pulled it out.
“Charlotte!” Rachel rushed over to her. “Are you okay?”
“It's heavy, but it didn't fall on me,” Charlotte told her. “I wanted to play surfing, like Nicholas does.”
Nicholas again. Rachel struggled to keep her composure. Trying to copy him could have gotten Charlotte hurt. “I know they have the same shape, but surfboards and ironing boards aren’t the same thing at all. Now, how about if we put it back and then you can pick out a story for the two of us to read?”
Her daughter reluctantly nodded, but fortunately she loved reading stories together, so she was soon enraptured by the story she’d picked out of her bedroom bookcase. Charlotte often ended up making up her own stories long before they got to the end of whatever book they were reading, which Rachel normally loved. But tonight, she was worried about how everything seemed to be circling back to Nicholas when what had started off as a simple fairy tale quickly turned into a story about a wall-climbing, surfboard-riding princess who wore a dragon-tooth necklace that had magic powers.
Gently directing Charlotte's attention back to the story, Rachel got them back on track for a while, until her little girl abruptly asked, “When is Nicholas coming back to our house again?”
“I'm not sure,” Rachel replied, even though she had been wondering the same thing herself. “He's very busy right now filming a TV show like your Aunt Morgan does.” With that, she kissed Charlotte on the forehead and said, “It’s getting late. Let's get you ready for bed.”
A short while later, Charlotte was in her jammies, her teeth were brushed, and she was just getting ready to turn out the light when she asked, “Mommy, will we see Nicholas tomorrow? He's nice, and I really want to see him.”
Rachel knew how attached her daughter could get to people she cared about. Just look at the way she’d followed Morgan around when she’d first come back to the island. The way she still followed Morgan around, come to think of it. Charlotte made attachments quickly, and those attachments stuck.
“He is very nice,” Rachel agreed, “and it’s good that you like him, but he’s just a friend of Morgan’s. He can't stay here on Walker Island with the rest of us.”
“Why not?”
“Because he has other places he needs to be and things he needs to do. He was never planning to stay.”
“But Aunt Morgan wasn’t going to stay and she did.”
Rachel reached down to stroke Charlotte’s hair. “Your aunt is a special case.”
“Can’t Nicholas be a special case, too?”
I wish. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Things don’t always work out like that.”
“But that’s not fair.”
And as Rachel gathered her daughter into her arms and rocked her until she fell asleep clutching the stuffed rabbit to her chest, she also found herself wishing that Nicholas could stay.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next morning, Rachel woke up more determined than ever. As soon as Charlotte went to school with her aunt and grandfather, Rachel walked over to her grandmother’s house. She wanted to get there before Nicholas would have a chance to get caught up in hang gliding or skydiving—or whatever adventure was planned for today's filming.
But it was better not to think about his adventures, because from there it was only a small step to imagining herself doing them alongside him. She could all too easily imagine him running through the safety protocols for jumping out of a plane or shouting encouragements as he rode beside her on an extreme bike trail.
Only, there was no way of guaranteeing that he would stay beside her. Which was why she had to take care of the situation now, before things got any more complicated.
When she arrived at Grams’ house, Nicholas was out in the garden, enjoying the plants and the views. His face lit up when he saw her. “It was already a beautiful day, but now that you're here, it's a stunning one.”
From any other man it would
“Charlotte!” Rachel rushed over to her. “Are you okay?”
“It's heavy, but it didn't fall on me,” Charlotte told her. “I wanted to play surfing, like Nicholas does.”
Nicholas again. Rachel struggled to keep her composure. Trying to copy him could have gotten Charlotte hurt. “I know they have the same shape, but surfboards and ironing boards aren’t the same thing at all. Now, how about if we put it back and then you can pick out a story for the two of us to read?”
Her daughter reluctantly nodded, but fortunately she loved reading stories together, so she was soon enraptured by the story she’d picked out of her bedroom bookcase. Charlotte often ended up making up her own stories long before they got to the end of whatever book they were reading, which Rachel normally loved. But tonight, she was worried about how everything seemed to be circling back to Nicholas when what had started off as a simple fairy tale quickly turned into a story about a wall-climbing, surfboard-riding princess who wore a dragon-tooth necklace that had magic powers.
Gently directing Charlotte's attention back to the story, Rachel got them back on track for a while, until her little girl abruptly asked, “When is Nicholas coming back to our house again?”
“I'm not sure,” Rachel replied, even though she had been wondering the same thing herself. “He's very busy right now filming a TV show like your Aunt Morgan does.” With that, she kissed Charlotte on the forehead and said, “It’s getting late. Let's get you ready for bed.”
A short while later, Charlotte was in her jammies, her teeth were brushed, and she was just getting ready to turn out the light when she asked, “Mommy, will we see Nicholas tomorrow? He's nice, and I really want to see him.”
Rachel knew how attached her daughter could get to people she cared about. Just look at the way she’d followed Morgan around when she’d first come back to the island. The way she still followed Morgan around, come to think of it. Charlotte made attachments quickly, and those attachments stuck.
“He is very nice,” Rachel agreed, “and it’s good that you like him, but he’s just a friend of Morgan’s. He can't stay here on Walker Island with the rest of us.”
“Why not?”
“Because he has other places he needs to be and things he needs to do. He was never planning to stay.”
“But Aunt Morgan wasn’t going to stay and she did.”
Rachel reached down to stroke Charlotte’s hair. “Your aunt is a special case.”
“Can’t Nicholas be a special case, too?”
I wish. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Things don’t always work out like that.”
“But that’s not fair.”
And as Rachel gathered her daughter into her arms and rocked her until she fell asleep clutching the stuffed rabbit to her chest, she also found herself wishing that Nicholas could stay.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The next morning, Rachel woke up more determined than ever. As soon as Charlotte went to school with her aunt and grandfather, Rachel walked over to her grandmother’s house. She wanted to get there before Nicholas would have a chance to get caught up in hang gliding or skydiving—or whatever adventure was planned for today's filming.
But it was better not to think about his adventures, because from there it was only a small step to imagining herself doing them alongside him. She could all too easily imagine him running through the safety protocols for jumping out of a plane or shouting encouragements as he rode beside her on an extreme bike trail.
Only, there was no way of guaranteeing that he would stay beside her. Which was why she had to take care of the situation now, before things got any more complicated.
When she arrived at Grams’ house, Nicholas was out in the garden, enjoying the plants and the views. His face lit up when he saw her. “It was already a beautiful day, but now that you're here, it's a stunning one.”
From any other man it would
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