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He smiled and held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Nyla. Welcome to Oak Island.”
Nyla shook his hand, grinning back at him. “Thanks. It’s great meeting you, too. I like having a face to go with the name. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Jensen smirked and cut his grayish-blue eyes at me. “Oh yeah? What did you hear?” he asked her, but still kept his focus on me.
Jokingly, I waved him off. “Just that you’re annoying, as usual.”
I smiled and he laughed, the sound warming my heart. “I’m working on that,” he replied, giving me a wink.
Butterflies danced in my stomach, so I nudged Nyla forward, hoping Jensen couldn’t see how flustered he made me. “Nyla and I are walking to the pier. We’ll be back in a few.”
His eyes never left mine; there was so much intensity in them. “Have fun. I’ll be right here.”
A sense of comfort warmed my soul at hearing him say that. I liked knowing he was close by; it reminded me of old times when we were growing up. Luckily, Nyla didn’t say anything until we got far enough down the walkway from Jensen to where he couldn’t hear.
“You two grew up together, right?” she questioned.
My feet sunk into the sand, and I walked toward the water. “We were always together,” I replied, looking over at her. “When I reflect on those times, it’s almost like it was all a dream. We were so different back then.”
Nyla smiled. “That’s because you’ve grown up. Things happen and people change.” Then, a hint of sadness took over her face. “I wish I kept in touch with some of my childhood friends. We all went our separate ways after high school. I was literally friendless until I met you.”
I snorted. “That’s because you work twenty-four seven.”
She shrugged. “I had to do something to get over my divorce.”
“And now?” I wondered. “With being here and taking a break, do you think you’ll slow down?”
Her grin came back. “I think I should be askingyouthat question. You look absolutely radiant out here. It’s like a light’s flipped on inside of you.” She hooked her arm with mine. “I really like it. It makes me want to find that kind of happiness. Whether it’s being here in this place or finally being around Jensen, I think you need to hold onto whatever’s making this change in you.”
That was easier said than done. Being here in Oak Island made me happy, but my livelihood and career were in Boston. I couldn’t just leave it. I kept my focus on the pier; we were almost there. The water lapped at my feet and sloshed up, soaking my legs.
“So, are you saying I should leave Boston?”
I could see Nyla glance over at me from the corner of my eye. “That is a question only you can answer, Everleigh. However, I will say that you don’t even look like the same woman I last saw a few weeks ago.” I turned to her, and she smiled. “I’m envious of you,” she confessed in all seriousness. “I’m honestly thinking of changing things inmylife. The first step was taking a vacation and coming down here. It’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time.” Her eyes watered. “I have you to thank for that. You’re the one who lit the fire under my ass. I just know this summer is going to fly by, and then it’s back to the craziness.”
“When you say ‘changing things’,” I asked, “What exactly do you mean?”
Nyla averted her gaze and focused straight ahead. “I think Idowant a slower pace of life, Everleigh. I’ve worked sixty-hour weeks ever since I became a doctor. I feel like I’ve missed out on so much. I mean, hell, I lost my husband over it.” She sighed sadly. “I still love him and there are days I want to rip out my heart because I feel miserable. I know we can’t leave everything to fate, but I do wonder if Mileswasthe true love of my life, and I was too busy to see what was right in front of me.”
It sounded exactly like Jensen and me. Did fate bring him back into my life? The world worked in mysterious ways, and I knew I would never fully understand it. Living life one day at a time was all I could do. I squeezed Nyla’s arm, and she looked over at me.
“If Miles is the one you’re supposed to be with, you’ll find your way back to each other. If not, you’ll find happiness again. Now that you’rehere,” I said, flourishing my arm toward the ocean, “maybe things will be different. You can go out and meet people, actually have time to see what’s around you.”
Nyla beamed with excitement. “You know what, you’re right. And who knows . . . I might just meet that special someone down here.” The closer we got to the pier, the more people were around. Her gaze roamed over several men and she smiled. “Well, if I don’t meet Mr. Right, it’d be nice to meet a Mr. Right Now. It’s been a very long time, if you know what I mean.”
She winked at me, and I snorted with amusement; it had been a couple of years since I’d been intimate with a man.
“Yes, I do.”
We finally made it to the pier and were almost at the end, watching everyone fishing from the sides. One person caught a small shark and tossed it back, while others had coolers full of king mackerels, red drums, and many others.
As we got closer to the end of the pier, I noticed someone I recognized. She was sitting in a blue portable rocking chair and eating a chocolate cake pop. A man was close by her, casting a line into the water; it had to be her husband.
“Do you see someone you know?” Nyla asked.
I nodded toward Michelle. “That’s Jensen’s ex-fiancé, the one I thought was pregnant with his baby and married to him.”
Nyla snickered. “Hey, I don’t blame the guy for tricking you. It got you to admit your feelings.”
