Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
While Damien was texting Crystal’s number to Tessa, Nick said with a broad grin, “So, Damien, you writing a love song for this wedding?”
Finn snorted. Even Mila had to smile. Damien had famously never written a love song in his life. To everyone’s surprise, he looked up and seemed to ponder the question. His dark eyes, known to brood, turned reflective, and he swept a hand through his longish hair. He looked over at Tessa and Arch sitting so close together on the couch, hand in hand, the picture of devoted love, and said, “Maybe.”
Mila was struck by the impact of Arch and Tessa’s love for each other on the family. Their unlikely but wholehearted love had infected the siblings with a sense of romantic possibility. She wondered if this was why she couldn’t shake the image of Hersch from her mind.
Chapter Four
Early Saturday morning found Mila in her favorite place on earth—on top of a wave. She liked to hit the surf early, when it was just her and a handful of other serious surfers. About half a dozen were out this morning, all of whom she knew by name. The sky was gray, but the sea was throwing out some big curlers, and she was in her element. She waved to a guy named Tex who’d caught a wave and was cruising past her in to shore, and then she saw her own wave coming. It was a nice way to end her morning. Her whole body felt pleasantly tired, her muscles worked from a good couple of hours of surfing, and so she figured it was time to ride this one right into the beach.
It was a move made with the ease and precision born of years of practice. She jumped to her feet and felt the water rolling beneath her, the board and wave dance partners. She felt the wind against her face as her hair streamed back, and for the millionth time, she thought, This is where I belong. Her mind flashed back to Tessa’s painting of her in this very pose… and to Herschel Greenfield, who’d been staring at the picture when she first saw him.
As she rode in to the beach, she spotted a lone man looking in her direction. He clearly wasn’t a surfer. He was sitting on a jut of rock in jeans and a T-shirt—an outfit that left no doubt as to its owner’s powerful physique. Despite herself, she was intrigued. In her book, there was nothing sexier than a man who respected his body enough to look after it.
Once she’d reached the beach, she realized the man was Herschel Greenfield.
Her heart began to thump a little faster.
Gathering her composure, she unhooked from her surfboard and slid it beneath her arm. Herschel stood and smiled at her. There were two cups of coffee in his hands. Could it be that he really was waiting for her? The thought gave her a thrill.
He came toward her and said, “I bet you would love coffee about now.”
She laughed. “If you’d bought me a bouquet of roses, I couldn’t have been happier.” Still smiling, she accepted the cup and took a sip. Hot and strong—exactly the way she liked her coffee. And her men. Which was why she couldn’t help noticing how Hersch’s muscles bulged beneath his modest white T-shirt. Then she looked at the cardboard cup and realized it was from her favorite coffee shop in Carmel. She paused, one hand now resting on her board and the other grasping the coffee. She said, “How on earth did you know my favorite coffee shop and exactly how I like my coffee?”
He looked a little sheepish. “I’m a scientist. I’m excellent at research.” At this, she merely raised an eyebrow. “Okay, Jay Malone called me about that movie he wants to make.”
She was so surprised her mouth dropped open. “Damn, that guy never gives up, does he?”
Hersch shrugged. He didn’t seem too put out. Maybe he was more relaxed about all this than she’d first thought. Or, more likely, he was just a nice guy who wasn’t used to shutting people down.
“When I got the call, I figured it was an opportunity to do a little research about you. Jay told me I’d find you here early in the morning every day the surf was good. He said you and your sister have a standing coffee date at Saint Anna’s coffee shop, and so I called them. They know your order as well as you do.” He raised his coffee cup in a salute. “And here I am.”
She couldn’t believe he’d gone to all that trouble rather than call her. It was adorable.
She thanked him, and they went to sit on a rocky ledge. She couldn’t help but notice that his left thigh was almost touching her right one. As she sipped her coffee, she sighed with pleasure. “I love Saturdays.”