Gypsy Hearts by Lisa Mondello Page A

teasing her.

    From the back of the bus, the sounds of deep breathing and the occasional snort and snore broke the
silence.
    "Let's get out of here," he said, a mischievous tone
in his voice.

     

    ight now? It's the middle of the night, Brock."
    "Do you know of a better time when we won't be
hounded by people?"
    "No." Excitement replaced the fatigue she'd felt
earlier.
    "There are no fans around. No reporters to meet
with. Best of all, Will is asleep and can't promise me to
anyone."
    "Ooh, sounds fabulous."
    "It's just you and me. We've got the beach all to ourselves. I'm already dressed. I'll give you a few minutes
and meet you outside the bus."
    A few minutes later, after she'd pulled on a pair of
comfortable jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, Josie
climbed down the bus steps and found Brock standing
there. His head was tilted up to the clear sky that was
illuminated by the moon. In his hands, he held what
looked like a bucket.

    "In a way it's too bad there is a full moon tonight,"
he said.
    "Why? I think it's beautiful." She wrapped the small
blanket she'd taken from her bunk around her shoulders.
    "It is, but it's so bright it covers the stars."
    She glanced down at the bucket in his hand. "What's
this?"
    He turned to her and flashed a playful smile. His hair
shone bright and golden against the light of the moon.
    "You'll see. Come with me."
    He transferred the bucket to the other hand and lazily draped his arm around her. She was glad for the
blanket, but the heat she felt from Brock was much
more inviting.
    When they reached the end of the parking lot, he
turned to her. Reaching out, he clasped his hand over
hers as they descended the steps together.
    Despite her every attempt to convince herself it
meant nothing, something warm and wonderful brewed
in her stomach with his gesture. It was clear he'd been
taught his manners well. He was a gentleman who
didn't wear a blue suit and work a normal nine to five
job. Brock was a man clad in denim, who held a guitar
and a captive audience with his songs. And no matter
what she did to stop it, in these short weeks, he'd captured her heart as well.
    "I'd never seen the ocean until I left home," she said.
It was the first tour with Grant, something similar to the
gig they'd done at the festival. She and Grant hadn't
spent a moonlit night on the beach and for that she
was grateful. Josie wanted to enjoy this precious time
alone with Brock without old memories intruding, then leaving her cold as they always did. She didn't want to
think about the band or where they were going. She just
wanted to enjoy Brock.

    "We went once, as kids. An old-fashioned family
vacation." He sputtered as if remembering an old
joke but was keeping it to himself. But then he said, "My
parents loaded all four of us into the minivan and
headed to the coast. I remember my mother was at her
wits end with all of us, mostly my older brothers, who
were at that age when a brawl at the dinner table was a
daily event. I think Cody and Beau fought the entire
way. Jackson just sat back, like he always did, and kept
score of who was winning."
    He laughed, but Josie could tell the memory was
bittersweet.
    "I don't know what made mom think she was going
to get a break from all the chaos in the house."
    Sand was seeping into her sneakers, making her feet
uncomfortable. Josie slipped off her shoes and pulled
at her socks, tucking them securely inside the shoes and
hooked the combo on her fingers. The smooth sand
chilled her feet, but was welcome.
    "This looks like a pretty good spot," Brock said,
dropping the bucket and crouching down to look at the
surf tumbling in to shore.
    "For what?"
    "Building a sandcastle." He glanced up at her with a
playful smile.
    Her hands flew to her cheeks. "Are you out of your
mind? A sandcastle?"
    "Yeah, I've never done this before. Have you?"
    "No."

    "Then I guess it's a good thing no one is around to
watch us do this or it could be