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He killed the engine and pulled his helmet off. “Want to watch the sunrise?”
“I’d love to.” She removed her own helmet and stared out at the horizon. “But you should know, you’re now in the running for the person I’ve watched the most sunrises with.”
“A title I’ll gladly claim.” He climbed off the four-wheeler and leaned against the front, folding his arms over his chest. The sky was already a soft shade of pink with wispy clouds that looked as if they’d been brushed on with lavender paint. It was the perfect conclusion to an already exceptional morning. “I have to admit, I’m a sucker for a good sunrise. There’s something that makes everything feel…”
“Hopeful?” Molly swung her legs around so she was sitting sideways on the seat, facing the ocean. She had a look of wonder on her face that drew him to her, because it was the exact same wonder he felt in his soul.
“Yeah.” It took all of his effort to pull his gaze from the beauty in front of him and focus on the beauty in the sky. “Sunrises are the biggest benefit of living on a boat at sea. Without any of life’s distractions getting in the way, they’re inspiring.”
“I could use a couple of those.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice that caught him off guard. It was the same whisper of lingering hurt that he’d caught a few times. He could’ve ignored it. In fact, maybe he should’ve ignored it. But for some reason, he didn’t.
“Why did you really move here?” He was aware it was a bold question. One he wasn’t sure he’d earned the right to ask, but the success of the morning made him feel bold. Or, if he wanted to be completely honest with himself, staring at their second sunrise and sharing the same sense of wonder made him feel closer to her than when she’d been sitting behind him with her arms wrapped around him on the ATV. And that closeness made him want to know her story. It made him want to knowher.
She drew in a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the golden horizon. “Heartbreak,” she said simply. “The kind that derails life. At least, it derailed my life. I guess I was looking for a new track.”
His own heart ached for her, but he didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, he just waited for her to share when she was ready.
Hurt flickered in her eyes, followed by resolve and strength, which added to his growing admiration of her. “I thought I had life all figured out and was on my way to the altar. But, as it turned out, my fiancé was actually in love with my best friend. And, according to the few reports I’ve gotten from home, they’re now the epitome of a happy couple.”
Grant’s heart lurched to the point that he could no longer ignore it. He reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to himself. “Oh, Molly. I’m so sorry.” He gently kissed the top of her head, hoping his touch could take away even an ounce of her pain. “For the record, he sounds like the biggest fool who ever lived.”
Molly scoffed. “You might not be wrong.” Instead of pulling away from his embrace, she rested her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his other arm around her. “But to be fair, I think he probably did us both a favor. Marrying him would’ve been a total mistake.”
Grant held her, marveling at how good it felt to have her nestled against him. How right she felt in his arms. And all while his disdain for a man he’d never met grew. “Still, he sounds like a jerk. If you want us to name a disgusting task after him, say the word, and I’ll do it. There’s currently a very smelly algae that crops up from time to time that we’re looking to nickname.”
He could feel Molly’s body shake from the soft chuckle. “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”
“So, that was it? You called off the wedding and packed your bags for greener pastures.”
“If by greener pastures you mean white sand, then yes.” Molly sat up, pulling free from his embrace, and stared out at the pinkening sky. “Although, it wasn’t quite that quick. I stuck around town for a couple of miserable months before it became clear that to move on, I needed to start over.”
“I’m sorry that things went down the way they did, but their loss has been Emerald Cove’s great gain.”
She grinned at him, causing a golden glow to spread through his chest. “Thanks.”
“Do you miss home?”
She twisted her mouth to the side as if considering the question. “Surprisingly? No. I mean, there are a few things I miss, like my mom’s famous pork tenderloin and not having to pull up a map every time I want to drive anywhere. But even then, I haven’t regretted leaving for a single second.”
“I’m not sure we have anything that can compare to your mom’s pork, but we’ve got some amazing seafood that can try to make up for it.”
“I’ll agree with you on that front. Plus, the sunrises are pretty great.” She motioned to the scene in front of them.
Grant shifted his attention to the beautiful display. “It almost makes up for waking up early on a Saturday, doesn’t it?”
“More than makes up for it, I’d say.” Molly sighed. “Of course, the nap I have planned for this afternoon doesn’t hurt, either.”
“I like the way you think.” He was starting to like a lot more than just that, although he stopped himself before he could fall too far down that rabbit hole. “But, for the sake of options, you’re always welcome to swing by and help us clean out tanks. Nothing says ‘happy Saturday’ like scrubbing algae off the bottom of a pool.”
“Tempting. The thing is, I’ve already committed to the nap and I’d hate to cancel last-minute.” She gave him a faux-apologetic shrug. “But check in again next weekend. Maybe my schedule will be freer.”
Grant chuckled. “I’ll make a note on my calendar.”
He knew Molly’s presence here wasn’t permanent. For that matter, neither was his. But at the moment, he had no intention of letting her go anywhere.
Chapter Twelve
The following Friday night, Mollywas full of anticipation as she and Hadley drove the half mile from their condos to Ellyn’s art gallery for the invitation-only opening of her big show.
