Eye of the Storm Read Free Page A

facade she'd depended on for so many years.
    And now there was simply no crossing the gulf that had grown between them, but that didn't mean that Martin couldn't remain a part of her life. She'd held his hand through first dates and football injuries, flunked tests and college entrance exams. He was part of her family. And nothing was going to change that.
    She knew better than most how fleeting human connection could be. And she wasn't about to lose Martin just because she hadn't been able to make a life with his brother.
    She stood for a moment more, fighting against the empty feeling gnawing at her gut, then drew in a deep breath, letting the sound of the ocean soothe her. The bay was calmer than open water, but there was still a peaceful ebb and flow as the water lapped gently against the shore.
    She'd loved this house almost from the minute they'd found it. It had needed a lot of TLC, but the work had been almost as important to her as the house itself. It had filled her days. In the beginning of her marriage, she'd been content with the role of wife and surrogate sister to Martin. But with Martin heading off to college, she'd found her days empty. So the restoration had been a godsend.
    Reece had had opinions, of course, but the day-to-day elements, the planning and creation, that had been hers alone. Every detail took on special meaning, her personality reflected in the house's grace and beauty in a way she couldn't possibly have imagined.
    And now it was all hers. Reece had removed it from the settlement, instead agreeing to sign it over to her completely. The cynical part of her brain insisted his generosity had stemmed from guilt, but the part of her that had fallen for him knew it was more than that. Reece had understood her attachment to the house, even without knowing the reasons behind it.
    A seagull's plaintive cry echoed above, and she shielded her eyes with a cupped hand to look out over the water. The sky was a crystalline blue with only the faint wisp of a cloud here and there, the sea glistening like sequins in the dancing light. In the distance, she could see a freighter making its way between buoys as it moved toward the great arched bridge and the port beyond.
    If left to her own devices, she'd probably never have chosen to come to Texas, let alone Corpus. She'd have probably found a job that let her travel. Avoid roots altogether. But Maurice had had other ideas, placing her in a temporary job with a Houston oil company. Unfortunately, it hadn't been a good fit. Actually, Houston hadn't been a good fit. So she'd jumped at the chance to transfer to Corpus, hoping for something better.
    And then she'd met Reece.
    And, in truth, even if she'd known how her marriage would turn out, she'd still have made the commitment. Without him, she wouldn't have Martin, or her house, or at least for one brief moment the feeling that she belonged.
    With a smile, she reached down to pull a weed from the potted bougainvillea on the back porch. The day was still young. And she was free to do with it as she wished. She reached down to grab the laundry bags, thinking that she'd start the washer and then maybe go for a run.
    One of the things she'd never lost sight of was the need to stay in shape. Her body was her best ally and she wasn't about to lose that edge. It had become a family joke actually that if Simone missed a workout it was obviously the end of the world. When she and Reece had remodeled the house, they'd turned half of the basement into a gym, and Simone still found solace in the mind-numbing routine of weights and aerobics.
    But even with all the high-tech gadgetry they'd installed, nothing could beat the rush of running. Maybe it was being outdoors, or feeling her body work as a unit. Or maybe it reminded her of different times. Hard to say, but she still loved it.
    Heading down the hall, she stopped at the basement stairs, and then with a shrug dumped the bags. Laundry could wait. It was a beautiful day, and