felt it in his toes. Their eyes met and his breath hitched in his throat.
What was it about this woman that captivated him so wholly?
He quickly summoned his most nonchalant self. “You’re not afraid, are you?”
She stepped into the boat and got her footing, then straightened and looked him square in the eye. “Of course not, Hollis. Don’t you remember me at all?”
He did remember. He remembered everything about Emily, including the time she refused to leave the beach during a tropical storm. Hollis and Hayes knew their mom would be furious if they didn’t come home, but Emily insisted on surfing “one last wave.” She seemed to have no concept of danger.
But looking at her now, he saw no trace of that girl, only one with a knack for pretending. He didn’t buy this act for a second. She wanted them all to believe she was still that same girl, unafraid and confident, but he saw the truth she tried to hide.
What happened to you, Emily Ackerman?
He followed her eyes to his hand, which was still wrapped around hers. He let it go and instantly felt the coolness of her absence on his skin.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked toward the rest of the group, seemingly unfazed, as Jimmy reappeared at his side. “She’s a looker, Mack. She could be the one.”
Hollis shook his head. “No, she’s not.”
“What? Why? If she’s not good enough for you, who will be?”
“Nah, Crank, you’ve got it backward,” he said. “I’m not good enough for her.”
Jimmy laughed. “Well, maybe she’ll take pity on you.” He made his way to the front of the boat to ready the rest of them for their day on the water, and Hollis watched Jolie sit so close to Emily, he wondered if his old friend was annoyed.
Judging by the look on her face, though, she was anything but. Jolie pulled her phone out and scrolled through photos—maybe from the wedding?—and Emily asked questions and kept his daughter utterly engaged in a way he had never been able to do.
His mom stopped trying to get everyone situated and made her way over to Hollis. She followed his gaze to Jolie and Emily, then put a hand on his arm. “She’s awfully good with JoJo.”
“Yeah,” Hollis said quietly. “She is.”
“You’re doing just fine, kiddo,” his mom said as if sensing his frustration over his inability to connect with his daughter.
Mom was kind to take pity on him, but he’d made almost no progress and they were already a week into their month together. He was running out of time.
Jolie erupted into giggles, and Hollis glanced over to find Emily’s eyes drilling straight into him. Maybe she could see right through him the same way he could see through her. Maybe she was thinking the man in those wedding pictures was far better suited to be Jolie’s dad. Maybe she was thinking Hollis was a first-rate jerk for letting his daughter practically grow up fatherless, the same way Emily had grown up.
And maybe she would be right.
But Hollis wasn’t a quitter, and the thought of another man stepping in as Jolie’s dad set his bones on fire.
He had to do better. Keep every promise. Do more than expected. He was going to have to be SuperDad if he had any hope of winning back his little girl.
He only hoped it wasn’t too late.
CHAPTER 18
“I WAS IN A WEDDING right before I came here,” Jolie had said. “Wanna see pictures?”
The girl curled right up next to Emily and pulled out her phone.
The conversation had started off innocently enough. Meaning, Emily wasn’t trying to pry. She was curious, though, about so many things, not the least of which was why Hollis and Jolie’s relationship seemed so stunted and why Jolie thought her dad didn’t want her to stay the entire summer.
“Of course,” Emily said. Because who wouldn’t want to see pictures of a wedding? And also because she secretly wanted to see what the girl’s mother looked like.
The wedding was beautiful. Jolie’s mother, Jana, wore the most exquisite strapless dress with a beaded bodice and the perfect amount of pouf to the skirt. She looked stunning. And Jolie, in her yellow bridesmaid’s dress, the epitome of adorable.
“I love her dress,” Emily said. “So many details.”
“Yeah, it was really pretty,” Jolie said. “You think you’ll want a dress like that? When you get married?”
Emily laughed. “I don’t think I have to worry about that, at least not for a very