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“I’m not Googling him.” Caitie’s voice was firm. She also wasn’t planning on telling any of them she’d seen ‘Brant’ less than a month ago. “You’re both right, it’s weird and stupid and I’m over it, okay?”
“You are?” Harper sounded sceptical.
“Yep. It was just a childish thing.” Caitie shook her head. “Let’s not ever mention it again.”
“So if you’re not obsessed with Brant, that means you’re open to other relationships?” Kristi asked.
“Um.. yeah?” Caitie didn’t like where this was going.
“Great. Now prove it.”
“What?” Caitie blinked.
“If you’re not hung up on this guy you kissed once thirteen years ago, then go on a date with Damon.” Kristi shrugged. “As you said, he’s a nice guy.”
Caitie shifted her gaze over to the bar area. Damon was still there, talking to Trent. He really was very good looking. A little hipsterish, maybe, but Caitie didn’t mind that. And any time she’d spent with him had been kind of…nice. If nice was what floated your boat.
“Yes!” Harper said, high-fiving Kristi. “You definitely need to go out with Damon.”
“You want me to go out with him now?” Caitie’s eyes widened.
Harper shook her head. “No, you should arrange a proper date. One with dinner, conversation, and maybe even some laughter.” Harper’s expression softened. “You deserve to be happy, in your love life as well as in your work.”
“That’s so sweet,” Kristi said, raising her glass to Harper and Caitie. “You really should give him a chance. Look what happened when I agreed to date Trent against my better judgment. I thought it wouldn’t last an hour, and we’ve been together for two years.”
“Maybe.” Caitie sighed. “It’s easier to bury myself in business. It’s fulfilling when you’re good at something, and I’m useless at dating.”
“You should give it more time. It takes practice and perseverance. For every ten frogs you might find one prince. But when you finally find your prince, it’ll be worth it.” Kristi smiled and looked over at Trent.
Caitie looked around the bar. “I don’t think there are many princes in Manhattan.”
“True story. But there’s Damon, and right now he’ll have to do.” Harper grinned.
They were right and Caitie knew they were. Building her business had taught her that if you wanted something you had to work hard at it, throw yourself all in, and not wait for success to come knocking at your door. Strange how she couldn’t transfer that belief to her personal life. For so long she’d held herself back, afraid to get hurt, and more afraid she might bare her soul to someone who didn’t treat it the way they should. If she was really honest with herself, she’d also been dreaming about Breck for too long.
If nothing else, her trip to Angel Sands had shown her what a pipe dream it was. As friendly as he’d been, and as gorgeous as he still was, Breck had shown no interest in her as anything more than his friend’s kid sister. And he was right not to. They had nothing in common. They lived on different sides of the country. He loved everything to do with the sea, and couldn’t get his head around her aversion to it. He would end up with someone like Rachel, an outdoorsy, All-Californian type of girl, who would match him wave for wave. Then one day they’d have beautiful babies who loved to swim in the sea, and spent their time getting covered in sand.
And he deserved it, he really did. Caitie could never give him that, not even if he did happen to show the slightest interest in her. Which he didn’t.
“Okay,” she said, handing her empty wine glass to Harper. “Wish me luck, I’m going over to talk to him.”
“You are?” Harper’s eyebrows were almost meeting her hairline. “Seriously?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Seeing is believing. And you can watch me as I go and ask Damon out for dinner.” Caitie looked at Harper through narrowed eyes. “But if he turns me down, you’re a dead woman.”
Harper grinned. “He won’t turn you down. That man’s got the hots for you.”
As usual, Harper was absolutely right.
9
“It’s going to be magnificent.” David Miller shaded his eyes as he looked up at the crumbling façade of the Silver Sands Resort. The sprawling beachfront buildings stretched across half an acre. In its prime it had been more than magnificent. With white-stuccoed walls and red tiled roofs, the Silver Sands Resort used to attract the rich and famous, luring them south from L.A. for a week of relaxation. Now, almost a century after it was built, it was taking millions of dollars and a whole lot of manpower to restore it to its former glory. When Breck had first arrived it had been tired, abandoned, and waiting for somebody to show it some love. That’s where Miller Construction came in.
“It will,” Breck agreed. “In fact it already is.” The redevelopment had been difficult. Each stage of the rebuild was being closely monitored by the Angel Sands Historical Society, as Miller Construction and the zoning committee had agreed. Though Breck was good with people – and was an expert at managing stakeholders – it still felt uncomfortable to be doing this job with half the town breathing down his back.
