Hannah stares at the empty doorway as my father’s footsteps fade away. Then she swings her eyes to me, still filled with the longing that came close to tipping me over the edge earlier. “Let me guess. This boat is actually a yacht.”
“Probably.”
She slips her hand into mine. “Shall we finish the tour?”
I’m staring at our intertwined fingers like a schoolboy realizing his first crush. When she squeezes my hand, I meet her questioning gaze.
“You sure you want to stay?” I’m asking out of genuine concern for Hannah. My parents’ lifestyle can be overwhelming at times, especially if you’re not accustomed to dealing with this level of wealth and high society. But the part of me that’s still reliving those glorious seconds before my father interrupted is hoping she’ll want to close the door and finish what we started.
“Definitely. But can we swing by the food first? I’m starving.” She lifts her brows as she tugs one side of her bottom lip between her teeth, looking more adorable than I can bear.
I take a quick stride out the door before I do something we may both regret. “Right this way.”
Watching Hannah react to the array of gourmet delicacies spread across the long table in the dining room is like watching a kid at Christmas. She tastes each item with a wonder and curiosity that reminds me of what she was like as that eighteen-year-old who practically lived at her brother’s pet shop.
Hannah’s passion for life and her spunkiness just add to my desire to know everything about her. I admire her devotion to helping people—something we both share. She’s one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met. And she’s so unaware of how beautiful she is, inside and out.
Once we’ve both snacked on enough hors d’oeuvres to keep us content, I finish showing her some of my favorite places in my parents’ house, like the kitchen, which has a massive island that’s perfect for baking Christmas cookies.
“You bake?” Her wide-eyed stare makes me chuckle.
“My mother likes to bake, but I’m not bad at decorating. And eating them, of course.” I follow her from a safe distance as she walks around the island, tracing her finger over a swirl in the cool quartz.
“Of course. You have to eat them.”
He lifts his brows in a playful manner. “Exactly.”
“What else did you do in here?” She points to the small dining table and chairs tucked in a nook beneath a bay window that overlooks the Intracoastal. “Did you do your homework there?”
I shake my head. “My parents built this place after I left for college. Their next big thing at the time.”
“Like the yacht is now?”
“Pretty much. They’re always looking for something new and exciting.”
“Ah…” Chin tucked, she continues to trace a line on the counter.
“What?”
She crinkles her nose in that adorable way again. “I see where you get it from.”
I shake my head. “I’m not like that anymore.”
“You don’t think so?”
I’m trying very hard not to get defensive with her. “You do?”
“Kind of. I know you’re a lifeguard because you want to help people, but don’t you think it could also be a need for adventure?”
I sweep my gaze around the large kitchen with an oversized refrigerator and a subzero freezer that could hold an entire cow. “This is what you call adventure?”
“For them, it probably is. Adventure is really simply about a change from the day-to-day. Trying new things. Expanding.”
“Expanding is a good word. Sometimes it feels like they’re building an empire.”
“Maybe they just want to ensure their son has more than they did.”
I get what Hannah’s doing. She’s pushing me to reframe my view of my parents. But I’ve known them way longer than she has. “Still want to see the yacht?”
