With Kate nestled into his side, they watched the display. He could’ve lain there the rest of the night, her fingers tucked inside his. But all too soon the fireworks ended, and they were packing their things and heading to his truck.

Lucas felt a disconnect between them as soon as they left the traffic and turned toward home. The ride was quiet. Kate sighed deeply and crossed her arms against the coolness of the night as the truck bumped along the street, jangling his keys. He itched to reach across the expanse and warm her hands in his.

“Quite a day, huh?” he asked.

Kate leaned her head against the passenger window. “Mmm.”

Lucas turned off the air and adjusted the temperature. “What’d you think of the fireworks?” They might not compare to Boston’s, but he’d always thought Nantucket put on a pretty good display.

“They were good.”

Lucas felt his spirits deflating like a punctured inner tube. They’d been close all day. Kate seemed to enjoy his company, even his touch. Her eyes lit when she laughed at the things he’d said. Somehow he’d let himself believe it was real.

But it wasn’t real. Her affection was for appearances. And now, feeling Kate disengage from him was . . . hurtful. He wanted it back, the way they’d interacted, the way she’d looked at him, touched him. How could she turn it off like a spigot?

How had he not realized how difficult this was going to be?

Lucas shut the door hard behind Kate. She set her purse on the sofa table as he brushed by her and disappeared into the bathroom. Ten seconds later, the shower kicked on.

Was it her imagination, or was something bothering him? Kate took the picnic basket into the kitchen and tossed the trash. It had been a good day, but tiring. She’d seen everyone she knew, it seemed, at some point. With everyone congratulating them, she felt obligated to play the happy honeymooners, and it had worn on her.

Not that Lucas was hard to be affectionate with; he’d played along beautifully. But she was tired of being on display. By the time the fireworks ended, she was ready to hole up at the house where she didn’t have to pretend.

As Kate finished putting away the picnic supplies, the shower went off. Good. She could use a rinsing herself. Though the weather had cooled after dusk, the sun had been hot and bright overhead all day. Besides, she wanted to wash the sand out of her hair.

Kate gathered her things from the bedroom and headed for the bathroom, her mind on her plans for the next day. When Lucas rounded the corner, she nearly smacked into his bare chest. He wore a blue towel that barely closed around his waist.