Summer on Lovers' Island (Jewell Cove 3)

“Smart girl. The truth is, if Erin hadn’t died, we would have divorced. Our marriage wasn’t meant to be. And if that’s true, surely that means there’s someone else out there for me who is the right one. I can’t let myself be afraid and miss the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“You’re saying that the problem isn’t trust but loving the wrong person all along?”

“Maybe. Or maybe the point is, it doesn’t matter. Trust, faith … it all means something intangible. It’s based on something more than hard evidence. And maybe what it is for me is love. Either way, I’m ready to try again.”

“Me, too,” she whispered. “Except…”

He pulled away a bit. “Except what?”

She wanted to do this right. Be sure, not screw it up. “Josh, I’ve always planned my career step-by-step. And then I let my impulsive side take over my personal life to make up for it. Both crashed and burned. I went looking for adventure, but what I really wanted was something to make me feel alive. You do that for me, Josh. When I look at you. When I touch you. I don’t want to ruin that. I just … I need you to agree to one more rule.”

“Oh great. Another one of Lizzie’s rules.” His tone was joking, but she could see the shadow of worry in his eyes. “What is it?”

“Be patient with me. I want to do things right. Just be patient with me and be beside me as I figure that out, okay?”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“I think you’ll find I can be very patient … about some things,” Josh said. Then he dipped his head and kissed her. Hard. Possessively. So passionately that it curled her purple-covered toes.

“Are they kissing?” came a yell from the living room, and Lizzie and Josh broke apart. Josh’s face flamed red as they saw Dave standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

“Oh yeah!” he called back. “Big-time.”

“Woo hoo!”

Lizzie laughed. And then Josh pulled her close and she knew somehow they’d figure it all out.

CHAPTER 22

Two months later

Lizzie huddled into her thick sweater, watching as Josh zipped his fleece up to the top, guarding against the bitter wind off the ocean. The boat ride to Lovers’ Island had been a cold one, and in early November the beach felt barren and wild. T

hey’d spent an hour scouring the peak of the island where they’d found the leather pouch but had come up empty. Not that they’d really expected to find anything. Still, Josh’s eyes lit up when the mythical treasure was mentioned, even though he hadn’t kept a bit of the initial find to himself. The historical society was benefiting greatly from the coins. The rest of the treasure, if there was any, remained a mystery.

Josh and Lizzie both wanted to go to the beach before heading back to Jewell Cove, though. Lizzie stopped, spread her arms wide as if to embrace the wind, and closed her eyes. She was 100 percent enjoying her new adventure—being head over heels in love with the man beside her.

Her eyes were still closed when she felt him there, his body blocking the wind, his lips on hers as his arms pulled her against him. She responded by looping her arms around his neck and kissing him back until they were both out of breath.

“Remember our first trip here?” he asked, his lips close to her ear.

“Of course.” She grinned up at him, remembering the day very clearly. “You were very naughty.”

“I was falling in love with you even then,” he answered, taking her gloved hand in his.

“Me, too.” She’d been too afraid, too stubborn, to admit it.

True to his word, Josh had been patient with her while she sorted out what she wanted to do. He’d been free with his affection but reserved in his demands, and she loved him all the more for it. Never in her life had anyone accepted her in this way. The freedom of it had made her decisions easier in the end. She’d waited until today to tell him, hoping he’d be happy with her choices. She’d made them for herself, but also with her and Josh’s relationship in mind, and she was quite excited.

“Let’s sit over here,” she suggested, pointing to a spot where the sand met rock. They found a natural seat in the granite and perched on it, sheltered a little from the cold wind.

“You’re a little crazy for wanting to come out here this time of year,” Josh teased. “It’s freezing. And I’m sure you don’t want to strip to your underwear and go for a dip.”

“I’m not into hypothermia,” she replied. “But I did want to come here for a reason, Josh. I have news.”

“Good news?” His eyebrows went up, and she saw a shadow of apprehension. Bless him, he had given her so much freedom, but she knew he had insecurities.