The Stone Family Heart - Taylor Hart Page 0,5
was wounded. He wished he could say that about the rest of the town. He hated the pitying looks on the townspeople’s faces; especially right after Tina had passed.
“Tim.”
Tim met his gaze.
“I came tonight because I had an impression.”
Oh no.
“You should know that it’s time to let go of the past and take hold of the future.”
Tim couldn’t help but love this uncle of his. He had always treated him like a son. He thought of Kensi. “Naw, I … I think I’m fine, Uncle.”
“Letting go has been hard for you because you loved her, and it’s a good thing to love your wife, but it’s time to move on.”
Tim turned away. “I have a lot of work to do.”
The pastor sighed. A moment later, Tim heard the front door open.
“I expect you’ll come to dinner Sunday, since you’re not working. Your aunt and I will expect you at seven sharp.”
His aunt was a force to be reckoned with. She didn’t like when he had to work on the Sabbath. Granted, she knew that a sheriff had to be a sheriff even on the Lord’s day, but she quite preferred him to be at their place for Sunday dinner. Tim wouldn’t lie; he preferred it, too.
“Of course.” Tim turned back to him.
“There’s a storm coming—can’t leave Lily too long.” His uncle did a mock salute. “See you, my boy.”
“See you Sunday.”
“Bring Kensi, too.” His uncle’s face broke into a smile. “It’s the kind thing to do, asking a friend to dinner.”
“I doubt Kensi would say she’s my friend.”
The old man didn’t give up easily. “Then bring her as a date.”
“I don’t date.”
“You went to the art gallery thingy with Ava a couple months ago.” He shook his finger at Tim accusingly, as if he’d caught him in a lie.
Tim sputtered out a laugh. “Only to make Trey jealous, and you know it.”
“Yeah.” His uncle shook his head and chuckled. “Trey kind of needed a push, didn’t he?”
Tim guessed his uncle’s comment wasn’t about Trey at all, but rather about Tim needing a push. “Don’t, Uncle. Don’t do that.”
His uncle only turned away and said, “I’m not doing anything.”
Half an hour later, Tim strolled along the beach, thinking about his uncle’s words.
It’s time to move on.
No. No! How could he say that?
Emotion clogged the back of Tim’s throat. He thought about Tina and her pale face as he read to her in the hospital after chemo. She’d taken his hand and made him swear he would move on and find happiness again. He’d sworn. But he’d lied. He didn’t deserve happiness. He would never marry again. That was that.
His pace quickened, fueled by his nervous thoughts—he was antsy because of his uncle’s words, antsy about the remodel, and antsy about the storm.
As he made his way to the Stone beach house—strike that; the Stone Family Inn, as Ava often reminded him—the clouds darkened rapidly. The waters were still calm, but there was that eerie feeling that always accompanied a big storm. The news had said the hurricane was set to hit in two days, but it looked like all hell could break loose any second.
Anticipation rose within him as he thought about seeing Kensi this week. His nerves bit at the edges of his stomach, which was just dog-butt stupid. They’d been over a long time ago. The look on her face from that last day together flashed through his mind. He had protected her. Maybe he’d hurt her, but … it had been the only way.
After all these years, even the thought of Kensi could make him feel so many things. Things he’d sworn never to feel again.
When he’d seen her at Trey and Ava’s wedding, she had looked gorgeous. Time had melted away and he'd felt eighteen all over again.
But he wasn’t eighteen. He was thirty-four.
Thirty-four and widowed.
He jogged faster as the Stone Inn came into view. It’d been fun the past couple of months, having Trey and Ava back at South Port. That was the main reason he’d made the decision to buy his uncle’s old house. Being close to Ava and Trey appealed to him.
Tim was surprised to spot the figure of a woman walking out of the ocean; he wouldn’t have thought he would see such a thing this late at night. He slowed to a walk.
They were in that time and space between sunset and moonlight.
Kens.
The woman had water dripping off of her, and she looked like a model. Her one-piece black swimming suit made