Saltwater Secrets - Amelia Addler Page 0,70

“Okay?”

“Can you lean down?”

He obliged and Jade took the chance – she threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss square on his lips.

He didn’t pull away – in fact, he kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her. She had a flashback to when he carried her out of the fire. It was a feeling of complete safety and awe – but this time, she was overcome with joy.

After a moment, she slightly pulled back. “That’s the secret.”

“I’m so glad that you finally told me,” he said in a low voice. “Because I’ve been harboring the same one.”

Some shouts broke out and Jade turned to look at the window – everyone inside was cheering. For a moment, she was afraid they’d been watching, but then she realized that no one was even looking at them.

Jade hid her face in Matthew’s chest. “For a second there I thought we had an audience.”

“Me too.”

She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of his cologne, trying to memorize this moment.

It didn’t last long. Morgan pushed the window open and yelled, “Hey you guys! Get in here! They just called the vote!”

“And?” Jade asked.

“Duh, we won!”

Jade caught Matthew’s eyes. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “Do we go in, or do we run off together into the night?”

Jade bit her lip. “I say we go in, have a victory cupcake, and then run off into the night.”

He looked up, considering it. “Deal.”

Jade got on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

Epilogue

After selling off almost all of her furniture, there wasn’t much left for Tiffany to ship from Chicago to San Juan. She’d rented one of those shipping containers and had everything sent across the country. When it arrived, she remarked to Jade how sad it was that everything from her life up until this point was contained in a seven by seven foot box.

“Don’t think of it like that,” said Jade. “There’s a lot more to your life than things. Plus it’s nice not to be bogged down with a bunch of junk. Or a bunch of history. Trust me.”

Tiffany smiled and tried to make the mental adjustment. She still felt like she was weighed down by a lot of baggage, but Jade had a good way of looking at the world. Maybe it would help.

The rooms of her old apartment were easy to empty, but in the rooms of her heart, there were many doors that she preferred not to open. For years she was happy to leave them closed and not think about them at all.

It was easy to tell herself that she’d spend more time with her family or take that trip to Paris once her job settled down. But work offered endless distractions, and she was eager to take them.

What a fool she’d been.

Now she felt hopelessly behind in life. She was only a stone’s throw away from turning thirty and she felt like she had nothing to show for it.

She felt lucky, at least, that she had somewhere as charming as San Juan Island to escape to. Not only was it an enchanting place, it was also a place where she still had the support of her family. She didn’t feel like she deserved it, but there they were – helping her unpack her stuff and letting her into their lives.

Everyone showed up to help unpack – even Matthew and Luke. To be fair, they were coming over anyway to prepare for the first committee meeting for Colby’s land. Jade was actually nominated for an official committee this time, and everyone pledged to help. Tiffany was hopeful that her background in finance could prove useful, so maybe the last few years wouldn’t prove to be a total waste.

“We need to come up with a name for our house now that we’re all living here!” Morgan announced as she carried her first box inside.

“What’s a nickname for a witch’s den?” Luke mused.

Jade and Matthew laughed, but Morgan completely ignored him and kept talking. “We need to go to one of those painting classes and make a rustic sign with the name. And maybe one that says ‘wipe your paws’ or something. That’ll be for Toast.”

“He can’t read…yet.” Matthew said. “But I’m sure Jade could teach him. She’s taught him pretty much everything he knows.”

Jade smiled but said nothing – she kept diligently carrying boxes and other odds and ends into the house.

Tiffany couldn’t believe that