From This Moment On: Heartwarming Contemporary Romance (Windswept Bay Book 1)

by Debra Clopton

  “Exactly. It is an exciting moment. We rescue the turtles in all kinds of shape—from having infections to digestive tract troubles to having bites taken out of them. All kinds of things happen to these magnificent animals and we doctor them and give them time to get healthy again and then we set them free. It is a celebration in every form of the word.” Her face was lit up as she talked. It was easy to see that Cali’s sharp-witted sister had a soft spot for creatures of the sea.

  “Hey you two.” Cali came up, wearing a smile that caused his pulse to quicken just by the flash of it.

  She looked at ease today. She’d come by several times over the last couple of days to look at the painting. They’d kept everything about the job and he hadn’t pushed, just like he’d said he would. That didn’t mean he hadn’t wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss those amazing lips of hers.

  “You should come to the release.” Shar’s expression lit up.

  “What?” Cali asked.

  “To the turtle release. We’re doing it at four, just down the beach. We’re releasing Jason Bourne this afternoon. It’ll be great. Come to it, Grant, and bring Cali.” She winked and started to walk away.

  “Hey, wait,” he said. “What’s this about Jason Bourne? Who is that?”

  She laughed. “You know, from the movies about Jason Bourne. It’s our turtle. Whoever finds the turtle and calls the 911 number gets to name the turtle. This guy decided to name his rescue after the movie hero that Matt Damon plays. The guy said he hoped to inspire Jason, the turtle Jason, to be stealthy and a fighting machine like the movie character he’s named after.”

  Grant chuckled at the vision of a sea turtle fighting machine. “I just can’t picture it but I appreciate his thought.” He looked at Cali. “I’d like to go. Do you want to go with me?”

  “Cali’s already coming,” Shar said. “You can show him where the beach is. We need all the support we can get. Come see what our little hospital does and maybe you’ll want to get involved in some way.”

  “What do you say?” he asked Cali.

  “Sure. I’ve got to finish up here and then I’ll meet you out front about two. I want to get there early so we can be up front when they release our stealthy turtle back into the wild. I love watching it.”

  “Will there be a big crowd?”

  “Oh yes. We let our guests know about it in case they want to go and the islanders love to cheer the turtles on.”

  “You’ll love it,” Shar quipped. “And maybe with you having painted the turtles on this incredible mural, we’ll get some publicity somehow.” Shar looked at Cali. “PR pro, can you get us some extra publicity with this?”

  “I’ll sure give it a whirl. We’ll mention it when the paparazzi shows up.”

  He laughed, liking the joke. “On a serious note, I’d like to donate and I will mention it when I’m interviewed by the magazines we’ve agreed to be interviewed by. It’s the first interviews I’ve done since the plane crash, so there will be some exposure.”

  Shar thanked him and then left, not wanting to be late to help.

  “Is it going to be hard on you to be interviewed? I’m really grateful you’ve agreed to this but I hadn’t thought about this being the first interviews since the tragedy. Are you okay?”

  “I’m better than I was. This is good for me, Cali, so don’t feel bad. As much as I feel guilty, I understand that I can’t stay stagnant, treading water any longer. Coming here was the right move. Cam knew it too.”

  “I’m glad.” She looked conflicted. “I need to go and then meet you in a few minutes, but why did you listen to Cam?”

  “Because I owed him. And he came at it from the angle that I’d be helping his family. That motivated me to at least make a move.”

  Her expression softened. “Good. I’ll see you soon.”

  She hurried away, hips swaying, and he watched her until she disappeared into one of the buildings. She was going with him in a few minutes and he was going to have to force himself to act casual, as if he wasn’t falling in love with her.

  Or already had fallen in love with her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The sun was high on the gorgeous day, with cotton-ball clouds hovering in a gentle blue sky. Cali found herself smiling as she and Grant walked down the sidewalk from the resort toward the Casablanca Restaurant and the beach behind it where Jason Bourne, the sea turtle, would be released into the ocean.

  For the last couple of days, she’d worried over spreadsheets and made publicity calls to get the word out about what was going on at the resort. Now that Grant was here and the paintings were happening, it was time to really let the public know so the resort could benefit. And they could really use the publicity as the slow season would be upon them before long and it would really be helpful if more people knew about Windswept Bay. Plus, room renovations were about to begin and that took dollars, not to mention the air conditioner that might crater any day. It was stressful and nerve-racking but with an aging resort, she’d known it came with the territory. Despite all the worry and stress of that, she’d made certain to spend time watching Grant work. The concentration and talented skill that he showed as he and Jax brought his vision to life was addictive, incredibly moving. Watching the people around him respond to what he was creating touched her.

  As she’d thought from the beginning, he was exceptional from a distance. And he remained so even after meeting him. He hadn’t turned out to be some high-strung talented jerk in person; instead, he’d turned out better than anything she could have imagined.

  And she found herself falling for him. And it scared her to death.

  It seemed so unrealistic, a product of the romantic atmosphere of the island and time they’d spent in the moonlight and tropical paradise while he’d searched for inspirations. But, even knowing this didn’t stop how she felt when he looked at her…as if she was the only person in the world who mattered.

