Summer on Lovers' Island (Jewell Cove 3)

“No, no! That’s not it. I think I just tire out a little easier now. Besides, we did stay up late.” Charlie sent a lopsided smile. “I’ve missed our midnight chats, Lizzie. It was good, so don’t worry. I’ll have a nap and be right as rain.”

“I hope so. When’s your next checkup?”

“Wednesday. Don’t worry, okay?”

“Okay.” Lizzie leaned over and gave Charlie a quick hug. “Call me if you need me for anything.”

“I will. And I’m sorry we didn’t get to see your mom.”

“I’ll go up on my next day off. Don’t worry.”

Charlie took her overnight bag and went inside and Lizzie started up the car again. She was edgy. The work of the previous days had tired her out, but today she was at loose ends, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Maybe she should have taken longer to go through the house. She wasn’t certain the house was the cause of her restlessness, though. There were other things that were unresolved. Like the situation with Josh.

So where to now? She didn’t want to go back to her cottage. All that waited for her there were loneliness and isolation. If anything, Lizzie wanted to feel alive and vital and active. In the past she’d make plans to go on a trip or zip lining or parasailing or on some other cockamamie scheme to give her an adrenaline rush. No such luck today.

But the sun was bright and the August heat soaked into her skin as she drove into town with the top down. She cruised down Main Street, searching for something, anything, to keep her occupied for another few hours. She wasn’t really hungry, and none of the shops held much appeal, either. She could grab a suit and head for Fiddler’s Beach, she supposed, but on a hot day like today it was bound to be crammed with tourists. What she’d really like was the breeze in her hair as she skimmed over the waves, leaving all her troubles behind.

When she saw a familiar blond head in the crowd on the docks, she braked and took a closer look.

The throng of people shifted and she saw him clearer now. Cutoff denim shorts, ratty T-shirt in army green, and his flip-flops. Her mouth watered just looking at him, and she smiled to herself as she pulled into the parking lot just above the docks, scanning for an open space. Last spring Charlie’s description of Josh had been “a widowed army veteran.” And he was. But oh, he was a lot more. She suspected Charlie had known exactly what she was doing when she asked Lizzie to cover her mat leave.

She got lucky and waited as a car pulled out of a space, and she pulled in. She could still see Josh, making his way to Sally’s Dairy Shack, where the line was probably a dozen people deep. Anticipation curled down low in Lizzie’s belly as she got out of the car and locked it, then adjusted the strap of her hobo bag on her shoulder.

He turned around just before she reached him, and a smile lit his face even though she couldn’t really see his eyes because of his sunglasses.

“You’re back,” he said.

“Just. I dropped Charlie off at home and went looking for some trouble. And now I’ve found some.”

His cheeks flushed and she was glad of it. “Trouble?”

She shrugged. “I just didn’t feel like going back to the cottage yet. I need to … assimilate.”

He nodded and they took a step forward as the line moved. “Rough few days, huh?”

“I’ve had better. Though it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Probably because I put off going through a lot of the personal things and put them in a pod instead.”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day. Putting the house up for sale was a huge step. Good for you, Lizzie.”

Another step forward, closer to the order window.

“You’ve been there. You’d know.”

“Yep.” He nodded at her. “So. Trouble. What did you have in mind?”

About twenty things that she wouldn’t dare say in public. He looked delectable today, like some tanned, blond surfer god built for fun. “Well, it looks like first thing on my agenda is ice cream.”

“Wow. Living dangerously.”

“I know. I might go really crazy and have a swirl cone today. Soft-serve is my favorite.”

“And then what?”

She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “A trip in the boat might be fun. Unless you don’t have her out today.”

“I just came back, actually. I took Matt and Suze out tubing in a nice little bay just north of here. Sarah picked them up at the wharf and I decided to grab an ice cream before heading home.”

“Oh. Well, never mind.”