“I know! The little blue box! I was so excited for our date Friday. I wore my favorite dress and took so much time with my hair and makeup, and I got a manicure—I never get a manicure!—but dinner came and went, and then he brought me straight home and said good night on the porch.”
“Oh no.”
“I was so disappointed I cried a little after he left. Maybe a lot. And okay, the next day too, but now I’m just confused. I must’ve done something wrong, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what it was.”
“I’m sure that’s not it. Maybe he’s planning to ask you another time.”
“But Friday was the anniversary of our first kiss, and the Crow’s Nest isthespecial occasion place in Bluebell. I was just so sure he was going to ask me. And ever since then things have been weird.”
“How do you mean?”
“I don’t know, there’s just this... strangeness between us that wasn’t there before. It’s probably me. But he seems distracted when we’re together, and he never seemed that way before. And maybe I’ve been a little quiet, too, since I’m trying to figure out what happened. He keeps asking if I’m all right, but I don’t know what to say.”
“Maybe you should talk to him about it.”
“Tell him I thought he was going to propose and I’m heartbroken that he didn’t?”
“You could...”
“But then if he really is planning to propose, I’ll ruin it. And he knows I love surprises. I can’t do that to him.”
“Then maybe you should just be patient a while longer and see what happens. I mean, if he bought a ring, he must be planning to propose, right?”
Molly’s face broke out into a smile. “You’re right. Of course. I should just be patient—not exactly my strong suit, but if I know it’s coming I can tolerate the wait.” She squeezed Mia’s hand. “Thanks, Mia. I’m glad we talked. I feel so much better.”
Mia really liked Molly, liked her authenticity. She was so different from Levi, practically his opposite, although they both shared that particular trait.
Mia smiled. “Glad I could help.”
thirty
Levi couldn’t sleep. He turned to his other side, bunching his pillow under his head. It was almost midnight, and he had to be up at six. He kept thinking about Mia. They’d rooted through the main attic tonight, and even though they hadn’t found anything old or interesting, he’d had a great time with her.
He loved hearing her laughter so much he found himself dropping lines he knew would amuse her. He’d poked her in the side once or twice just to see that stern look come over her face. That elegant finger point at his chest.
And then when he ran out of new imagery, he recalled that kiss on the boat. Would he ever tire of remembering the way her skin had felt beneath his hand? So soft. Or the way her hair had sifted like silk strands through his fingers?
Never mind that she’d only been playing a part. She’d played it so convincingly his heart had been about to pound right out of his chest. He’d only seen the resulting photos in passing when Molly had shoved her phone into his face.
Now he found himself tempted to take another peek. It was him in the photo too, after all. Who wouldn’t want to see what the rest of the world was viewing? He’d pushed aside the temptation for five days, but now his laptop seemed to beckon him from the desk.
He heaved a sigh. May as well give into it. He wasn’t sleeping anyway. He got out of bed and sank into the desk chair. The bright screen made him squint in the darkness, but his eyes adjusted quickly. He flipped on the desk lamp so he could see the keyboard and typed in both their names. He clicked on the first website that appeared.
There they were, Mia and him, making out in the boat. The photographer had zoomed in close, capturing the moment just after she’d set her hand on his leg. Mia was leaning into him, her eyes closed. She didn’t look like a woman pretending for the camera.
But then, she was an actress. She’d probably kissed for the camera many times. There was a thought that rankled.
He clicked on another link and read the article printed along with the photo. The article speculated about their relationship and mentioned their “obvious chemistry.” It was a sentence deep into the article that made him frown.
Mia’s date,Levi Bennett, has been identified as the innkeeper at the Bluebell Inn in Bluebell, North Carolina, where Mia has been staying since the Jax Jordan scandal broke.
He didn’t like that the general public knew where she was. That couldn’t be safe. And yet, this article had been published five days ago, and other than fielding calls from media and fans it hadn’t been an issue.
They’d had a marked increase in reservations though. That was good.
What wasn’t good was that the thought of business had come second to his concern for Mia. Still, that didn’t stop him from doing another search. This time he just Googled Mia’s name. Holy cow, there were a lot of articles and photos of her. He started withUs Weekly, smirking as he remembered his mistake.
There were older articles about Mia, and he found himself skimming those, along with the photos. Lots of stills fromInto the Deep. Photos from events: Mia at the Oscars with that guy fromArrow;on the arm of a guy who’d played in some Nicholas Sparks movie, according to the caption; at a movie premier with her ex-fiancé, Wesley Hughes.
