“He left you a credit card…so he’s not going with you?”

She shook her head, seeming unbothered by my asking. For that matter, she didn’t seem to care about finding us dancing on the deck earlier either. “He went to the city for a meeting.”

“Is he coming back?”

She shrugged. “Tomorrow, I think.”

I didn’t have anything to do today, so I told Bella I’d go with her. It would be a good distraction from this morning, anyway.

Since Bella drove a small car, we took my Volkswagen in case either of us found anything big we wanted to haul home. After I got over the anxiousness I felt thinking Bella might say something about Ford and me, I actually had a good time.

We walked the aisles and stopped to look at each exhibit. Our taste in art turned out to be pretty similar. Bella bought a colorful print of a surfer riding a wave at Ditch Plains, a local surf spot. It had the most amazing sunset in the background that looked color enhanced, though it wasn’t.

While we were waiting in line to get a pretzel, a good-looking boy with sun-bleached blond hair struck up a conversation about the photo Bella was holding. They were still talking after we’d paid for our pretzel and waters, so I told Bella I was going to go back to a jewelry display we’d passed where I’d liked a ring.

Really I just wanted to give them some privacy because I thought there might’ve been a spark between her and the surfer dude.

I strolled a few aisles and heard the muffled sound of my cell ringing from inside my purse. Stopping to dig it out, I saw Mark’s name flashed on the screen. Since Bella was busy, I figured I might as well answer.

“Hey, Mark.”

“Hey, Valentina. What’s going on?”

I sipped my water. “Not much. Stuffing my face with a pretzel and walking around an art show at the moment.”

“In Montauk?”

“Yep. It’s a local show in town, but there’re a lot of great artists.”

“Mind if I join you?”

I stopped and looked around. “You’re here? In Montauk?”

“Not yet. But I will be soon. I just passed a town called Amagansett, so I don’t think I’m that far. I had an appointment out in Holbrook today, and as I was parking, it got canceled. Figured what the hell? I’m halfway to Montauk already, and it’s a beautiful day…so why not?”

“Oh. Wow. Amagansett is close.”

He was only about ten miles away, and he’d already passed all of the spots that had heavy traffic. He’d probably be here in fifteen minutes.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about Mark being in Montauk. I’d invited him out, but I’d meant it as an invitation to the study group as a whole. But it felt awkward to say I was too busy now that I’d told him I was strolling around an art show. Besides, Mark was a friend—I shouldn’t feel weird about seeing him.

He must’ve sensed my hesitation. “If you’re busy, that’s okay. I just thought I’d give it a shot.”

I shook my head. “No, no. I’m not busy. Of course you’re welcome to join me. I’ll give you a tour of Montauk, if you’d like.”

“Sweet. That would be great.”

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, Mark called and asked where he should park. Bella had finished up her chat with the surfer dude, so we walked over to meet him outside of the tents.

“Hey.”

We hugged.

Mark looked around. “This is really nice. I can’t wait to see the whole town.”

I grinned. “You pretty much just did. Well, the shopping and commercial part of it anyway. But that’s not what I love about Montauk.”

I introduced Bella. “This is my neighbor, Annabella. Bella, this is Mark—a friend from school. We were in a study group together, and we both just took our teaching certification exam last week. Mark has never been to Montauk.”

Bella shook Mark’s hand. “Did you just move to the area or something?”

He laughed. “Nope. Just never came this far east on Long Island.”

We made small talk for a few minutes, and then I said, “Well, we still have a few rows of the show we haven’t walked through. Do you want to check them out with us?”

Mark said sure, but Bella bowed out. “Umm…if you don’t mind, I’m going to skip the rest of the show. We saw most of it anyway.”

“Oh. Okay, I’ll give you a ride home.”

“No, enjoy yourself. I can get one from Freddie.”

My brows drew down. “Freddie?”

“The guy I was talking to in line.”

Oh. The surfer dude. My parent mode kicked in. “Do you think that’s a good idea? To get into his car? You just met him.”

Bella looked amused. “I’ll be fine, Mom. He’s a local.”

“But…”

She looked at Mark. “Nice to meet you. I’ll see you back at the house later, Val.”

Before I could plead my case, she started to walk away.

Mark shook his head. “Reminds me of my daughter. She thought I was nuts for being angry that she’d skipped a concert I’d bought her tickets to for Christmas. She hung out with one of the guys from the opening band instead. She was seventeen at the time.”

I had no experience with a daughter, having just Ryan, but I knew if I had one I’d want to lock her up until she was thirty.

“I was always kind of sad I never had a girl. Not so sure about that now.”

Mark and I walked through the exhibit. He’d tried to insist we just check out the artists I hadn’t hit yet, but I’d won that battle.

After the art show, we hopped in my car so I could give him a tour of Montauk. Our first stop was the lighthouse, followed by the fishing piers where all the commercial and party boats came in. A few had just returned from fishing trips, so we stood around and watched the mates filet their catches. After, we had a drink outside at the dockside bar. He ordered a beer, and I ordered a virgin strawberry margarita, since I was driving.

“So have you decided where you’re going to apply once you’re certified?” he asked.

“I’d like to find a leave-replacement job somewhere close to home, if possible.”

Mark’s forehead wrinkled. “You want a temp position? Not a tenure-track one?”

I sipped my frosty drink. “Yeah. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a year of experience and then doing a year in Italy teaching after that.”

“Wow. That’ll certainly make finding a position late in the summer much easier. Most people prefer something permanent.”

“It’s the first time in my life that I’m able to make choices for only myself. Ryan is away at college for three more years. I want to take advantage.”

Mark smiled, and his eyes roamed my face.

“What?”

He shrugged. “Nothing. I just find a woman who likes an adventure sexy.”

Not sure how to respond to that, I filled my mouth with enough frosty drink to get a brain freeze.

“You ready to get going?” I asked. “I’ll show you a few beaches before it gets dark. The parking is terrible by the ones the surfers frequent, but if you don’t mind the walk, they’re really pretty.”

“That sounds fantastic.” Mark stood and went behind my chair, waiting for me to stand so he could pull it out.

He was really such a nice guy, such a gentleman. When I’d pondered whether something could grow between us after he’d asked me on a date, I’d thought maybe if I saw him outside our regular setting where we studied, I might see him in a different light. But the few hours I’d spent with him today proved what I’d suspected—there was no spark. Or maybe it wasn’t the last few hours that had proven anything to me, but the hours this morning with Ford where the sparks had been so strong, I still felt the burn.

***

I’d shown Mark around pretty much all of Montauk, and it was dark by the time I drove him back to town to where he’d parked. I pulled up behind his car and left my engine idling.

“Well, this was a really nice surprise, Mark. And I’d totally forgotten how pretty some of the beaches we stopped by today are. I tend to stay on the beach right behind my house, but I’m definitely going to be revisiting a few of the local ones we saw. I needed this little tour today.”

“So your house is right on the beach, then?”

I nodded. “It’s up on stilts, so the backyard is the sand.”

“Wow. Would it be too much to ask to see it before I head back?”

I really wanted to just go home, shower, and climb into bed, but I felt funny saying no. “Ummm…sure. It’s not too far from town. Right down Old Montauk Highway.”

“I’ll follow you.”

“Okay.”

On the short drive to my house, I started to get antsy for some reason. I knew it was stupid, because Ford and I weren’t dating or anything. Yet for some reason, I didn’t want him to see me pull up with Mark. Not to mention, whatever anxiousness I felt, whether right or wrong, was ridiculous because Ford wasn’t even in Montauk tonight. Bella had said he planned to spend the night in the city.

Except he must’ve had a change of plans…