When It's Love Read Free Page A

all that great until then, and it reminded me of what life is all about—if I only put myself out there when things seem to be perfect, I'll miss out on the times when they unexpectedly are perfect. It was great the way it all worked out.”
    “Will you actually be trying to surf around Walker Island?”
    Nicholas smiled. “Like I said, I’m always searching for that perfect wave. And you never know where—or when—it will show up.”
    Nicholas turned then to look out over the crowd for his ride...and saw what looked very much like the perfect woman. There was no other way to describe her. She was blond-haired, beautiful in a way that made it almost impossible for Nicholas to look anywhere else, and best of all, she was coming straight toward him.
    As he’d just said, you never knew when perfection would show up.
    Morgan had texted to let him know that her sister Rachel was going to be picking him up from the ferry, and he could easily see the family resemblance. Looked like it was his lucky day.
    “I’ve got to go, guys,” Nicholas said to the fans who had gathered around. “I’m pretty sure my ride is here.”
    As he moved closer to her, he noted that she had grease on her face and in her hair. “Hi, I'm Nicholas.”
    He wanted to reach out and wipe away the grease on her cheek with the pad of his thumb. Partly because he didn’t like the idea of anything marring her beauty. Mostly, though, he just wanted the excuse to touch her. He stopped himself, though, because he always liked to take his time when it came to women. He didn’t want to rush things when he could savor them. “You must be Morgan's sister Rachel. Thank you for coming to get me.”
    For a moment or two, she didn’t say anything, simply stared back at him with eyes bluer than even the bluest ocean waters. Her gaze, however, was slightly wary, and he immediately wanted to know why.
    “Sorry I'm late,” she finally said. “I had a little tire trouble on the way here.”
    Morgan had told Nicholas all about her four sisters, saying he would need that much information to survive staying at the family house with her grandmother and sisters. But she hadn't told him that he was going to fall head over heels for Rachel from nothing more than one glance—and a few softly spoken words.
    “Ah, so that's why you’ve got grease on your cheek.” This time, Nicholas did reach out to wipe it away, forgetting whether or not it was too soon to make a move like this. “Is everything all right now?”
    That first touch of her skin against his was electric, just as he'd known it would be. But instead of moving closer, she took a step back before saying, “Everything's fine.”
    From the way she said it, a little too fast and slightly breathless, he guessed that she'd felt the sparks jump just as much as he had from the one simple touch.
    “I’ve left my car down by the next jetty, so we’ll have to walk over there. I know my grandmother is looking forward to seeing you up at the house, and my sisters Emily and Paige will be there later today, too.”
    “And you?” Nicholas asked hopefully.
    “I have my own place for just me and Charlotte, my little girl.”
    He remembered that Morgan had told him Rachel was a single mother and that she was doing a really great job of raising her daughter. “It must be nice to have that big family of yours nearby.”
    “It is, most of the time.”
    “When your sister isn’t having you pick up strange guys from the docks?” Nicholas suggested with a smile.
    “Something like that.” He thought he saw her lips twitch before she said, “We’d better get going. Grams will be expecting you, and Morgan will want to know that you got to the isla—”
    Rachel stopped as her phone rang. She answered, and Nicholas could see the concern on her face when she looked at the number on the screen and picked up. “Yes, this is Rachel Walker. Oh no, she is? She seemed fine this morning, although her aunt isn’t very well