Chapter 28
Undertow
Kate slipped off her flip-flops, and the cool, gritty sand squished between her toes as she stood at the water’s edge.
The dawn sky melted from deep indigo to soft pastels—coral bleeding into lavender, gold threading through wisps of cloud—but the beauty of it didn’t reach her heart.
The world existed behind frosted glass. Exhaustion weighed on her, a lead blanket draped across her shoulders, the result of tossing and turning all night, tangled in damp sheets, haunted by thoughts she couldn’t shake.
With her head bowed, she meandered along the shoreline, the water teasing her ankles before retreating.
Her gritty eyes scanned for shells she never saw, seeing only the blur of wet sand and broken fragments.
Jessa’s words echoed in her mind like a relentless tide, each repetition eroding her dreams a little more.
Practically engaged. Nick had invited her here. Did he want company in his isolation?
Why didn’t Jessa know where he was? Why didn't she just call him?
The breath caught in Kate’s throat. Did it mean anything that he hadn’t mentioned it?
Or was it more of a game, a perverse kind of fun?
Her heart twisted. Why had he smiled at her like she was the only person in the room if he was with Jessa?
Why had he flirted, his voice dipping low and intimate?
Maybe she was a warm-up act, a distraction until the real show arrived.
Was that why he hadn’t pushed her for more the other night?
Because he was waiting for Jessa’s grand entrance?
These thoughts pulled the sand from under her feet, washing away her newfound confidence grain by grain.
It all made too much sense, clicking into place with the finality of a lock.
Why would a handsome, successful man like Nick choose her over someone like model-perfect Jessa?
The painful realization sank in, a cold weight settling in her chest—concrete hardening around her lungs—as she struggled to breathe amidst the crashing waves of doubt, leaving only emptiness behind, a hollow carved out where hope and dreams once briefly lived.
She turned and traced her steps back, each imprint a bitter reminder, already filling with seawater and disappearing.
Nick lied to her, played her. He didn’t truly want her—not like she wanted him, not with this aching, terrifying intensity.
He was just looking for a distraction, a way to escape the chaos surrounding them, and she was convenient. Available. Foolish enough to believe.
Hugging herself tight, arms wrapped around her ribs to hold the fragile pieces together, her heart cracked like ice—a sharp, crystalline snap that reverberated through her entire being.
A stumble made her knees buckle, the world tilting, but before she fell, muscular arms caught her, steadying her against a solid chest. Nick.
“Kate, are you okay?” His voice vibrated against her shoulder blade, tight with concern.
She jerked away as if his touch burned her, her skin prickling with the ghost of his warmth, needing space—a fragile wall between them before she shattered. She couldn’t meet his eyes, couldn’t bear to see whatever truth or lie might lurk there.
“Kate, what’s wrong?”
Finally, she summoned the courage to look up, her vision blurred at the edges. Confusion and worry warred in his expression, creasing the corners of his eyes. “What are we doing here, Nick? This doesn’t make sense.”
“What do you mean?” He reached for her again, fingers outstretched, but she stepped back, the sand shifting beneath her heels. The bewilderment etched on his face only hollowed her out further, scooping out what little remained.
“I’m an author, Nick. I write romance books.
Or, as my ex called it, smut.” The word tasted like ash on her tongue.
“You’re the owner and CEO of a chain of luxury hotels.
You are so far out of my league we may as well be from different planets.
” The bitter taste of reality settled in her mouth, metallic and wrong, and the morning chill wrapped around her like a shroud, raising goosebumps along her bare arms.
Nick’s jaw tightened, a muscle jumping beneath the stubble shadowing his cheek. “You think I care about that? What do our jobs have to do with us, our relationship?”
“Everything, Nick,” she whispered, her voice trembling like a plucked string.
“Start there. What relationship? Where do you see this going?” She swallowed hard, her throat clicking.
“Are you looking for a fling or something more? And what would ‘more’ look like for us when we live in different worlds?”
The thought of a casual affair made her stomach churn, acid creeping up her esophagus.
“I can’t do a fling, Nick. I thought maybe…
but I can’t.” Anger flared, a hot coal giving her strength, fortifying the crumbling walls.
“Then there’s Jessa. If you wanted something with me, why did you invite her here?
Did you think I wouldn’t find out? She said you were practically engaged. ”
Nick stiffened, his entire body going rigid as if she’d struck him. “Kate—wait. What—”
“She’s perfect for you,” she cut in, voice fracturing at the edges. “You belong with someone like her. Not me.” Never me.
“Kate, stop.” His voice came out harsh, threaded with frustration, fraying like old rope. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who is Jessa? And I’ve never been engaged, or even in a meaningful relationship.”
Her breath hitched. “She said you were. That you asked her to come.”
“Well, I didn’t,” he snapped, raking a hand through his hair, leaving it standing in dark, disheveled spikes.
His expression was raw, unguarded, stripped of its customary smooth confidence.
“I don’t even know who you’re talking about!
Whatever this woman thinks she’s doing… I swear to you, I didn’t invite anyone here. ”
She shook her head, not trusting the surge of relief trying to drown her anger, warm water threatening to breach the dam. “You expect me to believe that? That she showed up on this remote island out of nowhere, telling everyone that you are a couple?”
“I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks,” he bit out, his voice roughening.
“I care about you. Us. You want to know where this is going?” His chest rose and fell in a heavy breath, the morning light catching the sheen of sweat at his temple.
“I don’t have all the answers yet, but this —” He gestured between them, the movement sharp, almost desperate.
“This is real to me. You’re not a fling. ”
Her heart twisted, wringing itself out like a dishrag, and her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible above the surf. “I don’t know if I can believe you.”
His face softened, the frustration melting into something that looked much like regret, vulnerability flickering across his features like candlelight. “Let me prove it. Don’t walk away.”
But she was already shaking her head, the movement mechanical, protective. The ache in her chest was too big, too sharp, a jagged wound that wouldn’t stop bleeding. “I can’t do this.”
“Kate—” He stepped forward, water dribbling from his foot, but she took another step back, then another.
“Goodbye, Nick.”
Before he could reach for her again, she spun and bolted up the beach, her feet pounding against the sand, lungs burning, salt spray mixing with the tears now streaming freely down her face.
She didn’t dare look back, couldn’t afford to see if he was following or watching her run.
The weight of everything unsaid pressed down like a storm about to break, the air thick and electric with all the words they should have spoken.