  When she looked into his eyes, so many emotions cascaded through her; when she was near him, every nerve in her body was alive.

  Like now. As they walked, their arms brushed; each time it happened, butterflies fluttered and her heart danced.

  He’d given her space. He hadn’t pressed or pushed for more and he’d let her secrets settle back into the shadows, where she wanted them. At least for now, and she was grateful.

  She was fearful of being wrong and of giving up control of her life again; she couldn’t help it. She also couldn’t deny that she adored him. And she missed his kisses and his arms.

  “So, let me get this straight.” His words cut into her thoughts. “If I were to see a sea turtle in the bay that appeared hurt and I called the emergency number and they rescued it, I would get to name the turtle I’d helped save?”

  “Yes, and that’s the reason when you go to the hospital and see all of the turtles the names are very entertaining. For example, the turtle of the hour is Jason Bourne, named from a character in a movie. Others are named for children, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends. Others from traits, like Bubble Rump. He’s named this because he has the common bubble butt ailment—hey, don’t laugh. It’s really a very serious, and common, condition. Someone named him because when they found him he couldn’t get his rump to go under water. Thus Bubble Rump because it stuck up out of the water constantly.”

  “Why? What causes that?”

  She frowned. “Digestive problems are one of the most common problems sea turtles suffer from. Their main food is jellyfish. They eat them and help keep the population controlled. But a simple white plastic bag from a grocery store that’s floating in the water, having been thrown overboard or from having blown out of someone’s boat, looks like a jellyfish to a sea turtle. When they gobble it up, it really causes problems in the intestinal tract. Gas and bloating trapped inside the turtle causes bubble butt. And though it’s a kind of amusing name, it’s dangerous and a very sad problem for the turtles. They eat other things, too, that cause problems, so their digestive system
s are just troublesome.”

  “What do they do for them?”

  “Feed them healthy oils and Maalox and other things to help clean out their digestive tracts and limited diets. Sometimes they have to operate. It takes months at the hospital with careful diets and observation in the pools for them to recover from this.”

  “Who knew? I knew some about the problems sea turtles face but haven’t heard this.”

  They were nearly to the restaurant, so she left the sidewalk and headed along the path that led around the side and down to the beach. “Shar is really knowledgeable and passionate about the turtles and she’s dedicated to helping them. I’ve learned what I know from her.”

  “And you’re not passionate about it? You sounded as if you care very much.”

  “Oh, I do. I didn’t mean it to sound like I didn’t. It’s just for Shar it’s a calling. She dedicates endless hours trying to help them.”

  “So what are you passionate about?”

  They walked down the sandy incline toward the area that was roped off, where the turtle ambulance with its turtle lift would soon arrive and they’d lower the turtle to the sand with the special lift. She thought about his question as they trudged through the sand.

  “I’d say, since coming back here, I’m passionate about getting our resort back up to being its best. So people can come here and learn about the sea life. I think that’s why I relate to your work so much.”

  She hadn’t really given it that much thought but now that he’d brought it up, she knew it was true. And him. And that terrified her.

  “Why do you look so troubled?” He reached for her hand as they moved up a sand dune. Tingles coursed up her arm as he gently helped her up the hill.

  “I’m not—” She found herself standing close to him, looking up into his fathomless blue eyes. “It’s nothing.”

  His gaze flickered to her lips and his head dipped; her breath caught, thinking he was going to kiss her. And she wanted him to.

  “I don’t believe you,” he murmured instead and stepped away. “Here comes the crowd.”

  Her mouth was dry as she turned to look toward the people moving across the beach. The orange turtle ambulance appeared. All she could think about was that he’d wanted to kiss her and for that instant, she’d forgotten all of her fears and just wanted that kiss.

  Grant stood beside Cali as Shar and the other members of the team lowered the huge sea turtle to the water’s edge. They lowered it to the sand from the specially equipped ambulance using a mechanical platform. A crowd had formed on two sides, leaving a wide corridor for the turtle. Everyone watched and cheered as the once very ill sea turtle made his way back out to sea.

  “That was amazing,” he said, as Jason Bourne swam out and then dove out of sight.

  “He’s been tagged now and they’ll be able to track him.”

  “That’s great.” The ocean breeze lifted her hair and it fluttered around her face. Grant wanted nothing else except to paint her in the moment. He’d decided that he could paint her all the time or scenes with her in them all the time. He never tired of looking at her.

  “Do you have time to tour the sea turtle hospital now? I’d love to see it.” He did want to see it, but he wanted to spend more time with her and the tour would give him that opportunity. “Say yes,” he urged.

  “Yes,” she answered quickly and he got the impression that she’d shocked herself with her answer.

  He would take what he could get. He just didn’t want her to shut him out again.

  A few minutes later, they arrived at the small, nondescript building. It reminded him a lot of the one in Marathon Key, Florida that he’d seen when he’d been in the Keys: a low-slung building painted a colorful peach and a line of bungalows behind it. He’d been told that the hospital in the Keys was the first of its kind in the world. It had been a motel that the founder had purchased for the saltwater pool that was there. A pool that could hold the recovering turtles prior to their release back into the ocean.

