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“What has you so deep in thought?”
She turned her head to find Xander standing a few feet away, wearing low-slung navy boxers and a bare chest. It was all she could do to keep her mouth from hitting the floor. His ripped abs were better than the ones splashed across the sizzling romances she liked to indulge in late at night.
Then realizing she was ogling him, she lifted her gaze. When their eyes met, she found a big grin on his face. The heat in her chest rushed up her neck and settled in her cheeks.
“Find something you like?” he asked with amusement dancing in his dark eyes.
She immediately turned her attention back to her laptop. She had absolutely no idea what she was about to type so she opened her email. She didn’t care what she did right now so long as she didn’t let her gaze stray back to his bare chest and those oh-so-tempting washboard abs. She stifled a groan.
“I thought I’d work at home this morning.” The truth was her stomach was feeling a bit iffy. Her morning sickness hadn’t been bad and had passed a few weeks ago. Could it be back? Or was it her nerves—between having Xander under the same roof and the dire straits of the island to worry about?
Regardless, she didn’t want to go to the office only to make a spectacle of herself by running to the bathroom. But perhaps staying home wasn’t her best move. “I’ll just gather my things and get out of your way.”
“No. Stay.” His voice was so close.
He sat down next to her. She swallowed hard. She willed her body to move, but she remained there next to Xander as though he had some sort of magnetic force.
He glanced over at her computer. “Already working?”
“I have a lot to do.”
“I see you have some emails about the island. I take it there’s lots of interest in buying it.”
Lea closed her laptop. “I’m still working on finding the right person to replace me.”
“Replace you?” Xander was wide awake now. “I don’t think that’s possible. Besides, when we met you said you’d never walk away from the island.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?” He paused. “You mean before me?”
She shrugged. “A lot has changed since I met you. For one, I’m pregnant. For another, I’ve experienced just how much work this island needs and as you’re quickly proving, it’s more than I can do on my own.”
“So you’re just giving up? Walking away?”
“That’s not what I said.” But it felt like that was what she was doing. Her aunt had trusted her with their family’s legacy and she’d failed.
“You can say it in some other words, if it makes you feel better, but it amounts to the same thing in my book. This is your dream. You shouldn’t have to give up. There has to be another way.”
“Sometimes dreams change.” She thought of the baby. It was her priority now. Right or wrong, she had to do what she thought was best for the baby.
“I don’t think you’re going to be able to find anyone to take over the island and run it the way you do. You’re so passionate about it—about bringing two hearts together. And from what I’ve heard, you’re a terrific boss. Everyone on the island sings your praises.”
They did? Her cheeks warmed. She was immensely touched. “I try my best. Sometimes I wing it. It isn’t like this job comes with an instruction manual. But I’m sure there’s someone who can do it better than me. After all, look around. This place needs some help—if I was so great, it would be all upgraded and fully maintained.”
“You can’t blame yourself for the problems that you inherited. These problems have been building over time. Some were covered up and hidden. But that can only be done for so long.”
“It’s just—” She was just about to say too much, but she stopped herself in time. “It’s just time for me to move on.”
“And what do you plan to do next?”
In that moment, she knew what she needed to do. Take a step back and reevaluate her life. “I’m moving to...” She wasn’t sure where she wanted to move. “You know it really doesn’t matter.”
