Page 42 of Island Protector

“All right.” Her struggle to agree, to trust, played out in her beautiful blue eyes.

He understood completely. Granted, he’d shoved his way into her situation and wasn’t backing down. He wasn’t sure how he’d fallen for a woman who feared the water, but they’d find their way. If she gave him a chance.

“I do trust you, Miles.” She smiled. “Why don’t you pick us up, please. That will make Sharon feel better about going to meet her date.”

“The insurance company didn’t give you a rental?”

“Not yet.” She tapped her temple. “Concussion slowed me down. I expect to sort that out soon.”

He’d gone by the junkyard when he’d been out for the tool set. Her car looked as if it had been caught in a giant’s fist. His heart had nearly stopped just imagining her caught inside the crumpled hunk of metal. She could’ve been killed.

It was hard to talk around the emotion lodged in his throat. “They’re going to total that car.”

She bit her lip. “I’m sure you’re right, but that’s not a worry for today.”

He shook off the urge to interfere even more. She didn’t need him jumping in to solve problems before she even asked for help. One of the things he liked about her was her independence. Quashing that, even for a good reason, didn’t sit well.

“I have an extra car if you want to borrow it.” He just couldn’t stop himself from making the offer. When it came to Molly, he was eager to share whatever she’d accept.

“I’ll think about it. Thank you.”

She stared up at him and he wanted to believe there was more than gratitude in her eyes. Did she want to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her? He’d let her. Gladly. But with Bryce right there, she seemed hesitant to make a move.

He couldn’t blame her for being cautious and protective of her son’s feelings.

“I need to get him home,” she said.

“Of course.” He stroked a hand lightly over her arm, unable to let her go without some kind of contact. “I’ll pick you guys up around six on Valentine’s.” He glanced at Bryce, calculating bedtime routines. “Guess that better be five.”

Laughing, she agreed. “I’ll see you then.”

As she walked away, hand in hand with her son, he felt his heart going with them.

Chapter Ten

The next morning,Molly wanted nothing more than to get back to work, if only to tell Nina about her upcoming date. She hadn’t mentioned it to Sharon yet. Strange, because they talked about everything.

Everything except dates apparently.

She didn’t even know the name of the man Sharon was meeting for a romantic weekend. It suddenly loomed like a big problem in her mind. Her aunt’s love life wasn’t her business, but Miles’s reaction had her rethinking things.

Returning home from taking Bryce to school, she wandered back to Sharon’s studio. “Am I interrupting?”

“Not at all. Come on in.” Sharon was cleaning and organizing her sunny space. “I was thinking about going for a walk. Want to join?”

“Sure.”

The cottage was a few streets back from the beach. Molly hoped the fresh air would make this potentially awkward conversation easier. They frequently ventured down to the water. Pretty much every week of Bryce’s life, they made timeto play in the sand or wade through the frothy rollers that zipped up onto the beach.

If she lost this custody battle, would the Graingers keep up with his love of the ocean?

That was irrelevant. Mr. Devaney had told her to stay positive, that he and his team were sorting things out. She couldn’t let herself contemplate any outcome other than maintaining full custody.

“You’re thinking awfully hard for a woman recovering from a concussion.”

“My thoughts were shouting?”

Sharon chuckled and slipped an arm around her shoulders. “With good reason. Everything you’ve told me about Mr. Devaney gives me hope.”

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