle."

I took another bite, then another, sighing with relief. My tummy was happy and there had to be some sort of chemical being released into my brain because I felt more relaxed. "This is it."

"What is it?" Scott's voice echoed off the kitchen cabinets. "And what have you done to my kitchen, woman?"

Joanne and Lucy both stuffed their faces and then grabbed their bags, scurrying away. "Have a nice night!" One of them said with a full mouth before the door swung shut.

And I was alone with a scowling Scott Shaw.

"Ignore the mess behind the curtain," I said like we were in The Wizard of Oz.

He put his hands on his hips. Scott looked like he usually did. Ball cap on his head, hair curling around the edges, t-shirt, flannel, jeans, and boots. His scruff had become an impressive beard. "It's kind of hard to ignore the twenty dirty bowls, overflowing trashcan, and full sink, Mackenzie."

"You're home early. I was going to have all of this sparkling clean and the table set."

He quirked an eyebrow. "And I assume put on some clean clothes?"

I glanced down at the cream, flour, and grease splatters all over my shirt and shorts. "Uh, yes. Most definitely."

"Well, too bad. I missed the fuck out of you. Now what is going on?"

I tried to smooth my hair. "Why don't you go take a shower while I get everything ready."

"Are you breaking up with me?"

I jerked back in surprise. "What? No!"

"Then why all the fuss?" He waved all around the kitchen.

He really was making this difficult. 

"Fine, we'll do this the messy way. Go sit down, Scott Shaw."

He kept giving me confused, curious looks, but he took his ass to the table and waited while I set out our food and drinks. The table wasn't nearly as fancy as I'd planned it in my head, but the pot pie was still steaming hot, so there was that. 

I placed his bowl in front of him. "Tah-dah!"

He glanced at the food and then up at me. "You made me dinner?"

This man. I loved him. Loved him so much. But damn he could be ornery. "I made you something I hope you love. Something you enjoy."

"But...why?"

I dropped into my seat. "Why does any woman in love do anything for the man she loves? Because I wanted you to feel special."

He looked back at the food, then at the kitchen, then at me. "I don't understand."

"Forget about the stupid kitchen! I'll clean it up. Scott, you make all of us food to make us happy. This is me returning the favor."

He stared at me stunned. Like the very idea someone would cook for him just to make him happy was such a wild idea that it was unthinkable. He never batted an eye when I baked cookies or cakes. He accepted them without question. 

But this was different. Or at least I hoped it would be.

"You...made me dinner?"

"Yes, Scott. I made you dinner. It took me four recipes and an ungodly amount of cream and broth, but I wanted to find the perfect recipe for you."

He picked up his fork and took a bite without another moment of hesitation. His eyes rounded. "Fuck, Mackenzie. This is good."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it."

"No, seriously." He moaned around a second forkful. "Damn, woman. I should let you make dinner more often."

I smiled a little more at that. 

"This is like a drug. I think I might be a little high. What did you put in this?"

I walked him through the final recipe and why I chose simple, premade ingredients for parts of it and not others. When I ate my last bite he pulled me into his lap. "I feel like the king of the world. Thank you."

I kissed him. Slow and tender. "You're welcome. I love you a whole lot."

"I love you a whole lot. This kitchen, on the other hand, needs some work."

I ran my fingers over his skin as I shook my head. "And I told you I would take care of it."

"That doesn't work for me." He lowered his chin to glower at me, his eyes growing darker. "I think I should help. In fact, I think you should sit pretty and watch me do it all while I make you come. The longer it takes me to get the kitchen clean, the longer I have to keep you aroused." He stood up with me in his arms and marched me over the edge of the table that faced the kitchen. Then he began removing my clothes.

"You don't have to do this! We can clean it up real quick and then go upstairs. Where we have a bed."

He wrapped his lips around a nipple and sucked until it popped free. "Now where is the fun in that, Mackenzie? Sit here with those legs spread. I'll be back as soon as I get that sink emptied. Be prepared. This might take all night."

"Will this be my usual reward for making dinner?" I was not going to complain if it was. 

He took my face in his hands, smiling down at me. "This is your reward for being mine. For loving me. For making me feel twenty feet tall. I love you, Mackenzie. And I love having fun with you."

I might just vibrate out of my skin. "Well then. I guess we should have some fun."

"You bet your ass we will. For the rest of our lives." He winked, kissed me, and then spent the next few hours cleaning and taking care of me.

The One With The Secret Crushes Bonus Scene

© 2026 by Alexis Sykes

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I hope you enjoyed diving back into the world of Lost Creek and The One With The Secret Crushes! Book three in the series releases February 6th, 2026! You can preorder The One With The Vacation Fling now!

Check out all of the books in the Lost Creek series here!

TBR July 2025

Here’s whats’s on my TBR for the month of July! (Spoiler: it’s all books I’ve been saving to savor at the right time!)

The Worst Guy by Kate Caterbary

I’ve been holding onto this one for In Case Of Emergency and boy am I glad I did! It’s exactly what I need and I’m enjoying reading every page!

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

I know what you’re all thinking: Alexis, how have you not read this yet??

Look, The Hunger Games are very, very special to me. It’s like religion. I read them when the sacred timeline says I read them.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

You’re probably thinking the same thing. Alexis, why haven’t you read this book yet? You love Andy Weir!

Again, I love his books so much that I want to read them when I’m in a great place to read them. I’ve saved all of these books for emergencies and this month is the month they’re getting read!

Quiet Longing by L.H. Cosway

L.H. Cosway books are special treats for me. There’s a quietness to their writing style that is just so cozy and romantic. I loved the first book in this series and am excited to read this book too!

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What’s on your list for the month? What did you read and enjoy last month?? Give me recs to add to my August list!