Page 19 of The Beachside Rental

They both bent over to pick up.Their heads bumped into each other.The ball was forgotten as she jerked herself upright.Simon straightened at the same time.And then she wondered when they’d moved so close together.Maybe the moment wasn’t over after all.Maybe the moment was just beginning.

She raised her gaze to meet his.He stared directly into her eyes.Her heart pounded.

His gaze dipped ever so slightly.Was he looking at her lips?Was he thinking of kissing her?

Her heart beat faster.She should turn away.She should retrace her steps back to the beach house.

Her body refused to move.It was like he’d cast a spell over her, and her body was held captive.

When his gaze met hers again, she thought she saw a spark of desire burning in his eyes.Then she told herself it wasn’t possible to see in the moonlight.Did that mean she’d conjured up the idea because she wanted him to kiss her?

She didn’t have time to answer that question before he was reaching out to her.Her heart lodged in her throat, trapping the air in her lungs.He was going to kiss her.

And then his fingertips brushed gently over her cheek.Her skin tingled where he touched her.The breath trapped in her lungs.Anticipation pulsed through her veins.

And then his hand fell from her face.“You had some strands of hair in your face.”

She did?She hadn’t noticed.The only thing she’d noticed was his closeness—his stare—his touch.

Simon turned toward home and threw the ball.Gus took off running after it.And now, the moment was most definitely over.Disappointment slammed into her chest.

Simon had already retraced a few of their steps by the time Jenna’s mind kicked into gear.She hurried to catch up to him.

The walk home was quiet as she replayed that moment in the moonlight.He had almost kissed her—hadn’t he?The real question was would she have kissed him back?

Before she had an answer to that question, they arrived at the bottom of their individual steps.She paused and turned to him.Just looking at Simon made her heart beat faster.

“Thank you for the walk.”And then she wondered if that sounded silly.

“I enjoyed your company.”And then he followed Gus up the stairs.

As she climbed the stairs, she found herself smiling.If she could get past the thoughts her sister and everyone else had put in her mind about Simon, she might have found a friend.Her smile broadened.

Chapter Seven

Hecouldn’tstopthinkingof her.

The next day, Simon started the morning working at the small desk in the guest room.He found himself constantly staring out the window at the sunny day.He wondered if there was a warm breeze like there had been the day before.

He moved downstairs.His first thought was to go to the back deck, but he resisted the idea.He didn’t want to be constantly reminded of the moonlit walk he’d taken with Jenna.And how beautiful she’d looked—how he could listen to the soft tones of her voice for hours.The more he got to know about Jenna—the more he wanted to know.

And that wasn’t good.He promised himself he wasn’t going to let himself get into the position he’d been in with his ex—not again.So, then why had he almost kissed Jenna on the beach?Why had he wondered if her lips were soft?And if her kiss was sweet?

He halted those thoughts.They weren’t helping anything.The point was that he’d resisted the temptation.That was the important part.The next step was to avoid his beautiful neighbor.But how was he to do that when they shared a duplex?

As fast as his writer’s block had disappeared upon his arrival on the island, it had suddenly reappeared in the form of Jenna.

In fact, he hadn’t gotten much sleep because he kept thinking of her.She was sweet and gorgeous.That was quite a heady combination.

He had to resist the temptation.He needed to stay focused on his writing.It was the whole reason he was on Bluestar Island.

It was a little before eleven when he made his way to the front porch.He could only assume his neighbor was at work.So, he’d have a few hours without having to worry about running into her.

Gus wandered out behind him.The dog found a spot at the top of the steps where he could lie down and watch the passing golf carts.

Lucky for Simon, Gus didn’t mind the move.For the most part, Gus was pretty easygoing.Except for the part where he insisted on sleeping in Simon’s bed.He’d bought the dog a huge orthopedic bed.Gus sat on it once.That was enough for him.

Simon settled back in the rocker on the front porch.He turned on his keyboard writer.There was another blinking cursor.He stared at it and tried to remember where he’d left off in the story.