Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“I’m not perfect,” he told her. “I never said I was, and I never pretended to be. What I am though, is a man who is in love with you. I don’t know how it happened, but it did. And I’m here, asking you to give me a second chance. To let me prove to you that I can be the man you want me to be.”
“You love me?” her voice was quiet. She stepped away from the door and Dune stood in front of her. Eager to touch her.
“God, yes. So, fucking much. I don’t know when I fell, but I did, and I fell hard.” He fought to keep his hands at his side out of fear she’d reject his touch.
“You’re only telling me this because I’m leaving,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
That wasn’t what he expected her to say. “That’s not true,” he said. “I’m telling you now because you deserve to know. You deserve to know everything about me.”
She eyed him wearingly.
“I would’ve told you, Caroline. These aren’t words I’m saying just because I want you to stay. I want you to stay because you want to be here. If you don’t love me or don’t want to spend the rest of your summer with me, that’s fine. Say the word and I’m on my boat and you’ll never have to see me again. But . . .” He stepped forward, closing the gap between them.
Caroline looked down at the ground. Dune gently lifted her chin so he could look in her eyes. “But if you feel anything for me, if you love me or even like me, please don’t leave. Let us have the summer we thought we were going to have.”
“We don’t fit,” she said as she looked away from him. Dune dropped his hand as he processed her words. He didn’t want to believe what he thought they meant.
“What are you talking about? We fit perfectly.”
She shook her head and stepped back from him. “We don’t fit in each other’s worlds, Dune. You’re this free living, fly by the seat of your pants guy, and I’m this rigid, have to do everything according to my calendar type. I go to galas and socialite parties. You go to Diego’s for clam boil and beer.”
“Diego’s didn’t bother you before now.”
“And it doesn’t. I’m just saying, we’re different.”
“I love that you’re different from me, Caroline. I love that you’re the most beautifully dressed woman when we go somewhere. It makes me proud to have you on my arm. I know I’m not flashy but say the word and I’ll put on a tuxedo. I’ll rent the limo if that’s what you need. Look around”—Dune spread his arm around and pointed to their surroundings—“this is where I live and work—on the water—until you there hasn’t been a need for me to dress up.” Dune turned to face Caroline. “What else, huh? What else can I say to change your mind?”
“Nothing,” she said quietly.
Dune nodded. “Nothing. I see. So, I didn’t do anything wrong, and yet I’m the one getting the shaft here. You want to believe a guy you don’t even know over someone who cares about you.”
“It’s not that, Dune.”
“Then what is it?” he stepped forward and pleaded with her. “Tell me, baby. Tell me what I can do to fix this, and I’ll do it.” Dune touched her hair and then her cheek. Caroline leaned into him. “Please, Care Bear. Let me fix this.” He kissed her cheek, the tip of her nose, and then her lips. She started kissing him back and then pushed him away.
“No, I can’t,” she said through strangled tears. “I can’t do this.”
Dune stood there for a long moment while his already broken heart broke a bit more. She had already made up her mind and there wasn’t anything he could do to change it. She had listened to Bryant, someone she didn’t know, and that’s all it took for her to come to the conclusions she had. Why couldn’t she give Dune the benefit of the doubt?
“Well,” he said with a huff, “if you want to talk, you know where to find me.” He didn’t wait for her to say anything and walked away. Every few steps he thought about turning around to see if she was still there, but he couldn’t bring himself to look. He didn’t want to know if she watched him walk away or not.
At his boat, he pulled the rope and hopped on, doing everything he could not to look toward the cottage. He started the engine and put his boat into reverse, wishing the entire time he had his Bronco so he could speed away. But no, he had to maintain his speed.
Instead of heading toward the pier, he turned toward home. It’d been weeks since he spent the night in his house, and he was due. He never thought he’d miss his place until now. This was the only place Caroline hadn’t spent time in. It didn’t smell like her and there were no memories of them together.