Colonial-era brick buildings mixed with modern high rises, and directly across the street from the station stood the impressive State house, a white marble neoclassical structure with a large dome modeled after St. Peter’s basilica at the Vatican.
I’d never been to Rhode Island before. My father had lived here years ago while in the service. When I’d told him about my Eastport Bay trip, he’d been thrilled.
“Oh, I’d love to see little Rhody again. If you get a chance, maybe you could drive by my old house in Middletown and tell me how the neighborhood looks these days.”
“Will do. I’m still worried about leaving you, though,” I’d confessed.
Dad had made apshhhnoise. “Don’t makemeyour excuse. I’ve got Grover here, and I’ll be getting visits from Zhang Wei from China Fun and Sid from Paolo’s Pizzeria.”
“I knew it. You just want me to go so you won’t have to eat my cooking for two days.”
I wished, and not for the first time, that my sister Rachel lived closer. She was an amazing chef, not to mention my best friend, but she lived out in Colorado, too far away to offer any practical day-to-day help.
“I want you to go because you need to get out more,” Dad had said. “I want you to meet people, go places, chase your dreams and fall in love. And by that, I mean the real in-person kind. I know you love staying in with your books, but I want you to have the adventurous life you used to always talk about—not just read about the adventures and love lives of other people.”
“Not everyone gets an epic love like you and Mom had, you know. And not all of us are meant for a life of adventure and passion.” I’d learned that lesson the hard way.
“Maybe not, lass, but youare. And you’ll never find it sitting here in this apartment with a blind old coot and a flea-bitten hound.”
Grover had barked, making me laugh. “I think someone is insulted.” Kissing my father’s cheek, I added, “And I love that old coot, so take good care of yourself while I’m gone.”
After calling to let him know I’d arrived in Rhode Island, I had about forty-five minutes to kill on the drive from Providence to Eastport Bay. I searched Jack Bestia’s name on my phone, glancing over the photos that popped up.
Wow.
There was no denying the man was good-looking—if you were into the whole tall, dark, and devastating billionaire thing, which I most certainly was not.
Been there, done that. Got the Sterling Fooled Me, Too t-shirt.
Guys like Jack and Sterling were better to enjoy from a safe distance.
There were no photos from the past year. The most recent was from the previous year, featuring Jack in a tux at a ritzy charity event at one of the famous Oceanview Avenue mansions in Eastport Bay. A closeup of his face was followed by several full-length shots.
Wow wow.Those singular turquoise eyes were complemented by dark, wavy hair and a physique that could only be described as sleek and powerful. Wide shoulders tapered to a trim waist and long, athletic legs.
Either Jack wasreallytall, or his date was really short. And gorgeous. Naturally.
The woman by his side in all the photos looked like a Nordic princess. Her blonde perfection was the ideal foil for his dark handsomeness. One caption labeled her as his girlfriend, which wasn’t surprising.
Scrolling down, I perused more photos of the lovely couple, shots of Jack with his look-alike brother, Hunter, Jack at book signings several years ago, a few images some sneaky photographer had captured of him shirtless at the beach.
Wow wow wow.Thank you sneaky photographer.
And then there were the photos attached to articles about the big Onyx-gate scandal, complete with some of the headlines—
Is This How It All Ends?
The Spoiler to Rule Them All
Another declared,Bestselling Fantasy Author Denies Leaked Outline Is Legit.
I didn’t bother clicking on those because I’d already read nearly everything published about the alleged leak back when it happened. The outline itself—which I couldn’t help but check out at the time—was actually brilliant. It wouldn’t have shocked me if ithadbeen legitimate.
But Jack Bestia had claimed it was a fake, and if you couldn’t believe the creator of the Onyx world on that one, who could you believe? We’d all find out soon enough when Book Seven finally came out.
I looked up once the car reached Eastport Bay. Was it possible to fall in love at first sight... with a town? No wonder Jack had chosen to live here instead of in a big city.
The quaint coastal community was like something out of a story itself. Meticulously restored Colonial-era homes and historic buildings hugged sidewalks dotted with overflowing planters.
