Athen’s eyes filled with tears and she sniffed quietly. She swallowed hard in hopes of gaining control of her voice.
“I feel exactly the same way. When John died, I really thought my life was over. That there would never be another truly happy moment, or a day when I would ever be filled with the sheer joy of being alive. I honestly believed that my only purpose on this earth was to raise my daughter, that there would never be a reason to laugh or feel pain or watch a sunset. No joy, no wonder, not even real pain—nothing to make me feel alive, just a dull ache inside me from the minute I opened my eyes in the morning until I closed them again at night.”
“And then along came Dan Rossi,” he whispered in her ear.
“How can you mention that man’s name at a time like this?” She glared indignantly.
“Because he was the devil who prodded you back into the world,” Quentin reminded her. “As much as I hate to admit it, it was Dan who coaxed you into taking that first step.”
“I’ll give him that much, the scoundrel.” She leaned back against him. “It all seems so long ago now. I look back on those first days in City Hall and it seems like another lifetime.”
“It was. And we have yet another lifetime to discover together.”
“Funny how it worked out, isn’t it?” she asked, drawing circles in the sand with one finger. “You coming east when you did to take the job with Hughes’s paper, me being in City Hall …”
“Everything that happened before was leading me here.” He kissed her. “To this moment, to this place.”
He studied the circles she had drawn, then kissed the top of her head and stood up. She watched him walk across the sand. He was looking down, as if searching for something. He picked up a large clamshell, then began drawing something in the sand about ten feet from where they sat. Amused, she stood to watch him, and then walked closer.
“Watch where you step,” he told her. “You’re standing on the S.”
“What S?” She backed up and looked down at the markings on the sand.
“There you go.” He stood back to admire his work, placing the shell in his pocket.
QUENTIN LOVES ATHEN
They both laughed, and she draped her arms around his neck.
“And I love you.” She kissed him soundly on the mouth. “With all my heart.”
“Ah, that’s what’s missing.” He pulled the shell out of his pocket and leaned over, enclosing his message inside two swooping arches.
“What do you think?”
“I think it’s perfect,” she told him. “As perfect as this morning, as perfect as this week has been.”
“And as perfect as the rest of the day will be. Let’s go upstairs and open up those doors.” He pointed to the French doors off their bedroom balcony. “And let the sun and sea air into our room and take an early siesta.”
“What will Mrs. Emmons think?” She nudged him as they walked clumsily, their hips and shoulders gently colliding from time to time as their feet sunk into the sand.
“We’re sending Mrs. Emmons to Manasquan to do some shopping and as many other errands as we can come up with.”
“Good idea.”
“I forgot the wedding pictures.” He sprinted across the dunes to where he’d left the envelope on the sand.
Athen climbed the steps and stood at the railing, watching Quentin walk toward her, a smile of deep contentment on his face. They would have today and the rest of the week to enjoy each other before returning to Woodside Heights and its turmoil, before taking the first steps into the unknown waters of stepparenting and blending their families into one, before she would face the many problems of her city and the battles that still awaited her there.
For now, it was enough that they were here and alone, and that they had these days. Behind Quentin on the sand she could see the outline of the heart he had drawn. The message it held told her all she needed to know.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
A Different Light Page 38
