Page 132 of Whirlwind

She turned back to the sea. “I can’t believe it’s our last day on the island…”

“We could stay. We don’t have to go with Tag and everyone to Athens.”

“I know, but I’d really like to see Athens. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure. I want to see it too. I thought today we could do a few touristy things on our own before we leave Mykonos, unless you want to—”

“Sounds perfect.” Her lips tightened for a split second.

“What is it?” It was crazy how after only a handful of days together I had learned every flick of her every expression. The tone and inflections of her voice, of her moods. “Something wrong?”

She put her coffee cup back down on the table. “I can’t believe the week is almost up already.”

“Like I said, we don’t have to leave. We don’t have to do anything we don’t want to do.”

“That’s a nice dream, Beck.” Her lips pressed together.

I passed her the feta and tomato omelet and she slid half of it on her dish and cut into it. A streak of wispy clouds passed over the sun, and a shadow fell on a patch of the blue sea beyond making it darker, less blue, more gray. “It’s not a dream, babe. We’re living it right now. We could stay—”

Her attention remained on her omelette. “I should get home.”

Should, should, should. There it was.

I hated that word, and she was an old pro at it which made me hate it even more. She shot me a stiff smile and her shoulders stiffened to match as she chose a puffy croissant. She was preparing to don her armor once more.

I leaned back in my chair. Was this all there was to ever be between us? Good times for a handful of days and thenphhht. Done? Until a next time rolled around.

Would there even be a next time?

I dug into a buttery spinach pie. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure.”

“Tell me about you being engaged to Ladd.”

“We were never engaged.” She wiped ruby red pomegranate juice from her lips with a napkin. “Our parents have been friends for years. A while back Ladd and I hung out at a cocktail party and it developed into more. And then he ended up working with me and my dad on this project.” She refilled her coffee cup.

My jaw tightened, visualizing Violet and Ladddeveloping into more.“What kind of project is this?”

“Purchasing sections of this huge historic ranch property that abuts my grandfather’s ranch and developing it into a resort community, while preserving it at the same time. We get lots of tourists and there are also lots of young families as well as retirees, moving to our area for a more close to nature living experience. The development would offer tracts of land to be bought for building your own home, and also there’s a section for an upscale RV park. A famous hiking trail is nearby, so the location is perfect. Ladd’s idea is a golf course and lodge, like a country club with a restaurant.”

“Wow. Ambitious.”

“That’s my dad. Vision, ambition, and make it happen.”

“Ladd’s family is in land development too?”

“No. His dad passed away a few years ago. Ladd and his mother own a big share in the last working gold mine in the Black Hills.”

“So you two are like local royalty?”

She sipped on her coffee. “I never thought of it like that.”

“Does he?”

“I think so, yes. My father too. He likes me and Ladd together. He wants me to keep Ladd and his mother happy until everything is signed.”

“Are you kidding me?”

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