Addie
“I’m supposed to wear that on
my head?”
“Totally,” Shane said as if I’d
lost my mind a little. “You have to keep your hands free to catch those
jokers.” I raised my eyebrows, andhe clarified, “They’re really fast.”
“Ahhh.” I nodded as I put the
headlamp on. “I feel like we’re going caving.”
Shane reached to my forehead
and turned the lamp on. “That’d be awesome. I’ve never done that before.”
“No way I’m ever doing
that. I’ve seen too many horror movies.”
“I’ll add it to my list of
things we’re doing together one day. Right after skydiving.”
“Yeah, right,” I said, but at
once felt an arrow to my heart.
Unless one of our lives changed
in the next week, we’d never even be able to fight over attempting his list of
things I’d never want to try. Shane’s expression told me the same realization
crossed his mind. I snapped to a different, happier emotion, “So, what now,
beach master?”
He grabbed a sand bucket that
could have possibly been his as a child. “Beach master?” He opened the door
from Gram’s garage leading outside. “I like that nickname. Suits me well.”
“You would think
so,” I said as I followed him out, closing the door behind me. Shane
transferred the bucket in his other hand and reached back to take mine, staying
just in front of me. The warmth of his fingers wrapped around mine spread
through my limbs, the rushing along my skin set it ablaze.
Our headlamps, combined with
the lights from inside Gram’s, helped us make our way on her path leading
alongside the house.
“Kick your sandals off.” He
stopped at the edge of the dunes.
I did, then he took up my hand
again. “Now what?”
“We walk.” He pulled me north
along the ocean. “Trust me, if you keep your head down and pay attention,
you’ll see them.”
The second he finished
speaking, a white spider crossed right in front of my bare feet. I screamed and
gripped Shane’s shoulder. He burst out laughing, and I mock-punched him. “Those
things are creepy,” I said with a shudder.
“I know.” He taunted, “Try
catching one.”
“With my hands?” I held them
out.
He crossed his arms over his
chest, and his grin held a challenge. “Yup.”
“Fine.” I looked at the sand,
which caused it to light up. I took a few steps and saw one a couple feet away.
I went for it, never one to shy away from a dare, and wasn’t even close.
“Told you those jokers are
fast.”
“I’m fast. I’ll get
one.” I grabbed for another and missed.
He got beside me. “You have to
predict where they’ll go and reach there, ahead of them.”
It seemed logical. I tried
again.
“Better.” He took a few steps,
leaning over so far I wondered how his back wasn’t hurting, but it left him
close to the sand. His snatched one and stood with his hand fisted. “Got it.”
He dropped it into the bucket.
“What do they feel like?”
“They have a shell. But it’s
not too hard.”
I peered inside. “It’s almost
translucent and…ugly.”
“You don’t want to eat one of
those?” He elbowed me. “Kidding. And I’m winning.”
“Not for long,” I said, getting
serious. I would not lose a ghost crab catching competition to Shane. We both
set out a few feet from each other. I reached and… “I got it,” I squealed as
the impulse to throw it back to the ground overwhelmed me. I held on long
enough to toss it into Shane’s bucket.
“Nice. But mine’s bigger.” His
hearty laugh rang out above the waves as my face reddened with anger.
“You’re impossible,” I
said, buta smile crept up without permission.
He leaned over and kissed me on
the lips, dissolving my irritation. He pulled back, and instead of saying
something enchanting, said, “So. Are. You.”
I turned back to my ghost crab
challenge, fleeing his piercing gaze. “You’re reallyirritating, but I am
glad you finally let go of that scowl you wore for so long.”
Shane concentrated on where his
light hit the sand. “I’m trying. And I’ve made progress, releasing some sadness
and filling it with…well…” I looked up at his hesitation, and he shrugged. “You.”
The intensity of his words
electrified me. I moved to him. He dropped the bucket and caught me in his
arms. I grabbed his face and kissed him with everything in me, setting free the
desire I’d longed to act on for weeks. Time was lost on us as he left my mouth
and kissed my neck, leaving me fighting for oxygen, suffocating on my need for
him. He inched his way back up, and I bent my head to meet him, the eagerness
for his lips to be on mine overwhelming—
Until our headlamps knocked
together.
The sound and force jolted us
apart.
I covered my wide-open mouth,
but my voice was stuckin my throat at the hilarity.
Shane seemed to choke on
his ownlaugh before picking up the bucket. “Let’s check out a sea turtle
nest on the way back, and then watch those Law and Order reruns.”
He pulled me into a side-hug to escort me…home.
Addie McHenry, restoration home builder extraordinaire, catches her big
break when the House to Home network contracts her to film a reality TV show
focusing on how she brings homes back to life. She sets her sights on one of
the oldest on Moanna’s beach and has to risk everything just to get it.
Shane Armstrong moved from Savannah to his grandmother’s Moanna
oceanside house when his world shattered five months before. He went on leave
from his job as a Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer, hopeful his
grandmother’s peaceful street will help him heal. The reality TV show’s arrival
threatens this serenity.
But the construction and camera crews are nothing compared to Addie
herself. She’s tough as nails, challenging, and superbly bossy as she works to
get her way. But she’s also kind, hardworking, and has a relationship with God
Shane can’t begin to understand.
With each encounter, Shane’s walls start to crumble as Addie brings
more than just the historical home back to life, but him as well. Addie tries
desperately not to enjoy spending time with the irritable and scowling boy from
next door. He hides his heartache well, but she sees it there behind his
prickly exterior. Soon she begins to uncover the sacrificial hero underneath
the façade.
With both of them only temporary
residents on Moanna Island, their thin ice relationship crashes to a halt. Can
Shane return to his risky job with the Coast Guard? Does he even want to? And
can Addie let him go and follow her dreams even when tragedy strikes?
Kristen holds a Master's degree in Theological Studies and
served as a Children's Ministry Director for five years. She cherishes her
Southern roots and currently lives forty-five minutes outside of Atlanta, GA.
With the support of her husband and two children, she stays at home writing
Christian fiction, allowing God to take the story where He needs it to go. She
blogs for Wholly Loved ministries at WhollyLoved.com and Crosswalk.com. Shealso loves serving her local church on their women's
leadership and teaching team. You can check out her current novels at www.kristenterrette.com.
Twitter
Handle: @KTerrette
Instagram: kterrette
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