“I’m glad you’re thinking about moving to the cove,” Bryce said.

Victoria smiled. “I fell in love with the town when we did a segment on your Shrimp Festival last year. I was smitten. I grew up in a large city, and I found Catalina Cove so appealing. The town seems so quiet, quaint and peaceful.”

Bryce nodded. “What about the hour drive to and from New Orleans five days a week?” she asked.

The woman waved off her concern. “That won’t be a problem for me. Since my show starts at seven each morning, I’ll be on the road by five, when most people will still be sleeping. Besides, I’m used to Houston’s traffic. At least it will be a straight shot from here to New Orleans.”

That was true, Bryce thought. “You want to lease and not buy, right?”

“Yes. And I’d like a two-year lease if possible. That’s the length of time I have left with my contract at the television station, so that timing would be great. The lease I’m in now in New Orleans won’t end for another month.”

Bryce’s smile widened. “I might have just the place you need. It’s the size you want and everything. Currently, it’s occupied. The couple is having a new house built that should be ready for them to move into in another month. After that the house will be ready for occupancy. I think you’re going to like it. It backs up to an apple grove.”

Victoria’s smile widened. “An apple grove? That’s nice. Do you think I’ll be able to see it today?”

“Yes. The owners are friends of mine and they have no problem with me showing it today.”

“That’s great!”

A few hours later Bryce was back in her office. Victoria Madaris had loved Ray and Ashley’s home and had immediately signed a two-year lease. Now Ashley and Ray were glad their house wouldn’t have to sit vacant while she found someone to move in. The timing was perfect. They would move out, and in a month, Victoria would be moving in.

So far today had gotten off to a great start. She’d seen Kaegan first thing this morning. It felt strange getting back into a steady relationship with a guy. Especially one who was not just any guy, but the same guy she’d fallen in love with once but was terrified of loving again. She knew few people understood why she’d put such an impenetrable barrier around her heart. Unless they’d gone through the hurt and pain that she had, she didn’t expect them to understand. She honestly wasn’t sure Kaegan even understood. He wanted what they had before, but she wasn’t sure she was capable of giving him that. She’d stopped believing in forever-after years ago, and for her the burden of trying to believe in it again was something she wasn’t sure she wanted to take on.

How she could go from feeling she meant nothing to him to begin feeling she was his everything again was just something that was hard for her to believe right now. Like she’d tried explaining to him, it had taken her years to move on and rebuild her life, restore her self-esteem after his actions had torn it down. But she had. He wanted to regain her love and trust. At least he’d been duly forewarned that he had a difficult task ahead of him.