Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

“No, I think it sounds romantic. Just enjoy it.”

“I think you need to reexamine what type of girl you are, because if you have something with Cole, keep your options open. It can work out, Kaitlyn. I’m telling you.”

“You sound like a total romantic optimist. I wish I was more like that.”

I wanted to turn my practical-thinking self into someone who believed and hoped as Sasha did, but no, I had to end up with Dad’s affinity for numbers instead of my mother’s yoga, freethinking approach to life.

“It’s probably because I grew up around weddings. Seeing couple after couple live happily every after has that effect on a girl.” She looked wistfully at the crepe paper doves before closing the door. “Who knows? You might have already met your Prince Charming.”

I coughed loudly.

“Don’t panic on me. I’m just kidding with you. Let’s get these to the Dune.” Sasha slammed the tailgate against the bed of the truck. “I bet there’s a boy there who’s counting the seconds until you get back.”

Had she seen me checking my phone the whole time? I didn’t want to be away from Cole one minute longer than I had to be.

“What else is on your list?” Sasha asked as she climbed into the truck.

“Hank said we could pick up the kegs Saturday morning. Peabody’s is taking care of all of the food, and they even are letting us borrow their sound system. I can’t believe how awesome everyone has been.” I felt lucky to be able to pull the luau together so quickly, and it wouldn’t have been possible without all the help.

“I think everyone wants to see Cole make this work. If he sells the Dune, it should be because he wants to, not because he has to.”

Sasha’s words resonated with me. All this time I couldn’t understand why Cole was so determined to hold on to the money pit his grandfather had given him. Maybe what it came down to was choices. He wanted to have them, not be forced into them.

“You ready?”

I smiled at my new friend. “Yep. Let’s get the torches to the Dunes.”

24

Kaitlyn

Sasha dropped me off at the Dune Scape office. She still had to finish her shift at the front desk before tonight’s bonfire. The local group gathered on the beach as many nights a week as they could before the summer was too busy to do anything.

Cole’s truck was gone. He had left to make another supply run. The Dune Scape apparently didn’t accept the memo that he didn’t want to spend any more money on parts. This morning he found a crack in room eighteen’s sliding door. It looked like a seagull had flown smack into the glass. The patio was covered with feathers.

The sun was setting on the sound side of the island, the perfect time to hit the beach for a run. I changed into my running shorts and tank top.

Grayson was on the floor surrounded by trains.

“Want to head to the beach?” I asked. “We can look for seagulls.”

He jumped up. “Birds. Beach.”

I laughed. He was cute. Adorable. Even if he wasn’t Cole’s son I would have loved this child. He was sweet and seldom got upset. I knew children were resilient, but this one seemed to take all the uncertainty in his life without complaint.

I understood why Cole worked so hard to give him stability.

“Ok, let’s get your shoes and we’ll find some birds.”

I stooped to lace up his tiny shoes. We walked outside and jogged across the boardwalk.

The beach was littered with late afternoon sunbathers. I watched as two toddlers took turns dumping water out of their buckets and squealing every time the waves lapped their toes. Their parents caught every second of the action with their phones and cameras.

I wondered if Grayson saw scenes like that and wondered why his parents weren’t together.

“Let’s go this way.” I pointed.

I hadn’t explored the beach toward the south, so we took a right and settled into an even pace. My feet pushed off the sandy surface and I dodged rushing waves, making a game for myself. Grayson was on my heels and I would circle back around to chase him. As soon as we crossed the barrier for the first resort, we made a U-turn for the Dune Scape.