  “Was this a motel like the one in Marathon Key?”

  “Yes. The founder of this one got the idea from the one there. It also has a saltwater pool. Did you know that one had one?”

  “I did. I wanted to tour it but never had the time.”

  “It’s wonderfully interesting. They do short educational lectures when they’re open to the public but today I’ll have to be your guide.”

  “All the better.”

  She laughed. “You say that now, but I don’t know all the cool details.”

  “You’ll know enough, I’m sure.”

  They toured the operating area and the examination rooms. She took him out back; several large above-ground pools had turtles of all sizes and shapes swimming in blue waters: leatherbacks and massive loggerheads and smaller ones too.

  He instantly spotted several that had their rears bobbing, making it slightly awkward for the turtles to swim. Each had what looked like small, flat weights the size of half dollars adhered to their shells”. “What are those black things on their shells?”

  “I’m sure you’ve guessed but they are the ones suffering from digestive disorders with bloating. Those are weights to help hold their lower half in the water as the meds slowly help their digestive tracts get back to normal. Sadly, many of them with this condition have to stay here forever. You’ll see a lot of those, some bigger than others depending on the age of the turtle.”

  And it was true, he saw, as they moved to more pools and then some smaller pools with sicker turtles that needed to be alone during the healing process.

  “I’m assuming that folks who intentionally throw trash in the ocean are not appreciated. It looks like digestive problems are the largest threat here.”

  “That and tumors caused from pollution breaking down their immune systems. They are curious creatures and trash draws them. You do not want to be caught by Shar throwing something overboard. Or being careless enough to accidently lose trash in the ocean. My little sis will eat you alive.”

  He could only imagine. “They do a good thing here. This is where I’d like you to put the money you had set aside for me.”

  She looked startled. “Really. All of it?”

  “Unless you have a better use for it? I’ll leave that up to you, but I would like a portion of it here and I’ll make a separate donation.”

  “No, I mean that’s great. Shar will be so pleased. They are struggling at the moment and this will help them. It’s your money to give.”

  “Then this is it. Also, I’d rather my name not be mentioned.”

  “But, why? It’s a wonderful thing to do.”

  “I’m no better than anyone. I just happen to have it to give. Seriously, Cali, stop looking at me like that. You give what you can, I give what I can—it’s the same thing.”

  “Whatever you say.” She laughed. “You’re going to save a lot of endangered turtles.”

  “Great. Thanks for bringing me here. I’ve enjoyed my day. It’s helped me relax and I’ll be ready to start the outside tomorrow.”

  And he’d be that much closer to leaving. The thought did not settle well with Cali as they drove back to the resort.

  Could she let him?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Painting the exterior wall was a bigger job than the other two murals combined. Horace’s crew had set up the scaffolds, and he and Jax had lined up the paints on makeshift tables that had been set up at ground zero. A large area had been roped off and the weather forecast was good. He expected a small crowd and a couple of reporters and had warned Cali that he might need her to help keep things running smoothly. He always wanted to talk to anyone who might want to, but sometimes there needed to be a little orchestration between his creative moments and mingling. She’d agreed that she needed to be there and he couldn’t help enjoying the fact that she’d be hanging out with him for most of the week.

  The idea had him humming as he organized the paint and decided on what he would paint. She
was on his mind constantly.

  He’d known her for less than two weeks and he knew she was the one. He loved her and he wanted her in his life. He wanted to be a part of her life. And if it took him a lifetime, he was determined to show her that a real man didn’t hurt a woman. He planned to gain her trust one day at a time for as long as it took.

  There was no way he could get on a plane in a few days and fly off without her in his life. Not when he wanted her as his wife. And he did.

  He wanted to watch sunsets with her each evening as they walked hand in hand along the beach and he wanted to wake up with her next to him each morning.

  His thoughts were full of her as he began painting the background for the mural. When she showed up with coffee and muffins for him and Jax, it took every bit of willpower not to pull her into his arms. But he managed to control the urge and instead took the cup from her, enjoyed the sparks their fingers made when they touched and the flare of awareness in her eyes and then he went to work on the wall. And Cali went to work being the hostess of the gathering onlookers. She helped answer questions from the crowds that gathered to watch and to talk to the few local media reporters who showed up. And she made sure he and Jax had plenty of liquids and food.

  He was glad to have her there.

  “I love watching you weave magic with that spray gun,” she called up to him on the second evening as he climbed down from the top tier. It was near dinner time and most people who’d been curious had dispersed for the day, so they were alone. Even Jax had left to check on his business.

  “Then I’ll use it all the time.” He paused around the eight-foot mark and stared at her, where she waited on the ground. She was so incredibly beautiful and he itched to paint her there on the sand with that look on her face. “You take my breath away, Cali Sinclair.” And I’ve fallen for you.

  “You’ve had too much sun.”

  “No, you’re incredible.”

  Her green eyes clouded. “I don’t know what to say to that,” she said after a moment.