From This Moment On: Heartwarming Contemporary Romance (Windswept Bay Book 1) by Debra Clopton Page B

dress and then back at him. “I’m not exactly dressed for kayaking. You could have asked me if I wanted to do this.”
    He looked shamefaced. “I was afraid you’d say no.”
    “I can still say no,” she pointed out, feeling her irritation evaporating when he grinned at her. The man was too appealing.
    “Yes you can, but I’m hoping you won’t. I promise.”
    He held out his hand to her. She told herself that he would be leaving and that for now she could just enjoy being around him while he was here. That he would leave and she’d have used him as a trial for moving into a new segment of her life. Shar and Jillian were right; she did need to move forward. And Grant was an amazing man, with an amazing career, and knowing he would leave was like a…a safety net of sorts.
    Life was full of risks. She could do this.
    She slipped her hand in his. “Let’s have another adventure.”
    “That’s my girl.” He winked at her.
    Suddenly she wasn’t sure whether she’d just made a mistake. Being his girl sounded far too perfect.
    They headed to the outside window, where a young man waited. “You came back,” he said to Grant.
    “I told you you’d given me a great idea yesterday. I just needed to bring my friend. Do you know each other?”
    The young man was sandy-haired and had the look of a surfer. He looked slightly familiar to her but Cali didn’t know him. “I don’t think we’ve met but you do look familiar. I’m Cali Sinclair.”
    His green eyes lit up. “You own the resort. My girl works there. I’m Jax, by the way.” He held out his hand and she shook it.
    “Who is your girlfriend?”
    “Blair Baines. She works with your sister in the gardens. She loves it.”
    This was a part of being back that Cali loved. Knowing they were supplying jobs for the islanders and that they were enjoying those jobs made her feel good. Knowing that they could make it even better pushed her to work harder. “If she’s working with Jillian, then Blair is learning from the best.”
    “She says the same thing. So, you two ready to take a ride on the lagoon?”
    “We’re ready,” Grant said. “I want to show Cali something around the building. We’ll be right back.”
    “Sure thing.”
    The look in Grant’s eyes caused anticipation to fill her. The man was always causing something like that to happen. He took her hand and led her toward the end of the building. “This place is cool. It not only has lagoon access but also on the backside it has beach access.” He turned the corner and she saw the beach down the sloping hill.
    When they rounded the corner, Cali gasped when she saw the gorgeous mural on the wall. It was of a large wave; a surfer was in the tunnel and several others were watching it from the water. But it was the various blue hues of the water that was spectacular. Not Grant Ellington spectacular but it was wonderful.
    “It’s wonderful.” She repeated what she’d thought. Walking over, she touched it. “This reminds me of your work.”
    “I thought so too. I was jogging down the beach yesterday evening when I spotted it. The kid painted it.”
    “Oh wow. Did you ask him about it?”
    “No, I wanted you to see it first. You brought me here to paint something amazing and it looks to me like you’ve got the talent right on the island.”
    She looked at him sharply. “Are you wanting out?”
    His eyes crinkled at the edges. “No, but I would like to ask you if you’d mind if I asked Jax to help with the painting. I hate to see his talent not be recognized.”
    His proposal stunned her. “You’d do that?”
    “I need some help on the big project, if I can get it, and I like to encourage people to use their talent.”
    She loved the idea. “Sure, ask him. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen this. But I’ve been away for several years.”
    They walked back around the building and waited on Jax to get another couple into their kayak. After they had paddles in hand and were moving down the