Page 34 of His Secret Gift

“Seriously, who made this?” The bread is sweet and practically melts in my mouth. There’s also a delicious bite of cream cheese in the whipped topping.

Callie nods toward Jack’s table. It’s still only him and Captain Bryant there.

“Captain Bryant?” I can’t imagine a dignified captain also cooking for the entire ship.

“No,” Gwen shakes her head. “Jack.”

I drop my utensils. “You’re kidding me. Jack? Jack Shelley?”

This time, she nods. “All three meals of the day as long as we’re here.”

“There isn’t an official cook?”

“Nope,” Callie reiterates. “He wouldn’t hear of it.”

As we continue eating, I find myself constantly stealing glances at Jack, trying to reconcile the charming stranger from the complicated man he actually seems to be.

However, I also note the dark circles under his eyes that I’ve never noticed before.

Chapter 11

Kayla Allen from Aurora, Indiana – Jack

My eyelids flutter open, and I groan as I glance over at the clock. 2:17 in the morning. Only a couple hours past midnight.

I can’t remember my dream, but by the way I’m sweating, I know it wasn’t a good one. My sleep has been restless lately.

For a moment, I lay in the bed, trying to decide if I want to attempt sleep for a few more hours.

“Enough,” I mutter to myself, pushing back the covers and sliding out of bed. A cool breeze brushes against my damp skin, sending shivers down my spine.I need some fresh air. Maybe that will do me some good.

After rising to my feet, I grab a pair of lounge pants hanging over a chair, and pull them on, not bothering with a shirt. The yacht sways gently beneath my feet as I make my way out onto the deck, immediately enveloped in the salty scent of the ocean. There’s something soothing about the waves crashing against the side of the boat, and for a moment, I find solace in their rhythmic dance.

As I lean against the railing, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I hear footsteps approaching behind me. My muscles tense, and I turn around, agitated. Can’t I have just a second to myself? Is that too much to ask for?

“Who’s there?” I demand. The footsteps stop, and for a moment, all I hear is the sound of the wind and the waves.

But I eventually turn my head to see a pretty, blonde woman standing before me. The reflection of the moon shines brightly in her green eyes.

“Kayla?” I frown, trying to comprehend what she’s doing here. “What are you doing here so late?”

“Jack, relax,” she says, holding a Thermos up in her hands. “I figured you might need this.”

I grimace. “What is it?”

Grinning, she explains, “My father’s special sleep elixir.”

“Sleep—” I then raise my nose in the air. “How did you know I was having trouble sleeping?”

She shrugs before putting it back down and glaring at it, smiling, and then meeting my gaze again.

“Please, just trust me. I promise it isn’t poison or anything.” She lets out the cutest giggle and snort. When she realizes what she’s done, she looks embarrassed and touches her right fingers to her nose.

In this moment, I want nothing more than to engulf her in my arms, pull her close to my chest, and tell her just how adorable the little grunting noise was. But I cannot.

You can never touch her. You must never touch her.Reminding myself of this, the hands at my side extend out before balling up again.

“Anyway.” She holds the jug up again. “Can I pour you a glass?”

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