The ride back to Fiona’s beach house was silent. Both she and Kevin were thinking about the day’s events and what the future held for them. Kevin knew that Fiona harbored deep feelings for Nick, it was painfully obvious to him the way she avoided Nick’s gaze all afternoon. He knew that if he didn’t allow her to explore those feelings then it would all blow up in their faces before long and someone was bound to get hurt. Silently he rehearsed what he would say over and over in his head, wanting the words to be just right.

As they pulled into the driveway, Kevin put the jeep in park and turned to Fiona.

"Kevin?" "Fiona?" they said in unison.

Laughing, Fiona said, "You first."

"No, it’s okay. You go first," Kevin said, hoping against all odds that she would tell him that Nick didn’t matter to her.

"I don’t know where to start, actually. All the way home I kept thinking about what it was that I was going to say to you, but now that you are looking at me with those gorgeous green eyes, my mind just goes blank."

Kevin reached over and touched her face, tracing her cheek with his hand. "It’s okay. I’m not mad at you and I’m not going to be. I would rather you confront your feelings for Nick right now before we get more deeply involved with each other. I don’t want any regrets if we decide to continue this relationship," he said sweetly.

Fiona was astonished at the fact that he knew what she wanted to say to him. She sat speechless, her mouth hanging open at his generosity. "How did you know?" she finally asked.

"I’m not stupid, baby" he said in his thick southern accent. "I saw it in your eyes every time you looked at Nick."

Bowing her head to avoid his stare, Fiona spoke so softly that her words were barely audible. "I’m so sorry, Kevin. I never meant for this to happen."

He tilted her chin, his eyes soft, his words carefully chosen. "Honestly, it’s okay. Just call me when you’ve decided what you want and then we will talk."

Fiona leaned over and kissed his cheek tenderly, her lips lingering as a single tear slid down her cheek. "Goodnight Kevin."

He smiled, brushing the tear from her face. "Goodnight, Fi."

Waiting for her to get into the house safely, Kevin sat in the driveway, his mind torn between screaming out that it wasn’t okay or tucking his tail between his legs and running as far away from Fiona and Nick as he could get.

"Um, Kev" Fiona said as she walked back towards the jeep.

His heart soared, hoping that she was going to ask him to come inside.

"Are you stealing my jeep?" she laughed softly. "If so, I need the keys to YOUR car!"

He laughed nervously, his heart sinking. "Sorry. I wasn’t thinking."

She took the keys from him and smiled. "No problem. I’ll call you."

He smiled back at her and watched as she disappeared into the house before getting into his car and heading down the highway. He had no idea where he was going, only that he had just lost someone who could have been his future, and to make matters worse, he had lost her to Nick.

Chapter 38        Index