Hold on to My Heart (Maine Sullivans)

“Please, just try to trust me.”

“You usually do make smart decisions,” he admitted. “Usually, anyway.”

“Are you telling me you’ve never made any crazy split-second decisions?”

“Point taken,” he said, suddenly looking a little shifty.

She frowned at his tone. “Is something going on with you?”

Brandon was a master at keeping his emotions and the intimate details of his life close to the vest. The fact that he was away from Bar Harbor more often than he was in town meant none of them had a great handle on what his life was like. Was he in and out of relationships? Or was there one person who meant something deeper to him?

“I’m good,” he replied. “Everything is great.”

His reply came a little too quickly. But right at this moment, she didn’t have enough clearheadedness to probe any further. She made a mental note, however, to spend more time with him when he came home to Bar Harbor for Cassie and Flynn’s wedding.

“I want to spend more time with you,” she told him. “I don’t get to see you nearly enough.”

“I agree,” he said as he pulled her into a hug.

Giving him a kiss on his cheek, she smiled at him. “Go back to your adoring crowd. And thank you again for inviting me to come to your opening. I’ve absolutely loved Vienna. It’s been the trip of a lifetime.”

They headed back out, and after he was swallowed up by the crowd, she made her way to the exit. She waved away the offer of the town car, wanting to walk to clear her head and to enjoy the beautiful evening.

She was a little cold in her dress, but she welcomed the rush of coolness over skin that still felt too heated from Nash’s kiss.

It truly was a captivating city, with both locals and tourists eating and drinking, talking and laughing in the moonlight. One day, if she was ever lucky enough to come back to Vienna, she would vividly remember this whirlwind trip where her life had changed.

Where she had changed.

She wasn’t going to lie and pretend that she wasn’t hurting, that the wound from saying good-bye to Nash wasn’t raw. At the same time, however, she felt more open to possibility and to all the wonders of a life well lived than she ever had before.

She wanted to take that wonder back to her normal life and give that same sense of adventure to her son. She wanted to tell him it was okay to take risks and that he didn’t have to hold back either laughter or tears afterward.

Just then, a teenager rode by on a scooter, playing one of Nash’s songs through a portable speaker. Hearing his soulful voice ring out into the moonlit Vienna night made her heart squeeze.

She would always be grateful to Nash for giving her the most wonderful weekend of her life.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Six weeks.

Ashley could hardly believe it had been a month and a half since her night with Nash. Sometimes, she found herself floating from the memories alone. Other times, her chest felt tight, achy.

Fortunately, Brandon hadn’t spilled the news of her one-night stand to anyone else in the family. It also helped that since her return home, they had all been too focused on getting ready for Cassie and Flynn’s wedding to have the time or energy to shine the spotlight on her.

There had been a couple of times when she’d nearly blurted out everything to her sisters and mom. But in the end, her memories of Nash were so precious that she wanted to keep them all to herself. The look in his eyes when he’d told her she was beautiful. The taste of his lips when he was passionately kissing her. The feel of his muscular body over hers.

As soon as she’d returned to Bar Harbor from Vienna, she had resumed her normal life. Getting Kevin ready for school in the morning. Taking him to soccer practice on weekday afternoons and games on the weekends. Helping him with his homework at night. Dealing with his father when Josh told Kevin yet another wildly inappropriate story. Running the Sullivan Cafés and stores throughout Maine. Attending family dinners on Friday nights. Going for lunchtime walks along the shore.

Those were the exact same things she had done before her trip. But one big thing had changed: She’d secretly signed up for a dating service. And tonight was her first date.

After dropping Kevin off at a friend’s house for a sleepover, she came home and stood in front of her open closet doors to pick out an outfit for her date with a man named Oliver. She didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard, but she also knew she should do better than jeans and a T-shirt.

Though she had found it nearly impossible to think beyond her time with Nash during the past six weeks, tonight she vowed to open herself up to the possibility that there might be someone special out there with whom she could build a life. So she knew she needed to at least make an effort with clothes and makeup.