Page 149 of Hope & Harmony

By the time he finished pouring two glasses, Cora had curled up on one of the comfy couches. Baron joined her there and swirled his wine like he was in the habit of doing.

“What should we toast to?” she asked.

He pursed his lips a moment before lifting his glass. “To all your hopes and dreams, Cora.”

Her smile was slow and sad, and Baron wasn’t sure why.

“Cheers,” she said before sipping the deep-red wine.

“You were incredible tonight. I had no idea…”

“I was emotional tonight. That helps. I get really lost in the moment, and when I snap out of it, I just hope the audience likes what I’ve given them. It’s like going into another world for a little while.”

Baron could understand why she’d want to. The life she was living was far from comfortable, but she’d chosen it in search of a dream. Still, he wondered how much she’d sacrifice in the name of that dream.

“How about you? What’s your passion?” Cora snuggled a little closer, tucking her socked feet under his thigh.

Baron ran his hand over her calf, enjoying the familiarity, the easy intimacy that had developed between them. He was relaxed, happy even, being this close to her.

“My passion,” he mumbled. “I work. I work a lot.”

“I could have guessed that about you. Seems like you have a lot of projects in the fire. Has it always been like that?”

Baron took another swallow of wine, collecting his thoughts. “Yes and no.”

“Tell me.” Cora traced her fingers along his jaw, drawing his gaze to hers. “I want to hear.”

He’d tell her, but he wanted to kiss her first. So he did. The wine married with the taste of her, making him want to taste the rest of her. Every inch of her perfect body. She giggled when they pulled apart.

“Stop trying to change the subject.”

He pulled in a deep breath and began. “I’ve been driven for almost as long as I can remember. I think sometimes a person can be like that from how they’re raised. It was always hard toplease my dad, but I never stopped trying. Until he died eight years ago. Everything changed for me. I tried to work through the grief and pick up where he left off, but I couldn’t do it. Something had shifted, and I needed to give it space. Needed to grow from it, learn whatever I could from this new hole in my life.”

Cora softened her shoulders and clasped Baron’s hand gently. “I’m sorry. That’s a terrible thing to go through.”

“We all have to face it eventually.”

“What happened then? You took a break?”

“I did. I took almost two years off. I traveled, I sulked, and I let a lot of things fall to the wayside. I dabbled in things that I wouldn’t have made time for before. I became kind of unrecognizable to the people around me who knew me as someone who just worked constantly.”

“And here you are…”

Baron chuckled. “Working, right? I was raised to push the limits of what I could achieve. But I realized that even if that had a lot to do with my dad, it was also a big part of who I was. Who I am, inherently. I slowly started to get back into work, but I took projects on for reasons that meant something to me, that reflected my values, not his. And I started taking better care of myself. I’d work hard, but I’d rest. Take breaks. Find balance with other areas of my life. I’d never done that before. I was the poster child for burnout.”

“How do you stay balanced here with so much on your plate?”

Baron swirled his wine again. “The beach grounds me. The people, too. They make it all real. Human. It’s easy to get wrapped up in facts and figures. The paperwork and fine print. But these people’s livelihoods depend on the choices I make every day. So I try to make smart ones. Not everyone alwaysagrees, but I really want this place to succeed. I’ve invested a lot of money into Cape Haven, but I’ve also put a lot of heart into it.”

“I’m beginning to see that. They’re lucky to have you.”

Baron shrugged and brought his glass to his lips.

“I’m lucky too. You’ve been kind to me when you had no reason to be.”

He shook his head. “That’s not true. I have every reason to be kind to you. You radiate it to everyone around you. How on earth can a man not return that kind of gift?”

“That’s sweet of you to say,” she said, setting her wine glass aside.

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