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Chapter Twenty-Five

A fter the meeting with Claire and her parents, Joe returned to Black Pointe. Claire had been happy to have him with her and sad when he left. But she needed to think about where she was going and what she was going to do with her life and couldn’t do that with Joe distracting her.

It had been a couple of weeks, and he still called Claire every night to check up on her.

He hadn’t asked her what her plans were, although Claire knew he was curious.

She was staying with her parents for a while, repairing their relationship, visiting with her sister and nieces, catching up on everything that happened while she was married to Keith.

Keith’s lawyer told her the buildings and penthouse had sold quickly, putting the money into her account. She set aside a little to buy some clothes and a phone—just the essentials. Spending Keith’s money irked her, but darn it all, she deserved it.

Her cell phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. Sam. Oh, it would be nice to catch up with her friend. Sheri had called a couple of times, but Sam was her link to all that was happening in Florida.

“Hi, Sam.”

“Claire, glad I caught you. How are you doing?”

Claire told her that things were going well. They talked for a while about mundane things. Then Sam said, “Have you decided if you’re coming back to Florida or staying up north?”

Winter was coming, and Claire didn’t relish living with ice and snow. The sunny climate of Florida was calling her, as well as a certain man. Where would their relationship head? Joe had her back like he always had. He wasn’t pressuring her to make any decisions. Most of all, she missed him.

“Heading south.”

“Great. I wanted to tell you that Mark’s friend has a three-bedroom house on the water that he inherited but doesn’t want. He’s selling it for a reasonable price, for beachfront property, that is. If you’re interested, I’ll send pictures,” said Sam.

On the water. Why, yes, she would love to open her windows to see and hear the ocean. If the rooms were positioned right, she could have a studio. And friends and family could visit. Plus, Joe was there. She planned on pursuing him, gently, of course. Oh, the possibilities.

Joe missed Claire. A lot. Much more than he thought he would.

He called her every night, kept it light.

Listened. Didn’t give any advice or ask her to commit to coming back to Florida.

He purposely hadn’t asked her about her plans, although he wanted to.

Oh God, he wanted to, but she needed time. Her voice sounded lighter and happier.

The conversation with her parents had lifted a gray cloud from his shoulders.

They liked him. All these years, he thought that they didn’t believe he was good enough for their daughter.

What a fool he had been. He wasted ten years without Claire because he thought he was a bad influence.

Well, if she came back to Florida, he was pursuing her.

He would take it slow because she had been through enough with Keith.

Call him a Neanderthal, but he wanted to claim her, to have her in his house, in his bed.

He wanted to watch her wake in the morning and fall asleep at night.

He wanted to know what made her happy, what made her sad. He wanted to love and protect her.

But he wasn’t going to ask if she was coming back, didn’t want to pressure her. However, if she did come back, he wasn’t letting her go this time.