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Nice calves. Gin observed the musculature with a
professional eye. Nice hamstrings and glutes, too. Her gaze
traveled across the toned skin to the intimate shadow between
Solley s thighs. Gin swallowed hard. Her captivation puzzled
her. So did the increasing awkwardness she felt around Solley.
Normally she wasn t the type to encroach on another s personal
space, but she found herself drawn to Solley, eager for a smile
or a word.
She d seen sparks of the real woman buried under the
crushing anxiety Solley seemed determined to carry alone, and
she wanted to see more. She wanted to win this woman s trust
and help her, but instead she had failed her somehow. Perhaps
she was being overly sensitive because Solley seemed to be
mad at her most of the time. She had a right to be upset about
Jed and Will, but Gin sensed there was more to her prickly
mood than the minor injuries her children had sustained and
the fear of consequences from Dan.
Gin backed up a step, all too aware of spying on Solley as
she puttered about in the kitchen baking cookies for her kids.
Imagine if she were caught. How would she explain herself?
I m like a moth. I know I could watch her this way forever&
She was so engrossed, she didn t notice Janie helping a
stiff and sore Marsha along the veranda until she met their
mystified stares. They peered past her to see what culinary
spectacle had caught her attention. A blissfully unaware Solley
was still bent over the oven.
Gin gave a tight, polite smile and quickly walked away.
Her escape wasn t fast enough. Janie and Marsha s voices
carried as they trailed after her.
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FALLING STAR
Was Gin checking out my sister s ass? Janie sounded
shocked.
Please, Marsha muttered, even I check out your sister s
ass.
When the cookies were reduced to a plate of crumbs,
Solley took her kids down to the shore for one last splash before
bedtime. Standing there casually watching the loves of her life
bounding through the breaking waves, laughing and shrieking
at the antics of Nelson, Solley felt a great melancholy descend.
So much was up in the air, she didn t know when she d be able
to bring the children back here again. Soon they would have to
go home and face an uncertain future. The thought made her
eyes sting, and she quickly blinked away her tears as she heard
footsteps behind her.
She turned to find Gin standing silently, watching the kids
frolic.
Oh, I didn t realize you were there. Solley was surprised
that Gin had joined her, after being snapped at in the afternoon
and ignored throughout dinner.
I won t interrupt. Gin s voice was warm. I just wanted
to apologize again. In your situation, I d have been pretty
angry, too.
Solley sighed heavily. I owe you an apology. I m just
strung out these days, and foul tempered. I know it was an
accident. If you re not used to being around children, they can
lead you a merry dance.
A hauntingly sad smile passed across Gin s face and for
a moment it seemed she was going to speak, but she shielded
her eyes and looked out at the orange-hazed horizon. Watching
her, Solley was perplexed. In profile, Gin s face seemed
serene, yet Solley was certain she could detect a current of
" 55 "
GILL MCKNIGHT
deep emotion just beneath the tranquil surface. She almost
asked what was wrong, then bit back the question. Perhaps
the answer was obvious. She d made it pretty clear that she
didn t trust Gin with her children and, at the same time, Gin
genuinely seemed to like them. Most adults wouldn t even try
to handle the Rayner brood, but Gin actually initiated play.
And the kids loved her.
Solley pondered that fact and realized she was bothered
by her children s instant adoration of Gin. They were wildly
impressed with an adult they d just met. They saw Gin as a hero,
yet Solley was the one who weathered the daily challenges of
motherhood. Their adulation had triggered something in her,
an emotion that made her feel small and petty. Jealousy. With
a stab of guilt, Solley saw that she d blown today s events out
of proportion to justify keeping her kids at a distance from
Gin. How pathetic. Apparently she was more emotionally
vulnerable than she d thought.
Trying to backtrack a little, she adopted a conciliatory
tone. It s not your fault I m a wreck, Gin. I feel like my
whole life is balanced on a knife edge. Still, that s no excuse
for behaving like a bitch to you.
Gin s expression changed as if she d resolved something
deep inside. Renewed energy literally pulsed from her and her
whole face lightened. I have an idea. What if maybe I gave
you a trip round the bay in one of the power boats?
It wasn t at all what Solley had expected her to say, but
her dark eyes shone with excitement and promise and Solley
was drawn to the idea. To the woman. But almost as soon as
she recognized the fun, hope, and positivism of the suggestion,
she heard herself squelch it. No way, we d lose everyone
overboard.
I meant just you and me. Gin refused to give up. Things
are sort of tense between us and I d hate if we started avoiding
" 56 "
FALLING STAR
each other. It might be nice for us to get a little space alone and
maybe start again.
Was she talking about a date? Solley s throat clamped
closed over a weird giggle.
Gin shuffled a little when there was no answer. What I
mean is, I really want to contribute to your family vacation,
but now I feel like I m detracting from it. I just want to do
something nice for you. I know where some harbor seals sun
themselves.
So, it wasn t a date, just a nice gesture. A reasonable,
mature human being would say yes. Solley took a deep breath.
Thank you. I d love to go look at the seals.
A blazing smile split Gin s face. I ll catch you tomorrow
afternoon, then?
Okay, it s a date. Solley s mouth dried as soon as the
words spilled out. A date? I mean, I ll see you tomorrow.
She didn t wait for a reply. Mumbling something about the
children s bedtime, she strode off down the beach, disturbed
by her own amazing emotional shifts. One minute she was
mad at Gin, the next she was agreeing to a nature expedition.
In all honesty, she didn t know what she felt and her confusion
was worrisome. She needed to be making plans and getting
her head clear so she could return home with some confidence
in herself. She couldn t afford distractions, and that s exactly
what Gin Ito was.
Solley stopped to retrieve pairs of discarded sandals and
rinse them in the surf. Her kids gathered around and Nelson
bounded up, all tail and wet coat. Everyone clustered close
together, covering their faces as he shook himself free of sand
and water.
Observing the small tableau from her vantage point, Gin
felt her heart squeeze, as if in a vise, at the simple domesticity
of Solley and her children. She felt curiously drawn to this
" 57 "
GILL MCKNIGHT
young family in a way she didn t fully understand. Granted,
she genuinely cared for them and ached for everything in their
world to be all right. They deserved happiness. But she also
had the bizarre sense that her fortunes were somehow tied to
them.
Her gaze shifted to Solley. Her hair shone, haloed in the
setting sun. Tall and tanned, she glowed with heat and passion.
But sorrow and despair also weighed on her. Perhaps that
explained the connection Gin felt. Supposedly misery loved
company. She struggled to process her thoughts. Before she d
arrived at La Sirena Verde, she had spent several months in a
state of bleak torpitude, unable to face work, people, life in
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