Page 42 of Acadia Falls

I wanted Jack to call me and come over. I wanted to make dinner with him and sit out on the porch. I wanted to listen to music, to have him make love to me again, and then fall asleep in his arms.

There was definitely something going on with me. I was not my usual self; I had it, and I had it bad.

I’d been thinking about the strapping fisherman all day, mooning over him like a lovesick teenager. It was not behavior appropriate for a twenty-something—especially not one who’d been hired at a prestigious Manhattan law firm and was currently studying for the New York Bar examination.

And yet, images of Jack had flashed in my mind all day.

“Maran, let’s go!” Alex hollered. “Get changed and wear something warm—it’s going to be windy out on the deck!”

Sighing, I went and got dressed. I chose a crewneck, oatmeal-colored sweater, and some loose-fitting jeans. I put on some blush and mascara, swiping on some eyeliner and lip gloss just in case Mr. Tall, Rugged, and Super Hot decided to go to Tori’s, too.

At the thought, my stomach twisted with nerves. He’d called and texted every day except for today. If he wanted to avoid me, what the hell was I going to do? There weren’t many places to hide on Little Seal Island.

Not that I wanted to hide from him.

But what if he wanted to hide from me?

I glanced at myself in the mirror. I looked good—Jack Brennan had brought some spark to my life, some light to my eyes. My skin looked great. Maybe it’s just the clean ocean air, I chided myself as I left to join Alex.

Nerves bubbling, I half-hoped that was true.

Alex made me drive her dad’s jeep so that she could put on lipstick and fluff her hair on the way to the Lookout. “So, let’s get right to it. What’s it like playing house with Jack Brennan? Is he amazing in bed?”

“Alex!” I rolled my eyes as we bumped over the dirt road. Wild roses bloomed on Tori Blaisdell’s side of the island. Their thorns scratched at the car as the ocean breeze whipped them back and forth.

“I’m guessing he is,” Alex said matter-of-factly. “He’s been doing hard, physical labor his whole life. That’s got to pay off!”

“He does have nice muscles.” I sighed, remembering what he’d looked like the night before as he’d loomed over me in bed.

“It’s what he does with them that counts.” Alex waggled her eyebrows. “And judging by how ah-mazing your complexion looks, he’s doing something right!”

“You’re awful.” But I couldn’t help laughing. “How are you, anyway? Speaking of being awful, you look awfully pretty tonight.”

I eyed my bestie. Her hair was wild and loose, her makeup was flawless, and her white sweater and white jeans showed off her lightly tanned skin.

“Thank you.” Alex primly straightened her shoulders. “I’m doing well. Every day I get further away from what happened, I’m more grateful I never made it down the aisle.”

I patted her hand. “Derek didn’t deserve you. You’re going to meet someone so much better than him.”

She winced as if hearing his name hurt.

“Ugh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Alex frowned. “I guess I’m sort of surprised by myself. It actually hurts, you know? I guess maybe I did love him a little, huh?”

“You guys were together for a long time,” I reminded her. “And even though Derek’s a dick, he wasn’t all bad. You had some good times. But he wasn’t your guy.”

“No, he wasn’t.” But she was still frowning as we pulled down the Lookout’s long gravel drive, the jeep bumping slowly over the rocks. The gorgeous house came into view, its pristine white tower jutting into the sky.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I parked.

“Not really.” Alex shrugged. “I had a plan, and now I have no plan.”

“It’s summer, remember? You don’t have to make big life decisions in summer.”

“That’s good, because I have no clue what I’m doing.” She stared out at the ocean.

“Who does?”