Free Finding Love in Forgotten Cove (Island County Series Book 1) by Karice Bolton Page B

forward to the whole thing, and I’m interested in seeing two Masons’ side by side.”
    Gabby’s mouth curved into a huge grin. “And why would that be?”
    I shrugged my shoulders. “Haven’t met many identical twins.”
    “Well, it can be like you’re seeing double, but they couldn’t be more different.”
    “How so?” I asked.
    “I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. They’re both amazing guys—like truly amazing. But let’s see… for starters, Ayden owns an energy drink business and he’s a tad more refined. He got used to having to sell-sell-sell and kind of looks like he stepped out of Esquire and I’d say Mason is more the—”
    “Rugged and charming brother?”
    Gabby cracked up and leaned against the wall. “Believe it or not, they’re both pretty damn charming, but yeah… I could see that for a comparison.”
    “You know, it’s kind of fun to have the “eye candy but no touch” policy.”
    Gabby shook her head. “No it’s not. That’ll get old real quick. A few more projects around the house and—”
    I threw my napkin at her and it did a pitiful job of floating to the ground.
    “While I appreciate your advice, I know it would be a very bad idea to even entertain that notion. I’m just too tired.”
    “You’re not too tired,” Gabby replied. “You’re scared of letting your guard down. I can see it plastered all over you. You’d rather be alone than chance getting hurt again.”
    “I don’t think it’s quite that extreme.”
    “Of course you don’t. Your type never does.”
    I didn’t know whether to be offended or baffled so I was both. “And how do you know so much about this?” My brow quirked, waiting for an explanation.
    “Because I was that type. I was one of you until Jason showed me the price of keeping my guard up. The thicker the walls around my heart, the more the world around me slipped away. It took the right kind of love to make me see the possibilities. Someday, I’ll fill you in on how we came to be, but that would take far more time than you have. There were a few more bumps in the road than I would have initially thought, but it made us a stronger couple for it.”
    The phone rang and Gabby picked it up on the second ring. It was Jason. I could tell immediately by how her voice changed.
    I stood up and gave her a quick wave. “Hope to hear your love story someday, but don’t expect it to be an incentive plan,” I hollered behind me as I left the bakery.
    My steps quickened at the thought of getting to see Mason tonight, and I couldn’t wait to see if “not serious” could be in my plan.

 
     
     
    “So how was your field trip? Any of those suckers get loose in downtown Seattle?”
    “How in the world did you get so much done already?” I asked, taking a step into the family room. I was in shock. The place looked nothing like I’d left it this morning, and that was a good thing.
    Mason had completely sanded and prepped the wood floors for refinishing, and the stone veneer for the fireplace was sitting in the kitchen, waiting to be installed.
    “I thought it would be a nice surprise for you. I didn’t have anything on my schedule today so I came over early to bust it out.” He stood up from the floor and stretched toward the ceiling. I was almost certain he was taunting me to look, which I did. His hair, jeans, and shirt were covered in a thick layer of sawdust and he had black pads strapped to each knee. I saw the treasure trail lead into his jeans and I had to resist staring. “But you didn’t answer my question. How was today?”
    I knew Mason had something to gain from all this hard work—a house, but when I looked into his eyes, I felt like there was something more driving him to be here.
    “Sorry! This surprise kind of took my breath away. I’m actually hopeful about getting rid of this place quickly before I head back home.” I smiled. “But yeah. Today was really special. The kids loved the museum, and our tour guide was