True to Me - Kay Bratt Page 0,86

talk her down from her emotional cliff dive. He’d chosen not to use any clichés or words of wisdom to make her feel better, somehow knowing that what she needed most of all was to let it all out, to release the pain of finding out she was never who she thought she was.

For that, she’d always treasure their friendship.

She sat up and checked her phone. Fourteen unread emails from work.

Nothing from Ethan.

Relieved that she wouldn’t have to read any begging or accusatory texts so early in the morning, she quietly untangled herself from the bedcovers and headed for the bathroom.

After a quick shower, she dressed in a shirt and well-worn shorts she normally saved for indoors only, then put on just the lightest touch of sunscreen and makeup, pulled her hair up, grabbed her bag, and slipped out the door.

She considered her sandals outside on the porch but left them behind as she headed for the trail. The beach beckoned her to return, and Quinn was ready to comply. At the water’s edge she found she could think more easily. The soft sound of the waves lapping at the shore calmed her soul, allowing her to work out the priorities in her mind.

Arriving at her favorite spot, she sank down in the sand and slipped her sunglasses on. The ocean was calm today, and she stared out, imagining she was on a boat that would take her far away from all her responsibilities. There were so many decisions to make now, with the first and most important one being when and how she wanted to make contact with her biological parents.

Of course she was curious about them. Just like any child who hadn’t known their mother or father, she wondered if she looked like them. And who was she most like in her personality? Did her love of reading come from her mother, and was her tendency to bottle up her feelings something her father had handed down?

Carmen and Helen said she looked just like her mother, but were there any physical traits from her father? Her nose, possibly? Or the shape of her ears? She thought about Maggie’s feet and how she always bemoaned that they were exact miniatures of her father’s and brothers’ wide ones, with long toes, a paternal trait she hadn’t particularly wanted.

Quinn worried that her parents wouldn’t be impressed that she was their daughter. Of course, realizing their child hadn’t drowned would be a relief that had been a long time coming, but once that faded, would she be able to measure up to their expectations?

Down the beach a man jogged, his dog keeping stride with him, their joy at the freedom they experienced evident with every strain of their muscles.

Would she ever feel that way?

Or was her life destined to be one of questions and confusion? One of always trying to present a better self to the world, of feeling judged and alone?

She took her phone out, preparing herself to read the work emails, knowing she was really pushing things with the absence from her job. Would she find an ultimatum? Was she already fired?

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, filling her lungs with the delicious air of Maui, reminding herself to relax and stop worrying. Slowly, under her breath, she counted backward from ten.

She felt a shadow block out the warmth of the sun, and when she opened her eyes, she thought she was seeing things.

A man stood there, standing over her, just as Liam had done that first day they’d met on the beach.

But this wasn’t Liam.

Even with the darkness across his face, Quinn would know that profile anywhere, as well as that confident and provoking stance. Even the body language that seemed to silently challenge as he stared down at her.

It startled her, but somehow she kept that to herself and didn’t flinch.

“Well, aren’t you quite the beach bum?” he said, his tone anything but teasing.

“Ethan,” she said. “What are you doing here? And how did you find me?”

“You forgot to take the locations app off your phone.”

The fact that she’d never enabled it crossed her mind, but she wouldn’t accuse him. They had bigger things to talk about.

“This was really inconvenient, Quinn. All the hotels in Lahaina were booked, and I’m all the way over in Kihei. You need to come back with me so we can talk.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He ran his hand through his hair, releasing a long sigh. “Come on. Don’t