Page 20 of Booked for Summer

He smiled, taking her hand in his. ‘Then let’s go.’

He led her away from the wharf and onto a footpath. ‘So wherearewe actually going?’ she asked when she managed to catch her breath, though the way his fingers smoothed across her knuckles as they walked did not help to calm her racing pulse.

‘Galley Beach.’

He glanced at her and she frowned. ‘Is that supposed to mean something to me?’

‘Just wondering if you’ve heard of it in any of those guidebooks you devoured.’

It gave her a burst of pleasure to know he’d been listening. ‘I don’t remember it, no.’ She gave him a gentle dig in the ribs. ‘That’s why I wanted the inside knowledge. Whydoyou come to Nantucket so often?’

‘I visit for business.’

‘Um, business. Is that whale business?’

He shook his head, looking amused. ‘Tourism. How about you? Holiday?’

‘In a way. I’m going to be working in a shop for a few months, but because it’s not my real job it doesn’t feel like work. Just an amazing opportunity to do something different, to maybe, hopefully, make my mark on it.’ She put a hand to her chest, feeling the increase in her heart rate. ‘I’m so excited to be here, it’s crazy. I want to make the most of it so while I’m not beavering away in the shop I want to explore everything Nantucket has to offer. The pictures in the guidebooks looked amazing, and what I’ve seen so far has been… I want to say, cute, but that’s wrong because it’s got this elegant air, but also old fashioned, like I’m in a different century. I mean, boardwalks, cobbles, buildings made of weathered wood, sand dunes and lighthouses. It’s not like London, that’s for sure.’

‘You’re a long way from home,’ he murmured as they rounded a corner, giving her a peek of the vivid blue of the ocean between the perfectly maintained grey shingle properties.

‘That’s kind of the point. I’ve lived what you could call a sheltered life, but this is my chance to stretch my wings. See what I’m really capable of.’

Her head bopped from side to side as they walked past houses that seemed to get bigger and more impressive with every stride. The lawns were immaculate, the hedges precisely trimmed, white picket fences freshly painted. Some had tennis courts, many had a deck on the roof, presumably giving a fabulous view of the sea. There was even a ship’s figurehead.

‘It’s from a merchant ship,’ Liam remarked as he saw her starring. ‘In the 1800s, it sailed six times to the Pacific.’

‘Incredible.’ She shook her head. ‘Not just the figurehead, but—’ she waved at the houses as they walked ‘—the whole street. There’s no litter, no peeling paintwork, no overgrown gardens. It’s all so perfect. So pretty…’ She trailed off as she caught sight of the beach ahead. ‘Oh, my God, that’s beautiful.’

Between the grey shingle buildings was a magnificent stretch of sandy beach which seemed to glow gold, thanks to the glorious orange setting sun.

He paused, gave a little shake of his head.

‘What?’

‘I’ve seen it so often I’ve become blasé.’ He turned to look at her. ‘It’s rare to see it through a fresh pair of eyes.’

‘Well you should spend time in West London. Then you’d appreciate the hell out of this place.’

Her jaw continued to fall open as they walked through the entrance of the Galley Beach restaurant and out onto the beach, where groups of tables were clustered on the sand. Yep, actually on the sand. It was busy with people enjoying a drink in the evening glow of the sun, laughter drowning out the sound of the waves as they lapped up the shore. They were led to the only free table, the waitress not shy about ogling Liam.

Not that he seemed to notice. His gaze wasn’t on the woman who pulled out his chair while giving him a flirty smile, nor was it on the setting sun, or even the drinks menu that was pushed into his hands. It was onher.

She had never felt so absolutely the centre of a guy’s attention.

‘I’m sorry about earlier.’ He looked puzzled and she gave him a sheepish smile, looking around her, drinking it all in. ‘The cold feet. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this for the world. Thank you for bringing me.’

* * *

She was like a kid in a candy store, Liam thought, as he watched the expressions of awe, of delight, flicker across her face as they drank their second cocktail and finished off the plate of butter-poached lobster he’d ordered so she could get the full Nantucket experience. All against the backdrop of a perfect sunset. It cast a shimmery light over her, making her skin look more tanned, her hair like fine-spun gold. The short capped sleeves of the silky top she wore fluttered in the breeze, drawing his gaze, which inevitably dipped down to her cleavage. No, not a kid. A fully developed, innately sexy woman who somehow also managed to look innocent, her enthusiasm a refreshing change from the jaded attitudes of the women he usually shared a drink with. She didn’t try to act coy, or cool. She let him see everything she was thinking.

‘What is it you do back home?’ It wasn’t polite conversation. Hewantedto know. She intrigued him, this combination of klutzy, funny, vulnerable, brave, all rolled up in a blonde bombshell package.

‘You want the fancy title or the real one?’

He mentally added down to earth and guileless to his list. ‘Both.’

‘I’m a publishing assistant, which basically means I’m an admin.’ Her gaze fell to her drink for a moment before meeting his. ‘I know I have to work my way up, but I’ve been there two years now and I’m still not doing what I want to do. They know I’m not happy, which is why they let me have three months off to come here.’

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