Page 66 of Dream Chaser

“Where are we going?” Nova asked, surprise flashing in her blue eyes.

“Somewhere you’ll like.”

“Really?” A flash of excitement crossed her face before dimming. “You don’t have to. I’m sure you have better things to do.”

“At midnight? Sleep is overrated.”

“You could have someone waiting for you.”

“Nobody’s waiting, Nova,” I said, taking a right in the direction of the marina. “I’ve been married to my business for the last six years. Almost seven.”

Nova chuckled under her breath. “My mother would say someone like you must be hiding a wife and a kid somewhere.”

I eased into the gravel parking lot. “Someone like me?”

“You know.” She unbuckled as I parked. “Handsome. Successful. Even if you can be a bit of a control freak sometimes.”

Is that how she saw me? Unbidden, my gaze lingered on her profile. The delicate slope of her nose. Flushed cheek. Glossy lips.

Nova groaned, covering her face with her palms. “I’m going to stop talking now. You should’ve taken that last glass of cava away from me.”

“Why would I spoil your fun?” I tried to hold back my smile but failed. “I’ll take the compliment. Nobody has ever called me a handsome and successful control freak before.”

Nova removed one of her palms, partly uncovering her face. “Not even Manu?”

“We’re close,” I said, getting out of the SUV, “but he’d hardly call me handsome unironically.”

“You said he’s in a relationship.”

I rounded the car and opened Nova’s door for her. “Yeah. Has been for three years.”

“That’s nice.” She smoothed the skirt of her dress. “You know, my mother always told me getting married young was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me. She was so wrong, but she’ll never admit that. She thinks I’m to blame for the fact my marriage failed.”

I bristled. “You’re not. If your husband didn’t appreciate you, you would’ve failed yourself if you’d stayed married to him.”

I wanted to add so much more—that she was too gorgeous, kind, and smart for someone who didn’t give a fuck about her birthday or her feelings. That he should’ve put in the work to make staying with him worth it and to support her dreams, but saying those things would mean crossing yet another line. Erasing another boundary.

Fewer and fewer remained with each passing day.

More projects, more time working together, but also more trust. Companionship. Respect.

We strolled down the walkway and descended the stone steps to the beach. The ocean stretched out in front of us, dark and endless, moonlight catching the waves. Our shoes sank into the wet sand as we neared the water. The breeze grew stronger, and Nova folded into herself slightly, hugging her jacket tighter.

My body reacted before my brain could stop it.

I shrugged off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders. I didn’t let my fingers linger. Didn’t let myself imagine what it would feel like if they did.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything. This beach is beautiful.”

“We can stay at the beach in Valencia next month.”

Asher’s last race was there a week before Thanksgiving. The agenda was packed with meetings and events. But now, I wasn’t going alone. It thrilled me as much as it scared me.

“Promise you won’t laugh,” Nova said. “I already did my research.”

She pulled the phone out of her purse and opened her Pinterest app. I glimpsed a board called Wishlist, and another one she clicked on—Travel Bucket List.

Valencia was there. So was Barcelona, along with snow-capped mountains and beaches with turquoise water and palm trees. Costa Rica? I wanted to go there, too. I missed surfing, and Santa Teresa was famous for it. “Laugh why?”