Page 79 of Meet Me in Tahiti

Russ froze. He reread it once, then again.

A good word for him? End of September? His lips parted.

That wasn’t long after his last contracted trip here would finish. His heart kicked once in his chest.

A sense of relief flooded him. He’d given up on Walker at least two weeks ago when he hadn’t sent the contact along. And he hadn’t wanted to ask after what happened on the beach, even though they’d talked later. It just seemed like he’d have been overstepping, pushing his luck.

But Captain George Walker did believe in him, apparently. He’d meant what he said.

Russ looked out across the ocean, then quickly thumbed back a reply.

Yes. Absolutely. Please send the number. That timing’s perfect. Can’t thank you enough.

Three dots appeared, then.

Forwarding it to you now. I’ll drop him a line. Good luck, Callen. I hope it works out.

The contact came through seconds later.

Ben Harwell–Key Biscayne Charters.

Russ saved the number, his hands slightly shaky now—not with nerves, but with adrenaline. With possibility.

If this worked out—should he even dare to dream it—he could finish out here clean. Call Ben this week and get the ball rolling. Wrap up the summer. Get back to Florida. Find a place to live. Maybe even be settled in by the time October rolled around.

If he got the job.

And Tessa... Did he still have a shot with her?

He didn’t let himself think too far ahead. Not yet.

But for the first time in weeks, the future didn’t look like open water.

It looked like land. Like something solid. Like a second chance.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Three months.

That’s how long it had been since she’d stepped off the plane from Raiatea in Tahiti and boarded the next one back to the States. The heat of the island air was still clinging to her skin, her suitcase was still full of sand-dusted clothes and her heart was still cracked wide open.

Russ had texted her the day after she’d gotten back.

I didn’t get fired. I’ll be finishing out my contract here.

That was all. A simple confirmation that he still had his job.

She’d replied, relief flooding her veins.I’m so glad to hear it. I hope everything works out for you. I hope you find what you’re looking for.

And that had been it.

She hadn’t texted again. Hadn’t asked where he was going next, or whether he’d ever make it back to the States. He’d told her they were done, and as much as it gutted her, she’d respected that. She wasn’t the kind ofwoman who begged. She wouldn’t chase a man who’d drawn the line so clearly, even if he’d broken her heart in the process.

Still, not a day had gone by that she didn’t wonder. Had he found another job? Renewed his contract in French Polynesia? Or had he landed somewhere else? Had he moved on as easily as he said he would?

It was even possible he’d found someone else by now. Planning a life together.

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