“I can see why your studio in Charleston is so successful. There was a sense of community in there, even with just the four of us. It felt like we were all working together.”
“Thanks. That’s kind of you.”
“It’s true. I know you said you don’t feel needed, but what I experienced in class today says different. You’ve been here for what—two weeks? And the owner already trusts you enough to ask for your help? That student needed you after class, and I definitely needed you to help me with those bricks.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back a snicker. “Blocks.”
“See?”
I chuckled despite myself.
He pressed on. “You’re needed. This community needs you, and I wanted to make sure you recognized that.”
“Thanks.” I tucked a loose hair behind my ear, embarrassed by the praise, but grateful for the perspective. “Thanks for reminding me.”
“Anytime.” He met my gaze with the full force of his Hollywood smile, sending butterflies to assault my insides. He pushed off the bike and put on his helmet. “I gotta jet—big charter this afternoon. I’ll see you Tuesday morning for our lesson?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Right on.” He hopped on his motorcycle, and the thunder of the engine tore through the morning silence. “Later, Lena,” he shouted and sped off.
The rumble of Elias’s bike faded as I unlocked my beach cruiser and tossed my things in the basket. I hopped on and started the long pedal back to the south end of Sea Pines. The breeze felt cool against my heated skin, and the Sunday morning tranquility soon swept me into reflection.
The island’s mystic energy surrounded me, and Elias, Sonia, and my grandma’s ever-present spirit had started to fill the gaping hole in my heart with joy, beauty, and comfort. I no longer cried every day. I could think straight. I could finally consider my future.
A crane spread its wings and launched out of the swampy waterway. The stream opened into one of the larger ponds, and an alligator sun-bathed on the bank, gaping jaws parted and turned up to the late-morning sun. I smiled. First gator of the trip.
Gods, I loved Hilton Head. So peaceful. So magical. So me.
But I needed to get back to my community, didn’t I? Back to my studio and students. Teaching that class and Elias’s wise words had made that abundantly clear.
But the more I thought about it, in many respects, my life in Charleston had come to an end. I didn’t have a house or a family to go back to. My so-called “friends” belonged to my ex. All I had left was my studio, which, if I was honest, had been tainted by sharing it with my ex-husband and discovering he’d cheated on me with one of our students. For years. Angry heat seared my neck, and I quickly pushed the memory away.
Maybe it was time to start over. I’d told Elias the Charleston studio could practically run itself, and I hadn’t been exaggerating; no reason I couldn’t hand off the reins. I’d built that community from scratch; no reason I couldn’t do that again somewhere else.
Was it possible? Could I do that?
I didn’t want to live in the past, but Hilton Head no longer felt like a step backward. Instead, my grandma’s house and the island felt fresh as if old loves and distant memories had been reawakened with a new twist. For the first time since I’d arrived, I pictured what the future might look like if I stayed on the island, and I liked what I saw.
Chapter Nine
LENA
Another week passed, and the woman staring back at me in the bathroom mirror Saturday night looked different than I remembered her. The weather had turned warmer, and with all the time I spent at the beach, my reflection had a tan and an explosion of freckles. Sun-bleached hair tumbled in waves across bare shoulders above a strapless sundress, the pale blonde stark against browned skin tinted with sunburn. Grey eyes, no longer filled with despair, looked bright beneath mascara-darkened eyelashes.
My stomach flipped. This was a terrible idea.
I’d run into Elias on the beach earlier that morning after his swim. Distracted by the water droplets trailing down the planes of his hard body and lulled into acquiescence by his seductive voice, my brain short-circuited. He asked if I had plans, and before my brain could connect with my mouth, I said no.
“There’s a full moon tonight. I thought I’d grab a bottle of wine and we could take it down to the beach. The ocean looks magical in the moonlight.”
The words sounded in my head throughout the day, a hypnotic repetition as I went about my business.
Goosebumps pebbled my skin, the anticipation of our first date a terrifying excitement. The insidious villain of doubt poked holes in my assessment of his sincere interest and genuine nature, a vestige of the damage my ex-husband had wrought on my ability to trust. But despite my misgivings, I felt as though I couldn’t deny him.
The old stories about sirens resurfaced, Elias’s mesmerizing voice and the force it exerted over my attention persuading me to consider the uncanny possibility.
The doorbell interrupted my musings and sent a rush of adrenaline through my body. I examined myself in the mirror one last time, then squinted to meet my eyes in harsh appraisal.
