“Here, wear this.” Connie appeared at her side, holding the slinkiest dress she owned.

Lily stared at it, then at her sister, and returned to her sketch without saying a word. She gripped the pencil as if it were a life preserver.

Connie leaned over her shoulder to see the sketch she was working on. “That looks amazing. I think this Josh guy is good for you.”

With a sigh, Lily closed her sketchbook. “Why are you pulling dresses out of your closet and offering them to me?”

“Because we have a double date tonight, remember?”

Lily tucked her sketchbook neatly into the corner. “It’s not a date. It’s a business dinner. Now, put your slut away. I’ll go shower and get dressed.”

Connie huffed and followed Lily to her bedroom. “It’s not business. It’s fate.”

Lily eyed the three dresses laid out on her bed, then turned to her sister. “What are you babbling about?” She waved her hands in front of her face. “Forget it. I don’t want to know.”

“Oh, come on. You can’t deny it. We’re on this hidden little part of the Florida panhandle where even tourists don’t go, yet a handsome man and his partner show up here. They tracked you down from a drawing they’d found on eBay. Did you even ask how they managed to do that? How did they know it was yours? It had to take some effort to find you here.”

Ignoring the dresses on her bed, Lily grabbed a more conservative one from her closet and tossed it over the other three. “He probably had Allen make some calls or something.”

“Right, but how did he even know that drawing was yours to begin with? You didn’t sign it, did you? You threw it into the ocean without any information to connect it to you, yet it somehow found its way back. I’m telling you, it’s fate. He’s handsome, smart, sophisticated, kind. He doesn’t give up, even with your nasty attitude.”

“I don’t have an attitude.”

Connie rolled her eyes. “Peeelease. You so have an attitude. That man has been covered in sweat and sand, sunburned, the door slammed in his face, rejected repeatedly, and yet he still returns. I’m telling you he’s interested in more than just that drawing. If not, then why is he still here? Once you said you’d do it, he could’ve returned to New York.”

Without answering, Lily walked to the bathroom and shut the door, trying to gather her thoughts. Part of her was tired of being alone, but she didn’t want to risk another bad relationship where she wasn’t happy either.

“Listen, I know Steve was awful to you. The man manipulated you and turned you into a painting machine until he burned you out. That’s why I agreed to come here with you. To give you a chance to recover, but it’s been almost two years since you’ve sketched or painted anything that’s truly you. A Lily Holt original,” Connie said through the bathroom door.

Lily turned on the water, hoping to drown out Connie’s words and her own thoughts of Josh and the possibilities he offered. By the time Lily shampooed her hair, Connie had stopped shouting through the door about true love and fate. Why was she so convinced it was fate? Sure, there was the whole bottle thing, but that was hardly reason enough to consider forever with the man. He was good looking, and he regularly did charity work. Since he was in advertising, he was probably creative. While those things made him a catch, that didn’t necessarily mean he was right for her. Another part of her was thankful he wasn’t an artist. She’d had enough of competing and feeling inferior.

She emerged from the bathroom, dried her hair and put on a little make-up. Then she stood at her bed, eyeing the four dresses. The one she had pulled out of her closet she’d worn to a wedding. It was pretty, but ultraconservative and reminded her of marriage every time she looked at it. The remaining three were either strapless, or had plunging necklines. None were appropriate for a business dinner. She sighed and decided on a strapless dress. It had been so long since she dressed up and went out that fireflies were dancing in her belly.

Connie popped her head in the door. “Good choice.”

Lily collapsed on the edge of the bed. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because he’s a nice guy.”

“So was Stephon…in the beginning, anyway. He was considerate and attentive and loving. Somehow he made me feel like I was the only woman in the world he would ever look at.”

“That was his charm. It wasn’t real. Josh is real. And most of all, he’s here.” Two loud knocks at the front door sent the fireflies into a frenzy. Connie chuckled. “Literally here at the cottage. Wasn’t what I meant, but good timing.” She took off for the door, leaving Lily with her nerves.

