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made it worse.
    Claire sighed. “Christian, please . . .” I could hear the urgency through her tone, “Make the best of it, meet new people. It’s a new place, a new start.”
    I ran my hand through my hair as I stared out over the water, wishing I could. It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried. I’d dated, once even somewhat seriously, but I’d only ended up hurting her. She’d wanted more than I could give, my heart and my hand, and I refused to marry someone I would never real y love. With that realization, the idea of dating had become pointless, and I refused to wake up in another stranger’s bed, so for more than a year, I had slept alone in my own.
    My pause told Mom more than any response I could give, and with the growing unease, I changed the subject.
    “When are you coming out?”
    “Soon. Possibly in the next couple of months.”
    “Good. I miss you already.”
    I could sense my mother’s sad smile, and it made me miss her even more. “I miss you too, sweetheart. Cal me soon, okay.”
    “Okay, Mom. Love you.”
    “I love you too.”
    “Bye.”
    The smal amount of comfort my mother’s cal brought passed quickly, leaving me once again questioning my decision to move to California.
    I lingered by the water for more than an hour after my cal with my mother, immersed in the solitary tranquility of the bay, before final y forcing myself back to my empty condo. I figured since I had taken the day off, I should put it to good use and get some things done before I dove into the massive workload I had waiting for me at the office tomorrow.
    Thankful y, I’d purchased a furnished unit, and the moving trucks had already delivered my belongings from my apartment back in New York, but my kitchen cupboards and refrigerator stil stood barren. Though I was a bachelor, it was rare to find an empty pizza box left haphazardly on my coffee table or frozen meals in my freezer. It wasn’t that I especial y liked to cook but that I liked to eat wel .
    I had to admit there was some draw to San Diego as I climbed into the driver’s seat of my grey Audi A8. I’d had little use for it while living in New York, and I was sure, as I pul ed into the huge parking lot in front of the grocery store and parked in one of the many free spaces, it was something I could easily grow accustomed to.
    Slowly I moved up and down each aisle, fil ing my basket with every item I would need to stock my kitchen.
    The store was not busy, as I presumed was probably common for a Thursday afternoon. I took my time and was in no rush to get back to the emptiness of my condo. I took even more time as I walked through the produce section, inspecting each variety.
    As I fil ed a bag with peaches—I felt it—eyes upon me.
    The fine hairs prickled on the back of my neck, not in dread, but with a sense of awareness.
    Turning to glance over my shoulder, seeking the source, I froze when I was met with the origin.
    She stared back at me, looking at me as curiously as I looked at her, neither of us able to turn away. She was absolutely beautiful. Her black hair was pul ed into a ponytail, a few pieces that had fal en out, and her short bangs framed her round face. Her cheeks were pink against her pale skin, unblemished by the sun, but it was her eyes that stopped my heart in my chest. Their intense blue watched me in fascination, wide and intrigued and so familiar.
    I tried to shake myself out of it and turn away. I was sure my mind was only playing tricks on me, punishing me a little more by teasing me with the idea that I knew this girl.
    But then her mouth turned up in an earth-shattering grin, exposing a row of perfect square teeth so smal , there were little gaps between them.
    The staggering amount of emotion that hit me nearly brought me to my knees as I fel in love with the tiny person in front of me.
    The smal child continued to grin up at me from where she clung to the leg of a woman standing with her back to me. I couldn’t help but smile back at