Page 203 of Better When Shared
“Of course,” Marco nodded. “We expected that. No rush. We’d love to know before your contract ends in August, but there’s plenty of time for you to decide.”
“We just wanted to put it on your radar,” Juniper added. “You belong here, Imogen. Anyone can see that.”
I belonged here. The words echoed in my head as I thanked them, promised to think it over, and excused myself. Did I belong here? On this island, in this job, with Makai and Hamish at my side?
I smiled. At least I knew my bosses wouldn’t judge me for being in a throuple, as they were in one themselves. The thought of a life here sent a thrill through me—a future so different from anything I’d imagined, yet suddenly, tantalizingly possible.
But what would Hamish say? And what about our house in Dorset?
The job would solve one problem, but it would create a whole host of others.
And Makai—would he even care if we stayed? I needed to think, needed air. I headed for the nearest exit, my mind spinning with possibilities I’d never dared consider before.
The air outside the Cannery felt thick as I wandered along the waterfront path, my mind racing with thoughts of what Marco and the others had proposed. Could I convince my husband tostay? Hamish was different here—lighter, freer, like watching a tightly wound clock spring released from tension.
The man who’d anxiously checked weather reports three times before venturing outdoors back home now ran fearlessly into the sea, laughed more in a day than he had in months back in Dorset, and discovered parts of himself he’d been denying his entire life. What would he think about making this temporary adventure permanent?
I pulled my phone out again, tempted to call him, then realizing how late it was back home.
I rounded the corner of the building and stopped dead in my tracks. Parked in the far corner of the lot where it had been the first time I’d met him, was Makai’s ridiculous surf shack trailer The same eyesore that had infuriated me that first day when he’d blocked my wedding photo location made joy rise in my heart today.
Was he waiting for me? I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.
Drawing myself up with mock indignation, I crossed the lot toward the battered truck and its attached trailer. Makai sat on the trailer’s step, rubbing wax onto a surfboard. He looked up as my shadow fell across him, and the smile that spread across his face made my heart skip a beat.
“You’re blocking my view again,” I said, adopting the haughty tone I’d used when we first met. “This is a five-star resort, not a surf bum parking lot.”
“Wedding Lady.” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Funny how you keep finding me.”
“Funny how you keep parking where you know I’ll come talk to you. Did you have a lesson?”
“No.” Makai stood and set the surfboard aside with no other explanation for his presence.
Had he come just to see me?
He held open the door. “Want to see inside? I just cleaned it up. There’s air conditioning.”
“How very civilized of you.”
I followed him inside, surprised as always by how cleverly the small space was organized—surfboards and other gear mounted in two rows at one end, a tool bench of some sort, and a narrow but comfortable-looking futon tucked in the back. It smelled like him—like saltwater and cedar.
“Hamish sent a text earlier,” Makai said, closing the door behind us. “Said his meetings went well and asked about you. He didn’t want to call you and interrupt your work.”
“Oh?” I tried to sound casual. “What did you tell him?”
“That I hadn’t seen you.” He stepped closer, his body radiating heat in the small space. “That I missed both of you.”
“I miss him too.” I swallowed hard. “And I’ve missed you.”
Makai’s eyes darkened. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He closed the distance between us in one step, his mouth finding mine with bruising intensity. I gasped against his lips, my hands immediately grabbing his shoulders for support as he backed me against the wall of the trailer. This was different from how he usually kissed me—there was an urgency, a hunger that hadn’t been there before.
“Been thinking about you all day,” he murmured against my neck, his teeth grazing my skin. “Wondering if you’d come find me.”
I arched into him, my body responding instantly to his touch. “Hamish said—he told me I should see you while he’s gone.”
