53

KATHERINE THRONE

I stepped out of the bathroom, wiping the salty water droplets from my face. I was already dressed in my evening wear.

His face contorted with effort as he tried to crack open the stubborn shell from the beach with a hammer. Bursting with curiosity, I wandered closer to investigate the commotion. I saw that he had laid out a selection of tools beside him; a pack of hooks, some scissors, and a hammer with which he was furiously banging away.

"Are you still dreaming about buying a yacht from the pearl in that shell?" I questioned in a tease as he looked up at me, a wide smile on his lips. I was rendered speechless; in all honesty, I was in awe of him. A simple smile had whisked me away and taken my heart to lengths it had never crossed.

With one last bang of his hammer on the shell, it cracked open and a Pearl emerged, shining brightly in the enclave.

"There, finally got the last one," Alexander said, holding up the Pearl in his hand and I arched my brows at him. I wond