Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Owen was very sweet, and handsome, but he didn’t make her heart flutter like his brother Malcolm did.
The only awkward moment came when Owen mentioned that one of his brothers had done a foreign exchange program in Coeur d’Alene. “You didn’t happen to know Malcolm Sullivan then, did you?” He’d said it as a joke, as though the likelihood of them having ever met was nil.
For a moment, Josie didn’t know what to say. She and Malcolm hadn’t discussed what they were going to tell his family about them having known each other. But she figured the easiest thing to do was to tell the truth.
“Actually, it’s kind of a funny story. I do know your brother.” Both Mari and Owen looked shocked by this revelation. “I was as surprised as both of you obviously are. When I saw him waiting to pick me up at the airport, I was sure my eyes were deceiving me. Because what are the odds?”
“Wow,” Mari said. “It just goes to show how small the world really is.”
“Were you in the same year at school?” Owen asked.
“I was two years behind. And I didn’t really know him. I mean, everybody knew about the British exchange student, but it’s not like we ever talked the whole year. Only once at the very end, and that was just for a few minutes.”
She could feel her cheeks going pink. Because she and Malcolm hadn’t talked. They’d kissed, a kiss that had felt like all of her dreams rolled up into pure beauty and pleasure.
And then he’d casually crushed her to smithereens with a few harsh words.
As though Owen could read a little of what she was thinking, he said, “I hope he wasn’t an arsehole.”
Josie laughed at his assumption that his brother had been rude. Then she shook her head. “Like I said, I didn’t really know him back then.” Desperate to change the subject, she said, “I love his houseboat. It will be such a treat to stay on it for the next two weeks.”
“I remember helping him rebuild it,” Owen said. “He loved working on that thing. For a while there, I thought that was what he might decide to do for a living—just chuck in the financial world and rebuild houseboats. But that wasn’t his path. I guess the allure of all the cash and power in his world of international big-money deals was too much for him to resist.”
To Josie, it didn’t seem as though Owen was judging his brother. Instead, it was more that he seemed a little worried about whether his brother was truly happy.
Josie suddenly yawned, a yawn so big her jaw popped. “Sorry about that. I don’t mean to be rude. I guess now that I have a full belly from that delicious meal, all the blood has rushed from my head to my stomach, and I’m completely ready to nod off.”
Mari pushed back from the table. “In that case, why don’t we walk you back to the houseboat? I was so exhausted the first day I got here that Owen found me curled up on that couch, fast asleep while he cleaned up the mess my father had made of the flat all around me.”
“Let me help you clean up after dinner first,” Josie offered.
“Nope,” Owen insisted. “Mari and I can take care of that later. Right now, our only goal is to get you to bed so that you can regain a few of those hours of sleep you lost changing time zones.”
The three of them headed out a few minutes later. As they walked to the houseboat, Elderflower Island was even more beautiful in the moonlight. “It’s so pretty here. Do you ever get used to it?”
“I haven’t,” Mari said. “I’m constantly astounded by how beautiful this island and London are.” She sighed, her hand held comfortably in Owen’s. “And I come from California, which is incredibly beautiful, but somehow this is home.”
“I feel the same way,” Owen said. “I grew up over in St. Margarets, just across the river. I’ve been to a lot of amazing places, but this island is where I always want to come home to. Especially now that Mari is here.”
They were so sweet together, and Josie couldn’t help but hope that one day she might find a man like Owen, who actually cared about her and was honest and had a big heart.
Wait, she’d sworn off men forever, hadn’t she?
But a small part of her admitted that maybe there might be a decent, good man in her future. Maybe.
At the door to Malcolm’s houseboat, Mari gave Josie a hug. “I can’t wait to get started tomorrow. How about I swing by the houseboat and grab you at nine a.m.?”
“Fantastic. See you tomorrow morning. And thank you so much for dinner and the great company.”