Page 4 of Must Love Fallen Angels

And that’s how Tessa found herself with a job starting Monday.

Which wasn’t what she expected at all and was the first good thing to happen to her since she’d decided Sable Cove was the right place to start over.

With the weekend open and nothing on the horizon but reading and relaxing, Tessa left for the cottage.

It wasn’t home yet, but it would be in time, she was sure.

And she’d already found one piece of the puzzle of her new life: a job.

Now she just needed to figure out the rest.

When the kettle whistled, Tessa turned off the burner and took the old kettle off the heat.She poured the boiling water into the mug and set it back on the stove before settling a black-and-orange pekoe tea bag into the steaming water.

She hadn’t slept well and had been up since well before dawn.She wasn’t sure what had kept her from resting, but suspected it was a combination of the long trip, the new surroundings, and her life turning upside down.

There was a worn recliner by the picture window in the front room, and she’d curled up there to read, but now she was ready to stretch her legs and take in the beach.

Fixing her tea with some honey and a squeeze of lemon, she put the lid on the travel mug and grabbed a light sweater, then left the cottage.

The path to the beach was cut through tall grass and trees and was mostly overgrown since no one had lived at the cottage for several years.She made her way to the beach as the sun started to come up, bathing the sand and water in pinks and golds.

She settled on a rocky outcropping near the water and sipped at her tea, watching the waves lap against the shore.

This place—the town, the beach, the cottage—felt like the perfect place to pause and reset.She hadn’t fled her old life in a panic; she hadn’t been in danger.She’d walked away to save her sanity, her tears more for the time she’d wasted trusting in people who’d clearly not cared about her.

Breathing deeply along with the ebb and flow of the waves, she felt calmer and more centered than she had in ages.

As she took another drink of tea and pondered the day ahead, movement on the other side of the beach caught her attention.

She turned to watch someone approaching.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing the dark uniform of a police officer, his badge catching the morning sunlight like a diamond.

Curiosity flickered inside her.

And then he drew close enough that she could make out his features more clearly.

He had the casually ruffled blond hair and tanned skin of a California boy fresh from the surf, and something inside her sparked to life.

Who was this man?

Saturday morning, Venice checked in with Brody before dawn and set out to patrol the town as usual.But instead of heading to the far side of town, something led him to the beach.The sun was rising, and the lighthouse was lit from the side by the morning rays, looking ethereal and impressive against the vastness of the water.

He parked in the lot by the lighthouse and marina, run by merman Cassian and his fairy mate Zia.Climbing from the truck, he shut the door and inhaled deeply, the scents of salt and water filling his lungs.He’d always liked the beach.It was peaceful there, with the lapping of waves on the sand and the call of gulls echoing.

He stared at the lightening sky as the sun rose, wondering what had happened overnight that had first unsettled him so much he’d been unable to sleep, and second had plagued his subconscious enough that he’d sought peace and refuge at the beach.

He replayed the odd thoughts he’d had as the night came and went.

Of his choice to fall.

The sword that had severed him from everything he’d ever known.

The betrayal that had changed everything about him.

He rolled his shoulders as his back ached sharply, the dull throb rising oddly despite the wounds being healed years ago.

And then something caught his attention.