Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“I like the idea of a reset button. I’ll have to go on the hunt for this boat. I can’t spend hours lying down in a library or an art gallery without the police being called. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
I laughed. “The weird thing is that I went back to that boat for years after that first time. Each time it had the same effect. And then one day, I went looking for it and it had disappeared.”
“Maybe the owner claimed it.”
“Maybe. It just felt . . . This is going to sound—no, forget it.”
She slid her hand over mine. “Tell me.”
We locked eyes and I could tell she was genuinely interested in my story. Not the story of Jacob Cove, son of Carole and John Cove, or the oldest of five Cove brothers or Dr. Cove. She was just interested in me.
“It felt like the boat had done its job for me and because I was over the part of my career—in my life—that I really needed it . . . It kind of disappeared.”
She nodded. A comfortable silence wound between us.
“Like it was magic or something.” She didn’t say it in a jokey way—not in the way of a jaded scientist being told that because she was a Taurus, she was destined to feel x or y. She said it like she accepted entirely how I felt about that boat—like it was slightly magical. Like it had been healing for me when I needed it for as long as I needed it.
“To anyone else it would sound stupid—”
She shook her head. “Don’t say that. The day we stop believing in magic—just a little bit—is a sad day.” She withdrew her hand but I leaned my knee against hers, wanting a continued physical connection with her. She didn’t move away or flinch, just looked up at me and smiled a smile full of fondness, like we were old friends.
“I agree,” I said. “Science is full of magic.”
We grinned at each other like a couple of idiots. The more I saw her smile, the happier I felt.
“I didn’t want to come tonight,” she confessed. “But I’m really glad I did.”
I took a sip of margarita because if I allowed myself to respond straight away, I was pretty sure I’d get arrested for being ridiculous. “Same,” I said. “I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t . . .”
“I wonder if you’ll see the boat again. Or something else like that will come into your life at the right time.” She was so beautiful, I wanted to jump up and tell the restaurant to come see how glorious she was.
“Who knows. Maybe if you get thrown out of all the London libraries and art galleries, you might need a new spot to ease your anxiety and you’ll find a rowing boat.”
She narrowed her eyes as if she was really thinking about what she was saying. “You might be on to something. Perhaps I need to be outdoors.”
“It’s worth a try.”
Somewhere during our conversation, our plates had been collected and replaced with our main courses. I ate mine as slowly as possible. I didn’t want tonight to end. I knew she thought I was leaving the country next week. She thought I was Beau. There wasn’t supposed to be any connection beyond tonight. If that was the case, I had to make our time together last as long as possible.
Four
Sutton
Tonight wasn’t supposed to go like this. First, men weren’t as gorgeous as Beau outside of films. It just didn’t happen. Secondly, men who were remotely good looking weren’t also sexy and attentive, and they didn’t talk about magic rowing boats.
I had to give Parker her due: I wasn’t thinking about anything other than what was right in front of me tonight. And what was right in front of me was Beau. It was just so . . . easy between us.
“What do you like to do when you have a day off?” I asked. I wanted to know everything about him. Surely he couldn’t be as amazing as I thought he was. There must be a personality disorder or criminal record I could tease out of him.
“Not much. My brother Nathan isn’t a medic. He and I like to kick around business ideas. Then he tries to convince me to give up my job and go into business with him.”
I wanted to know more, so I paused. People liked to fill silences. Life as a hairdresser had taught me that much. But he didn’t take the bait and the silence stretched between us like strings of mozzarella fresh from a bite of a favorite pizza.
“He obviously thinks you have a talent for business,” I said, eventually.
He shrugged. “I had a lucky break at university with a business idea. He thinks I have untapped potential.”