The place was decorated in light blues and white. There were a couple of comfortable armchairs covered in a ticking fabric in the living room along with a love seat, a coffee table, and some reading lamps. There was also a fireplace, and she could imagine being here in the winter when the weekend warriors were long gone, watching the snow fall as the flames flickered.

The kitchen was rustic, but there was something cozy about it. The countertops were made of wood instead of the fashionable granite, and the sink was an old farmhouse style. It suited the house with its rough paneling, high beams, and beachy feel. It didn’t escape Jessica that the place reminded her of what she had described to Gavin as her dream home.

That thought tightened her heart. Could it really be over, all of her hopes gone? She cringed as she once more pictured Gavin in Kristin’s arms. He’d said Jessica was the woman he cared about, but once he was with his old girlfriend again, who knows what had happened?

Suddenly she needed to be outside, alone, to breathe the fresh air.

Thankfully, the beach wasn’t crowded. As she walked along the white sand, she heard the gulls cry overhead, saw them winging against a bright blue sky. Sandpipers ran toward the water, and when the tide turned they scampered back as quickly as their toothpick legs would allow to escape the frothy sea.

Her body began to relax, and her mind stilled. Breathing deeply of the salt air, she felt the early summer sun on her shoulders and the cool pebbly sand between her toes. It was good to be away, to breathe the briny air and hear waves crash to the sand as they had for centuries, tumbling rocks and seashells in their relentless path.

When was the last time she had just taken a day off? Too long. Her life had been a cyclone of emotion the last few months, and she needed to simply slow down and take stock of her situation.

Gavin had turned her world upside down. At first he had been her patient, then her friend, and now her lover. Even after she’d sworn off athletes, she’d had no choice but to let this man into her life and heart. They were compatible on so many levels, and in spite of their intentions, they both seemed irresistibly drawn to each other.

Was he gone?

That was hard to believe, the way she’d come to know him. And yet, Kristin had been his main squeeze not very long ago. If he hadn’t come to New Jersey, would they still be together, a couple? What had gone through his mind when he saw her last night? Had it all come back for him? The feelings they had once shared, maybe the life they had planned together?

She fumbled inside her sweatshirt for her phone and discovered it was missing. Belatedly, she remembered she’d left it on the kitchen counter after calling her neighbor. So she didn’t know if Gavin had tried to contact her, wouldn’t know until she got back.

But maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. She could walk as much as she desired, stop for a bite when she got hungry. For twenty-four hours, she would do exactly what she wanted and not worry about anyone else. It would also give her some time to think about her own feelings.

If nothing else, she had a plan.

—

“Is she there?”

Gavin didn’t want to put Jessica’s brother in the middle. But after calling her for hours, he was afraid she had done something reckless.

And Nikki knew nothing. He hadn’t wanted to bother Darcy so close to her wedding, but Nikki assured him that Chase’s fiancée had no more idea where Jessica had gone than she did.

Rory sounded confused. “No, I haven’t heard from her. Why, did something happen?”

He couldn’t blame her brother for being protective.

“My ex-girlfriend showed up in New Jersey last night. We were at a party, and Kristin crashed it. She was hanging on me like we were still together.”

Rory whistled. “Some of these girls are bat-shit crazy.”

Gavin breathed a sigh of relief. Jessica’s brother understood. “Jessica left before I had a chance to explain. And when I went by her office today, she wasn’t there. She seems to have disappeared. I was hoping she went to see you.”

“Nope. She hasn’t called me.” There was a long pause. “I remember when she and Zachary broke up, she took off and went down the shore by herself. I bet that’s where she is, Long Beach Island.”

“Thanks.”

Gavin clicked off the cell. Rory had helped him in more ways than one. That was all he could ask for where Jessica’s brother was concerned.

The rest was up to him.

Chapter 34

She woke as the fresh morning sunlight streamed into the cottage.

At first Jessica didn’t know where she was. Blinking, she gazed at the unfamiliar surroundings, and felt the crick in her neck from sleeping in the chair. Her Kindle had slipped to the floor, and the knitted afghan was tightly wound around her body.

A seagull laughed outside, and she suddenly remembered. Driving to LBI. The party. Kristin.

Her stomach became a knot.

The last twenty-four hours came back to her like an old movie, and as she stretched her aching joints, she knew her little break had helped her to understand one thing:

She was in love with Gavin. And the time she had spent with him was precious. If that was all there was to be, somehow she would live with it. For she knew he wasn’t a player, or a cheater, or the kind of man who would knowingly break her heart. So if he decided to go back to Kristin, it would be because that was where his heart lay.

And if that was the case, so be it.

But her head still throbbed, and she desperately needed coffee. Vaguely she remembered walking for hours, stopping in a little bar for a burger, and then heading back to the cottage. She’d intended to read for a bit, but must have fallen asleep. Yet in spite of her aches and pains, she felt better. Her mind was settled.

Instead of fussing with the coffeemaker, she decided to go out. There was a little breakfast place right around the corner, sure to have caffeine, so she tied on her sneakers and started for the beach.

The day was even more beautiful than the one before. The early morning sunlight sparkled on the ocean, rendering it silver, like beadwork on tulle. Herring gulls rested on the beach, their feathers fluffed comfortably around them against the breeze, while their laughing cousins found their breakfast amid the clams.

Slowing to a walk on her way back, Jessica found the shop, ordered a large coffee, and took it with her, letting the clean air and sunshine clear her brain.

At least Chase and Darcy would have a beautiful wedding day, she thought as the sun warmed her face. Her heart softened as she thought of them pledging their vows to each other, promising eternity.

She thought she’d found that. That was the most disappointing thing of all, to think that just the day before yesterday, she’d had everything she ever wanted in the palm of her hand…her dream man, a job she loved, a place she called home.

That was, until the beautiful model showed up and claimed Gavin.

As she approached the cottage, she saw someone standing on the step as if waiting for her. Jessica squinted, and picked up her pace. Had the Realtor rented the place to someone else already? Or maybe it was the homeowners? Yet as she got closer, her heart began to pound.

Gavin.

She had to look twice to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, but when he glanced in her direction and grinned, the coffee dropped from her hands and she ran to the doorway as fast as she could.

“What are you doing here?” She was breathless when she reached him, and a sudden fear gripped her. Had he come to tell her that it was over, that he was going back to Kristin?