Chapter One
Sunday evening, Sean Malone sat on the back porch of his Uncle Dan’s beach house, enjoying the unseasonably warm late-March weather. The temperature had climbed to seventy-four earlier in the day, and even with the sun setting, the air still held enough warmth to make sitting outside comfortable.
Stretching his legs across a second chair, he finished the final chapter of a thriller by one of his favorite authors beneath the glow of the porch light.
He’d planned to read it when it first came out, but work had kept him busy over the past year, and most of his downtime had gone toward catching up on sleep.
Now, two days into a month of accumulated vacation time, he intended to do as little as possible before starting his new position at the FBI office in Greenville, North Carolina, a little over an hour from Whisper on the Outer Banks.
He’d stay at his uncle’s beach cottage for the next three weeks while his leased apartment underwent renovations.
The place, located halfway between Whisper and Greenville, had been left in rough shape by the previous tenants.
Sean didn’t mind, though. The beach house was quiet, comfortable, and his private sanctuary for the time being. And while he already missed Florida’s warmer weather, being close to family again made up for it.
Six months earlier, he requested a transfer from FBI headquarters in Jacksonville after learning his oldest brother and sister-in-law, KC and Moriah, were expecting a baby.
The child—due in five weeks—would be the first Malone of the next generation, and Sean wanted to be a part of his niece’s or nephew’s life.
KC worked as a SEAL instructor at Little Creek Naval Base in Virginia, about ninety minutes north of Whisper.
Meanwhile, Moriah taught at the local elementary school as a substitute teacher.
Their middle brother, Brian, lived outside Elizabeth City and worked as a special agent with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Dan Malone had raised his three nephews in the tiny beach house after their parents were killed in a plane crash when the boys were teenagers.
Over the years, the brothers had grown up and moved on with their lives, while Dan relocated to an apartment above his hardware store in the center of the small town.
Still, the old man would never sell the cottage.
Too many memories lived within those walls, and he wanted his nephews to have a place they could always return to.
Sean checked his watch. Ten to six.
His uncle and Bonnie Whitman would arrive any minute with dinner, and he was already looking forward to Bonnie’s famous beef stew.
Home-cooked meals had become rare over the years, especially during his time in Jacksonville, and nobody cooked better than Bonnie.
She’d been Dan’s wife Annie’s best friend since first grade and had remained close to the Malone family after Annie died while the boys were still young.
“Sean? Are you here?”
He frowned at the unfamiliar female voice. It wasn’t Bonnie, and he had no idea who it belonged to. Rising from his chair, he crossed to the porch railing and looked down.
Soft white light from the exterior fixtures washed over the patio below, revealing a beautiful blonde woman waving up at him.
Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail, and even from a distance, it looked soft and silky.
Something about the striking green eyes fixed on him tugged at his memory, but he couldn’t place her.
When he failed to answer right away, her mouth curved into a smile that hit him harder than it should have.
“You don’t remember me, do you?”
“Um... sorry, I don’t.” His confusion lingered as she climbed the stairs toward him.
“I’m Grace Whitman. Bonnie’s niece.”
His eyes widened. “Grace? Holy cow. I’m sorry—I didn’t recognize you.” His gaze swept over her before he could stop himself, and he liked what he saw far too much. “Wow. Last time I saw you, you were thirteen and dressed like a tomboy.”
“And you were eighteen and heading off to join the Army.” She closed the distance between them and slipped her arms around him in a quick hug.
The contact caught him off guard.
After releasing him and taking a step back, she brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and grinned. “You look great.”
His gaze traveled over her again. “So do you. I mean... wow. I can’t believe you’re the same person. I remember short hair, skinny knees, and braces.”
She made a face before laughing. “Yeah, well, I grew up over the past fourteen years.”
No kidding.
He forced himself to stop staring and shook away the dangerous thoughts trying to form. Bonnie was practically family, which meant Grace fell into that category too… whether he liked it or not.
“Not that I’m not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“Aunt Bonnie and Dan told me to meet them here for dinner. Didn’t they tell you I was coming?”
He shook his head. “No, they didn’t.”
