Read Love's Stormy Gale (Heartsong Presents) for Free Online Page B

shore. The night sky met the water in a nearly indistinguishable line. A few stars had made an appearance. She shivered, wishing she’d thought to bring a windbreaker. Todd and Jonathan piled wood for a small bonfire on a sandy scrap of shoreline.
    After Todd lit the pile of wood, the flames reached upward, popping and cracking. At last the warmth reached her. Olivia stretched her hands toward the fire.
    She and Jonathan had won second prize in the scavenger hunt, a tacky-looking pair of red plastic lobsters nearly a foot long apiece, along with a gift card for dinner at a local restaurant. Olivia sighed and dug her toes into the still-warm sand. Frances had called her bad news. All she really wanted to do was get on with her life instead of worry about what people thought about her.
    “Warming up?” Jonathan eased onto the blanket next to her.
    “Yes, some.” Olivia raised hands to her hot face, and resisted the inclination to lean closer to Jonathan. He might have been her partner in the scavenger hunt, but she wasn’t pairing off with him around the fire.
    “Here.” He tugged a windbreaker around her shoulders.
    “Oh. Thanks. Are you sure you won’t need it?”
    “I’m fine. Borrowed it from Todd.”
    Olivia looked up to see Maggie and Todd, plus a guy from church carrying a guitar as they made their way on the winding path to the bonfire.
    Three songs later, Olivia realized she and Jonathan sat cross-legged, shoulder to shoulder, arm to arm, and knee to knee. She’d practically drifted onto his lap. From his posture, he didn’t look like he minded. She didn’t want to move, but caught a knowing glance from Maggie.
    Jonathan stood and stretched. “Maggie’s got some marshmallows and sticks over there. Want some?”
    “Sure.” Olivia shifted to her original spot on the blanket, now cool from her absence. Jonathan brought back sticks impaled with several marshmallows.
    She distracted herself by concentrating on her marshmallows, which ignited despite her attempt to ignore Jonathan’s silhouette so near to her in the firelight. She laughed, pulled the stick from the fire and blew out the marshmallows.
    “So...what are your plans after the summer’s over?” Jonathan asked, his brown eyes gently probing.
    “Well, the Cetacean Institute of Cape Ann has asked me to join their research department, pending my acceptance to the master’s and doctorate program at UMass.” Olivia tossed the charred remains of her marshmallows into the fire. “I’m submitting my application next week.”
    “Are you going to accept their offer?”
    “Yes, I’m here to stay.” Starting over was much different from picking up her old life where she left off.
    Jonathan offered her one of his marshmallows. “I’m glad.”
    Olivia bit into the sticky sweetness. Some of the goo stuck to her chin. She tried to wipe it off with her fingers. “Thanks. It’s the perfectly toasted marshmallow.”
    Her mind went blank when Jonathan cupped her chin with one hand and wiped the last of the marshmallow off with a roughened thumb. “There. You were just making things worse.”
    It was her turn to stand despite the dizzying sensations coursing through her. She wanted him to kiss her, and his eyes told her he wanted to do the same.
    “I need to rinse my hands.” Olivia headed away from the fire to the dark water spreading onto the wet sand. The water numbed her bare toes and swirled around her fingers as she squatted at the edge of the surf.
    She sprang up before more water splashed up onto her shorts. With her wet fingers she cooled her hot cheeks. The salty water cleared her head and stilled the sensation of Jonathan’s fingers on her chin. How could rough skin feel so soft? What had happened today to awaken something inside her, making her look at Jonathan—her old friend—as though he could be something more?
    Loneliness. That could explain her reaction to Jonathan’s attention. While in Pennsylvania, she hadn’t thought