Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hunter
Gina Spellman had zero clue who I really was. The thought amuses me. The shock in her eyes when she found out that I am Enid and Preston's grandson was a sight to behold.
At first, I didn’t believe that she didn’t know, but when I saw the way her eyes had scurried from me to my grandparents and then back again, I knew she’d truly thought that I was the gardener, which tickles me pink, considering the reason I am really here.
Gina baffles me with her long dark hair and her bright brown eyes.
She is the epitome of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, though she has a little bit of an attitude.
I am almost positive that she is crazy. She has to be.
Who pretends they are in the FBI while standing in line at a coffee shop?
No one but a crazy person. And then she'd gone on about her cupcake.
I still feel guilty that I'd bought it and eaten it, though truth be told, it had been quite delicious.
When I saw her here at the estate, I thought perhaps she was following me.
But then I remembered that my grandparents told me they were hiring someone to act as a ghostwriter, and I knew that life was full of coincidences.
So, the fact that Gina was the one that they hired didn't completely surprise me, though in the back of my mind I did wonder if she was some sort of spy for real.
But ditzy Gina, sexy Gina—she is no spy.
She is just a confused woman, writing the love story for a couple that has been together for far too long.
I love my grandparents. I really do. In fact, if it hadn't been for their union, I wouldn't exist. But there are oftentimes I wonder if their marriage was actually a marriage of love, if they are still deeply and truly emotionally connected, or if this was a relationship of convenience and wealth.
But I wouldn't dare say anything like that to them.
I sit on the edge of my bed and wish for a few moments that I could have kept Gina in the dark for a little longer. It’s been fun flirting with her and bantering back and forth, and I can't deny the fact that I am outrageously attracted to her, though that is a complication I don't need in my life.
She intrigues me. She intrigues me far more than any woman has in a long time, and I suppose, for that, I'm grateful.
I’ve thought that maybe I am immune to ever feeling attraction to a woman again.
I’ve thought that some part of me is broken, that I am destined for a life where I would be with someone just because I’m supposed to be.
Gina has made me realize that every single part of my body is still working, and working well.
She’s made me realize that I’m capable of experiencing a gamut of emotions from desire to excitement again in my life.
I consider going up to the main house to see if she's wandering around in the kitchen in a short little T-shirt or maybe even trying to find her room.
I could knock on the door and ask if she wants to talk about the revelation that came out this evening.
But then my brain screams that's a bad idea, because maybe then she'd ask about the dinner and why we were celebrating, and that is something I don't want her to know about.
As I grab a sweater and head to the main house, my phone rings.
I'm not sure who could be calling me. As I look at the screen, I don't recognize the number, but as a businessman who gets calls from all sorts of random people, I know I have to answer.
“Hello, this is Hunter Waverly.”
“Hunter, I'm so glad that I've got you on the line.”
“Who is this?” I ask cautiously.
“This is Ken Goring from Channel Six News.”
“How did you get my number?” I cut him off immediately.
“I want to know if you would like to release a statement. There are rumors circulating that—” I hang up before he can go any further.
I run my fingers through my hair. I hate reporters with a passion.
There's something about the way they twist words and situations to fit a narrative that has never sat right with me.
I don't want to be the next headline in the newspaper.
I don't want people running with my story.
For several reasons. A wave of irritation washes through me, and I decide to go for a walk.
My good mood is gone. I'm not interested in seeing Gina right now.
I'm not interested in flirting or answering any questions as to why I'm here or what I'm doing or anything.
So, I leave my phone in the cabin and head out.
I walk down to the private beach so that I can stare at the stars. It's dark, and I close my eyes and just listen to the waves. The water is rough tonight. The sound of the water as it crashes into the rocks is calming.
I can hear pelicans flying by, looking for a place to sleep.
I take a deep breath, feeling the cool breeze whistle past my hair. My eyes fly open, and I look to the sky. It's beautiful here in Whisper Cove. The sky is a dark obsidian, and the stars glitter brightly, like a thousand diamonds in the sky.
I appreciate that I can be here. I didn't grow up in Whisper Cove, but my parents always talked about visiting and how much they loved it.
Every year, they thought about moving back, but my dad didn't want to be so close to my grandfather.
He felt that Preston always had to tell him what to do, and my father didn't like that.
I look around and run my fingers through the sand. It's still damp from where some of the waves had hit the shore. I feel glossy shells next to me, and I stand up and walk along the shoreline.
I pull my sweatpants up, take off my shoes, and allow myself to walk through the water. I think about going for a night swim. I don't have my swimming trunks, but who cares? It's a private beach.
I quickly strip naked and dive into the water. It's probably foolhardy to go out when the current is so strong, but I'm a good swimmer, and I know what to do in a riptide if that happens. The water is immediately cold, and my body shakes, but I continue to swim.
I feel like I'm one with nature. I feel like I'm Poseidon, King of the Ocean.
I turn over onto my back and just float there, looking up at the sky.
I feel like I'm still lost.
I came to Whisper Cove to find answers. I was at a pivotal moment in my life, and unsure of where to go next.
I know my grandparents have certain expectations.
I know that the world has certain expectations.
There is something that I need to figure out in my life.
I need to figure out where I am going to go next.
I realize that I can't stay in the water much longer. It's too cold.
As I swim back to shore and step out, standing there on the beach, I suddenly feel grounded. Looking back at the house, I see the silhouette of a figure standing and looking out one of the back windows, and I almost feel like she's staring right at me.
“Gina,” I whisper under my breath, and I can't help but smile. Gina. Gina. Gina. I grab my clothes and decide to walk back to the cabin naked. There's a 99 percent chance that no one's going to see me. But hey, if that one percent chance is Gina, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
Get your mind out of the gutter, Hunter. You have other things to think about, I lecture myself as I walk across the soft grass.
I know I do, I respond to myself, and wonder if I'm going crazy. I wonder if the entire ordeal of the last year has finally just made me insane.
I look back at the window and see she's still standing there. I wonder if she knows I can see her. I wonder exactly what she can see of me.
I think about offering her a wave, but I stop.
I'm going to take my time getting there.
I'm going to figure out just who she is, and then I'll have my fun with her.
I look up to the moon in the sky and smile, because it's Gina's argumentative face that I see reflected in the bright white and gray moon.
I quite like it.
I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks.
If anything, it's going to be an adventure. Just because she’s here.