by Noelle Adams
He wanted to go back to his relaxed, even-tempered life where nothing pushed him too far or went too deep or hurt him too much. He’d shaped his life that way on purpose, and he couldn’t fight the swell of resentment that Rebecca had shown up out of the blue and taken it away from him.
“So you’re here at the pier all day?” she asked, a different expression on her face.
He’d always been able to read her, and he could see what she was thinking right now. She was confused and disappointed and hoping for a time during the day when she could come out this way without accidentally running into him.
If he was smart, he would give her a time—any time—and then make sure he wasn’t around then for the next week or two, however long she was in town. He could manage it, and it was the only way of maintaining control over his feelings.
He needed to just tell her he wasn’t around at lunchtime, when he normally left to do errands or work out. Then he’d be safe. They’d avoid each other.
Lunchtime.
Tell her.
Now.
“I work here. I’m around all the time,” he said.
Her mouth and jaw tightened. “Well, I’m in that house for the next two weeks.” She nodded with her head toward a small, expensive vacation rental a few houses down from the pier. “When I walk, I’m going to end up here.”
“You can walk in the other direction.”
Her shoulders stiffened. Clearly his cold voice had angered her. “I’m allowed to walk in any direction I want. You think I’m supposed to curtail my vacation just because you happen to work here?”
“I didn’t tell you to curtail anything. I merely suggested if you didn’t want to see me, then you could avoid it.”
“I don’t want to see you.”
“Then walk in the other direction.”
“You asshole,” she hissed. “I’m not going make things easy for you. I’ll show up here whenever I want.”
“And I’ll be here.”
“That’s fine with me. I don’t care enough about you to keep me from doing what I want to do.”
YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE about Stranded on the Beach here.
About Noelle Adams
NOELLE HANDWROTE HER first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she writes full time, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances. For more information, please check out her website: noelle-adams.com.
You can find a printable version of a complete book list for Noelle Adams here.
