Page 36 of On The Beach

I settled onto the towel, watching him with a grin as he tried to open the wine bottle with a corkscrew that looked like it had seen better days. He wrestled with it, muttering under his breath, before finally getting the cork out with a loud pop and nearly spilling half the bottle.

"See?" he said, with a sheepish grin. "Smooth as always."

I laughed, taking the plastic cup he handed me, and for a few minutes, we just sat, listening to the waves and enjoying the quiet. It was so far removed from the life I knew, the life Iwas supposed to be going back to, and yet, being here with Mick felt…right.

"So, how'd you end up at Reef Harbor?" I asked after a while. "Are you born and raised here, or did you leave the big bad city for Reef Harbor?"

Mick looked out at the water, his expression softening. "I left the big bad city."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He leaned back, resting on his elbows. "I was engaged."

I stroked his hair. "And?"

"And it's a cliché. I came home and found her banging her personal trainer."

I felt a pang of sympathy. "I'm sorry." I leaned down and kissed him softly. "That must've hurt."

"Like a mother fucker," he agreed.

I hadn't expected the Mick I knew to be the kind who a woman could hurt—but then he was a different Mick now because of that experience.

"So, you came here after that? Because of that?"

He looked back at me with a rueful smile. "Something like that. It wasn't just Mia…that was her name. It waseverything. I was burning out at work."

"What did you do?"

"Doesn't matter." He smiled warmly at me. "Just that…it hit a nerve when you said how you work all the time and don't take vacation. I used to be like that."

"I figured. Lately, I've been feeling more and more exhausted."

"I know how that goes. I used to feel like Sisyphus. Up and down with the same bloody rock every fuckin' day. After my engagement crashed and burned, it was like I wasfree. I quit my life, mywholelife, and came here."

"How did you choose Reef Harbor?"

"I didn't," Mick chuckled, "Reef Harbor sort of...chose me."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Tell me more."

"Well," he began, "after my engagement ended, I decided to take off for a while. No destination in mind, just…anywhere. I bought a one-way ticket to the first tropical place there was a flight for, figuring I'd island-hop my way around the Caribbean for a while. But then, on my first day here in Reef Harbor, I went snorkeling and lost my passport. And my wallet. And my luggage."

"Oh no…."

"Yeah, this girl, a tourist who I decided to get with, was a thief. So, when I went swimming, she cleaned me out."

I laughed.

"Yup. By the time I made it back to shore, all I had left were my swim trunks, a snorkeling mask, and a half-tube of sunscreen."

He sat up and took my hand in his. He touched me often, almost absently, as if wanting the connection. It felt good.Too good.

"I was waiting for the embassy to sort it all out. I met Cato, Franco, RiRi, and a few others. They figured if I was stranded, I might as well make myself useful. Next thing I knew, I was teaching a couple of kids to surf, taking tourists on RiRi's death trap, tending bar, and…well, one month turned into three years." He shrugged, gesturing to the island around him. "So yeah. I guess you could say the island chose me."

"Just like it's choosing me now…for a few more nights."

"You can change your life, Belle," he said seriously. "You don't have to live to work."

---