“Staying in Seahaven?” Priya couldn’t seem to get anything else out. Her normally cultured alto careened into soprano territory.

  “I had a feeling you would,” Chitra said wistfully. “Who can say no to a beach house on the Pacific Ocean?”

  “Plenty of people!” Priya shrieked. “You can’t move away from the rest of us. You need to bring Ava here, where you belong. You said yourself she doesn’t have family there.”

  “She has friends, a job, a business. That’s more than I can say about Chicago right now,” Sam pointed out.

  “What about us?” Priya demanded.

  “You can come and stay anytime you want to.”

  “I’ll be there every other month,” Chitra said. “I wonder if anyone is hiring in the area.”

  “Don’t you dare move to California,” Priya told her.

  “Maybe we all should,” Leena mused. “Aren’t you getting sick of these brutal winters? I know I am. Besides, if Sam found love in Seahaven, maybe we could, too.”

  Sam decided to step in before Priya really lost control. “You should visit me at least. Why don’t you all come in a couple of weeks and meet Ava, check out Seahaven and take a little vacation? I’ll see if Ava has any breaks in her bookings coming up. We can hash out the pros and cons of Chicago and Seahaven together while we sit on her back deck and look at the ocean.”

  “No contest,” Chitra laughed.

  “Sounds lovely,” Leena said.

  “I do have some vacation time to use up,” Priya said.

  “Gotta run,” Sam told them as Ava let herself back into the apartment. “Hope to see you soon.”

  CHAPTER 13

  “Isn’t that Ben?” Ava asked the following morning. She pointed to the Trouble Bench as she and Sam came through the gate to the Cliff Garden. They were a few minutes early to meet Emma and Penelope and had intended to wander the garden paths and see what was blooming. Ashley wasn’t in sight this morning; Ava wondered if she’d already been and gone.

  In the foggy gloom, Ben was a lone figure against the backdrop of the silent ocean. He was facing away from them, motionless, hunched a bit as if he were shouldering the weight of the world.

  “Ben?” Sam called softly as they approached.

  When Ben turned, his face was haggard, and dark circles under his eyes hinted he’d been up all night.

  “What happened?” Sam sat beside him. Ava waited a few paces away, unsure if she should sit on his other side or fade away so the men could talk.

  “Chloe’s gone,” Ben said.

  Ava stepped nearer.

  “After we talked, we went back to the hotel, and I told her I couldn’t keep going with Scholar Central if you weren’t a part of it. I told her she needed to leave the company so that you and I could work things out. I said I wasn’t going to change my mind. She didn’t take it very well. She smashed up the hotel room…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Broke the TV. Cracked a mirror. She was totally out of control. They’ve asked us all to leave by checkout time this morning.”

  Ava exchanged a surprised look with Sam. Chloe was bossy and critical, but she hadn’t thought the woman capable of violence.

  “I didn’t see it coming,” Ben said, still shaking his head. “I knew she liked her own way, but I told myself she was just a modern woman sticking up for herself. Then it got—worse.” He lifted his head to look at Sam. “Did she call you stupid when you two were together?”

  Sam shook his head. “No, but she’d say things like, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’”

  “She used to say that to me, too, but lately… I didn’t like the name calling.”

  Ava didn’t imagine anyone would like that.

  “I laughed it all off. I’m a lot bigger than her—she couldn’t hurt me,” Ben said, lifting his hands, “so I put up with everything. The comments. The insults. She escalated things slowly enough I didn’t notice how bad it was getting. I didn’t want to lose her, you know?”

  “I know,” Sam said.

  “Then she hit on you.”

  Ava bit her lip. So Ben realized that’s what had happened the night she crashed onto Sam’s balcony to find Chloe kissing him. She remembered the way she’d blamed Sam that night and was glad that hadn’t been the end of their relationship.

  “I hoped you’d realize that wasn’t my doing,” Sam said.

