Page 98 of Modern Romance Collection May 2024 Books 1-4

She grinned.

“What do you see?”

“An umbrella sticking up out of the middle of the ocean.”

“Welcome to Mopion.”

The tiny speck of land rose out of the water, white sand topped with a wood-and-thatch umbrella. Esme anchored the boat just off the reef. After a short ride in the dinghy that skimmed over colorful coral and fish, Julius hopped out and hauled the boat onto the sand.

“Beautiful.” He glanced around with a slight smile. “Although after walking the length of it in less than thirty seconds, I’m not sure what else there is to do.”

“Swim. Snorkel. Relax. There’s a cooler for when we get back on the boat, too.”

She smoothed her hands over the white swim shirt she wore as protection against the blazing sun. It provided some security. But her decision to wear bikini bottoms was now inspiring doubt. She felt naked, vulnerable, with so much skin on display.

“Take a look at this.”

Julius wasn’t ogling or even sneaking covert glances at her. No, he was examining the pole of the umbrella. Telling herself she was relieved instead of disappointed, she moved up the sand.

“Initials,” she said with a small smile. “There’s so many.”

Some were simple letters, others with hearts, stars and even a few Cupid’s arrows.

“Looks like a popular place.” Julius looked around. “Although not today. There’s hardly a boat in sight.”

“Hurricane season.”

“So naturally you came here.”

She shrugged as she stood and moved back toward the water.

“Affordable, and Grenada is far enough south that it rarely gets hit. Plus,” she said as she tossed a smile over her shoulder and stretched out her arms, doing a spin in the sand, “I get to enjoy places like this all to myself.”

Julius moved suddenly, stopping her midtwirl by placing his hands on her waist. She grabbed onto his shoulders to steady herself. His touch made her suck in a breath before she could summon her defenses.

“Why did you invite me today?”

She hesitated. The old Julius would have been apathetic at best, and coldly furious at worst, to know someone had witnessed a moment of vulnerability. How would the new Julius handle it?

“I heard you this morning. Dreaming.” She tilted her head to the side as she watched him: the surprise that flickered in his eyes, the thinning of his lips. “Or perhaps remembering.”

Slowly, he released her. A chill raked over her skin despite the sun burning overhead as she took a step back.

“Remembering.”

Surprised, she watched him as he walked a few feet away and stared out over the ocean.

“I remembered my mother. Elizabeth. I remembered her death. Her funeral. A couple moments from my childhood.”

What more was there to say? She had heard the grief in that one uttered word this morning. It had been strange to hear the depth of emotion in the voice of a man who so often seemed intractable. The brief flutter of panic she felt at hearing that he was remembering disappeared almost as quickly as it had come, her concern overriding her fear.

“She was by all accounts an incredible queen. She volunteered a lot. Engaged with the people.”

“That sounds...familiar. Like her.” He blew out a harsh breath. “I want to remember more.”

What could she say to that? What would it be like to have one’s entire life, the people they cared about, erased in a matter of seconds?

“I’m sorry.”

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