She devoured the bagel, the cinnamon roll and the fruit Ryan had left for her. She ate every crumb and licked her fingers, feeling like a pig, but a very satisfied pig. It had been a while since she’d had a hearty appetite and it had been weeks since anything had actually tasted good to her.

After downing an entire glass of juice, she smacked her lips in pleasure and went in search of a beach towel she could spread out on the sand.

She’d seen umbrellas dotting the private section of the beach reserved for the hotel guests and she planned to make good use of one while she waited for Ryan to return.

After months of being on her feet for hours on end, working a thankless job for paltry wages, a day lounging on the beach sounded about as decadent as it got. She was going to enjoy every minute.

She didn’t bother with sandals since she wasn’t going far. The sand felt luxurious beneath her feet. So warm and soft. She sighed in contentment as she headed for one of the nearby umbrellas.

The sound of the ocean filled her ears, beautiful and so peaceful. Here was a place where she could forget the pain of her past. It was a place made for being soothed. A vacation for the soul.

It sounded ridiculous and a little corny but she liked it and quickly adopted it as her motto for this trip.

She spread the towel out over the sand, positioned the umbrella just so and then sank down, drawing her knees up as she stared over the rolling waves.

Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and enjoyed the breeze dancing across her face. Her sleepless night quickly caught up to her as tight muscles relaxed and the tension she’d held for so long gradually fell away.

Soon it was hard to keep her eyes open, so she stretched out on the towel and turned on her side to face the ocean. The umbrella provided plenty of shade. A nap was too tempting to pass up. She’d simply wait for Ryan here.

* * *

Shortly after noon, Ryan let himself into the room and looked around for Kelly. He called out to her but got no answer. He checked the bedroom in case she was napping, but found that the maid service had already come through to make the beds.

He sighed, knowing she hadn’t paid the least bit of attention to his concern over her going onto the beach without him. It wasn’t as if he thought anything would happen to her or that she was incapable of being alone, but her medical condition concerned him. And yeah, he was probably being a little overprotective, but he found with Kelly—just as he always had—he tended to overreact.