Hope was having as much fun sightseeing in her hometown with Josh as she did flying to Nashville. No serious topics had come up like yesterday. Today was about enjoying themselves, joking and laughing as they made their way around Indigo Bay.
She could have done without other women blatantly checking Josh out. If he noticed, he didn’t let on nor did he flirt back. Honestly, she didn’t blame them. He was gorgeous and dressed for the beach. His bright board shorts brought to mind sunsets streaked with reds hinting of a storm brewing. His vibrant orange T-shirt showed off his tan and white straight teeth.
But his easy smile was what called to Hope the most. A happy face beat a handsome one any day of the week. Josh also seemed more relaxed today. She hoped that meant he was enjoying sightseeing with her.
Two people exited Happy Paws Pet Shop. The man and woman held hands and gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes.
Her ribs squeezed tight. She tried not to stare at the pair, to focus on the display in the nearest window, or to look at Josh, but something about these two brought back a rush of memories from her four-year marriage that she’d pushed aside to get over Adam’s betrayal.
The couple’s arms formed a V with their linked hands and swung back and forth playfully.
Pleasant times with her ex-husband flashed in her brain like a strobe light. A dinner at a rooftop restaurant, watching a parade, strolling through Central Park, cuddling during a movie marathon at their neighborhood cinema.
Had the end been horrible? Yes, but Hope realized she’d been so focused on the bad things she’d forgotten the good times in her marriage. She missed feeling cherished and respected. Missed having someone to share the ups and downs with and to depend on. Missed hearing the words I love you.
Not that she wanted to fall in love again. But she recognized the appeal of being in a relationship. Not everything had been negative.
A lightness spread through her. This was a positive step. Hope had Josh to thank for that.
He sauntered beside her with a wide grin on his face, a baseball cap on his head, and sunglasses covering his eyes. No one had recognized him yet.
“Of all the shops we’ve been to,” Josh said, “the Chocolate Emporium is my favorite.”
“You can never go wrong with chocolate.”
“My second favorite is the art gallery,” he added.
That surprised her. “I didn’t realize you were into art.”
“Art is hit or miss with me,” he replied honestly. “But I like the ornaments they carry.”
Hers were the only ones sold there. Warmth radiated deep inside her. She’d tried hard to continue her work as an artist. Ornaments were her favorite to make. The various surfaces and shapes often required extra creativity. Plus, she loved adding to someone’s tradition whether that was buying an ornament from places they’d visited or having a piece be a part of a family’s holiday decorating.
She swallowed around the emotion thickening her throat. “That’s sweet of you to say.”
“It’s the truth. I put five on hold,” he said, rendering her speechless at the gesture. “One for each member of my family.”
Wait. That didn’t sound right. After clearing her throat, she said, “But you only need four to give to your family.”
Josh grinned as if he had a secret. “One’s for me.”
Her pulse had been racing off and on all day, but now it was in a full-on sprint.
Josh grabbed her hand, yanking her hard against him. “Watch out.”
A kid on a scooter barreled past them.
Tingles erupted where his fingers touched hers. Heat, too. She stood so close she could hear him breathe, faster and faster. The tourists around them faded into the background. The only thing she saw was Josh.
He licked his lips. “That was close.”
She agreed, realizing he was still holding her hand. One of his arms had slipped around her waist at some point.
“You okay?” he asked.
Hope had no idea what she was feeling other than the certainty she’d be happy to stand here with him all day. Being this close to him made her feel whole, a way she hadn’t felt since returning to Indigo Bay.
You need to promise me you’ll be careful around him.
She hadn’t needed to be careful around Josh until now. Her brother had been correct when he’d said she’d almost lost her entire self, not only her painting, after what happened with Adam. She couldn’t chance that happening again, but she wasn’t ready to back away from Josh yet.
Something was happening to her, but she didn’t know what.
His gaze searched hers. “Hungry?”
For a kiss. She gulped. That probably wasn’t what he had in mind.
Hope nodded. “It has to be close to one o’clock. Let’s grab lunch and eat down at the shore.”
After a stop at the burger joint for a to-go order, Hope sat next to Josh on a bench overlooking the beach. He sipped his milkshake while she separated out their burgers and fries. “Food with a view.”
He placed his drink on the ground, then took his share when she handed it to him. “Can’t beat this.”
“Nope.” The Atlantic wasn’t the only breathtaking sight with Josh next to her.
That explained the butterflies in her stomach, and why she wanted to scoot closer to him until their legs touched. Not that she had or would. But she’d thought about it—twice.
If her heart wasn’t off the market; if he didn’t live on the opposite side of the country; if he wasn’t out of her league… she’d ask him to join her for dinner tonight. But the number of ifs told her appreciating him from afar was the safer option. Von would agree.
See, she could be careful.
