Keegan and Kylie asked about Marsh when I arrived back at the beach house alone. With a forced hug and smile, I replied, “He had to go, girls.”
I ruffled Kylie’s hair as both girls gave a chorus of disappointment. Beatrice gave me her signature look of curiosity and concern from across the kitchen. I shrugged in response.
What else was I going to say?
Making excuses for a relative stranger felt odd enough, but what made the situation stranger was admitting that I missed him. I missed his warmth, the humor lurking in his eyes. His easy smile. The way his gaze seemed to linger over me when he had thought I wasn't looking.
I blinked, shaking my head. I missed a man I had just met.
“Hey, Bea?” I called softly, wrapping my arms around myself as I crossed the room to her. Beatrice’s back wa