  “At first I thought it might be. I guess that’s what I wanted to believe because the alternative was so much worse, but when we settled into our hotel room and went to bed that night, she was… triumphant. And really turned on. She liked being the center of attention. Every time she orchestrated a fight between you and me, she wanted to sleep with me afterward.” He shook his head. “Last night when I told her I wasn’t giving her any shares of Scholar Central, it was a whole different ballgame. She lost her mind. Started screaming at me and wouldn’t stop no matter what. When she started throwing things, I got out of there. The only other choice was to restrain her, and I didn’t want to land in jail.”

  “I’m glad you left,” Sam said.

  “When I went back, the room was trashed, the police and hotel management there.” Ben shook his head. “I haven’t seen something like that since I left home. At least Dad had the excuse of alcohol.”

  Ava heard soft footsteps behind her and turned to see Emma coming through the gate, a covered plate and a glass of water in her hands. Ava went to meet her.

  “Is everything all right?” Emma asked.

  “It’s Sam’s friend—Ben. The one he told you about before,” Ava said in a low voice. “I’m sure he’d be glad of some food and water. I think he’s been up all night.”

  Emma approached the bench and talked quietly to the men, handing Ben the glass and the plate. When she removed the cover, Ava saw slices of fruit and several generous scones. Ben took a bite and washed it down with a long swallow of water.

  “Chloe left my ring behind, so she knows there’s no coming back from this,” Ben went on.

  “I’m sorry,” Sam said again. Emma sat down on the end of the bench. Ava waited nearby, ready to be of service but keeping out of the way.

  “I’m not,” Ben said. “I feel like I’ve just woken up from a really bad dream. What the hell was I doing with her?”

  “Was she… familiar?” Emma spoke up. “Sometimes we have to re-enact old relationships we haven’t quite come to terms with before we can move on to something healthier.”

  Ben digested this. “She was familiar,” he finally agreed. “She’s just like my dad. Maybe I do have unfinished business with him. I never stood up to him. If Sam hadn’t gotten his family to take me in, I would have finished growing up at home. I would have had to confront what he was doing sooner or later. Maybe I needed the chance to stand up for myself.”

  Sam nodded. “I can see that.”

  “You’ll come back to Scholar Central?” Ben asked him. “I know I messed up—I know you’ll never trust me.”

  “I trust you,” Sam said.

  “I don’t know how you can,” Ben said. “I jumped at the chance to be with your fiancée. She nearly convinced me to give her shares so we could outvote you in your own company.”

  “But you won’t do it again, will you? The next time you fall for a woman, she’s going to be amazing. From now on, no one’s going to be able to get anything past you.”

  Ben snorted. “You got that right. From now on, cynical and suspicious are my new middle names.”

  “I’ve got a whole lot of new ideas for Scholar Central, you know.”

  With a laugh, Ben shoved his shoulder with his own. “Watch it, or I’ll have to bring Chloe back to reel you in.”

  “We can brainstorm them together. Make our product even better.”

  “Now you’re talking.”

  “There’s only one problem.” Sam sobered up. “I told Ava I intend to stay in Seahaven. We’ll have to figure out a way to work virtually. I can fly back and forth a couple of times a month.”

  “Or I can move to Seahaven, too,” Ben offered. “Seems like a change of scenery could do me good.”

  “Really?” Sam asked.

  “Really,” Ben said.

  Penelope entered the garden, came to meet them and looked at the gathered group. “Am I late to the party?”

  “Nope,” Sam said. “It’s just getting started.”

  As Emma took the plate and glass to her house, Ava touched Sam’s hand.

  “Happy?”

  “Very,” he confirmed. “I guess I’d better skip the walk and go to the hotel with Ben to get the rest of my things. Should I meet you at the Blue House later?”

  “Of course.”

  “Speaking of the Blue House,” Ben said. “Any chance the rest of us could come and stay until Sunday? We’ve lost our hotel reservations.”

