Dammit. Austin had been right. Bell was waiting for me to leave her again. And she wasn’t wrong to expect it. The entire three-day road trip from LA to the island, I’d been calculating just how long I’d have to be on Anchor. What would be the shortest stay I could get away with to turn the bar around and placate my brother. Now, I found myself looking for excuses to stay. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew I wanted Bell in it.

“I actually needed a break.”

Bell’s gaze flew up to mine. “Really?” I nodded. “Why?”

I leaned back on the rock, the rough surface digging into my palms as I looked out at the sea all around us. The view was breathtaking. The air around us silent. Still. I’d missed the peace of the place more than I wanted to admit. I searched for the right words to explain the restlessness I’d felt lately in LA. “I’m not exactly sure why. I’d been happy in LA for a long time. But over the past year or so, I started getting restless, like my skin was too tight for my body. The things I loved about the city had become things I hated.”

I looked back to Bell. She listened intently as I spoke, nibbling on her bottom lip. “I think LA was what you needed at the time. It’s so different from here.” She let out a little laugh. “You couldn’t find something more polar opposite if you tried. And you needed something that held no reminders of the past for you. But now, maybe you need something else.” Bell’s gaze bored into mine. “I think it’s a good thing, Ford. I think it means you’re healing.”

My gaze traveled over her face. “I think it means I’m ready to move on.” We sat in silence, the air dancing between us. I gave a forced laugh. “You always were a wise little Yoda.”

Bell stuck out her tongue at me. “Leave it to you to compare me to a wrinkly green man.”

It was her heart and soul that were Yoda-like. The rest of her was anything but. “What’s the deal with you and Hunter?” I cursed the question that had escaped before I could consider what it might reveal.

“What do you mean?”

“Were you guys dating? Friends?” My breath hitched as I waited for her to answer.

Bell’s eyes widened. “No, we’re just friends. Always just friends.”

Some invisible tension in me loosened, a feeling I didn’t want to think too much about for a woman who’d taken over my mind.