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When I pulled into the driveway and raced up the stairs to the back deck, Nyla was sitting in my grandmother’s red rocking chair, her auburn hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she was wearing a bathing suit underneath a white lacy cover-up.
She jumped up and grinned excitedly. “Good. You’re here,” she said, hurrying to the door. She opened it and waved for me to come with her. I shut the door behind me and followed her down the hall to the library.
“I don’t know how or why, but I got curious and wanted to look at your grandmother’s books.”
Nyla and I stepped into the library, and my eyes darted to a book sitting on the desk—a beach romance novel titledOne Dayby Ellen Thomas. Its cover boasted bright colors with a couple standing on the shoreline. I set my purse down on the desk and Nyla gestured for me to open the book. Tucked between the pages was an old photo—slightly faded with bent edges. The quality wasn’t perfect, but there was no mistaking the young blonde-haired woman in the picture. She beamed joyfully, her cheeks flushed, and soft laughter danced in her eyes. Beside her, a man with dark hair had his arm around her shoulders, and they were sitting on a bench surrounded by bushes and flowers with a canopy of Spanish moss above them. Unfortunately, the guy’s face was blurry; I couldn’t make out who he was.
Nyla glanced at me questioningly. “Is that your grandfather?”
I shook my head sadly, feeling a pang of grief for my granddad. “No, he had dirty blond hair. This has to be T.”
Nyla reached for the photo, and I let her take it. “Do you think we should look throughallof the books? If she hid a picture in one, there are hundreds of others she could’ve done the same with.”
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly, raking my gaze along the shelves. “Yes,” I answered. “Let’s do it today.”
I hadn’t thought to look through them all, but it was probably for the best. I was determined to find everything I could. The picture wasn’t enough to identify who T was. Maybe he was still alive? If I could identify him, then I could find him. He was the only one with the answers to my grandmother’s mysterious past.
Nyla started on one end of the bookshelves and I went to the other, grabbing one book at a time and flipping through it. I’d only gotten through three novels when my phone beeped with an incoming text. I went back to the desk and rummaged through my purse until I found it.
Jensen: Think you can meet me on the pier tonight at 7?
Nyla glancedover at me and smiled, clearly knowing it was Jensen. “Do you mind if I meet Jensen tonight?” I asked her.
Nyla snorted and continued to look through the books. “I already told you, I don’t plan on being up your ass. I wish you knew how relaxing it was just to listen to the waves today.” When she turned to me, there was nothing but a genuine look on her face. “Seriously, Everleigh. If you and Jensen can see each other every day, then do it. It’s clear you two had an amazing night from all the glowing you’re doing right now,” she said, waving a hand at my body. “You better believe if I found someone like him, I wouldn’t be letting go.” She pointed at my phone. “Now text him back. One day, though, I’d love to hang out with him.”
I nodded. “You got it.”
Grinning, I texted him back.
Me: I’ll be there.
22
JENSEN
As soon as Everleigh left, I stripped off my clothes and jumped into the shower. The hot water soothed me, and I lingered until it ran cold. Then, I dried off and pulled on a pair of shorts and an old T-shirt before heading to the hospital.
When I arrived, Trisha was asleep in the bed and Seth was slumped down in a chair beside her. Little Amelia was being monitored in the nursery so Trisha could rest. Once Seth found the energy to get up, we went down to the elevators and outside the building into the brisk air. His usually spiky hair lay flat against his head, and he stifled some yawns.
“It won’t take long,” I promised him with a smile. “I know you’re exhausted.”
We crossed a grassy courtyard with benches surrounding a bubbling fountain. Seth tiredly took a seat and gestured for me to join him, but I didn’t want to sit.
He grinned up at me. “Now, what do you want to talk about?”
After last night with Everleigh, I felt a new rush of emotions within me. At first, I had wanted to take things slow, but each passing day reminded me just how much time we had wasted already. She needed to know everything, that I was all in, no matter what it cost me.
Taking a deep breath, I looked into Seth’s eyes and sighed. “I want to tell Everleigh how I feel—no more hiding or holding back anything. But what if it scares her away?”
Seth waved away my doubts with a chuckle. “You’re past all of that now, buddy. Just say what you mean and get it out there. You’re not getting any younger; you need to make your move.”
“Thanks,” I laughed. “Great way to make me feel ancient.”
Seth chuckled. “We’re thirty-four, man. I’m right there with you. Most people we graduated with have been married for years with two or more kids already.”
That was the truth. We both got started a little later in life, me more than anyone. It was hard to take that next step when the woman you wanted to be with lived almost a thousand miles away.
Smiling, I held out my hand to help Seth up. “Thanks for the advice. Everleigh’s meeting me on the pier tonight. I’ll tell her everything there.”
