Page 30 of Meet Me in Tahiti

“So,” he said after a moment, “how’s the last week of your twenties treating you?”

She laughed softly. “Pretty amazing, honestly. But not without its challenges. I kind of feel like I’m failing this turning-thirty thing. Staying nice and safe right here inside my comfort zone. No stepping outside… despite what I said last night…”

He smiled. “Challenges are good,” he said. “Are you getting what you wanted out of the trip?”

“I think so,” she said thoughtfully. “Sometimes it feels like one step forward and two steps back, though—like this morning at the reef.” She looked up at him, her gaze intent. “But you really turned things around for me when you let me drive the dinghy.”

He dropped his arm because she’d stopped shivering, but now their hands dangled between them, so close it made his heart race. On impulse, he let his fingers brush hers—and when she didn’t pull away, he linked his hand into hers. She took it without hesitating, and he squeezed it.

They stood there, hand in hand, gazing at the sea, no words needed for a few long, perfect moments.

“It was brave,” he said quietly. “Speaking up like that instead of forcing yourself to do something you didn’t want to—that takes guts.” She was willing to bevulnerable. So few people, himself included, were willing to open themselves up for criticism. He liked her all the more for it.

She squeezed his hand lightly. “Really? Because I didn’t feel brave. I felt… like a hopeless fish out of water. No pun intended.” She chuckled over her reference to the sea, and he smiled. “I still do. I feel like I’ve been making excuses so I can avoid the things that scare me out here.”

“I disagree.” Because she was brave in a way that went much deeper than physical courage. “You weren’t making excuses. You were making choices. I wish I could be that brave sometimes.”

He desperately wanted to make those kinds of choices for himself. Move forward with a plan; stop leaving the decision as to whether he’d go back to Florida up to fate—in the form of one lousy job offer. He needed to take more action if he wanted to make a change.

Because he was tired of drifting, tired of staying away from the ‘real world’ here in paradise, simply because it had become comfortable. Tired of going along with the old plan when he was actually ready for a new one. Tired of letting the chaos that Mia had created govern his future.

Tessa was proof that change was possible—and beautiful.

“But my friends—they’re all so comfortable by the ocean. They’re not afraid of anything here. It’s like I’m the only land-loving mammal on the boat.”

He chuckled and shook his head, but not to disagreethis time. “They all have their significant others at their sides, cheering them on, sharing the moments, and that makes it easier. But you… you’re on your own. That’s brave.”

She gazed up at him, and her eyes met his. “I have you,” she said.

The words melted his heart. He softened and gently pulled some wind-blown hair from her face. “Yes, you do.” He kept his gaze on her. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I’ll keep helping you find things you love out here so you won’t have to keep making hard choices. Like today at the pearl farm. You liked that, right?”

She nodded. “I loved it.”

He beamed. “That’s my new mission, then.”

Her lips parted. “Okay, I’m in.”

Encouraged, he squeezed her hand again.

She sounded more confident. “How about you?” she asked. “You said you were trying to figure out what’s next in your life. Are you getting closer to deciding?”

He exhaled slowly, heart thudding. “Yeah.” If only she knew how often it had crossed his mind this week, since meeting her… “I think so.” Or, at least, hewishedso.

She tipped her head and looked up at him through her long, dark lashes. “Since you’re from Florida… do you think you’ll ever move back?”

He hesitated, struck by how much he wanted to give her a real answer. By how consumed he was with the fact that she wanted to know. By how she kept guessing what was on his mind before he could even tell her.How did she understand him so well? They’d only known each other for four days.

He wanted to tell her, to bring her in on his potential plan. “Can you keep a secret?” he asked, smiling just a little.

She nodded with interest.

“I applied for a job in Miami about a month ago,” he said. “Charter company that takes people down through the Keys and around the Gulf, up the coast, too. If it works out, I can start planning to move back after my contract here ends in three months.”

Her face lit up. “Really? That’s amazing!”

He smiled, warmed by her excitement. “Still haven’t heard yet, though. Starting to think I might never hear from them,” he said despondently. “But you’re right—I’m sure there are plenty of other opportunities. I just…” He shrugged. “It’d be nice if something fell into place quickly.” Easily.

Tessa laughed softly. “That would be fantastic, if you get it.”

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