a hard, hot shiver shot down her spine.
“Gia,” he repeated.
What was going on here? This was the man she had known for most of her life. They’d been to family celebrations together, swum in the ocean together, and he’d been the first man she’d ever danced with.
Was it just her imagination? Was he feeling something building high and fast, just as she was? Or was she fooling herself?
The wind calmed.
She felt her string go slack and before she could compensate for the dropping wind speed, the pink dragon slammed hard into the blue fish. Their kite lines tangled and simultaneously the two kites fell from the sky, enmeshed.
“Bravo!” Someone on the beach clapped loudly.
Together, they turned to see a slender woman in rhinestone sunglasses, a wide floppy hat, and a teeny string bikini. Behind her stood a tall beefy man, who looked like a security detail. Black shorts and a black polo shirt, thick arms folded across his chest. He wore dark sunglasses and an even darker scowl.
“A stunning display of kiteflying,” the young woman enthused in a brown-sugar voice.
Something about the woman looked very familiar. Did Gia know her?
“Ar-are you Pippa Grandon?” A starstruck Mike’s eyes bugged.
Pippa Grandon was an up-and-coming starlet from Houston. She’d made a big splash as the wide-eyed ingenue in last summer’s blockbuster superhero movie and the media had dubbed her the new Jennifer Lawrence.
“I am.” Pippa held out a delicate hand loaded with bling on every finger, cocked her head, and sent Mike a coy glance through lowered lashes.
Petty to be sure, but Gia felt a jab of jealousy. Tightness gathered in her chest, and her pulse spiked. It was all she could do not to tell the woman to put on a cover-up.
“Might I see the kite?” Pippa said, affecting a slightly British accent. Gia had heard Pippa had just finished wrapping up a rom-com in Great Britain. “I’ve been watching you, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen kites quite like these. Where did you get them?”
“She’s the kitemaker.” Mike slung his arm over Gia’s shoulder and puffed his chest out as he grinned with pride.
For her.
A corkscrew of happiness twisted through Gia’s middle.
“No kidding?” Pippa took off her sunglasses and examined the pink dragon kite more closely. Her bodyguard came nearer. “What do you think, Bruno?”
Bruno grunted.
“I agree.” Pippa nodded.
“I’m Gia Clark.” Gia held out her hand and added, “Mike’s fiancée.”
“I’m Pippa Grandon.” She shook Gia’s hand. “And congrats on your engagement.”
“Thanks.” Gia nodded, pretending she didn’t know who Pippa was.
“Gia studied in Japan for a year under a master kitemaker,” Mike bragged.
Pippa eyed Gia up and down. “Impressive.”
Gia’s cheeks warmed. Unlike Madison, she wasn’t comfortable with the spotlight.
“Are you from Moonglow Cove?” Pippa asked.
“I live right there.” Gia pointed at the Victorian on the incline rising up above the beach where they were standing.
“Oh my gosh, the house is adorbs. This is your place?”
“My grandmother’s,” Gia explained. “The Moonglow Inn.”
Pippa shook her head. “I wish I’d known about your B&B when I booked this getaway to Moonglow Cove. Do you have any vacancies?”
Gia shook her head. “My grandmother is in the hospital; we’re not taking guests at the moment.”
“Bummer, why didn’t I know about this place?” Pippa pulled out her phone. She opened the browser and searched for the Moonglow Inn. “It says here that the inn is closed, and you got a couple of tacky Yelp reviews. No wonder I didn’t notice the place.”
“Those Yelp reviews happened when my grammy was running the place by herself, but my sisters and I are back home and we’ll be running it after the renovations.” This wasn’t entirely true, but she wanted to cast the inn in the best light. Pippa had a huge following on social media; one positive tweet from her could fill the Moonglow Inn with guests.
“A family business? Love!” Pippa turned to Bruno. “Next time I come to Moonglow Cove, remind me of this place.”
Bruno gave a silent nod.
“Do you have more kites?” Pippa asked. “Are you selling them?”
“I did have a kiosk on the boardwalk, but I had to temporarily close the store while helping take care of my grandmother.”
“Downer.” Pippa shook her head. “Things been piling up, huh?” The British accent had melted as she slipped into her wrong-side-of-Houston pronunciation.
“It’s been a challenge,” Gia said, still not fully believing she was standing here with Pippa Grandon chatting like they were college roommates.
Pippa got a text and she held up one finger, indicating Gia should hang on.
Gia