“Then that explains the shocked expression.” Her gaze flickered toward the beach before returning to him. “I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve seen you. Between college and work, I haven’t made it down here much the past few years, and whenever I did, you were never around.”
She held out the bottle of wine she’d been carrying. “I figured a nice Merlot would go well with Aunt Bonnie’s stew.”
Taking the bottle, he motioned toward the table where he’d been sitting earlier. “Sorry. Where are my manners? Have a seat. I’ll grab some glasses and a corkscrew.”
He set the wine on the table and headed inside, his thoughts fixed on the woman waiting on the porch.
Wow! Little Grace Whitman has grown into a gorgeous woman.
He never would’ve expected that. The last time he’d seen Grace, she’d been a gangly thirteen-year-old with short hair, skinny legs, and no curves to speak of.
But time had been good to her. Now, fourteen years later, she stood around five-eight with a trim figure, soft curves, and enough natural beauty to make a man forget how to think.
The slam of car doors outside cut through his thoughts.
Glancing out the kitchen window, he spotted his uncle and Bonnie heading up the driveway. Dan carried a large stockpot while Bonnie held a brown paper bag with a loaf of French bread sticking out the top. Trotting ahead of them was Dan’s rescue dog, a black Lab mix named Jinx.
Sean grabbed four wine glasses and a corkscrew before heading back to the porch.
Dan, Bonnie, and the dog climbed the steps, and Sean held the screen door open for them with his hip since his hands were full. The rich aroma drifting from the stockpot had him salivating. It’d been years since he tasted Bonnie’s beef stew—at least three, maybe more.
The older woman shot him a knowing grin. “I see our surprise got here before we did.”
“And a pretty great surprise at that. I just wish I’d had some warning. I’m dressed like a street bum.” Grimacing, he glanced down at his worn jeans with holes in both knees and the wrinkled gray T-shirt stretched across his chest.
Bonnie kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry. You look fine.”
After they disappeared inside the cottage, Sean returned to where Grace sat beneath the porch light. He set the wine glasses on the table and worked the cork free from the bottle.
“So, how long are you visiting?”
“Oh, I’m not visiting.” She handed him the glasses one at a time while he poured the wine. “My move to Whisper became official about ten days ago.”
“Really? What happened to New York? Aren’t your parents still there?”
“My parents retired to Prescott, Arizona, about six months ago, but I’m an East Coast girl at heart.” She leaned back in her chair with a wineglass in hand. “I’m opening my own physical therapy practice in town. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks.”
“That’s right.” He took the seat across from her. “Bonnie mentioned a while back that you became a physical therapist. Weren’t you working at a hospital in New York City?”
“Columbia Presbyterian. I worked there for the past four years and got a lot of great experience.” She lifted one shoulder in a small shrug.
“But I’ve always wanted my own place. When my parents decided to move, I started looking into Whisper and realized there weren’t any physical therapy clinics nearby.
The closest one is twenty minutes away. This way, people won’t have to drive that far two or three times a week for appointments.
I applied for my North Carolina license and got it a few months ago. ”
“Good for you.” He lifted his glass toward her. “Here’s to your success.”
Smiling, she touched her glass to his. “Thank you. And from your mouth to God’s ear.”
“What are we toasting?”
Sean and Grace looked up to find Dan crossing the porch with Jinx padding beside him.
“To Grace’s new business.” Sean handed his uncle one of the filled wineglasses.
“Well, then...” He lifted the glass. “Here’s to Grace. May she get so busy she has to hire help.”
Grace laughed, and the sound hit Sean square in the chest. It was warm, genuine, and way too appealing.
He took a slow sip of wine and reminded himself she was Bonnie’s niece. Practically family. Any attraction he felt could become a serious problem.
“The chef sent me out to get you two,” Dan said. “It’s getting too chilly for us old folks to eat outside, so we set the table indoors.” He grabbed the last glass while Sean rose and picked up the empty wine bottle. Grace stood beside him, and he held the door open for her and his uncle.
She flashed him a grin as she passed. “Nice to see all those manners your parents and Dan drilled into you still survived.”
He chuckled and followed her inside. “Not holding a door for a woman or your elders is a criminal offense in Dan’s world.”
“Darn straight,” the older man agreed.