“Great burger,” he said in between bites. “Hits the spot.”
A drop of ketchup rested on the side of his mouth. She wiped it off with a napkin. “There.”
His gaze met hers. He wasn’t looking at her as a friend might. The heat in his eyes was unmistakable. “Thanks.”
Hope opened her mouth to say ‘you’re welcome,’ only no words came out. She wasn’t tongue-tied. He’d rendered her speechless.
Glancing away, she ignored the hammering of her heart and ate her cheeseburger. That didn’t stop her from imagining her lips against his. Their softness and sweet taste.
Daydreaming was safe. Anything else with Josh would be… reckless.
They finished eating. The silence between them wasn’t awkward, but her body thrummed with awareness of him.
“Having lunch on the beach was a great idea.” He rolled up his burger wrapper and napkin and then placed them in the paper bag they’d come in. “Beats being inside.”
“I wasn’t sure how much beach time you’ve had since you’ve been here.”
“Not enough, but I’m not leaving for a few more days.”
Sunday. That wasn’t far away.
He stretched out his legs. He’d traded his flip-flops for a pair of sneakers. Smart move given their sightseeing on foot.
The end of a scar poked out of the bottom of his knee brace. She hadn’t noticed that before. The break must have been bad to end his playing career. Yesterday, his limp had been more pronounced in the afternoon when he’d carried in the painting. She hated thinking he was hurting when she was enjoying herself.
“How’s your leg holding up?” she asked.
“Good, but sitting is a nice break from all the walking.”
“We can stay here as long as you want.” Hope placed her hamburger wrapper into the bag. “We’re in no rush.”
“No one should rush while on vacation.”
“I wish my mom had thought like that, but she scheduled our days down to the minute.” Hope remembered one trip to Orlando, Florida. Fun, but… “Every trip, we came home exhausted and needing a vacation to recover from the one we took.”
“My parents were the opposite. They believed vacations should be all about rest and relaxation.” Josh’s sunglasses hung off the collar of his T-shirt. The brim from his cap kept the sun off his face. “Our trips weren’t the most exciting. We’d visit tourist spots, but we’d also watch movies or play games and spend time together.”
“That sounds more my speed.” She dug the toe of her sandal in the warm sand. “Though my idea of a vacation is to sit somewhere quiet with my sketchbook and enjoy the view.”
He raised his face to the sky, letting the sun kiss his cheeks.
Her breath hitched. Stunning.
His lips curved into a closed-mouthed smile. “I could get used to this.”
He was posed perfectly. Her fingers itched to pull out her notepad and pen and draw him. “You’ll have to come back sometime.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Her heart bumped. Anticipation rushed through her.
“Maybe next summer,” he continued. “My family would enjoy Indigo Bay.”
His family, of course. Hope’s shoulders drooped. She blew out a breath.
“Where do you plan to go on vacation next?” he asked.
“No idea. Not counting driving into Charleston, I haven’t been anywhere other than Nashville for a couple of years.”
Two years and four months. Not that she was counting.
Lines creased his forehead. “Why not?”
She shrugged. That was easier than telling the truth.
His arm went around her. “Hope?”
“The first year I moved back was…hard. I wanted to stay in bed all day. When I felt better, I didn’t think about going anywhere. Indigo Bay might not be perfect, but it’s…”
“Safe.”
“I was going to say home, but yes.” Josh’s hand was on her shoulder, making her feel warm and tingly all over. She forced herself to sit straight to keep from sinking into him. “I’d like to travel somewhere now. If only so Von would feel more comfortable bringing his girlfriend to the house for a weekend, but I can’t take time off from my job at the resort until after Labor Day.”
That timing would also allow her to save money for a mini-vacation.
“You should look into places so you’re ready when the time comes,” Josh encouraged.
Nodding, she tried to reconcile the kind, caring man she’d gotten to know the past three days with the image of an alcoholic who’d been arrested. Tried and failed.
Life could change in an instant—hers had—leaving a person in a sad, dark place. Even if she couldn’t picture Josh like that, she’d been there herself. But she’d had Von to help her.
He’d rescued her from New York. Brought her back to Indigo Bay. He’d found her a counselor, driven her to and from the appointments, and built her the studio at his house.
Josh seemed close to his family, but maybe he hadn’t had anyone to dedicate themselves to him after his injury. Or maybe the darkness had been too much for him.
Hope wanted to know more about his past, but what happened to him was none of her business. She wouldn’t have any words of wisdom for him if she knew the whole story. She knew little about recovery, other than getting sober seemed like a long, difficult process that often took multiple attempts and not everyone succeeded.
Would Josh?
She hoped so.
Kids chased waves only to run away in fits of giggles as the tide rolled in. She longed to feel as carefree and playful as they did.
Someday…
“Ready to continue the tour?” he asked.
Hope stood. “More of Indigo Bay awaits you.”
