Cody felt truly happy for them both. Not only for the soon-to-be new edition to their family, but for having found their way back to each other. He always knew they would, he just never knew how it would happen. Fate was funny like that.
“I’ll get to meet him when I get back.” As cheerful as he tried to sound, he felt a slight sting of loss at everything he’d miss. The position, as many others he’d taken over the years, required he stay on the island unless there was an emergency. He’d never been gone more than seven or eight months at a time. Always home for the summer kayaking season. But the Maui gig was too good to pass up. It would open doors for some amazing opportunities in the future, but it required he commit to three full years.
An odd sensation tickled the back of Cody’s neck, but when he reached back to rub it away, he found nothing. He turned discreetly to look behind where he’d been standing and found the black-haired woman staring right at him. He felt a tinge of familiarity, as if he’d seen her in a magazine once.
Because she didn’t even offer a smile, he nodded.
She didn’t look away, but he did when Haylee spoke again.
“You can’t even come home for Christmas?” Haylee pleaded. “One or all of us might throw Sadie out an upstairs window without you around to stop us. Could you live with yourself if Melly’s mama was serving time?”
Cody laughed unexpectedly, which caused Melly to giggle in delight. It drew his attention away from the woman for a few beats, and when he looked back toward the corner, she was gone. “You should try meeting her halfway,” Cody suggested, discreetly scanning the room for the mysterious woman.
“Youaretalking about the same sister I am, right? Redhead. Fiery temper. Flair for the dramatics. Breathes fire.”
“She’s notthatbad.” Cody might be the only Evans sibling who truly understood Sadie, and he felt another ounce of guilt for abandoning her when she needed him most. Unlike the others though, she would likely take him up on his offer to visit—more than once. If he wasn’t careful, Sadie might just show up with all her stuff in tow and declare she was moving in.
“She almost broke up Laurel and Chase. You remember that reality-TV-worthy family dinner, right?”
“Secrets almost broke them up,” Cody said, staring at Haylee hard enough to make her uncomfortable. He didn’t have to press any further to get his point across, but he wanted to know if Haylee had given more thought to what they talked about a few nights ago. But before he could ask, the black-haired woman was standing directly in front of him.
“Are you Cody Evans?” she asked.
Meeting her dark eyes, Cody felt an odd flutter in what he swore was his soul. He confirmed that he didn’t know the woman, but she looked so vaguely familiar to him that he couldn’t understandwhyhe didn’t recognize her.
“Yes, this is Cody,” Haylee answered for him.
He was never one to be lost for words. He might take his time to contemplate an answer, but never did words escape him as they did now. He didn’t care for it one bit. “And you are?”
“Jenna.” She untucked the book from her grasp and pulled out an envelope from between its pages, handing it to him. “Jenna Kingsley.”
Kingsley. He knew that name. He needed a few moments to search his memories for a clue. He’d met dozens of memorable people on his travels and in Alaska. People from all over the world with wildly interesting stories. “What’s this?” he asked, taking the letter the second time she poked it into his chest.
“It’s from my late grandfather, Eddie Kingsley.”
The breath deflated from Cody’s lungs at the name. He’d first met Eddie in Barbados, but mostly they spent time together right here in Sunset Ridge. Except, Eddie hadn’t visited this past summer. “I’m sorry for your loss. I had no idea he passed.”
“It was very unexpected.” Jenna nodded at the letter, a stern expression etched into her face. “I was instructed to deliver that to you in person.”
Because Cody didn’t know what else to say to that and the shocking news still processing, he simply said, “Thank you.”
Jenna folded her arms over her chest, book tucked protectively in her grip. He briefly wondered what she looked like when she smiled. He bet she was breathtaking. “Aren’t you going to open it?”
“Not tonight,” Cody said, tucking the letter into a cargo pocket.
“Why not?”
He studied her with curiosity, working to unravel the secret behind her impatience. But Jenna wasn’t as easy to read as most people he encountered. That unsettled him a bit. “Knowing Eddie, I’ll need to be sitting down somewhere quiet when I read that.”
Jenna huffed a quick laugh, the faintest trace of a smile tugging at her lips. He was right. She was breathtaking. “Fair point.”
“I’m really sorry about your grandfather.”
“Thank you.” She unfolded her arms, fidgeting with the book. “Let me know when you’ve read it, okay? I’m staying here at the lodge for now, until I get my grandfather’s cabin.”
“The letter has something to do with that?”
“Yeah. The will is . . . odd.”
“Sounds like Eddie.” They shared a fleeting smile. Though Cody had a flight booked to Maui in only a few days, he didn’t mind the idea of Jenna Kingsley staying in town or the prospect of having to see her at least one more time.
“I better go check on my dog and make sure he hasn’t eaten the pillows,” Jenna said, turning to leave without another word.
Cody watched her go, fully aware that Haylee had witnessed the whole exchange. He could practically feel her wheels turning in excitement. The problem was, his were too.
* * *
