Page 13 of Serenity at Seagrove
"I'm not suggesting anything," Dawson interrupted, holding up his hands. "I'm just sharing information. I like to spread the news. But since you brought it up, it might not be the worst idea for you. It's better than walking around with your shoulder locked up like it's in a vice. I swear it looks like it's stuck to your ear nowadays."
They passed Serenity, with its pale pink exterior glowing in the early morning light. Through the large windows, Archer could barely see Luna moving around inside, setting up for the day. He felt a strong pull there for some reason, like he wanted to go up there and have a cup of coffee or just sit and watch her move around. Maybe he was becoming a stalker.
She paused at one of the windows, looking out at the ocean, and for a moment he could see what she meant about finding peace here. He could see it right on her face.
"You know she talked about Puerto Rico last night," Archer said. "About how she could have opened her center there, but she chose here instead because of one vacation when she was a kid."
"Sometimes that's all it takes," Dawson said. "One moment, one place, one feeling that changes everything. Just like when I met Julie. Just like the first time you picked up a golf club."
That memory hit Archer hard. He could feel the weight of his father's old club in his hands and the perfect arc of his first real drive. The feeling that he had finally found his thing that made this world make sense.
“That’s not fair," he muttered.
"What's not fair? Reminding you that you used to love something purely for how it made you feel and not for all those trophies or rankings or titles?”
Archer stopped walking and turned to face him. "What's your point, Dawson?"
"My point is that it's time to find that feeling again, just like Luna said. Maybe that feeling's not going to be in golf but in something else. And maybe,” Dawson glanced back at Serenity, "maybe someone who understands about magic and peace would be able to help you with that."
Before Archer could respond, Dawson's phone buzzed. He checked it and grimaced. "Julie needs me back at the inn. Think about what I said, okay? And maybe try moving that shoulder a bit before it freezes completely."
As Dawson jogged away, Archer stood there at the water's edge, watching the waves roll in. Through the windows of Serenity, he could still see Luna moving around, preparing for whatever her first big day might bring. The morning sun caught her dark hair as she worked, and something in his chest tightened.
Maybe Dawson had a point.
Maybe it was time to try something different.
Maybe.
He shook his head and turned back toward the inn, one step at a time. For now, he was going to finish his morning walk, and his thoughts would have to wait. But he couldn't help glancing back one more time at the pale pink building that actually seemed to hold some possibilities.
CHAPTER5
Luna walked around Serenity's main room, lighting lavender-scented candles and adjusting meditation cushions. Today was her first official morning session. Through the windows, she had seen Archer and Dawson walking on the beach earlier, but she pretended that she was just working and not paying any attention to them. She did notice they were having quite an intense conversation and that caught her attention.
A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. Janine stood there with her yoga mat tucked under her arm.
"Ready for our first real day?" Janine asked as she stepped inside.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Luna replied. She smoothed her hands over her bright pink yoga pants. "I keep thinking I've forgotten something important."
"Like breathing?" Janine teased as she set her mat on the deck. Luna liked to keep the French doors open so that the house was open to the ocean. It was one of her favorite things about facing the beach—to feel that ocean breeze coming right through the room.
"Maybe that's it. I should probably breathe," Luna laughed.
"I saw Archer out walking this morning," Janine said casually—a little too casually. "He seemed very interested in what you were doing in here."
"Yes, I saw him and Dawson. He's just curious," Luna said, arranging some fresh flowers in a vase. "And probably wondering what kind of a crazy person opens this kind of a place in his tiny hometown."
"Mm-hmm." Janine's tone was skeptical. "Well, my mama thinks?—"
"If you finish that sentence with anything about me and Archer Hawk dating or getting married or having babies, I'm going to revoke your yoga privileges," Luna warned.
Janine laughed and stretched out her mat. "All I'm saying is he actually came to the opening celebration, and from what Julie told me, he stayed longer than they expected."
"Look, I would only want to help him in a professional manner. He obviously has lots of issues, and I feel sorry for him. I feel empathy for him as another human being. But can we just focus on today?" Luna asked, even though she was trying not to smile as she thought about him despite herself. "Our first real clients will be here in less than an hour."
"Okay, fine, change the subject," Janine said. "But you can't blame me for being interested. Apparently, Archer hasn't shown interest in anything or anyone since he came back to Seagrove."
