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“Would you like to take a walk on the beach?”
She didn’t hesitate for a moment. Anything to extend this wonderful evening with an exciting man. “I’d love to.”
Chapter Four
JAKE BLEW OUT a breath and extended his hand for Erin to proceed down the stairs to the beach. He wanted to hold her hand and discover what she’d been rubbing on her wrist all throughout dinner, but it was too soon. He’d be happy just to spend this time with her, to continue to peel back the layers of what made her tick.
She stopped at the bottom, pulling her shoes off her feet.
“Sorry. I didn’t think about your shoes.”
“It’s no problem. They probably weren’t the best choice for happy hour, either. It’s not like I haven’t done this before. Shoot, they should probably have a shoe rack with my name on it for the number of times I’m made a last-minute decision to take a walk down the sand.”
His heart fluttered for a moment and then settled into a steady, rapid rhythm. Every minute he was spending with Erin had him liking her more and more. When she returned to his side, he guided her to the firmer sand at the water’s edge.
Other than a few birds walking in the surf, they were alone.
The brightness of the full moon cast a long white glow along the water that trailed out to the horizon. They stood side-by-side for a moment, staring out at the water. He would never tire of this view, the peacefulness of the beach, the water lapping at the sand in a steady rhythm. A view that had been spoiled by his proposal to Lindsay… and her rejection. She’d spat her response at him, saying she could never live in such a boring town.
He shook his head. There was no way he was going to let Lindsay ruin tonight. She was gone, out of his life. He was here with a beautiful woman, inside and out, who looked at him with awe and wonder.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, her brow furrowed and her eyes concerned.
“Yeah, sorry. I got distracted for a moment.”
Together, they strolled down the beach toward the cliffs. He drew in a deep breath, the sweet floral scent of her hair mixed with the salty beach air filling his senses. The sounds and lights from the restaurants and shops interrupted the quiet from time to time, cutting bright slices of light on the otherwise dark sand. Once in a while, they would pass another couple, but kept going until the lights grew further apart and the darkness surrounded them.
They walked for a long time, talking about nothing and everything. Her voice rang with joy when she talked about getting her degree, and sadness laced her words when she spoke about her family. She had taken on so much so young, and he admired her. She was committed to her family. Something that was important to him, too. And his first priority when looking for a woman to let into his life.
He wanted her to know about his dreams for the future. About his desire for a wife and family. About how he thought Lindsay had crushed that dream but meeting Erin had him imagining a future he thought out of his reach. He opened his mouth but closed it again as they approached an outcropping of rocks at the base of the large, majestic cliffs jutting out into the ocean. This was the end of the walk. But he wasn’t ready to go back. He wasn’t ready for his night with Erin to end.
The sound of laughing voices wafted on the wind. As much as he enjoyed this time with Erin, he should really es
cort her back to her car.
Their return trip took about half the time. She rested her hand on his arm. “What’s wrong, Jake?”
He stopped walking. “Nothing’s wrong. I think I just got lost in my own thoughts. This has been a really great night and I hate that it has to end. I’m trying to find a way to extend our time together.”
Her mouth opened into an O, a shocked look on her face.
He refused to be anything other than completely honest with Erin. There was no sense hiding his feelings. He’d learned first-hand how felt if someone was dishonest. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to your car.”
They stopped at the steps and Erin retrieved her shoes. She started up the stairs but stopped on the first step and turned back to him. With her up a step, he could look her straight in the eye. She leaned close and whispered. “This has been a great night for me, too.”
Chapter Five
ERIN FLOATED ON a cloud during the entire trip home to her house in the canyon. She pulled in her driveway but didn’t immediately get out of the car. She instead stared at the house she’d lived in her entire life. The grass was trimmed but the flower beds sat unkempt—she was too busy and her father didn’t care. She’d tried to maintain the gardens that her mother had tended for most of her life, but taking care of her sister and her father, as well as going to school and holding down a job took all of her time. Something had to give.
How could she leave when there was so much undone? Dad still barely took care of himself and Melissa may be eighteen but she hadn’t shown any initiative or motivation to demonstrate her independence. Why would she when Erin had been doing it for the past ten years?
Maybe she couldn’t leave now after all.
But was the prospect of a potential relationship clouding her judgement? Her day started like every other day had for the past ten years. Get up early, make sure Melissa was ready for school, make sure Dad ate, go to work. Who knew that a simple trip to happy hour with friends would end like it did? She had only spent a few hours with Jake but it felt like months.
And only seconds.
She had wanted to stretch out their time together. She loved listening to his deep voice, hearing his laughter. He was mature but didn’t take life too seriously. And he hadn’t made it a secret that he wanted to spend time with her.
