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I promised myself moving back to Seashell Cove would be a fresh start. I wouldn't slip into old relationship patterns and risk more heartbreak. But the way Ryker looked at me on the beach shot my defenses to hell, and his kiss unleashed a hunger I thought burned out years ago.
Which only meant I had to be extra vigilant moving forward. We had a job to do, and lingering teenage fantasies would only complicate things. The chime of a text notification jolted me from my thoughts. A second chimed, then a third.
Ryker.
My guard snapped up as I read his messages, heart leaping into my throat.
Time for coffee?
Sandy Sips Café, 11am
3489 Sea Foam Ln
Curiosity piqued, I envisioned a stilted business meeting to finalize shoot details, nothing more.
Still, a tiny part of me clung to a fragile hope we might address what happened on the beach. That kiss threw me for a loop, and stoked the undeniable magnetism that still pulled me toward Ryker.
I could talk stern to myself all I wanted, but a deeper part of me, a part I was trying desperately to ignore, knew that whatever was happening between us, I had very little control over.
Glancing at the time on my phone, I grimaced. 10am. Just enough time to change into something more appropriate. I chose a professional-looking blazer and slacks and twisted my unruly waves into a clipped updo.
I didn’t have time to flat-iron them into submission, but I needed every bit of self-composed armor I could muster to steel myself againstkissing his face offseeing him again.
* * *
I foundthe cafe he suggested and stepped inside, my gaze taking in the intimate setting. I swallowed past a lump in my throat the size of a horny toad.
Maybe itwasa horny toad.
Glancing around the room, I saw Ryker wave a hand at me. Hesitantly, I slid into the cozy booth across from him, clutching my small purse like a shield.
His shadowed jaw was taut, gray eyes unreadable. The chilly facade of Mister Billionaire CEO Bachelor firmly in place, not a hint of the passionate, easygoing man from the beach.
Not a hint of the Ryker I used to know.
We exchanged stilted pleasantries about the weather until an awkward silence descended. I fidgeted with my napkin, racking my brain for a neutral topic.
"So... have you gotten sick of Seashell Cove's cheesy Christmas vibes yet?" Ryker finally asked with a wry smile, ice cracking slightly.
I shook my head and felt myself relax a degree, responding to his peace offering. We traded stories about favorite local haunts and new developments in Seashell Cove. Memories bubbled up when I asked Ryker if Lover’s Leap and Makeout Point were still around.
He nodded and flashed a grin, his stubbled jaw and roguish expression disarming me and sending an electric thrill to all the places it shouldn’t.
“Julie and Matt got caught last week by the cops actually. Half naked and still necking like teenagers. I’m friends with Sheriff Monroe, that’s the only reason I know about it.”
I laughed, thoroughly bemused.
“Wow, I can’t believe they’re still together!” A pang of jealousy mixed with sadness hit me. Julie and Matt were probably the two people in our class everyone would have voted least likely to stay together back in high school. They fought harder than Ryker and me did on our worst day.
How things changed, but didn’t.
You could’ve had that with Ryker.
I shook off the whisper of remorse. Maybe that was true, but I chose my path. I’d wanted to escape Seashell Cove so bad, I’d been willing to leave everything. My life was the summation of my choices and I owned that. Besides, if I’d stayed, I wouldn’t have my kids. They were the one and only thing I didn’t regret, ever.
“Remember the nights we used to hang out at Makeout Point, tangled together in a blanket in the bed of my grandpa’s old pick-up truck, counting the stars?” I asked.
Nostalgia hit me hard.