  “Chloe paid for two weeks,” Ava said. “Of course you can come back. You might be my last clients, anyway, after Chloe leaves her evaluation of her stay. I don’t think she’ll have much positive to say.”

  “If she says anything bad, I’ll leave my own review explaining everything that happened,” Sam assured her.

  “Me, too,” Ben said. “I’m not going to let my mistakes ruin your business.”

  “I appreciate that.” Ava beamed at them. She hadn’t been letting herself think about the future, but fear of what Chloe could do to her reputation was eating away at the back of her mind. One bad review could kill a vacation rental’s profits.

  “I appreciate you letting us come back.” Ben’s relief was palpable. “Maybe we can salvage something of this trip. Have a couple of days at the beach. Brainstorm your ideas, Sam. Get a bunch of sun before it’s time to go home.”

  “Would you and your friends be up for testing out my next cooking class?” Emma asked. “It’s always a fun time, and I’m trying some new recipes and techniques. I wouldn’t mind having friends try them first before I take them public. Some of the recipes are from my cookbook. Noah and I are making good progress on it.”

  “You really should try it,” Ava told them. “Emma’s cooking is phenomenal, and you should see the photos Noah has been taking of the results.”

  “Sure,” Sam said. “That’s a great idea.”

  They walked together to the garden gate. Once they reached the sidewalk they separated, Ava and her friends to do their usual morning walk, Sam and Ben to head to the hotel.

  “You sure you’re okay with all this?” Sam asked him.

  “I’m better than okay. I feel like I just got my life back.”

  CHAPTER 14

  September

  “How is the best teacher ever doing today?”

  Ava dropped her oversized bag in the entryway of their suite and stepped into Sam’s embrace. These days her apartment felt a little crowded with two desks lined up against the wall across from their bed, one for each of them. Sam was still working from home, but that would change when Scholar Central officially moved to Seahaven next spring. He and Ben had started scouting office space in some of the commercial buildings, and she was sure they’d find something suitable.

  For now, she enjoyed coming home to find Sam there, on a video call with his fellow workers, or leaning back in his chair trying to solve some coding problem in his head, or typing furiously at his keyboard, getting a new idea down before it escaped him. He always broke off what he was doing when she came in and greeted her with a hug and kiss.

  They both had work hours that stretched beyond dinner, but they made it a point to put everything away by eight and cover their workstations with the decorative weaving Ava’s parents had given her on her birthday, before they went out on the balcony, wrapped themselves in blankets if the night was cool and talked for an hour to wind down. Today was a Friday, which meant she didn’t need to rush to get any more work done tonight. Sam had promised to order food so they could simply relax.

  “I’m really good,” Ava told him, still in his embrace. “I took my students to Shelbridge Heights today. Remember that place?”

  “How could I forget our picnic amid the devastation?” Sam joked. “It was very romantic.”

  “Until we got into an argument,” she reminded him. She was grateful they’d found their way to a place where disagreements were few and far between. They had found ways to fit in fun and adventure around their jobs. They got up early for walks and surfing now that they’d both had lessons with the Surf Dads and Moms, hiked and camped on weekends, had bonfires on the beach with friends.

  “An argument about whether or not I could do more than kiss you,” he said. “Glad you came to see my side of things.”

  “Me, too.” They exchanged a grin that promised all sorts of fun later, but Ava was tired from her day at work—and thirsty. She went to look in the refrigerator. “We talked about forest fires and patterns of regrowth. It was great.”

  “I’ll bet the kids loved it.”

  “They’re so happy outside,” Ava said. “So am I. I have the perfect career.”

  “I have the perfect girlfriend.” Sam followed her into the kitchen area and kissed her neck just under her ear. Ava felt the sensation down to her toes.

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  “Our food should be here in ten minutes,” Sam pulled back.

  “Wonderful.” Ava poured some juice, put her things away, changed into more comfortable clothes and freshened up. When the food arrived, they took it out on the deck since the evening was warm.