Lily took two steadying breaths then walked out into the living room where Allen, Josh, and Connie waited. They all stopped chatting and looked at her as she entered and she felt like she was onstage and had forgotten her lines in front of a thousand people. She back-stepped toward the hallway, but Connie whistled and whooshed in.

“Wow! You look amazing. Nice dress.” She winked and tugged her toward the two men.

Josh stood there with his mouth open until Allen nudged him in the side and he cleared his throat. “You look beautiful,” he said in a hoarse whisper.

She felt her cheeks flush. It had been a long time since a man paid her a compliment. Josh looked amazing in his slacks and navy button-up shirt. His sunburn had softened into a nice tan. “You look handsome.”

“I was worried you’d think I was overdressed.” He winked.

Connie giggled and opened the front door. “If our reservations are in half an hour, we should get going.”

Josh placed his hand on the small of Lily’s back and the warmth of his touch sent tingles up her spine and down her arms. He was handsome, and gentle, and had never said a cross word to her, even when she had treated him so horribly.

The evening air was warm, but not stifling thanks to a fresh breeze rolling in off the ocean.

“You know, I’m learning to enjoy the sand. I hated it at first the way it’s always on your skin, but I do love the fresh air. It’s invigorating.” Josh opened the passenger side door while Allen attended to the back door for her sister. It was definitely a plus that they were both gentlemen. Maybe Connie was right, and he wasn’t just trying to make sure she did the art piece for him. Maybe he did like her.

They drove along the peninsula, cutting through several towns to the bay where numerous lights danced on the water and the moon shone down with promise. Josh opened her door and offered his arm as if they were walking into a high school dance. She had to admit the attention felt good. By the end of their relationship, Stephon’s idea of romance was to meet her at the front of the car, fondle her, and then offer to skip dinner and go home.

She let out a long breath, one that she hoped would help release some of the hatred and distrust that Stephon had poisoned her with. It was time to let it go, all of it. He was gone, but Josh was here. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to sketch people. “When we get back to the cottage, I’d like you to come inside.” She flushed, realizing what she’d said. “I mean, um, my sketch. I’ve been working on it. I want to show you what I have so far.”

He covered her hand with his. “I’d love to see it.” He opened the front door and they all entered the restaurant. The space had a romantic feel, with red tablecloths, candles and moonlight flooding in from the large windows overlooking the bay. The smell of fresh bread and the light yet manly fragrance of Josh’s cologne helped to settle her nerves.

“I have a question for you,” she asked as they waited for the hostess to ready their table. “How did you find me? I mean, I know Allen found the drawing on eBay, but how did you track me down from that?”

“You signed your initials at the bottom edge. I did some research and discovered a few artists with those initials and then found a copy of one of your paintings that you had initialed. I looked further into you and discovered you were once an artist in New York, so I asked around and tracked you down here.”

The hostess ushered them to the best table in the house, situated next to a large window that offered a view of the bay. As she passed out menus, the hostess told them it was a great spot to see dolphins play in the water. In that moment, she started to believe that Connie might be onto something. Maybe everything happened for a reason. Perhaps this was fate.

Allen pulled out Connie’s chair and she settled in across from Lily. “Who told you we were in Cape Hope?” Connie asked.

“A guy at Lily’s old gallery in New York,” Josh replied.

A sting of fear surged through her and all the sudden, nothing in the world smelled good or looked romantic. She fought against the panic, not wanting it to show on her face, but Connie must’ve noticed because she quickly put her hand over Lily’s.

Allen eyed them both and seemed to catch on quick. “Let’s order.”

Despite Allen’s attempt to change the subject, Lily swallowed her fear and lifted her chin. “What did he say?”

Josh lowered his menu. “I don’t recall exactly. Mostly I just pushed to find out where you were.”

Connie sighed. “Tell her the truth. Trust me, she needs to know. All of it.”

Josh’s gaze drifted between them and he hesitated, but Lily wouldn’t back down.

“Tell me.”

“He said I shouldn’t look for you because you were washed up, and that he’d found someone to replace you. Someone with real talent.”