Free From This Moment On: Heartwarming Contemporary Romance (Windswept Bay Book 1) by Debra Clopton Page B

her twisting over him awkwardly, with her hand trapped blissfully against his cheek.
    Groaning, she closed her eyes and as easily as she could, she tugged her fingers from his and ran.
    She didn’t turn around until she was on the elevator and pushing the down button.
     
    Grant rolled over and rubbed his eyes as sunlight assaulted them. His head pounded. Sitting up, he looked around and for a moment, forgot where he was. Cali.
    The painting.
    He rubbed a hand down his face as bits came back in a rush. Everyone probably thought he was crazy. He was starving.
    He glanced at the clock. It was three in the afternoon. But what afternoon?
    His phone buzzed in his pocket and he reached for it. He saw Cam’s ID and answered. “Hey,” he said, his voice still gruff with sleep.
    “Are you alive?”
    “Yeah, I am. Starting to come back now.”
    “Well, that’s a good thing since you have my sister worried sick.”
    “Sorry about that. This was a tough one. But, Cam, it’s good.” He felt light, and knew he’d done right by Cali and her resort. The mural was one of his best. In the waters of that waterfall, he’d given his all. Finding Cali crying on his balcony the day he’d shown her the drawings had been like an arrow to his heart. He’d wanted to kiss her, to hold her and wipe those blasted tears away for good. But all he’d known at that moment that he could really do for her was give her the paintings she wanted so badly. And that was what he was doing.
    When he’d escorted her to his door, he’d been distracted by all the emotions she caused in him when she was near. The tears had just upped the stakes.
    “Yeah, Cali told me it was unbelievable.” Cam cut into Grant’s thoughts. “She’s worried about you, though. You’ve been asleep for more than twenty-four hours. Is that normal?”
    “No, not exactly. But since I haven’t had a good night of sleep since the plane went down and I worked nonstop on the mural, I guess it is this time. I need a shower and food. I’m sorry I worried everyone. Cali?”
    “Yeah, man. Cali has called me twice, wanting me to call you. I finally decided maybe I better. Glad to have you back in the world of the living. Hopefully in more ways than one. Get a shower. I’ll call Cali.”
    “Thanks.” She was worried about him. That was a good thing.
    He hung up and headed toward the shower. He’d dreamed Cali had tucked him in and caressed his cheek. It felt real.
    It felt right.
     
    “Is he alive up there?”
    Cali nibbled on the inside of her cheek and stared at Shar. “Of course he is.”
    “It’s nearly three and no one, other than you, has seen him since he handed you his paintbrush yesterday at one.”
    “I called Cam again. I am not going back to his room. He needs sleep. He was wiped out. I think it had something to do with the stress of the plane crash and the stress of not being sure he had another painting inside him. He needs sleep. He looked worn-out, even when he was sleeping.”
    Shar frowned. “Okay, but I need to go to the hospital and help. Let me know when Sleeping Beauty wakes up.”
    “I will.”
    Jillian watched their sister leave and then turned back to Cali. “I bet you’re right. Maybe he’s been sleepless and depressed, at least to some degree, since the plane crash. Maybe this helped him.”
    Cali wasn’t sure she’d classify it as depression, but it could be. He was alive and his friends were dead and the tragedy had left a toll on him that not everyone could see.
    She hoped knowing he could still paint would help him.
    Sleep had evaded her last night. Thoughts of him had kept her awake and curled up with a blanket on her porch swing.
    There was a quick knock on the door and Grant looked around the corner. “Well, I’m alive.”
    Jillian jumped up and hurried to him. “You scared us. Come in. How are you? You must be starved.”
    “I’m famished, actually, and alive. I thought I’d see if your sister would ride with me to eat