  “I was thinking,” Sam said when they were comfortably situated, “about kids of our own.”

  Ava, her fork halfway to her mouth, stilled, then set it down on her place. “Kids of our own?” she repeated.

  Sam nodded and reached over to take her hand. “Is it possible to time things so a baby arrives over summer vacation?”

  Ava found herself counting months. “I’d need to get pregnant next month to line that up right.”

  “Exactly.” He squeezed her fingers. “And I want to marry you first.”

  Ava stared at him. “What are you asking me?”

  “Ava Ingerson.” He put his plate down and came to kneel before her, still holding her hand. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Love and joy and wonder welled up inside her and other things she couldn’t even name. They’d fit into each other’s lives so easily since Sam had moved in, she wondered if he’d grown too comfortable to want anything to change. “You want to get married—by next month?” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, it was so close. On the other, she didn’t want to wait another minute to join her life to Sam’s for all time. She was ready. Was he?

  “I know it’s crazy, but I don’t want to wait any longer,” he said, echoing her thoughts. “I want to know I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to start our family. I want to cherish you forever. Can you understand that?”

  She nodded. It was the same way she felt about him. And to have a baby—she wanted that, too, but she was almost afraid to admit it. Starting a family meant they really would settle down.

  “Say yes,” he urged her. “We’ll start the wedding plans today. Everyone will help us.”

  “Yes.” She leaned forward and kissed him, almost dumping her plate of food on his lap in the process. “Yes, I will marry you, and yes, I want to have a baby. I really want that, Sam.”

  “I do, too. I love you.” He took her plate and placed it on the floor of the deck, then pulled her to her feet, rising with her. “Ava, I’m going to spend my life making you the happiest woman on earth.”

  “I already am.” Could she really be getting everything she wanted? Ava found herself braced for the next shoe to drop, but maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe it was perfectly fine to want a husband, children—a community she loved.

  “We could start now,” Sam suggested. “After you’re done with your dinner.”

  “I’m done.” Ava laughed at her own eagerness. She was already unbuttoning her blouse, neighbors be damned. She backed up to the sliding doors and inside, leading Sam to their bed. Once she’d tossed her blouse aside, he took over undressing her. Moments later they were under the covers. “This will only be practice, though. I’m on birth control,” she reminded him. “I’ll have to go off it.”

  “Practice is just fine,” Sam said as they joined together. Ava sighed as he filled her, knowing she’d remember this the rest of her life.

  “I’m sure I’ll enjoy every minute of it.”

  Sam couldn’t get enough of Ava. Lost in the feel of her, he let pure sensation guide him. Every curve of her body under his hands made him want her even more. When he was with Ava, he felt like his only purpose was to worship her. He didn’t know how making her feel good made him feel so turned on, but it did, and tonight he wanted to show her what she meant to him.

  He took his time, showering every part of her with his attention. Ava moaned as he touched her, urging him closer, but he held off until he knew she was as close as he was to losing control.

  Knowing soon they would try for a baby made him hungrier for her than he’d ever felt before, something he wouldn’t have thought possible. When their first throes of passion were over, Sam found himself unable to stop touching her. Their second round of lovemaking was slow and thorough. Their third, sometime later that night, was fast and hard and hot.

  He couldn’t sleep even after Ava had been softly breathing beside him for quite some time, so he got out of bed slowly, crept through the still-open door onto the balcony and allowed the moonlight to bathe him.

  I’ll be a good husband and a good father, he vowed to the ocean and the stars. I’ll never leave her. I’ll protect and provide for my family.

  He didn’t feel like he was making any promises he couldn’t keep. Sam hadn’t felt this sense of purpose since the day he and Ben came up with the idea of Scholar Central. Energized, he wanted to pace the deck, or sneak out to run on the beach, but instead he kept watch over his sleeping wife-to-be and whispered more promises as the night slowly passed.