The Temporary Wife - By Jeannie Moon Page 0,45

bag and handed it to her. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a small point-and-shoot with a decent telephoto that she could keep in her purse. But something in Meg’s bearing told him he’d hit a home run. He’d bought a multimillion-dollar house, which she’d probably end up with in the divorce, and she was happy, but she got all misty over a simple camera.

Taking some quick shots of the dolphins, she was all smiles.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re thanking me now? Half an hour ago you were cursing me for dragging you out of a warm bed.”

“I was, but this was worth it. And I love my camera.”

“You’re welcome.”

Meg dropped her head on his shoulder, and they watched in silence as the dolphins fell back and disappeared behind them in the boat’s wake.

“Will they be around tomorrow?”

“Maybe. We might also see some seals. Almost a guarantee at the Cape.”

“That’s so cool.”

If it was possible, she burrowed closer, and Jason left a kiss on her head. There was nothing sexual at all about what they were doing right then, but it was so incredibly intimate. Everything about them the past couple of days was that way, in and out of bed. And Jason didn’t know what to do. Harper’s warnings kept ringing in his head, but everything about being with Meg felt so right.

While they were eating last night in the kitchen, he told her all about the work he was doing for his company. She wanted to know everything and asked a lot of questions about Owen and Nate. For the first time, she didn’t seem bitter, but genuinely curious about their friendship.

He took her hand, and it was like squeezing an ice cube. “You’re freezing. Let’s get you inside.”

“I like it here. You’re nice and warm.”

Looking down, he shook his head. “It’s too cold. You’ve got practically nothing on under the robe, and your feet are bare.”

He took her hand and pulled her toward the cabin. “A hot shower is what you need.”

Throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him right on the mouth. “Are you taking that shower with me?”

Kissing her again, Jason gave her a little push through the door. “You bet.”

***

Meg wondered if there was some law regarding a person being too happy. Because if there was, she’d be in trouble. After a stop at Cape Cod and a day in Nantucket, Meg and Jason spent the end of their trip in the little coastal town of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. They’d spent two whole days walking around town and exploring the area, enjoying the cool fall weather and great food. They left the boat on their last night, staying instead at a gorgeous waterfront inn in an area known as Spruce Point.

The main building was a big, white house with green shutters and a massive front porch that looked out on the bay, and Meg resolved that this wasn’t the last time she would come here. There was something special here, and she felt like she belonged.

Of course, if she did come back, she’d have to do so knowing she’d be facing down memories of her time with Jason. This honeymoon had turned out to be everything she ever could have wanted in a wedding trip, but the sadness that was swamping her heart at that moment was crushing.

It was almost over, and they’d have to go back to being just friends. It was the only way.

The night was chilly when Meg left Jason asleep in their warm bed and grabbed the soft throw from the couch in their top-floor suite. She wrapped it around her shoulders and stepped out onto the deck, shivering at first from the blast of cold sea air, but then having her breath stolen by the number of stars in the sky overhead.

She understood why this room was called the Captain's Quarters. The ocean was spread out like a blanket that went on forever. Lights from town were to the north, and to the south there was a flicker from what she guessed was a lighthouse in the distance. She imagined some sea captain standing here and thinking about places he’d seen and people he’d loved. Or maybe his wife would stand here and wait for him to return from sea.

Meg chuckled. Her romantic heart never stopped working. It believed in love even when there was no reason to think it ever existed.

Settling herself in one of the Adirondack chairs, she tucked her bare feet under the throw and let the