The sky was solid gray. There were no individual clouds; it was just a jelled block of achromatic gray. As we walked along the ocean's edge, the water seemed strangely calm as it lapped against the sandy beach. It was almost as if the sea was expending its energy elsewhere. It seemed possible, as according to the resort's weather report the storm was still safely north and supposed to miss the entire island completely.Up ahead, I could see a boy playing fetch with a dog, the two of them bounding through the waves and spraying water under their feet. The boy looked familiar, and as I came closer, I realized it was Tyler. I hadn't seen him since breakfast, where we had decided that neither one of us was really interested in snorkeling with the sky so dark. Without the sunshine, the colors of the fish and coral would be muted and dull. There were plenty of other things that we each wanted to do more than look at gray fish.“Tyler?” I called out to the boy as I came closer. When his head

Two years agoAfter our meeting earlier today, I couldn't stop thinking about Logan. The warm caramel swirls of his eyes. That one golden curl that I wanted to sweep off his forehead. That smile that made me purr like a cat in sunshine. Just thinking about him had me flustered in the best way. There was a connection between the two of us that wasn't just strictly business. At least, I really, really hoped there was.Especially because I had already picked out a backless black dress to wear out tonight.My phone buzzed, and I held my breath as I looked at the caller ID. It was a number I didn't recognize. Please, please, please...“Hello?” I sounded far more breathless than I had intended.“Olivia?” It was Logan. A little shiver of anticipation went down my spine. I liked the way my name sounded in his rich, masculine voice.“This is she,” I replied, trying to sound like I didn't recognize the voice. I didn't want to appear too eager.“Hi, it's Logan. From earlier today,” he said with

Present Day“Coming up at seven, news from the Middle East...”I clicked the TV off. I had exactly fifteen minutes before Logan was supposed to arrive. Butterflies danced in my stomach, and I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I slid on my favorite cotton sundress. It was a deep red that darkened to purple as it descended to just above my knees. I had no reason to look forward to dinner with Logan, but I couldn't help it. My body and brain remembered two very different Logans, and right now, my body was remembering harder. I could almost feel his fingers on my skin again, the way his body had felt pressed against mine. I wanted to believe he hadn't meant to hurt me, that all the heartache had been an accident. I wanted to believe that it could turn out better this time.My cellphone started to ring on my nightstand. Since this was a business trip, I had left it on. I was intending to leave it in my room for dinner, but as I still had a few minutes to wait, I picked it up.“Olivia?

2 Years Earlier...I looked up from the computer screen and blinked. The sun was already setting, and the room was getting dark. I hadn't realized how much time had passed while I worked. I had been so engrossed in my laptop and making improvements that I had completely lost track of time. I quickly checked my phone, wondering if I had somehow missed Logan's call. He should have heard something back from his father by this time of day. I had honestly thought I would be a proud employee of Travel, Inc. by now.No calls. No texts. No emails. I frowned slightly. This wasn't exactly how I had envisioned things, but then I had never been bought by a billion-dollar company before. Maybe it took more time than I thought.“Yeah, that's it,” I said to no one in particular. “These things just take time. No reason to be nervous.”I nearly jumped out of my skin when the phone started ringing, vibrating in my hands. I grinned as I recognized the number as one of the extensions of Travel, Inc.“Hel

Present DayI woke up to the sound of rain pounding against the building. There were square-shaped indentations on my cheek from having fallen asleep on my keyboard. At least I hadn't drooled, or my laptop would have been ruined. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and groaned. Technically, I still had another five minutes before I had to get up and catch my flight, but there was no way I was going to get it. I knew I was going to want those five minutes of sleep later today. It had been a long night and was shaping up to be an even longer day.I had been up most of the night with worry. I could feel my business and my future teetering as though on the edge of a knife. I was furious that Logan had been able to hamstring my company in four, well-paid moves. I had called each of my former employees; three had been smart enough not to pick up and the fourth apologized and promptly had an emergency to attend to.After punching a pillow several times and threatening to stomp on my phone, I sta