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Her smile stretched wide across her face as she gazed at me with beautiful blue eyes. Anyone would be drawn to her beauty; unfortunately for me, it ended up being Jensen.
“You look amazing, by the way,” she said. “I was going to come to the funeral but had a doctor’s appointment.” She put her hands on her stomach. “I found out I’m having a boy.”
The envy I felt stabbed at my gut—I wanted to be happy for her and Jensen, yet I couldn’t help but be envious of their joy.
“Congratulations,” I said sincerely. “I can’t imagine the excitement you must be feeling.”
She beamed. “It’s unreal, let me tell you.” Her gaze drifted to my hands as if looking for a wedding ring. “How have things been going for you? I heard you’re a big-time surgeon now.”
I scoffed, forcing out an awkward laugh. “I wouldn’t say that. But Boston has been good to me. I like it there.”
She bit her lip, her expression now filled with inquisition. “Are you married?”
Laughing again, I shook my head from side to side and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “Nowhere close to it. Sadly, I haven’t had much time to date.”
Michelle frowned and stepped closer. “That’s not good. How long are you staying in town for?”
I shrugged, feeling a surge of emotion at the thought of leaving this place that felt so familiar, yet distant at the same time.
“Not sure yet. I have some big decisions to make about my grandmother’s house. Luckily, I have two months to figure it out.”
Her face lit up with excitement, her freckles becoming more visible than before. “Hey, that’s two months you can stay here. It’ll give you time to catch up with old friends. I’m sure Jensen would love to see you again.”
The breath hitched in my lungs, and my stomach dropped as images of Jensen flooded my mind—our special moments together, his warm embrace, his infectious smile . . . If Jensen had told her what happened between us, I highly doubt she’d want me around her husband.
“We’ll see,” was all I could say. “But it was good talking to you. I’m sure I’ll see you around town again.”
She tilted her head back and laughed. “I have no doubt.” She pointed at the candy store behind us. “I’m always here stocking up on chocolate cake pops. I’ve been craving them like crazy.”
We said our goodbyes, and she waved at me before disappearing into the shop. Seeing her made me really think about Jensen. Would hewantto see me after I threw away our relationship? Either way, I had no doubt I would see him at some point when he made it back on land. I just had to be ready for it.
6
EVERLEIGH
The sound of birds chirping outside my window was peaceful, but I had to turn away from the sun beaming in through the blinds. With a groan, I opened my eyes and focused on my cornflower-colored walls. All the bedrooms in the house were different shades of blue; it was what my grandmother wanted. Thinking of her brought a smile to my face. She always had a way of making things magical for me.
I looked up at the light blue canopy above me, remembering how I used to feel like a princess sleeping underneath it.
Tossing the covers to the side, I slid out of bed and my muscles ached. To keep my mind off Jensen, I spent all night cleaning my grandmother’s house, except her bedroom and the library. There were too many books to dust, so I put that off until today.
I used every ounce of strength I had to scrub the floors and make sure there was no speck of dust anywhere. But, even though the house was mine now, I couldn’t bring myself to claim it. It would always and forever be my grandmother’s; everything in it belonged to her.
My stomach started to growl, so I rummaged through my suitcase until I found a pair of shorts and one of my college T-shirts. Once dressed, I stopped in my doorway and glanced down the hall at my grandmother’s room where the door was still shut. Even my mother hasn’t wanted to go in there yet. The only person
With a heavy sigh, I made my way into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. It was full of food, so I grabbed the carton of eggs and bacon before setting out some pans to prepare breakfast. I grabbed a couple of slices of bacon from the package, laid them into one of the pans, and then cracked an egg on the other. I remembered when my grandmother used to make her eggs—sunny side up so she could mix them into her grits—but I preferred mine scrambled until they were dry as toast. She’d always let me bust the yolks of hers, though.
Once everything was cooked, I poured myself a glass of orange juice, piled everything up on my plate, and grabbed a blueberry muffin that one of my grandmother’s friends had made for me.
The counter was packed with muffins, cookies, Georgia’s pecan pie, and two pound cakes—one lemon and the other chocolate. There was no way I could eat it all.
I sat down at the kitchen table and peered out at the ocean. The water sparkled against the sun, beckoning me to take a swim. I had yet to get into the sea since being back.
As I ate my breakfast, my thoughts drifted to yesterday. It felt good to spend time in town, but I couldn’t stop thinking of Jensen, especially after seeing Michelle. I even dreamed of him last night, which didn’t help matters. The dream was so vivid it almost felt like reality. I was with Jensen in an exotic bedroom; it was like the you’d find in one of those bungalows in the Maldives. He had a look of desire in his eyes as he stared at me, and I felt myself getting lost in them. His warm breath tickled my neck as he whispered my name. But just as things were getting heated, I woke up.
What am I going to say when I see him again? Maybe I could avoid him for the next two months. That was wishful thinking. With how close he was to my family, I highly doubted that was even possible. Still, I could try.
Once I finished tidying up the kitchen, I grabbed a duster and the furniture spray before going into the library. My grandmother had replaced Aunt Sandy’s bed with a heavy mahogany desk that dominated most of the room while custom-made bookshelves filled with hundreds of romance novels spanned along the walls. Of course, a few of my old medical textbooks were also mixed in.
