Hold on to My Heart (Maine Sullivans)

Could Zara be right? The question popped into her head before she could stop it. Was there any way Nash could have fallen in love with her? And could she have fallen in love with him too?

No. She couldn’t let herself go there. She had to stick to the plan. The serious, smart, no-nonsense plan.

No more messing around with Nash. They were just friends. From here on out, Ashley needed to walk the straight and narrow. No matter how tempting it was to walk on the wild side with Nash.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Later that afternoon, after having checked in by text with both Nash and Kevin several times and hearing that everything was A-okay, Ashley packed a picnic for them to eat at one of her favorite ocean overlooks in Acadia National Park. The spot was secluded enough for Nash to have privacy from his fans, while also giving him a feel for the beauty of Bar Harbor.

She had just parked in Rory’s lot when Kevin bounded over.

“Mom,” he said as soon as she opened the door, “you’ve got to see what we did today. It’s awesome!”

Nash looked on with a smile, and her heart fluttered at how sexy he was in his worn jeans and black T-shirt. Then she turned her attention to the van while Kevin told her all about doing demolition.

“We got to be super rough with everything inside the van. It was the best. I love demo day!”

She laughed, happy he’d had such a good time. “Looks like it was a fun job.” She examined the van’s innards, now in a pile in the parking lot.

“After we finished tearing things apart, we measured for flooring and ceiling planks and wall trim, and then we started cutting wood to fit.”

Her ears perked up at the word cutting. “Who did the cutting?”

“Nash did most of it,” Kevin informed her, “but he showed me how to use the saws. And he said tomorrow when we cut more wood, he’s going to let me take the lead.”

She rounded on Nash, scowling. “That wasn’t the deal. You were going to do the dangerous stuff, not Kevin.”

“Before I let you use any tools,” Nash said to her son, “we always go over the safety precautions, don’t we, Kevin?”

“Yeah, Mom, he’s worse than my teachers. He’s like, ‘Repeat everything back to me. Now repeat it again so I know you were listening.’” Kevin did a funny approximation of Nash’s deep voice. “But it’s okay, because I get it. This stuff can be super dangerous. But I’m being extra careful, I swear I am.”

“He is, Ashley,” Nash confirmed. “We both are. I promised you I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him, and I won’t.”

Her insides were still churning, despite their assurances. “Great job on the work you both have done,” she made herself say, not wanting to diminish Kevin’s sense of accomplishment. She was glad that Kevin had a sense of satisfaction in a job well done today.

Her son wasn’t the only one who seemed pleased. Nash did too. There was a happy glow about him after a day of working with his hands and tapping into yet another well of creativity and talent. He’d looked the same way after he’d sung “Scarborough Fair” at the garden in Vienna using the busker’s guitar.

It was how she felt when one of her new strategies for the café or store paid off. This past week, she’d launched a new social media plan and had been thrilled when the images she’d worked so hard to put together got a really great reception.

“If you guys are hungry,” she said, “I brought fixings for a picnic. I thought we could head up to a lookout at Acadia National Park and have it there. It’s one of the most beautiful vistas in the area, Nash, one of the many reasons why Bar Harbor is so special.”

“That sounds great,” Nash said, while Kevin said, “I’m starved.”

Just then, her phone buzzed with a text. It was Kevin’s best friend’s mom asking if Kevin could come over for dinner and spend the night. She was tempted to say he couldn’t, if only to have him around as a chaperone for her and Nash. If Kevin were nearby, she felt confident that she wouldn’t throw herself at Nash. But that wouldn’t be fair to Kevin. She needed to be able to control herself whether he was with them or not.

“Sammy’s mom wants to know if you want to come for a sleepover.”

“Yes! I can’t wait to tell him about the work me and Nash did on the van today. He’s going to think it’s so cool.”

“Okay, then, I suppose we could grab your sleepover things at home and then drop you off at his house on the way to the lookout.”

“And then you’ll come get me in the morning so I can work with Nash again?”