"When's the wedding?" Buddy asked, surprising Evan with the personal question in the midst of business.

"January eighteenth in Turks and Caicos."

"Congratulations. Married life is the best thing to ever happen to me. I hope it will be for you, too."

"I have no doubt whatsoever that it will be."

"We'll be in touch. Don't lose any more sleep, Evan. It's business. It works itself out."

If he hadn't already respected Buddy Longstreet more than just about anyone in the music industry, he would now. "Thanks, Buddy."

"Everything okay?" Big Mac asked when Evan had stashed the phone in his pocket.

"I think it's going to be."

"Excellent. Now have another doughnut."

Evan laughed and snagged the doughnut while his dad was feeling generous. He felt like a hundred tons had been lifted off his chest with one phone call. It was going to be okay. He could survive six separate weeks away from Grace. Sure he could. If he kept telling himself that, maybe he'd actually believe it by the time he had to go.

At noon, Jenny left two of the college students in charge of the store and walked up the driveway to the Martinez house for the interview Alex had asked her to attend. All morning, Jenny had walked around in a stunned state of disbelief over the amazing events of the previous evening.

I love you. You're mine. Mine, mine, mine.

She shivered, thinking about the way he'd looked at her, their intense lovemaking and sleeping in his arms after they finally wore each other out and went upstairs to bed.

Alex must've been watching for her, because he came out to the porch to meet her. He wore a black polo shirt with plaid shorts and looked serious and sexy and thrilled to see her.

I love you. You're mine. Mine, mine, mine.

As she recalled his words from the night before, her heart gave a happy leap of joy at the sight of him, and she walked a little faster up the stairs and right into his outstretched arms.

"I just saw you a couple of hours ago." His lips against her ear and his nearness sent a shiver down her spine, as did the memory of him pressing her against the wall of the shower earlier as he thrust into her. "And it seems like forever."

She held on tight to him, amazed and overwhelmed by how strongly she felt in such a short amount of time. If she hadn't experienced similarly powerful emotions once before, she never would've trusted them now. But like she'd told him the night before, she knew what this was, and she wasn't about to deny it.

"I missed you, too."

"Thanks for doing this."

"No problem. How does she seem so far?"

"Pretty cool. She's talking to Mom right now, and she seems to have the sort of patience required for the position."

The door opened behind them, and a dark-haired boy shot past them, down the stairs toward the tire swing hanging from a large maple tree in the yard.

"That'd be Ethan, Hope's son. He's seven and apparently full of energy."

"He's cute."

"I suppose he is if you can get past the incessant talking and endless questions. My mom took an instant shine to him. She said he reminded her of us when we were that age."

"Awww, I bet you were so cute."

Before he could respond to that, David and Daisy arrived. Alex had told her David would attend the interview while Daisy took Marion for a drive and out to lunch.

A short time later, they had sent Marion and Daisy off in David's car. Paul suggested they sit outside on the porch since it was such a nice day. When they were all settled, Jenny took a closer look at Hope, who was probably in her late twenties. She had long brown hair with red highlights, a creamy white complexion and brown eyes. Alex had introduced her to Hope as his girlfriend, which had given Jenny another reason to glow from the inside. He was racking up the points.

Jenny decided that Ethan must take after his father, which led her to wonder if the father was in their lives.

"Hopefully, you got a good chance to evaluate our mom and to get a sense of what she needs," Paul said.

Nodding, Hope said, "I'm terribly sorry she's so afflicted at such a young age."

"It's very unfortunate indeed," Paul said. "Our goal is to keep her at home for as long as we can, but that's becoming increasingly more difficult with only the two of us and a litany of friends helping out when they can. We need more reliable help."

"It's amazing you've gotten this far on your own," Hope said.

"I've been trying to tell them that," David said, "but they don't listen to me."

David's comment cut through any remaining tension, and they all relaxed into laughter.

"At this point," Alex said, "we know you're well qualified or you wouldn't be here. I guess it's only fair to ask what questions you have for us."

"I do have one concern that's keeping me from leaping at the opportunity, and that's the idea of living on an island year-round. Not just for me, but for Ethan, too."

"Would you mind if I took that one?" Jenny asked.

Alex and Paul gestured for her to go ahead.

"I worried about that when I came here, too. I took the lighthouse keeper's job just over a year ago. Even though it looked like a fun adventure, I had the same fear of what it would truly be like to live here all the time."

"And how has it been?"

"It's been incredible. After a while, you forget you're on an island." Jenny glanced at Alex. "Because everything you need is right here."

Hope tipped her head to look at Ethan, who was entertaining himself on the swing. "How about socially? Are there a lot of people here in the winter?"

