Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Ana and Kyr looked at each other.
Choose me. He begged her with his eyes, but somehow it didn’t feel enough, and before he knew it, he was already repeating the words out loud, his throat tightening with pain with every syllable.
“Choose me.”
And they both knew he was figuratively on his knees, begging for her to stay.
Ana’s head bowed, preventing him from seeing her face. But even so, he heard her loud and clear.
“I’m sorry, Kyr. I can’t.”
He turned around wordlessly, his heart breaking into pieces with each step that took him further away from Ana. By the time he was back on the island, his feet sinking in the hot, powdery white sand of Teleios, he no longer had a heart, and Kyr was glad.
PART II
Chapter One
Four Years Later
Summer had come to the party island of Teleios, which had been steadily making its way to everyone’s lists of top travel destinations. Always the busiest season of the year, summer meant more work and hand in hand with this was the promise of more income. Buoyed by the thought of another productive year ahead of them, the atmosphere in the island was bustling with cheerful activity, and adding to the locals’ excitement was the knowledge that soon, their beloved island would once again be teeming with the world’s rich and famous. Celebrities, rock stars, business legends – all of them would be here, and the residents of Teleios would have the exclusive privilege of serving them.
For Pollyanna Graham, it was even more exciting, being her first time in Teleios. Only someone living under a rock wouldn’t have known of the island’s rising popularity and the way it was fast becoming the favorite vacation spot of every A-lister on the planet. She hadn’t even dared to dream of visiting Teleios until the day her parents received a letter from their best friends, Ezio and Dinah. They were also Pollyanna’s godparents, and the couple had written to invite her to stay with them for the summer.
It would mean part-time work at the farm, but even so we believe she will enjoy her time in the island. There is nothing quite like it, as you two have experienced during your visit. More than that, as she’ll soon be taking up hotel management in university, we believe her time here in Teleios can be a credit to her future profession.
And now she was here, Pollyanna thought happily.
Tying her long, strawberry blonde hair in a high ponytail, she stepped out of the house to begin another beautiful day at work. The thought had her smiling to herself because in truth, what her godparents had tasked her to do didn’t feel work at all.
A morning person raised to be self-reliant, Pollyanna had no problem at all waking up at the crack of dawn, preparing her own breakfast, then heading to the fields for her chores. Possessing a rare combination of cheerful optimism and a perfectionist streak, Pollyanna was happily meticulous in the way she cut stems, gathered flowers, and tallied her output for the year.
Her so-called work typically finished an hour or so before lunch, with her godfather taking over to load the flowers into the delivery van while his wife was responsible for bookkeeping. The three of them would enjoy a leisurely lunch afterwards, sometimes in the cozy warmth of the kitchen and other times in the patio of the Floros’ small but picturesque hilltop home.
Afternoons and evenings were for Pollyanna to spend any way she wanted, and so far there hadn’t been a day where she found herself lacking something enjoyable to do. But then, she was a simple girl at heart, with a natural ability to enjoy life’s smallest pleasures. Unlike most girls her age, she relied neither on money nor the latest gadgets to be happy.
“You’re so lucky to live here,” Pollyanna told her godmother wistfully while helping clear the table.
“You know my answer to that.” Dinah smiled affectionately at the eighteen-year-old girl, whose candid honesty she found very much endearing.
Pollyanna returned the smile, albeit ruefully. “Don’t tempt me, Nona.” The first time she had expressed her pleasure over Teleios, Dinah had told her she was free to stay with them for as long as she wanted. It was a thought that was proving harder and harder to resist the more time she spent on the island.
“I just don’t want you to forget you have options,” the older woman said innocently. “And if you’re worried about university, well, that’s what online courses are for, don’t you think? Unlike other islands, our Internet connection here is a lot faster. We only have—-”
“—-to respect Polly’s need to make the decision for herself,” her husband finished, but his eyes were twinkling. Gesturing towards the door, Ezio said, “Time for you to leave before my wife ends up twisting your arm into staying.” His voice was gruff, but his eyes were twinkling with amusement.