“I’ve got the afternoon off,” Jenny said to Alex when she returned to the porch, “but I have to be back at the lighthouse by four to help set up for the party late this afternoon.”

“I need to talk to Paul and spend a few more minutes with Hope. I’ll be over shortly with my board.” He hooked an arm around her waist and kissed her. “Wear that pink bikini.”

“Yes, sir. Anything else?”

His eyes did that dark-chocolate thing that happened when he was aroused. “That’ll do for now, but I reserve the right to add to the list later.”

“So noted. See you soon.”

“I won’t be long. No more than an hour.”

Over her shoulder, she said, “Thanks for the warning.”

Jenny drove home to the lighthouse, thinking of him and how dramatically he’d changed her life since the day he and his lawn mower showed up and blasted her out of bed. Their connection had been instantaneous and intense. Her feelings for him seemed to grow exponentially with every passing day.

Jenny couldn’t wait to go public with him in front of her friends later and to introduce him to her parents next week. It was moving so quickly, but after years of marching in place, she was ready to move forward, especially if moving forward meant a future full of days like this one.

She’d forgotten how it felt to be newly in love. She’d forgotten the giddiness, the excitement, the endless possibilities, the constant hum of arousal and the need to make plans that included him. Jenny hadn’t made a lot of plans since she lost Toby. Rather, she’d coasted from one day to the next, focused on getting through and getting by.

She wasn’t yet to the point where she was practicing writing Jenny Martinez on her notebook covers or anything like that, but she was beginning to picture a future that included him, his brother and their mother in her life to stay.

Back at the lighthouse, she went upstairs to change into the requested bikini. After slathering on sunscreen, she found a beach cover-up and slid her feet into flip-flops. She was brushing her teeth when her cell phone rang, so she took the call without checking the caller ID.

“Hey, it’s Erin. Are you busy?”

Erin was Toby’s twin sister, and they’d kept in close touch in the years since their devastating loss. “Never too busy for you. How are you?”

“I’m okay. You?”

“I’m doing great, actually.”

“That’s really nice to hear. You sound happy.”

“I am.” Jenny hadn’t given the first thought to how she might break the news to Toby’s family that she was in love again. She sat on her bed when her legs began to tremble under her.

“Any particular reason?”