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“Hope was always the driven one and me the lighthearted one. Partially to try to help her take things less seriously.”
He swiveled his head to her. She’d told him about their dad, but Caleb was a subject she never brought up. “You two balance each other really well. Does being down here make you want to be more serious about life?”
Her heart sped up at that, but it was an honest question. It deserved an honest answer. “I’m still deciding. I think Hibiscus Spa could be so much more than it is, and it’s frustrating sometimes.”
“Maybe Hope will expand it.”
She rolled a shoulder. “Maybe. She’s got so much to manage. I hate to bring it up.”
“You two get along well. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
A particularly large wave crashed against the black cliff, then rolled onto the beach in a long curl. “Do you swim here?”
“I did once, when the water was a little calmer. But I’m a pretty strong swimmer. This isn’t really a swimming beach.”
Sara was enjoying the privacy of the cove as she leaned on an elbow, the motion pulling the V-neck of her shirt down. His eyes were glued to her chest, which brought certain ideas to mind. “Oh? And what kind of beach is it, then? My eyes are up here, in case you forgot.”
He met her gaze with a smoldering stare. “I told you. A private one. I was hoping it could become our special place.”
Jack took her glass and set them both on the sand before stretching out alongside her. He slid his hand behind her head, slowly drawing the long strands of her hair through his fingers. Then he leaned close, pressing a deep kiss against her mouth. The ocean crashed around them as they came together.
Sara sat on the blanket, watching the sun slip closer to the horizon. She poured more wine as the waves tumbled ashore. Jack lay naked on the blanket, sleeping on his side and facing her with his knees drawn up. He was breathing deeply, but not quite snoring. She studied his face, with those long, thick eyelashes she’d give anything to have. He had a small scar on his neck, just below the jawline that she liked to kiss, and she wanted to know what had caused it.
Am I falling in love here?
The thought caused tendrils of unease to creep through her abdomen. She enjoyed being in a relationship, but love was something else. That involved trusting on a whole different level, which was why she had tried to keep her relationships casual. The few times she had fallen hard hadn’t ended well. But her feelings for Jack couldn’t be classified as exactly casual anymore.
He trusted deeply once too. And it didn’t end happily for him either. She flashed back to his reaction when they’d had the spat about being exclusive.
“I don’t do anything else,” he’d said.
Sara didn’t either, but she had a strong feeling he had meant his words on a deeper level—that he didn’t do casual relationships. Sighing, she turned back to the ocean.
Are you going to break my heart, Jack? Or am I going to break yours?
* * *
Jack pulled onto the highway, done at Ocean Surf. Several days had passed since the idyll with Sara at the private cove, and he was meeting Robert at Breakers. And for once, his mind wasn’t completely full of her.
Though I wish it was.
The previous evening, he’d thoroughly gone over his finances and confirmed his fears. He was barely making ends meet. He’d been floored when Alex and Hope had given him the $1000 bonus, but that had been quickly spent on his credit card bills. Yesterday was only his third shift in the last week. When he’d lived in Galveston, his primary occupation had been in construction, mostly carpentry work, but he’d dabbled in just about everything. As he neared Breakers, he drove by a house and flinched at the garage being built. Guess I can see what the construction business is like here, or maybe day labor. Or just look into a third divemaster job.
At least he was set for the next couple of weeks, thanks to Alex. He pulled into the parking lot, looking forward to some friendly conversation to distract him. It was early on a Tuesday evening, and the bar was mostly empty as he sat on a bar stool. “Hey, Maurice.”
“Leatherback?” the big man asked.
“Bring it on.”
Robert entered from the opposite side and took the seat next to him. Maurice brought over two beers.
“How’s the photo business?” Jack asked.
“Busy. Thanks for workin’ for me. Both these shoots came up last minute, and they both want it done tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I need all the work I can get. Tommy is going to St. Thomas to visit family for a couple of weeks, so Half Moon Bay should have plenty of work for both of us, since Alex will be driving. Maybe April too.”
“Yeah. I just hope I can fit it all in.”
