Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
This woman was a mess, in every sexy way possible, which seemed like an oxymoron to Kiel, but he wanted to get to know her. Right then and there. There was something about her, from the way she sat back to admire her work to her high cheekbones. She was as missed matched as a person could be and Kiel wanted to know everything about her.
He didn’t know how long he stood there, watching her, lingering and wondering what she had on her canvas. There was no straightforward way to see what she painted, at least not without making it obvious. Kiel turned toward the water and rested his arms on the railing, afraid she’d catch him staring. Beachgoers were still arriving, while others packed up for the day. One mom chased a toddler down the beach. Kiel laughed. The duo looked like they were having fun. As soon as the mom caught the toddler, she let them go and the race started all over again.
Every so often, he’d look over his shoulder to make sure she was still there while his mind raced with how he should approach her. What would he even say? Why was he so nervous? He’d never had any issues talking to women before. What made her special?
And then she looked at him and smiled.
Kiel figured he had two choices. He could walk away and pretend none of the last handful of minutes happened, or he could go over to her and at least say hi. Honestly, hi was probably the only thing he could muster at this point because his heart decided now was the time to speed up and echo in his ear. At least he knew his ticker worked.
He waited a beat too long because she rose and started packing her things.
“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. Kiel took a deep breath and centered himself before pushing away from the railing to walk toward her. After a few steps, she looked his way and smiled again.
Kiel raised his hand and said, “Hi.” He felt like a dumbass for waiting. What if he kept her from an appointment? Or date?
“Hi.” Her voice was soft and if he hadn’t been paying attention, he might’ve missed her response.
“Can I see?” He pointed to the canvas, still on the easel.
She smiled and turned the canvas around. His mouth dropped open, and he blinked. And then he turned slowly and saw she had mimicked the sunset perfectly. “Wow.”
“You like it?”
“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he told her. That was a lie. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Even from afar, he knew she was pretty. But up close, she was stunning. Her caramel-colored eyes were a stark contrast with her dark hair. And her easygoing smile was warm and welcoming. She was classic and breathtaking, but in an unassuming way.
“I know absolutely nothing about art, but I do know this is the most beautiful painting I have ever seen.” He wanted to get closer, to really take her in and memorize her, but he was raised better. Invading her personal space would likely get him kicked in the shins. Or worse.
“Thank you.” She blushed and continued packing her stuff.
“Why are you leaving? The sun is just beginning to set. Don’t you need to finish?” Kiel pointed over his shoulder at the lowering sun in a frantic attempt to keep her there.
“I have the most important parts done,” she told him as she collapsed her easel.
“It’s just stunning.”
She blushed. “Do you live here?”
Kiel shook his head. “No, just visiting for the summer. You?”
“Same.”
“I’m Kiel,” he blurted out. “Kiel Collier.”
“I’m Eloise.” She slung her bag and easel over her shoulders and grabbed the canvas. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
“How will I find you?” His voice cracked. There was no way to hide the eagerness. He wanted to see her again.
Eloise shrugged. “If you look hard enough, you’ll find me.”
The nagging voice in the back of his head told him to stay put, to not follow her. He hated that voice.
three
Eloise fought the urge to be the cliché, the one who turns and looks over her shoulder. Every fiber in her being wanted to know if the handsome stranger with the sea blue eyes and curly blond hair watched her. Although, he wasn’t a stranger since they had exchanged names, at least in her mind. She liked that he was taller than her. The idea of having to look up at someone or having them look down to gaze into each other’s eyes appealed to her. Not to mention, he had a dimple, and she was a sucker for dimples.
However, he was a tourist, and having grown up in Seaport, she had sworn tourists off eons ago. There was absolutely zero point in getting to know or becoming involved with someone who had an exit plan in place. That's mainly the reason she didn't date much when she lived overseas. She always knew she planned to leave. Where she planned to go was always up in the air.