Quinn took her dish to the sink, but Maria shooed her away. “You’ve worked hard. Go enjoy yourself for a while.”

Maria looked a bit depressed, and Quinn wondered if the job search had discouraged her, but she didn’t want to open up a long conversation, so she let it lie and slipped out the back door. At the cottage, she checked her phone, hoping Ethan had called. But there were no missed calls, texts, or even a random email.

She heard the kitchen door slam and jumped up. Liam was ready, and she wasn’t. Because it would look suspicious if she didn’t dress the part, Quinn quickly changed into her black one-piece suit and tied a sarong around her waist, ensuring her hips were covered. With no time to spare, she slathered sunscreen on her face, neck, and arms, then tucked her feet into her sandals, grabbed a wide-brimmed hat and a towel, and stepped outside.

Liam led the way down the path to the beach. When they reached the sand, he dropped his towel and ran for the surf.

Quinn almost laughed. He was like a kid when it came to the ocean. It seemed to energize him and worked like the fountain of youth. Instantly, the serious contractor was gone, and in his place was an energetic, surf-loving young man.

She lay her towel down and sat, crossing her arms over her knees as she watched Liam dive under an oncoming wave, then burst up and out of the water once it passed.

It made her really nervous, and she could feel her muscles clenching.

He turned and waved, yelling at her to come in.

When she shook her head, he came striding out, water falling from him like a spray of bullets. A young mother and her two toddlers walked by, then entered the water a few feet from where Liam had emerged. The kids were fearless, their comfort around the water obvious in every move.

“What are you doing?” he asked, confused. He picked up his towel and wiped his face. “I thought we were going for a swim.”

“I’m okay here, but I’d like to talk to you, if you’ll give me a minute.” She used her hand to shade her eyes as she looked up at him.

“Is it important?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes. Very.”

“Then you’ll need to meet me in my office,” he said, then turned and went back to the water.

He was such a frustrating excuse for a man, Quinn thought as she watched him go. Who could have a serious conversation in the ocean? With sharks and all kinds of other strange, indistinguishable fish fluttering around her in the darkness?