"About seven hundred live here year-round, a lot of them our age with young families," Paul said.

"I've found an amazing circle of friends," Jenny said. "I'd be happy to introduce you to my group if you decide to come."

"That's very kind of you. Thank you so much."

"We don't want to twist your arm," Alex said. "We know it's a huge decision, and there's a lot to consider."

"Actually," Hope said, taking a long gaze around the yard and the greenhouses, "it's not that big of a decision. Ethan and I are in bad need of a change of pace, and I think this'll work out great for us. It's such a beautiful place, and the guesthouse is ideal for what we need. If the offer is still good, I'd be honored to help with your mother."

Jenny experienced a sudden rush of relief at knowing Alex and Paul would be getting some qualified help-soon. She glanced at Alex and smiled as he blew out a deep breath and seemed to visibly sag with relief.

"The offer is definitely still good," Paul said. "How soon could you get here?"

"The first week in August?"

That was in a few short weeks.

"That'd be great," Paul said.

"That'll give Ethan some time to acclimate before school starts."

"If you want to come inside," Paul said, "we can go over all the details, and you can review the medical information with David."

"Don't go too far, Ethan," Hope said to her son, who waved from his perch on the swing. She went inside with David and Paul, leaving Jenny and Alex alone on the porch.

He bent at the waist, propping his head on his hands.

Jenny put her hand on his back, wanting to offer comfort. "I'm so happy it worked out for you guys. For what it's worth, I think she's terrific."

"It's worth a lot. Thank you."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. It's just knowing that help is on the way..."

"I know." Jenny gave him a gentle tug, urging him to lean on her, which he did. She put both arms around him and slid her lips over the silk of his hair.

His arm encircled her waist. "Let's go surfing."

"What? Where did that come from?"

He sat up to kiss her. "It came from me wanting to spend the afternoon with my hands all over you."

"I have to work, and so do you."

"We're taking the afternoon off. I'm the boss. I can make up the rules as I go along."

"Um, Paul is my boss, so..."

"If he messes with me, I'll pound on him."

"If you do that, Hope will see that you're nothing more than a caveman, and she'll quit her new job before she starts."

"You do make a good point. Perhaps I won't pound on him. I'll just kidnap you and let him wonder what became of you."

"That's not happening either."

"The surfing? That's happening, so go square it with the boss man before I forget I have to be on my best behavior today."

"Only because an afternoon with your hands all over me doesn't sound awful, I'll do what I'm told. But don't get used to my obedience."

Alex smiled and raised an eyebrow.

Jenny got up and went inside to talk to Paul before Alex could say something outrageous.

David and Hope were going over Marion's medical records, so Jenny signaled to Paul. "Your brother has a big idea about playing hooky this afternoon. Any objections?"

"Not at all. Hope is here for the day, and she's going to spend some time here with Mom this afternoon when she gets back with Daisy, so we're covered."

"What about the store?"

"They can handle things for a couple of hours. We need you for the big-picture management stuff."

"I've got you covered there."

"Go have some fun. You both deserve it."

"So do you, Paul. There's a party at the lighthouse later with the McCarthys and other friends. We'd love to have you join us, if you can get away."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Great."

Paul glanced at the window to the porch where Alex was waiting for her. "You're really good for him."

"We're good for each other."

"I'm happy for you guys," Paul said, his expression wistful. "Maybe I'll see you later."

"I hope so." If only she had a single friend to fix up with Paul. He was a great guy-smart, funny, almost as handsome as his brother and genuinely devoted to his family. But all her friends were happily settled now.

"I've got the afternoon off," Jenny said to Alex when she returned to the porch, "but I have to be back at the lighthouse by four to help set up for the party late this afternoon."

"I need to talk to Paul and spend a few more minutes with Hope. I'll be over shortly with my board." He hooked an arm around her waist and kissed her. "Wear that pink bikini."

"Yes, sir. Anything else?"

His eyes did that dark-chocolate thing that happened when he was aroused. "That'll do for now, but I reserve the right to add to the list later."

"So noted. See you soon."

"I won't be long. No more than an hour."

Over her shoulder, she said, "Thanks for the warning."

Jenny drove home to the lighthouse, thinking of him and how dramatically he'd changed her life since the day he and his lawn mower showed up and blasted her out of bed. Their connection had been instantaneous and intense. Her feelings for him seemed to grow exponentially with every passing day.

Jenny couldn't wait to go public with him in front of her friends later and to introduce him to her parents next week. It was moving so quickly, but after years of marching in place, she was ready to move forward, especially if moving forward meant a future full of days like this one.