I love you. incredible.
The physical side of our relationship was incredible—deeper and more intimate than anything I had ever known. He was a surprisingly tender, attentive lover, his earlier frantic desperation replaced by a slow, confident exploration that left me breathless and aching for more. He could communicate more with a single touch, with the look in his gray eyes in the hushed moments after, than most men could with a thousand flowery words. I believed his actions. I believed his tenderness. I believed, in my soul, that what he felt for me was real.
But I still wanted the words.
I still needed the words.
And maybe that was selfish. I knew, after everything he’d told me, that those words were likely the hardest, most terrifying things in the world for him to say. I couldn’t force it. Austin had to get there on his own. He had to be the one to decide that a future with me was worth the risk of confronting his past.
But oh, how I wished he would let me be the key to that last, stubbornly bolted door.
A soft chime from my phone in my back pocket pulled me back to reality. I glanced at the screen, a jolt of professional excitement chasing away the wistful thoughts of Austin. The email was from Suzanne, the sharp owner of the marketing and PR firm on Main Street I’d hired two weeks ago. After getting to know her at our Sips and Pages meetings, she was my best and only choice. The email’s subject line read: Initial Vision Board for Heron House Website.
My heart did a different kind of flutter kick.
I tapped it open immediately and was presented with a beautiful, professional mock-up of my dream. The logo was perfect—a simple, elegant line drawing of a great blue heron in profile, its long neck curved gracefully. Beneath it,Heron Housewas written in a classic, flowing script, withDove Key, Floridain a clean, modern font below.
The color palette was exactly what I’d hoped for—soft, sandy whites, the deep green of mangrove leaves, and that specific, perfect shade of Heron Blue I’d chosen for the exterior shutters. Placeholder images of stunning sunsets and charming Keys architecture were arranged around sample text that made my breath catch.
Discover the soul of Old Florida... A historic haven, meticulously restored... Your sanctuary in the heart of Dove Key...
A wide, thrilled smile spread across my face. This wasn’t just a chaotic construction site or a flight of fancy in my head anymore. It was a brand. A business. Seeing it laid out so professionally was incredibly validating. It made all the stress, the Mick Riley debacle, and the moments of absolute panic feel utterly worth it.
When I put my phone away, a fresh surge of energy and motivation hummed through me. My usual sunny practicality, now bolstered by this tangible proof of my future, reasserted itself.
“Okay, proprietress,” I said with a new sense of purpose. “Stop admiring your future website and contribute to the actual house.” Turning from the window, my gaze landed on the fireplace. The ornate wooden trim still needed its final coat of white paint, a small, satisfying job I could claim as my own.
An hour later, I was putting the final, perfect brushstroke on the mantelpiece. My hand had been steady, my focus complete. Each careful stroke was a victory against the old narrative, the one that whispered I was better at starting things than seeing them through. Stepping back to admire my work, the crisp white trim looked stunning against the serene seafoam walls. For the first time, I didn't just hope I would succeed. I was confident I would.
After a firm nod at my creation, I sealed the paint can, then gathered the painter's tape and the drop cloth I'd used. My arms were full, but I balanced the small paint pail on top of the can.
"I can get all this in one trip," I muttered to the empty room, propping my chin on the can to hold the whole shebang steady.
I padded out of the suite and started down the grand, sweeping staircase. The steps, like the floors in the suite, were bare, gleaming mahogany, sanded to a smooth finish awaiting the topcoat.
I was halfway down, thinking about what Austin and I might have for dinner, when the drop cloth draped over my arm slipped—just a little. But it was enough for the canvas to slide under my bare left toes.
My foot shot out from under me.
A jolt of icy terror vaporized my peaceful contentment. My carefully balanced world tilted at a dizzying, sickening angle.
The paint can clattered away, clanging as it bounced down the stairs. Letting go of everything in my arms, I flailed. My hands flew out, trying to grab the banister, the wall, anything to stop the inevitable.
But I was already falling.
The next moments were a horrifying, tumbling blur. My shoulder hit the wall with a jarring thud. My hip slammed against a step. The world was a chaotic scene of spinning wood and light. As my body twisted in a desperate, uncontrolled cartwheel down the stairs, I heard a distinct, sickening crunch from my lower leg as it snapped over the edge of a step, the bone giving way under the violent, unnatural force.
A bolt of blinding pain, so sharp and absolute it rushed the air from my lungs in a scream, followed right after.
My momentum carried me onward, downward, until I reached the second-floor landing. The beautifully carved newel post rushed up to meet me. My head smacked against the unyielding, beautifully sanded mahogany floorboards with a horrifying, hollow thud.
And the world, only moments ago so full of light and color and promise, went utterly black.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
AUSTIN
“This is the life, man,”Dave said with a contented sigh before taking a large bite of his breakfast sandwich.
