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CHAPTER ONE
The setting sun cast a sheen of goldover the bluffs of Chesham Cove as Charlotte Moore and Simon Harris sattogether on a weathered bench overlooking the sea. Charlotte tucked a lock ofwindswept hair behind her ear, her stomach fluttering with anticipation.
Tonight could be the night.
She glanced at Simon out of the cornerof her eye. He seemed relaxed, one arm draped casually over the back of thebench as he took in the view—and as handsome as ever, with his rugged,salt-of-the-earth good looks and tanned skin. But Charlotte sensed a shift inhis demeanor, a hint of nervous energy beneath his calm exterior.
Maybe she was imagining things. Wishfulthinking and all that. But the romantic seaside setting seemed ripe withpromise. Charlotte allowed herself to indulge in a brief daydream - Simon downon one knee, the sun sinking below the horizon at just the right moment...afterall, Charlotte had seen him in the jewelry store the week that Amelia had leftto go back to the States from visiting.
She shook her head slightly, willingherself back to the present. Don't get ahead of yourself, she thought. Justenjoy this time together.
Simon turned toward her then, a softsmile on his lips. "Beautiful evening," he said.
Charlotte nodded, suddenly unable tofind her voice. She reached for his free hand, interlacing their fingers. Thebreeze picked up, and she shivered.
Simon gave her hand a gentle squeezeand then pulled her into his side for warmth. "Ready to head back?"
Charlotte nodded again, tamping downher disappointment. Not tonight, after all. She turned her gaze to thehorizon, taking in the breathtaking view of the sea at sunset. The sky wasawash in hues of orange, pink, and purple as the sun sank lower behind thewaves. She watched seagulls gliding gracefully on the breeze, calling to eachother as they headed back to their nests for the night. The rhythmic crash ofthe waves against the cliffs below soothed her disappointment.
This place truly is magical, shethought. She had fallen in love with Chesham Cove from the moment she firstlaid eyes on it. Moving here had been the fresh start she needed after hersplit with Daniel, a chance to heal and rediscover herself. And no proposaltonight? That was okay. She had Simon here by her side. For now, that wasenough. Perhaps she was rushing things, anyway—it wasn’t as though she didn’thave her own misgivings, with a divorce behind her and her newfound happinessin England so nascent.
She took a deep breath and steadiedherself inside. Simon pulled her up from the bench and, hand in hand, they madetheir way along the coastal path back toward the village in comfortablesilence.
Suddenly, Simon cleared his throat, aserious look crossing his face. "Charlotte, there's something I wanted todiscuss with you."
Charlotte's pulse quickened, and shethrilled despite her prior attempts to convince herself that she was fine withwaiting. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for.
"Yes?" she managed, trying tokeep her voice steady.
Simon paused, seeming to choose hisnext words carefully. "I was thinking..."
"Yes?" Charlotte promptedagain, her heart racing.
"That we should get icecream," Simon exclaimed with a playful grin. "I know we haven’t haddinner yet, but I'm craving something sweet. What do you think, chocolate orvanilla?"
Charlotte stared at him, stunned. Icecream? After that build up, he wanted to talk about ice cream?
She tried to hide her disappointmentbehind a weak smile. "Oh, uh...I'm fine with whatever you want."
Simon laughed, oblivious to herletdown. "Come on, live a little! Let's go into Chesham proper and get acouple scoops each, with all the toppings."
He continued chatting lightheartedlyabout the ice cream shop as they walked, but Charlotte was only half listening.She chided herself for getting her hopes up too soon. Simon cared for her—sheknew that. And maybe she wasn’t even ready fully. It hadn’t been toolong since her own divorce. Was she rushing things? Perhaps Charlotte wasputting too much importance on the leap—should they just enjoy what they had?
With a sigh, she made a promise toherself to be patient and enjoy the relationship they had, one day at a time.The future would come in its own time. For now, ice cream with Simon soundedpretty sweet.
Charlotte glanced over at the tall,rugged fisherman—who was enthusiastically detailing his top five milkshakeflavors. She felt a swell of affection for this kind, cheerful man who had comeinto her life when she least expected it and accepted her just as she was.Their relationship may not be exactly what she had pictured yet, but shecherished their time together. She would let go of her expectations and simplyenjoy this beautiful evening by the sea with someone who cared deeply for her.The future was unwritten, and that was okay.
"Alright, you've convincedme," Charlotte said, letting go of Simon’s hand and linking her armthrough his. "Let's go get that ice cream."
Charlotte leaned her head on Simon'sshoulder as they walked along the clifftop path back to his truck. Thedisappointment she had felt earlier was already fading away.
"Thank you for this evening,"she said. "It's been absolutely perfect."
Simon smiled down at her warmly."I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I just like spending time with you, nomatter what we do."
He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.Charlotte felt a comforting sense of peace and belonging wash over her. She hadbeen so focused on wanting more from their relationship that she had almostoverlooked how content she already was by his side. And there were othercontentments, too—The Crown Inn had seen a steady flow of guests all summer,Charlotte’s sister, Roxanne, would be arriving in a week for a visit, andCharlotte had found time since her daughter Amelia’s departure to not onlyspend more time with Simon, but to start painting again—the pursuit of whichwas something that had been a bit of a sore spot in her past.
When they reached Simon's old pickup,he opened the passenger door for Charlotte with a slight bow that made hergiggle. As she climbed inside, he caught her hand and pressed a gentle kiss toher knuckles.
