Page 64 of The Beachside Rental

Gwen gave him a side-eyed look, as though she didn’t believe him, but she wasn’t going to push the subject.“I take it you’ll want to leave the island.”

He once more shook his head.“I can’t keep running.It’s not like I’m a professional athlete or pop singer.I’m an author.Not that many people care about authors.It was probably just a slow news day.”

Sympathy shone in Gwen’s eyes.“I know how much you went through before.It was awful.”

“But this is different.The shock about the ending of my last series is over.Readers have, hopefully, gotten over their shock and anger.”

Gwen was quiet for a moment.“You like it here that much?”

He immediately nodded.“I really do.Let me show you around.Are you hungry?”

“Well, I haven’t eaten since this morning.I could eat something.”

“Good.Give me a second.”He headed back upstairs.

In his bedroom, he grabbed his wallet.He put on his sunglasses and then reached for his trusty ball cap.He hesitated.

He turned and left the ball cap on the chest of drawers.He didn’t need it anymore.He wasn’t going to live in fear of what people might do once they figured out who he was.

But that didn’t excuse the person for invading his privacy at the hospital and then selling that information to the tabloids.Old scars were peeled back, but he refused to go into hiding.

It was a good day.

Jenna had even gotten a co-worker to cover the front of the market so she could leave a half hour early.She stopped by the bookshop and picked up a book of trivia.She heard a rumor that tomorrow night’s theme was going to be classic sitcoms.

The book had a section on sitcoms.She thought she and Simon could quiz each other.She really wanted to win.She felt like her whole future was going to rest on winning this trivia contest.She knew it wasn’t professional, but there were a lot of things about the family business that weren’t exactly professional.What could you expect when a bunch of siblings were in charge?

And if Neil wouldn’t hear her proposal, then she would start exploring her options in Boston.After all, it wasn’t that far from the island.She could still see her mother and siblings regularly.It was a viable solution—should she need it.

And so, she rushed home.Except when she got there, the parking along her street was full.It happened from time to time since she lived along the beach that was open to the public.

After finally finding a parking spot, she walked back to her place.Her strides were long, and her steps were quick.She was a lady on a mission.

She wanted to put the finishing touches on her presentation.Then she would walk through it a couple of times before she did a practice run for Simon.

She changed her clothes and pulled her curls up into a ponytail.

Almost an hour later, she felt like she was ready to go through a practice run with Simon.She gathered her papers and laptop.She was about to open the front door when she heard voices.

She glanced out the window to see a beautiful woman with long blond hair and a perfectly made-up face.The woman was smiling, and then Simon appeared at her side.He was smiling too.

Jenna couldn’t make out exactly what was being said.It was muffled through the window.The woman seemed to be doing most of the talking.

As they started down the steps, the woman slipped her hand into the crook of Simon’s arm.He said something, and she threw her head back as she laughed.If Jenna didn’t know better, she’d swear it was his girlfriend.

In that moment, Jenna’s heart sank.But he’d told her that he wasn’t in a relationship.Although, he wouldn’t be the first man to lie to her about something like that.Tears pricked the backs of her eyes.She blinked them away.

She was reading this wrong.Right?Because there had been those kisses on the beach.There had been their cozy meals.There was definitely something growing between them.She hadn’t just imagined it.

She turned around and moved away from the door.She put her stuff down on the coffee table.She wanted to tell herself that it was his mother, but the woman was much too young.Maybe his sister, but he told her he was an only child.

And then there was the way the woman had looked at him, like he was the only man in the world.It was a look someone had when they were in love.This woman was in love with Simon.But how did he feel about her?

She didn’t want to know the answer to that question.There had to be a reasonable explanation.Perhaps a long lost friend.

Jenna looked down and realized that she’d dropped one of her papers by the door.She retraced her steps.When she went to pick up the paper, her gaze wandered to the window.

Jenna gasped.