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  He started to protest that, but then smiled. “I think I can handle the business by myself.”

  She ignored his joking tone. “You did all that with Wes because …?”

  “You think I’m going to let a lech like him spend the day with my girl?”

  “Your …?” She took a deep breath. “While we’re being honest, I’d like to add my own piece of truth. My father is also an architect, although he mostly teaches now, and he’s been on my case about you.”

  “How so?”

  “Your reputation with women isn’t good.”

  “Or private,” Jared mumbled.

  “You’re too public a figure to be private. You go through models and starlets and—”

  “What’s your point?” Jared asked.

  “There was a time when I imagined having an affair with the Great Jared Montgomery, but—”

  “But what?”

  “When I was dumped by Eric it hurt, but a good cry and a few pounds of chocolate healed me. Then, seeing you, the Great—”

  “Don’t say it again.”

  “Okay. The truth is that I don’t see you that way anymore.”

  “How do you see me now?” he asked softly.

  “As a human. A living, breathing man who is impatient, who manipulates conversations and information to however he wants it to be seen, and as a designer who sometimes falters in his visions.”

  “Anything good in there?”

  “A man who generously shares everything he has and everything he knows with others. Food, money, work, whatever is yours, you share it. I’ve seen that you’re a man who protects the people he loves, and you love hard and with all your heart.”

  “An absolute saint.” His words were light but his tone wasn’t.

  “Not quite,” Alix said as she looked out at the sea. “Eric I could recover from with some chocolate and a poem, but you …” She took her time before she spoke. “You I could love. If I had a … a fling with you and you tossed me aside, I’m not sure I’d ever recover.” She took a breath. “There. I’ve said it and I think it’s much more than you ever wanted to hear. I think—”

  She stopped talking because he kissed her. Gentle, sweet, a meeting of the lips that was soft and … and promising.

  Pulling away to look at him, her hand on his cheek, she searched his eyes. She needed to find the truth within herself. Was she attracted to this man because of who he was? She’d been in awe of him for so many years.

  But now she knew the man, had met his friends and relatives, had seen him in his own country, so to speak. She had an idea that she’d seen what no other woman had: the real Jared Montgomery Kingsley the Seventh. Truly and completely, without armor of any kind, she had seen both sides of him. There was the internationally famous man who was asked for his autograph, and there was the man an old couple sitting on the porch asked to look at their furnace before winter came.

  Jared was waiting in silence, his face close to hers. He seemed to know that she was asking a question and when she said the words he’d be ready to answer.

  Which man did she like better? she wondered. The brilliant designer or the man who was part of a community and family that she had an idea could sometimes be overwhelming?

  “I like both of you,” she said, her hand caressing his cheek, feeling his whiskers. For days now she’d been looking at him and hadn’t realized how much she’d wanted to touch what she saw. The strong Kingsley jaw felt good against her skin, his whiskers soft.

  He turned his head to kiss her palm—and the blue fire returned to his eyes.

  The hairs on her body stood on end. She’d never before felt such desire for any human being.

  “We need to take this slowly,” she said as part of her seemed to scream, This is real. This could be forever.

  Jared dropped his hand from her face. “No touching. I understand.” His voice seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

  “No!” Alix said. “Touching is fine. It’s great. In fact, I’m for it. The more touching, the better. It’s just promises that we need to think about.”

  Jared smiled. “You are my kind of girl. I suggest that we go home. Now. I’ll get someone to give us a ride back.”

  “What about the old truck?” She knew it was still covered with food.

  “Lexie can return it.”

  Only their fingertips were touching, but it was like a current of high voltage electricity was going from Jared to her. It wasn’t just that they were touching, they were connected. Mind, body, souls seemed to be flowing one to the other. It was almost as though she could read his thoughts and she could see, well, the future. It was the two of them. Designing, arguing, traveling. Years together. Joy shared and laughter. A great, great deal of laughter. There was more but she was almost afraid to look.

  “I feel like I know you, that I know us,” she whispered.

  “I feel the same way,” Jared said as he stood up, took her hand, and pulled her to him.

  She wanted to slide her arms around his neck, but she knew that if she did she wouldn’t be able to stop. They’d end up rolling about in the bushes on a public beach. Not a good start to forever, she thought.

  Jared seemed to understand. He stepped away, breaking contact. “Let’s go home.”

  Alix started down the beach to the road that led to the stairs, Jared behind her. Twice she stumbled, but then her legs weren’t stable. “I think maybe I saw our future,” she managed to say when they reached the stairs.

  “I can believe that. Was it good?”

  She nodded. “Very good.”

  “Odd things happen to people who hang around the Kingsleys.”

  “Are you talking about ghosts?” She was trying to sound light but it wasn’t easy.

  “I think maybe we should talk before we go any farther.”

  Alix stopped on the stairs and turned to look at him. His face was even with hers. “If it’s all right with you, I’d just as soon not talk any more right now. Tell me the awful things later, after we—you know.”

  Jared laughed. “Okay, let’s go home and, uh … later, we’ll talk about our future. You know, goals and that sort of thing.”

  “That sounds exactly like what I’d like to do.” Their eyes were laughing.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When they got within sight of the crowd, they dropped hands. Touching or not, Alix knew that everything had changed. She stood back as Jared told Lexie they wanted to leave right now.

  “You’re kidding, aren’t you?” Lexie said. “Toby and I have that big SUV with us and we have to get all this into it, and then what do we do with that old truck?”

  “One of you can drive the SUV and one of you can take the truck back to Polpis.” Jared’s voice was of exaggerated patience.

  “Great idea,” Lexie said, smiling. “I assume it’s an automatic, as I’ve never driven a manual, and I can hardly wait to take it down Nantucket’s wide lanes. I saw Mrs. Ferris a few minutes ago. Think she’s driving today?”

  “Lexie …” Jared began but didn’t finish his sentence. He turned back to Alix with a helpless look on his face.

  “Who’s Mrs. Ferris?” Alix asked.

  Lexie answered. “She’s our neighbor, lives right on Kingsley Lane, and what’s especially great about her is that she drives smack down the middle of every road. Even tourists get out of her way. Hope I don’t pass her in your fancy old truck. Wouldn’t want to scratch it, but then I’ll probably tear the transmission out when I try to shift gears, so what do scratches matter?” She turned toward the food, but as she passed Jared she said, “Hate to mess up your afternoon, but you know what they say about anticipation.”

  “That it’s a useless waste of energy?”

  Laughing, Lexie kept walking.

  Jared went to Alix. “Sorry, but I think I—”

  “I know,” she said. “You and I should take the truck back.”

  He smiled at her, his eyes thanking her for understanding.

  They were sta