Page 24 of Summer with a Navy SEAL

Between sobs, I manage to explain about the job offer, about leaving Love Beach, about Brogan.

Crystal leads me to the small sofa in the back of the shop, sitting beside me. “Wow, that’s... a lot. But Willy, this is amazing news! Leading a major renovation project? That’s huge! Isn’t that what you’ve been working toward all this time?”

I nod, wiping my eyes. “I know. It’s everything I’ve been working for.”

“But?” Crystal prompts gently.

“But...” I take a shaky breath. “I didn’t expect to feel like this about leaving.”

Crystal’s eyes soften with understanding. “You mean you didn’t expect to feel like thisabout Brogan.”

I nod, unable to meet her gaze as she takes my hands in hers.

“Oh, Willy. I’ve known you for years, and I’ve never seen you like this about a guy before.”

I pull my hands away, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter. What Brogan and I had... it was just a fling. Nothing more.”

“A fling?” Crystal’s eyebrows shoot up. “I saw the way you two looked at each other, and believe me, that wasn’t just a fling.”

I stand up, pacing the small space. “It has to be, Crystal. We’re from different worlds. It would never work.”

“Says who?” Crystal challenges.

I whirl around to face her. “Says reality! He’s Brogan Hollister, for crying out loud. And I’m... I’m just me.”

Crystal’s face softens. “Willy, you’re not ‘just’ anything. You’re amazing. And from what I saw, Brogan thinks so too.”

I feel tears pricking at my eyes again. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks. I have this job now. It’s everything I’ve been working for. Leading my own project? That’s huge.”

“It is,” Crystal agrees. “But why does it have to be one or the other?”

I shake my head. “Because I need to focus. This job, it’s my chance to finally prove myself. To show everyone what I can do. I can’t be distracted by... by feelings that will fade anyway.”

Crystal stands up, placing her hands on my shoulders. “You’re saying all the right things, Wilhelmina Genaro, butyour heart’s not in it. I can see it in your eyes. This is tearing you apart.”

I feel my composure cracking. “I... I have to go, Crystal. I have to do this job. It’s my chance.”

She pulls me into a hug. “I know, sweetie. And I’m so proud of you. But just... don’t close your heart off completely, okay? You deserve to be happy, in your career and in love.”

I bury my face in her shoulder, allowing myself one moment of vulnerability. “I’m scared,” I whisper.

“Of what?”

“Of wanting something I can’t have.”

Crystal pulls back, cupping my face in her hands. “The only thing you can’t have is what you don’t allow yourself to want.”

“Is that something from your inventory?”

She shrugs. “As a matter of fact, yes, it is, but doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

“True or not, I have to do what’s best for me,” I say, even if the only thing I want to do is rush back to the beach house and back into Brogan’s arms. I take a shaky breath, stepping back. “I should go. I have a long drive ahead of me.”

Crystal nods, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “Call me when you get home, okay? And Willy…?”

I pause at the door, looking back.

“Just... be open to possibilities, alright?” she says. “Don’t close your heart to love. Even if it happens to be Brogan Hollister.”

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