Page 10 of Art of Love

She knew that she had shaken him when he didn’t answer right away.

“Like I said, I needed a break,” he finally answered with a shrug. When she narrowed her eyes at him, he chuckled again. “How about I tell you the real reason I needed a break when you tell me the real reason you don’t seem to enjoy being back home.”

She nodded once and then took a deep breath as the water washed over her toes.

“How did you meet Max?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder as she heard the laughter behind them.

Abe’s smile was quick and genuine. “We met on the set of Never Enough. I was brought in to help with the music score.”

“The song you just played was the opening, right?” she asked.

He looked surprised and smiled. “You have heard of me then.”

She dropped her guard and chuckled, “Who hasn’t? I just didn’t want to give you a big head.”

He shifted and nudged her shoulder. “You’re a hard nut to crack.”

“Thanks,” she said with a chuckle.

“Now that you know what I do for a living…”

She shook her head. “I’ve already told you.”

His eyes narrowed. “Okay, then at least give me this one. What’s the worst part about coming home?”

She sighed and glanced over her shoulder. “The people.” His eyebrows arched in question. “Not that they’re bad. It’s just… they know me.” She turned and wrapped her arms around herself. “Each and every person here knows everything there is to know about me. The good, the bad. Some of them have known me since birth.” She sighed. “They saw me when I was…”—she glanced over at him—“not my best.”

He nodded in understanding. “You’re a private person. I get that. Believe it or not, I am as well.”

She tilted her head and ran her eyes over him. “Must be hard when everyone in the world knows you.”

“They think they know me,” he corrected, his eyes moving to the dark waters.

Dylan watched him as he stared out at the water, his profile shadowed against the moonlight. There was something about the way he said it, the quiet weight behind his words, that made her chest tighten just a little.

She could relate.

People in this town thought they knew her, too.

She looked away, back towards the distant glow of the bonfire. Laughter echoed down the beach, voices blending together in a familiar hum. The past tugged at her like a rip current, trying to drag her under, but she planted her feet.

She wasn’t that shy scared little girl anymore.

Was Abe a different person than the one who had been behind the wheel when Kara had died?

After all, this is what she was here for, right?

“So, do you ever get tired of it?” she asked finally, her voice softer than before.

His eyes flicked back to her. “Tired of what?”

“Being ‘Abe Collins’ all the time.”

A slow, crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “More than you’d think.”

Dylan let that settle between them, the rhythmic crash of the waves filling the silence.

After a moment, she nudged his arm with her elbow. “You know, for a big-time celebrity, you’re not so bad.”