Page 80 of Serenity Harbor

Bowie smiled at his brother. “Sounds like we have a winner. Let’s go.”

* * *

THISWASTHEkind of evening that helped Haven Point live up to its name. The vast blue lake rippled softly in a light summer breeze, and her mother’s backyard looked charming, with hanging lanterns in all the trees and red, white and blue bunting on the railing of the deck.

Katrina stood on the steps of the deck, savoring therightnessof the scene.

Neighbors talked with neighbors, Uncle Mike and a group of his friends played horseshoes in a corner of the lawn and a group of children chased each other around, their laughter ringing above the lapping of water and the rustle of the leaves in the stately maples ringing her mother’s yard.

Only one thing ruined the perfection, she saw. Milo stood to one side, wearing that look of curious concentration as the other children ran past, as if he were a pint-size anthropologist watching a newly discovered civilization.

He didn’t seem to mind his “otherness.” She, however, minded very much.

She was about to step forward and enlist his help carrying dishes out to the long, cloth-covered tables when young Will Montgomery—soon to become her nephew through marriage and about a year or so younger than Milo—stopped next to him.

She couldn’t hear what he said to her temporary charge, but a moment later, both boys were heading to the sturdy redwood swingset and play structure Uncle Mike had just finished constructing.

Gabi would love playing on that swingset with Will and Chloe.

The ache in her chest deepened. Her daughter should be here. With her open friendliness and her sheer delight in every small moment of life, she would absolutely love a party like this. The children would adore her, too. Katrina didn’t doubt it for a moment.

What if she couldn’t work through all the legalities and ended up having to relocate to Barranquilla with Gabi?

She didn’t even want to think about that as she stood here beside the lake on a lovely summer evening. The fear lurked on the edge of her psyche anyway. Haven Point was her home, and she loved it here. Her family was here, a job she hoped to return to, even a couple of houses she had her eye on that would be perfect for a single woman with a child.

She wanted that dream. But if she had to, she would try to build a new life in Colombia with Gabi. What other choice did she have?

“That’s the expression of a woman with serious things on her mind.”

At the voice, she looked over to find the gorgeous Jamie Caine joining her on the step, wearing his charmer of a smile.

Everything was so easy with Jamie. With him, she could flirt and tease and slip right back into the role everybody expected of her.

“Yes. Deadly serious. I was wondering when you would finally make all my dreams come true and break away from Eppie and Hazel so you could come talk to me. And look at that. Here you are.”

His laugh was low and sexy and made several women in the vicinity turn and stare—but did absolutely nothing for her. She didn’t need to know why. The reason was over in the corner talking to Jamie’s brother, Aidan, and a couple of guys she didn’t know.

“Eppie and Hazel are two tough crackers. I don’t like messing with them.”

“You’re a jet jockey who flies giant airplanes worth millions of dollars. You’ve been in combat, for crying out loud. Are you really afraid of two little old women?”

“Hell to the yes,” he said, with so much genuine emotion in his voice she had to laugh.

Out of the corner of her gaze, she saw Bowie turn at the sound—not that she was staring at him or anything. His gaze shifted to her and then to Jamie, and she saw something hot there that made nerves jitter in her stomach.

At almost the same instant, Samantha Fremont approached Bowie with two drinks in her hands and gave one to him, earning a smile.

Katrina quickly looked back at Jamie, trying to squash her completely unreasonable jealousy. “Hazel and Eppie scare me, too,” she admitted. “They’re something, aren’t they?”

He nodded. “And while we’re speaking of dreams coming true,” he said, with that same charmer of a smile, “when are you going to take pity on me and finally go grab a drink with me sometime?”

Jamie always flirted outrageously with her. Usually she enjoyed it and flirted right back. She never took him seriously, and that was just the way he liked it.

“We both have drinks, don’t we?” She held up her own glass containing her mom’s famous raspberry lemonade. “Why don’t we count this?”

“I meant just the two of us.”

“The closest person is ten feet away. If you close your eyes and try really hard, you could pretend you and I are alone on a moonlit lakeshore.”

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