Windswept Way--A Hope Harbor Novel by Irene Hannon

Author:Irene Hannon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary Romance;Love stories;Novels;FIC042040;FIC027020;FIC027270
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2023-02-08T00:00:00+00:00

Surrounded by soaring notes of poignant music and tendrils of fog curling through the night air, Jon took a deep breath.

He could shut down this conversation. Respond with a simple yes, fabricate an excuse to leave, and disappear into the darkness.

But if he wanted a world with no more night, he’d have to step into the sunlight sooner or later. Risk exposure. Share his secrets.

Until now, nothing had enticed him to do that. Not the increasingly oppressive solitude, or the prospect of years ahead filled with empty days and nights, or the lack of physical human warmth in his daily life.

Yet for the first time in half a decade, he was tempted to talk about the trauma that had led to his shattered engagement and derailed his plans for the future.

Maybe it was the stirring music wafting through the air.

Maybe it was the growing need to assuage the chronic loneliness that had begun to chip away at his soul.

Maybe it was the not-so-subtle nudge from Kyle and Laura to get back into circulation, expand his social circle beyond Daisy.

More likely, though, it was the sympathetic, receptive woman sitting a few feet away in the dark who filled the night with a light more luminous than the glow provided by the silver moon playing peekaboo with the fog.

The question was, did he have the courage to do what she’d done minutes ago and bare his heart?

“You know, I think the fog is getting thicker.” Ashley’s observation was a touch too bright. As if she’d sensed his indecision in the long stretch of silence between them and decided to do the shutting down herself. “During my short tenure here, I’ve already learned how fast it can disorient. I wouldn’t want you to get lost going home.”

She was giving him an opportunity to escape.

But despite the sudden terror nipping at his courage, he didn’t want to take it.

Pulse spiking, he sucked in air.

He should talk to her. Baring his soul under the cloak of darkness was about as safe as it got. She’d told him her story, and turnabout was fair play. Unless he wanted to send a strong I’m-not-interested-in-getting-to-know-you message.

A message that would be a lie.

The truth was, he did want to get to know her.

And to do that, he’d have to crack the door and let her in.

Resting his forearms on his thighs, he laced his unsteady fingers. Tight. Stared at his knuckles. “I can find my way home through the fog. My brick-and-mortar home, anyway. But it’s not always as simple to find your way home in life. Especially after someone you love walks out, as you know.”

The creaking ceased, indicating she’d stopped rocking. “I’m not certain I do. Not to the same degree you do. Jason and I weren’t engaged.”

“You expected to be.”

“Yes, but I’m beginning to realize I mistook infatuation for love. Jason was handsome and wealthy and polished, and I was flattered someone like him even noticed me, let alone asked me out. I guess the stars in my eyes blinded me to his real character.

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