“You don’t have to answer, Joe.” Especially if his answer was, You bring me nothing.
“I don’t have the words right yet.”
Sarah bit her lip, feeling queasy. “Tactful phrasing required?”
“No.” He took the husks from her hand, tossed them into the garbage bag and came back to stand in front of her, looking down at her earnestly. “Risky phrasing.”
“What do you mean?” Sudden fear. She knew what was coming. A truth she’d denied for years because it suited her to. God, why was she seeing everything so clearly today? Couldn’t she space it all out a little? She wanted to turn and run back to the cove, interrupt Addie and Derek and tell them sorry, but she changed her mind and they had to have a threesome immediately.
Then Joe did something she’d never seen him do. He changed. He got taller and broader and more muscular and more masculine. Before her eyes. She couldn’t breathe.
He took her hand, put it to his lips then pressed it to his heart. “You are loyal and generous and you make me laugh and cry and suffer and celebrate and always, always hope.”
Sarah’s breath went in as if it would never stop. No one had ever said anything that lovely and romantic to her. Ever.
“Joe, that was so beautiful,” she whispered.
The breeze she’d predicted sprang up, playing with his now-dry hair, sending strands of hers across her face. For one terrifying moment, she thought this new version of Joe was going to kiss her. He had that look in his eye, one she’d seen plenty of times, but never on Joe. The predatory my-woman look.
No, no, no, not Joe, that wasn’t right, he wasn’t—
Oh, dear. He was.
Would she let him? No! She wasn’t ready!
God took care of her. The breeze strengthened and knocked over the garbage bag, spilling husks everywhere. By the time they got those cleaned up and went back to their work, Joe was himself again, the moment was over, and they were back to being comfortable friends.
Almost. Sarah couldn’t quite forget. For that one second the thought of kissing Joe had been terrifying, yes. But also just the tiniest bit...thrilling.
And maybe, if she allowed herself to think about it—absolutely right.
* * *
ADDIE WOKE UP, bleary-eyed and cranky and very, very sandy. What time was it? Where was she? What was she—
Right. Storness Island. The secret cove. She’d been there all morning with Sarah. They’d had a long conversation analyzing the world and all men in it, noting particularly how unworthy way too many of them were.
That part was mostly Sarah.
Addie struggled to sit up, brushing back a tangle of hair. Then they’d moved on to discuss, specifically, Kevin, Derek and Joe, and how maybe Sarah had been wrong about Derek. And how Addie should give him a chance as well as Kevin and see what happened because you couldn’t have enough eggs in different baskets.
That part was mostly Sarah, too.
After she left, insisting Addie stay on for a good while to relax, Addie had been exhausted. Give Derek a chance this weekend? And Kevin? The woman who’d been tempted to spend this week filing? Please.
Since the day was hot, she’d retreated to a banana shaped spot at the edge of the beach, where bushes and vegetation had formed a sheltering canopy, and covered herself with her towel. Apparently she’d kicked it off at some point while she was asleep and, just as apparently, a warm breeze had come up and blown more sand on her, plus the sun had moved and taken away a lot of the shade. So now she was naked, sweaty, thirsty and probably a little sunburned.
She stood up groggily and shook out her towel in the stiffening breeze, eyes squeezed shut and head turned, then tried to brush the sticky sand off her sticky body.
Ouch. Sand grains brushing over sunburned skin equaled sandpaper. Addie looked longingly toward the water. A skinny promontory and a kind of zigzag in the island’s coast formed a natural pool that looked perfect for swimming, and hid whoever was in the cove from passing boats. The tide was low now, but should be on its way in. Sarah told her the best time for swimming was sunny days when high tide had been creeping up over preheated sand and rocks all afternoon. This water wouldn’t be warm, but it would get this sand off more effectively and a lot less painfully.