The Wrong Mr. Right (The Queen's Cove Series #2)(18)

One eyebrow lifted. “My brand?”

“Like, your vibe.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. That everything is temporary?”

“Uh, no, that’s depressing.” She shook her head. “It’s fine, I’ll come up with something. Can I take a few videos of you tomorrow morning after we surf? Do you have time?”

Oh, right. That social media thing. Knowing someone was thinking about it and that I wouldn’t have to do anything was a relief. “Sure. Whatever you want.”

She flashed me a smile, a real one like she showed Avery, and my chest squeezed. I smiled back at her.

“See you tomorrow, Wyatt.”

“See you tomorrow, bookworm.”





When I returned home from surfing that evening, I had a missed call from Avery.

“Why do you want my copy of Pride and Prejudice?” she answered as soon as I called her back.

“I want to borrow it.”

She snorted. “Why?”

“I’m curious about it.” I pictured Hannah’s eyes lighting up, talking about it. There must have been something good in that book.

“I left it on your front porch.”

I opened the front door and saw it sitting there on the welcome mat. “Here it is. Thanks, Av.”

“What’s this I hear about Hannah asking out half the guys in town?”

Even though Avery was Hannah’s best friend, I held back from elaborating. “She was doing her homework.”

We said our goodbyes and I settled onto the couch before cracking the book open. There was a stamp inside the front cover.

Sold with love by Pemberley Books





6





Hannah





Another wave rolled in and he caught it, shooting forward on his board, riding it toward the shore. He was so at ease, like he was more comfortable on water than on land. Above us, blue skies stretched over the mountains, trees, and ocean. A few other early bird surfers dotted the ocean around us, but Wyatt had the big waves to himself.

I took another video of him on Liya’s nice camera I had borrowed.

He paddled his board back out before the break and waited for the next one. I unzipped the top half of my wetsuit and let it hang off my waist. My muscles ached from my disastrous surf lesson the other day. The day was warm already and my hair was almost dry from me falling off my board again this morning. I saw why Wyatt preferred to surf first thing in the morning, even if the water was ice cold.

On the shore, I recorded more video as he caught another wave. He carved the water so gracefully, gliding over the surface like it was made of ice. Through the zoom lens, I watched the muscles on his torso ripple as he balanced. He made it look so easy, when I had inhaled face-full after face-full of water this morning. My nasal cavity still burned and my hair hung around my shoulders in frizzy tendrils. I knew better than to wear mascara this morning, though. I didn’t care if I looked tired and my eyes disappeared behind my pale eyelashes, it was better than wiping the smears off around my eyes afterward.

Wyatt rode a wave closer to shore and paddled in, grinning from ear to ear. I took a sneaky picture of him as he shook the water off his hair, carrying his board in, and I laughed to myself. We’ll make a social media star of you yet, Wyatt.

Up close, he was gorgeous like this, all muscle and dripping water and bright eyes. A smile from ear to ear. I blinked, taken aback. My pulse picked up.

I shook myself. Wyatt wasn’t my type.

Someone like Beck, he was my type. A handsome, kind man who read books and took an interest in things I liked. If things worked out with us, Beck and I could read books together every evening.

I nearly snorted. If things worked out? He was a hot doctor, and every single girl in town was interested in him. He probably only agreed to the date because he felt bad for me.

“Bookworm?” Wyatt was right in front of me.

I jolted to attention. “Hi. Yes.”

His mouth twitched with amusement at my daydreaming. “Didn’t realize you were still out here.”

I held up the camera. “I was getting some footage.”

He shrugged. “Okay. Let’s get breakfast.”

“Breakfast?”

He nodded and kept walking.

I checked the time before jogging to keep up with him. “I have to be at the bookstore by ten.”

“We’ll get you there in time.”

I picked up my own board, letting my camera hang from the strap on my shoulder, and we walked along the sand towards the surf shop.

“So, did you figure out what my brand is?”

A big smile lifted on my face. In the evenings, I had been reading about marketing and social media engagement, and the thing that resonated most with me was that your brand should be authentic to the person or business, and unique.

“I did,” I told him, pulling my too-eager smile back as we walked over the sand. “It’s this.” I gestured out at the water behind us.

His eyebrows rose in amusement. “Surfing?”

I laughed. “No. I mean, partially surfing, but being out in nature and being in Queen’s Cove. It’s part of you. Queen’s Cove is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and you surfing with the mountains in the background…” I sighed and shook my head. “Gorgeous.”