Page 45 of Falling for the Grumpy Stranger

“Should we all go?” Layla asked enthusiastically.

Ava looked at her. “Yes, there’s nothing more romantic than a walk on the beach under a full moon with a little sister tagging along and saying anything that pops into her mind.”

“You could have just nudged me with your elbow. Didn’t need the whole sarcasm thing,” Layla said sharply. Then she threw her arms in the air and dropped them around Ava. “I’m going to miss that sarcasm so much.”

I took Rhett’s hand and led him down the path to the beach. We reached the sand. He looked around. “This was your backyard as a kid?”

“Yep. We were down here all summer and any time in the year that the weather was nice.”

“Man, oh man, all we had near our house was a park, and I use the term loosely because it was nothing more than a few cement paths, a swing set and a slide. Its big claim to fame was a drinking fountain that was tucked inside a big plaster lion’s head, but the water tasted like rust.”

I still held his hand and turned him toward the end of the cove. “So, they spent money to have a whimsical drinking fountain, but they only added a swing set and a slide? Not even the much-needed-at-any-playground monkey bars?”

“Not a bar or climbing apparatus in sight. I suppose we’re walking this way to avoid being seen by a certain creepy neighbor?”

“Sure are. And creepy is right.” We headed past the outcropping of rocks that jutted out onto the sand. “We spent a lot of time climbing those rocks,” I said. “And a lot of time bandaging our knees after climbing on those rocks. Ava even broke her arm after her foot slipped into a crevice, and she used her arm to stop the fall.”

“Ouch. I’ll bet she wasn’t too keen about climbing those rocks after that.”

I laughed. “You don’t know Ava. We have a picture of her standing at the very top of the outcropping waving her blue fiberglass cast in the air.”

“Guess it’s called getting back on the horse.”

As we got to the end of the cove, the cliffsides grew steeper, and they cast a dark shadow over the sand. Rhett stopped and pulled me into his arms. “Moonlight, the rhythmic sound of the sea and a beautiful woman in my arms—this is a much better end to the evening than I expected.” He kissed me. “Ella, just tell me if you think things are moving too fast. I know Aria told me that you?—”

“Were flighty when it comes to men? Yes, I really need to once again thank my big sister for sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong. She occasionally does that.”

“I think she saw me sitting at the table looking like a kid whose bike just got stolen, and she thought she’d step in for a little therapy. But back to my question.”

“Well, part of what Aria said was true. Actually, most of it. And that’s on me. I’ve been very quick to end budding relationships, but that’s only because I never found the right person. You’ve already passed a very big test.”

He raised a questioning brow at me. “How’s that?”

“I’ve already discovered that, much like Mr. Rochester of literary fame, you have a secret, unhinged wife hidden in the attic, or in this case, in the cottage next door, and I still haven’t sent you the ‘I’m so sorry this just isn’t going to work’ text.”

Rhett pulled me closer with a chuckle. “You are like no woman I’ve ever met, Ella. I only hope I can live up to your expectations, because you’re the best thing to happen to me in a long time.”

“Oh, I think you’ve already met and surpassed them, Mr. Lockwood.”

We parted but held hands as we walked farther along the sand. It was always extra quiet down on the cove at night when there were no screeching gulls and the tide was pulled out and quiet. “What will happen next? With Christine?” I hated to bring it up because it was such a nice walk, but the woman had moved in next to our cottage.

“Not sure. I offered to meet her financial demands. It’ll cost me millions, and at the same time, I let her know part of the deal would be her getting out of my life for good. She decided that wasn’t good enough. She wanted twice her original amount.”

“It’s like emotional blackmail,” I said.

“Pretty much. I’ve got a great lawyer. He’ll help me figure something out. In the meantime …”

I looked over at him. “In the meantime?” It seemed he had no way to finish the sentence, but something occurred to me. “I’ll have Isla call Audrey to let her know that the new renter is a problem and see if she can cut short the agreement. Audrey was a good friend of Nonna’s, so she might be willing.”

“Not sure if that’ll be possible if an agreement was signed. But it’s worth a try. I really am sorry that?—”

I wrapped my arms around his. “That you married a nutcase? Yes, that might go down as your biggest regret in life.”

“It sure will.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

ELLA

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