Read Online Tattooed Hearts by Mika Jolie - Free Book Online Page B

wolf pack sat,
waiting.
     
    * * * *
     
    Ten long years and
nothing had changed. Forrest was everywhere. He occupied every space in
Claire’s mind and heart. That explained why she was on the ferry this cold
winter evening, crossing the Atlantic Ocean back to Martha’s Vineyard. A wild
wind whipped a mass of ebony hair, prodding her face . With a hot cup of cocoa wrapped in
black fingerless gloves, she lifted her chin, eyes closed, and relished the fierce, frigid air rushing
around her.
    “Oh, my gosh , you’re Claire Peters! Can we take a
picture?”
    Her day had started at three a.m. in her Los Angeles apartment,
quickly eating a mix of fruit and yogurt and drinking a cup of coffee before
heading to her first television appearance of the day. After she completed the
taping, stuck in a bumper-to-bumper limo ride to a
meeting, she had leaned over and changed her destination.
    Six hours later, after
a flight from L.A. to Boston, this ferry ride, and an anxious heart, she was
exhausted. But she didn’t get where she was alone, and for that she would never
complai n when people recognized her.
    “Absolutely,” she said
with a smile to the two excited girls. They looked to be of college age. “Are
you from the island?” She didn’t recognize them. Not that she knew everyone , she
wasn’t there enough anymore for the closenes s.
    “No,” the brunette
answered. “We’re here for the weekend. We go to Northeastern University.”
    Forrest’s
alma mater. Her heart fluttered like a butterfly learning to fly.
    “We don’t want to
bother you,” the other girl with a ponytail said, cell phone ready for the picture. “By the way, I love your middle name.
What does it mean?”
    “Yasō,” she said the
middle name she rarely used. “It means wildflower.” She squeezed between the
two girls and smiled for the selfie.
    After a couple rounds
of thank you and names were exchanged, the two girls
stayed true to their words and retreated back to their chairs. Claire leaned on
the rail and exhaled, her breath forming clouds.
    Few passengers stood
nearby, their voices simmering with excitement, completely oblivious to the Massachusetts bitter winter. The same college girls now
giddily discussed the possibility of hooking up with a Kennedy or any other
local, now that the only Montgomery was married. She didn’t have the heart to
tell them this time of year the island was lik e
Stephen King’s The Shining with a population of barely
fifteen-thousand people scattered over six towns.
    Claire on the other
hand was reminded of why she’d stayed away the last four months. In the cold
months, once all the tourists were gone, the island became
dismal and desolate. And, oh yes, she had thrown herself at Forrest but he
hadn’t taken the bait. Instead he reminded her why Martha’s Vineyard was no
longer her home. She was temporary. So she’d stayed away.
    Until
now.
    Four months ago,
caught up in the magic of Jason and Minka’s wedding,
she gave in to her deepest desires and kissed Forrest. The audacious move got
her nowhere. He walked away, but not fast enough. With just a kiss, he had
crushed down all the walls and freed her heart. The fist-sized powerhouse had expanded and contracted with life.
    Treacherous,
unreliable heart.
    That’s why she was on
this ferry. Time to let Forrest go
or surrender to her heart. Either way, she craved closure and a much-needed break. Her choice. Probably not the smart est career move to walk away in the middle of a promotional
tour, but she needed the break. After years of touring, filming a movie, and
designing countless wedding gowns, she was burned out. Her creativity had dried
up and she couldn’t write a song to sav e her life.
More importantly, her career felt like a chore of late. The happiness it once
provided had dissipated.
    Two weeks she told
James, her manager of the last ten years. Two weeks without anything to do. Two
weeks to be Claire Yasō Peters. Two weeks to figure out no