Taylor laughed, the sound light and airy. “I’m excited to be here,” she admitted. “I’ve been reading about Moonstone Bay since I was a little girl. I’ve always wanted to visit.”
“Will you stay here full time if Julian does?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Julian makes those decisions.”
“But if you had a choice?” I pressed.
She looked around, her eyes taking in the rolling water and cloudless sky. “It’s beautiful here. Like a dream. I would totally want to stay here.”
“Maybe you’ll get your wish,” I suggested.
“Maybe.” She didn’t look convinced.
Before I could press her further, a ripple of warning rolled up my spine. I went instantly alert and frowned as the sky over the water opened up and a lightning bolt zigged across the sky, larger thannormal and pink. Static filled the air as the lightning hit the water. “What the hell?” I exhaled heavily and took a step forward.
“Storm,” Galen said from the beach, frowning out at the water.
“It’s not storm season yet,” Booker pointed out.
“Apparently we’re getting one early.”
Another bolt of lightning emerged from the clouds that were rolling in at a fantastic rate.
“The party’s over, kids,” Galen called out. “Everybody should get inside.”
“We’ll head back to the hotel,” Julian said. “We don’t want to get trapped here, taking up your space.”
Galen didn’t argue. Short visits were okay, but they weren’t ready for an overnighter yet. “Sounds good.” He shook Julian’s hand. “I’ll see you around. We’ll have to do this again.”
Julian smiled in return. “Absolutely.”
3
THREE
The storm came in fast. Galen and I hurried around, picking up the leftover food and throwing away the paper plates before scurrying inside. We were barely through the door when the downpour started.
“Wow.” I breathed out a relieved sigh. “That was like a different world there for a minute.”
Galen gave me a sidelong look. “Storms hit out of the season but it’s rare.” He glanced through the window one more time and frowned at the pink lightning. “Is it just me, or is it a weird color?”
I shrugged. “I thought maybe it was the sunset’s reflection.”
He laughed and slung an arm around my shoulders to tug me close and kiss the top of my head. “You’re adorable.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I shook my head. “Let’s get everything put away. The cleanup should be easy since we already threw all the paper plates away.”
“I told you paper plates were the way to go.”
I’d wanted to use something fancier — we were entertaining his new brother after all — but I couldn’t deny that the paper productswere easier to toss. “I’d say let’s wait until tomorrow morning, but I’ll whine if I have to clean first thing in the morning.”
“You will indeed,” he agreed.
I expected the storm to roll through fast, but it was still raging when we got to our bedroom on the second floor. In fact, it was stronger.
“So weird,” I muttered before shaking my head and going into the bathroom.
I washed my face and brushed my teeth before climbing into a pair of cotton sleep shorts and a tank top. Galen went into the bathroom when I finished and brushed his teeth and washed his face. When he emerged, he was in a pair of boxer shorts and had his discarded clothes — and mine — in his hand. He winged up an eyebrow as he carried them to the hamper.
