Her shoulders sank in a deep exhale. “I really can’t.”

He watched her fidget, clearly uncomfortable. “So what were you thinking?”

A sheepish look came across her face. “I was just trying to drive up the bid.”

He only stared.

She looked away, refusing to explain further.

“I’ll split it with you,” he offered.

“No,” she said. “This was my mistake. I’ll figure it out.”

“A mistake, huh?” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her. “Ouch.”

She met his eyes for only the briefest moment. She stepped out of her heels and picked them up, tucking them under her arm. “We both know that you and I trying to sail together is a giant mistake.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Lou,” he said. “We made a pretty good team once upon a time.”

Now he had her attention. But he wasn’t sure he wanted it. What was he doing? He was flirting, that’s what. And he should stop. He was walking a tightrope, and he knew one wrong move and he’d fall—hard.

“That was a long time ago,” she said.

He watched her tuck a long strand of hair behind her ear, eyes lingering on her pink cheeks, her full lips.

The tightrope underneath him wobbled.

He hadn’t returned to Nantucket thinking he’d reconnect with Louisa. He didn’t even know she lived on the island. While there were a lot of old feelings that had been stirred like soup in a pot, the thing that struck him most was that what drew him to her most were things he didn’t know about her back then.

She was smart and fearless, yes, but she had such a kindness about her—it was rare to find someone who was so genuine in their concern for other people. Most people really only cared about themselves.

She was different. She would never intentionally hurt him, right?

Yet she had hurt him. And that mistake had unraveled so much of his life. He wasn’t sure how to reconcile the Louisa who’d broken his heart with the woman standing in front of him.

She scoffed quietly. “You can’t do this.”

Whoa. What had he done?

“I can’t do this.” She stormed past him as if she couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

“Do what?” He followed her. “Louisa?”

She spun around and looked at him, and for a split second he thought maybe there were tears in her eyes.

“You can’t tell me I’m only being nice to try and ease my guilty conscience and push me away like you did just to pull me straight back in by flirting with me.” She looked up at the ceiling, blinking quickly. Same thing she’d always done to keep from crying.

He thought she looked equal parts beautiful and adorable when she did.