He put his cup into the bag. “Where to next?”
“You’re going to need to use your imagination for our next stop.”
“That sounds intriguing.”
“I want to show, well, tell you about an Indigo Bay Christmas tradition,” she explained.
He rose slowly. “Christmas, huh? I’ll need to put myself into the right frame of mind for that.”
She had no idea what he meant. “Okay.”
“Remember what we talked about yesterday? If the timing was right?” He stepped toward her. “You game?”
Her lips parted. She might have nodded.
Josh’s mouth touched hers, stealing her breath and maybe her heart.
No, not her heart.
His lips pressed harder against hers until she thought her knees might give out. Josh backed away with a satisfied expression on his face.
“What was that?” She forced the words out. Difficult to do when her brain was short-circuiting from the way he’d kissed her.
“You told me to use my imagination. That’s what I did.” He wasn’t apologetic at all. “I imagined us standing under mistletoe.”
“That’s what you meant about the right frame of mind?”
If he’d been a cat, yellow feathers would be sticking out of his pleased smile. “Hey, I can do more than throw a ball. I graduated with a degree in communications. And when the timing is right, my brain just works.”
Hope stood there in a daze. “Timing?”
“For another kiss.” He winked. “You have to admit it was clever.”
“Sly and a tad creative.” Hope fought the urge to touch her lips. Heaven help her, but she was ready to step back under the imaginary mistletoe with him. “I’ll give you that.”
His chest puffed. “Now I’m ready for whatever tradition you want to show me.”
Josh left her feeling off-balance. She didn’t know if that was him or his kiss or a combination of the two.
“Christmas. Imagination,” he offered.
Right. “We need to go to Main Street.”
As she headed toward Seaside Boulevard, he fell into step with her, shortening his strides slightly. She glanced his way to find him staring at her. “What?”
“You’re cute when you’re flustered,” he said.
“I’m not flustered. You caught me off-guard,” she clarified. “I’m not used to kisses under imaginary mistletoe.”
Or real mistletoe. Or being kissed at all.
“Me, either. But I’ll remember that for the future.”
With her or someone else? Hope’s stomach clenched. She didn’t want to know the answer.
“You okay?” Josh asked.
“Fine.” Forcing herself to focus, she led him to the most popular spot in town on December twenty-fourth. “At Christmastime, the town places a huge tree right here. It’s strung with thousands of lights.”
Hope stomped on the spot for emphasis. This Indigo Bay lore was more than Josh needed to know, but she wanted to put in the extra effort if only to remind herself of what they were doing together—sightseeing.
“On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, the town holds a big tree lighting ceremony,” she explained in an ‘isn’t-this-fun’ tone that would make the Chamber of Commerce proud. She could be professional and forget about his kiss. “Before the switch is flipped, residents and visitors line up for a turn to make a wish and place an ornament on the tree.”
Josh stared at her as if she’d grown a unicorn horn. “A wish?”
“You wish upon your ornament before hanging it.”
“Your town believes in Christmas wishes, yet you teased me about Berry Lake’s Bigfoot obsession?” He laughed, a deep, rich sound that drew people’s attention. “Let me guess, every store in Indigo Bay sells ornaments for the tree.”
“This isn’t about commercialism,” Hope countered, though he had a point. “Caroline says Christmas wishes are stronger than birthday ones. Some people come every year to hang an ornament.”
“And make a wish.”
She nodded.
“Your brother is wrong about the West Coast being full of crazies.” Amusement lit Josh’s eyes. “The South is as weird, but the zany stuff you do is called ‘tradition,’ so it doesn’t seem so far out there.”
Hope stared down her nose. “We might be a bit peculiar, but making a Christmas wish is not zany.”
“Have any of your wishes come true?” he asked, not flippantly, but the way his eyes searched hers told her he wanted to know.
Thinking back over the years—minus the ones she’d been away in New York—she bit her lip. As a child, her wishes had centered on things, mainly toys. When she was a teenager and in college, her wishes flipped between being a famous painter and finding true love. Now, her wishes had become generic—world peace and a cure for cancer.
“A few have.” She remembered two—an American Girl doll and an expensive paint set. “But there’s no time limit on wishes.”
“What did you wish for?”
“If I tell you, they’ll never come true.”
“So more than one wish is still out there.”
Hope tilted her head, agreeing, though a part of her no longer believed as she once had. Not only in wishes, but in love and happy endings. “No sense wasting a wish on the same thing each year.”
“Practical.”
That made her laugh. “You’re the only person to call an artist practical.”
He leaned closer, his shoulder touching hers. “I meant you’re practical in making wishes.”
“Oh, right.”
Except being with Josh had her wishing for some impractical things—more time together and another kiss. She forced a smile.
Ugh. This wasn’t good, and she had no idea what to do about it.