Page 45 of Acadia Falls

“See you, Jack.” Tori was opening another bottle of wine, probably trying to salvage what was left of her sunset party.

I headed for the truck and threw it into drive. Maybe if I picked Tommy up and gave him a ride home, at least someone wouldn’t be mad at me today.

Maybe.

Chapter Seventeen

MARAN

“It’s not a party until there’s a little bloodshed,” said one of Tori’s glamorous friends. “You okay, Charlie?”

“No.” Charlie’s voice was nasal because of the napkin he still had jammed up his nose. “What the hell was up with that guy? Is that your boyfriend, Maran?”

All eyes turned to me—except for Alex, who was loyally wiping up blood and refilling wineglasses.

“No,” I answered truthfully.

“Then why did he bash me in the face?”

“That’s just how my brother is.” Ryan shrugged. “He’s very protective.” His gaze flicked over me with open curiosity.

“Hitting someone in the face is not okay,” Charlie argued. “And I was serious about calling my lawyers! That was assault and battery.”

“It might be battery,” I interjected, getting lawyer-y. “But he’ll never do any time for it. They won’t even arrest him—the most he’ll get is a warning. And then he’ll just be even more pissed off.”

I shouldn’t defend Jack—what he’d done was indefensible—but I didn’t want Charlie making more of a scene. The one Jack had just made was bad enough!

I suddenly felt exhausted. “Alex, I think I’m going to head home, okay?”

She nodded. “Sure, take the jeep. I can catch a ride.”

“Or you can just sleep over.” Tori Blaisdell went and hugged my friend. “We’re having so much fun with sleepovers!”

“Thanks, guys. See you later.” I headed down the steps. The sun was about to set, and the view was gorgeous, but I needed to get away.

It was weird seeing a famous actress hugging my best friend. What was weirder? Jack punched someone in the face just because I talked to him. I felt awful about Charlie. What a day! It started strong, with Jack Brennan in my bed, but all hell had broken loose since then.

I started the jeep and bumped over the rocks slowly, catching the last glimpse of the sun as it dipped below the water. I forced myself to pay attention to the incredible colors—I’d never seen a sunset like I’d seen on LSI. Purples, pinks, and oranges streaked the sky, chasing the disappearing golden rays. The scent of wild roses mixed with the salty air of the sea overwhelmed my senses.

I stopped the truck and inhaled deeply as I watched the horizon.

I was safe—far enough away from Charlie and his bleeding nose and far enough away from Jack. But even though he’d blown me off at the party and punched a guy, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be away from the mercurial lobsterman.

I had entered the tricky territory of having feelings for Jack, which wasn’t ideal. Far from it!

I sighed again as a breeze rolled up from the beach. On top of everything else, the island’s raw beauty made me sad. The feeling had been creeping up on me all week. Watching the sun rise and set, enjoying the majestic beauty of the mountains as I studied from the porch, and the view of the crystalline, blue-green ocean… I enjoyed every second of every day. The peacefulness of LSI—of glorious, unspoiled nature—had started to settle over me. I’d tuned into the rhythm of the island, to the tide’s ebb and flow.

In the short time I’d been on LSI, I’d fallen in love with it.

Living in New York for so long had separated me from the real world, from nature, maybe even from reality. All we cared about back home was the latest restaurant, the hot new cocktail, and the most recent clothing trend. Not to mention work—all I did back home was work.

Not that there was anything wrong with any of that. At least, I’d never thought so. Until I’d realized I might be missing out on something.

The ocean breeze blew the hair back from my face, and I groaned. I had to go back to New York. This summer on the island was a diversion, a fantasy. I was living in one of Alex’s many “second” homes, drinking fancy wine by the crate, eating fresh-caught lobster with a hunky, brawling lobsterman who happened to have a magic penis. It was la-la land. A summer like this couldn’t last forever. My real life was in the city, where a cramped apartment and a hundred-hour workweek were waiting for me.

I sighed one last time, then slowly drove home. For once, I wasn’t looking forward to having Alex’s massive house to myself.

But I was just going to have to get over it.