He was flying high himself. What a great day. The ring hadbeen returned—to his dad of all people—and Sadie was so happy to have solved the mystery. He enjoyed every mile of her bright chatter on the way home. The rain picked up, the wipers keeping time to the music on the radio. A boom of thunder sounded, followed by a flash of lightning.
A while later he pulled into the drive. “Why don’t you come over for supper? I need a shower first, but I have steaks I can grill out under the overhang.”
“I’m going to grab a shower too.” She unbuckled her seat belt. “But I should rescue Rio first. She’s probably hiding from the storm under my bed.”
“Bring her with you.”
Sadie exited the truck and darted through the rain. But before she could reach her stoop, he caught her around the waist, suddenly loath to part ways even for a few minutes.
She shrieked. “I’m getting soaked!”
He laughed. “So what? You’re about to get in the shower.”
“Good point.”
He turned her in his arms and gazed down at her. Her hair already hung in wet strands around her face. Water trickled like tears down her temples, making her makeup run.
And she’d never looked more beautiful.
He brushed a gentle kiss across her wet lips, savoring her soft, compliant mouth. Her arms came around his waist, and she pressed herself to him. When her lips parted on a breath, he deepened the kiss.
The storm carried on inside him, the feelings swelling like an ocean wave. He wanted to hold on to her like this forever. The thought surprised him. Delighted him. He couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather be with.
When they parted, their breaths mingled between them. “Don’t be too long,” he said.
“I won’t.”
He watched her scurry through the rain and dash up the steps. She tossed a smile over her shoulder before disappearing inside.
He headed up the steps and into his own apartment. As he closed the door the storm quieted. He pulled off his wet shoes and grabbed a hand towel from the half bath. He was still wearing a dopey grin as he passed through the living room on his way to the stairs.
His eyes caught on the stack of paper sitting in the printer’s tray. Sadie’s manuscript. In all her excitement about returning the ring, she’d forgotten about it. He headed that way and gathered the pages, tapping their edges on the table to line them up for her.
And since her story was right there in his hands, he couldn’t stop himself from taking a peek. The first page drew him right in, the taut writing pulling him along. He was a few pages in when he realized the heroine’s problem was somewhat autobiographical—she had to write a romance novel but struggled with the concept because she’d never been in love. Surely that wasn’t true of Sadie. She’d mentioned previous relationships. Not that they’d talked specifically about love. He’d just assumed.
He read on, beginning to skim now. There was an offer of a beach cottage. A steady diet of romance novels. A stumble down the front porch steps, and a grumpy neighbor living next door for the summer.
Him.
He was uncertain if he should be flattered or insulted. Hecontinued skimming, his heart on high alert, vibrating in his chest like a tuning fork. There were differences in the manuscript. It wasn’t set on Tucker Island but on some Caribbean beach. The characters’ conversations weren’t recitations of Sadie’s and his. The hero seemed gruffer than he’d presented himself to be. The heroine was an English teacher, and her physical attributes differed from Sadie’s.
But the similarities were obvious. The hero had Sam’s appearance and some of his mannerisms. There was a Little Free Library and a book with a hidden compartment—including an engagement ring. The couple in the novel made the same bargain. Skipping ahead, he found that the couple’s relationship developed as they searched for the novel’s owner.
The heroine’s struggle to write a romance novel was all too familiar. The protagonist was hoping the upcoming wedding would bring the much-needed inspiration she was desperate for.
Just as desperate as Sadie had been.
For the first time since he’d picked up the manuscript, his gaze wandered away from the words on the page. Darted unseeing around the room. The unsettled feeling inside him grew stronger as warnings wailed in his head.
They’d talked about this book. He’d offered to be a sounding board. She’d had plenty of opportunity to tell him she was basically writing their story. That she’d neglected to mention this did nothing to assuage his suspicions. Did nothing to quiet his qualms. He wished he could read the entire manuscript now because he needed to know more. He needed to see where this story was heading.
He needed to know what happened at the wedding from the heroine’s point of view.
What inspired that first kiss? Did the heroine enter the relationship with the hidden agenda of advancing her career?
Had Sadie? The thought was like a fist tightening around his heart.
Thirty-Five
