CHAPTER 7:A Sneak Peek Of Vulnerability

Sophia was perched on the balcony of her room in the early morning sun, the horizon bathed in gold and crimson. In front of her was her open laptop, showing a gazette of photos taken over the last few days. Each image captured a moment—the sun glinting off the waves at the private beach, Claire sketching on the shore beneath a canopy of trees, Emma laughing beside the pool in candid snaps. But in the end it was Ethan's images that she kept returning to.

She could no longer deny it: there was something about him. His confident but warm manner, the slight vulnerability in his eyes when he spoke of his business obstacles, the way he seemed to see her as no one else ever had — it all made her feel unsteady, but delighted.

As she sorted through her work, a knock at her door startled her. "Come in," she called out.

Ethan entered wearing a plain white T-shirt and navy shorts, and had already put my hair back in a series of messy braids from the sand wind. He carried two cups of coffee and offered one to her.

"Figured you could use this," he said, grinning.

Sophia received the coffee and nodded graciously. "Thanks. You're a lifesaver."

"What are you working on?" he asked, leaning over her shoulder while she scrolled through her photos.

Sophia hesitated a moment and then showed him a shot of Claire by the pool. "This is my one of favorite," she said.

Ethan came in closer, faint but intoxicating cologne. "That's incredible. You have a way of capturing more than the scene, you capture the emotion."

Sophia turned, blushing to the other side. "It's just what I love to do. Everybody has a story, and I wanted to tell it through my eyes."

Ethan's expression softened, and for a moment, Sophia believed she could see something deeper behind his typical bravado. "You're not merely talented, Sophia. You're passionate and that's a rare thing."

Her cheeks flushed even more. She tried to deflect. "You're giving me too much credit.

"No, I'm not," Ethan replied firmly. "I mean it."

He sounded sincere enough that her breath caught. His tone had a vulnerability to it that she hadn't expected, and it reminded her of their conversation on one of their breaks. Ethan had confided in Nathan about his struggles and the weight of his own business. His swagger faltered momentarily and she spoke with the memory of how weighed down by expectations the man had been.

"Ethan," she said hesitantly, "about what you told me the other day... your fears about not living up to— I think it was courageous for you to own that."

He blinked, surprised. "We're trained, most people, to not think of vulnerability as bravery."

"I do," Sophia said softly. "It's courageous to be truthful about what frightens you."

Ethan looked at her for a moment, his expression inscrutable. Then he broke into a small, almost shy smile. "You are something, Sophia."

Her heart skipped a beat. She wanted to say more, wanted to reassure him he didn't have to carry it all alone. But just as she was Ethan's phone buzzed on the table, setting the spell broken.

"Sorry," he said, looking at the screen. "I need to take this. It's about the expansion project."

Sophia nodded, hiding her disappointment. "Of course. Go ahead."

Sophia observed Ethan as he walked out onto the balcony to take the call, her mind racing.

That afternoon Sophia took a walk along the beach to clear her head. Her camera was slung across her back, ready to go to work whenever she saw fit. It was refreshing to have the waves crashing against the shore and the salty air.

To her surprise she found Ethan sitting on a boulder, gazing at the horizon. She paused, uncertain whether to go to him and before she could decide, he glanced over and beckoned her.

"Hey," he said, as she walked up. "Needed some air?"

"Yes," Sophia said and sat down next to him. "I figured that you would be busy all day with calls."

"I was," Ethan admitted. "But I needed a break. Sometimes it feels like everything's spinning too fast, and I just need to slow down."

Sophia nodded, knowing precisely what he meant. "This place is kind of a therapeutic loan, isn't it? "The ocean, the quiet … it feels like time stops here."

Ethan smiled. "That's what made me fight so hard to win the contract for this resort. For me, it's not a business—it's an opportunity to build something meaningful."

Sophia watched him, and noted the passion in his eyes. "You are not who I expected, Ethan."

He had one brow arched, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "Oh? What did you expect?"

"Somebody more ... shallow, I suppose," Sophia confessed. "But you care greatly about what you do. And about the people you're around."

Ethan chuckled. "I guess I play that off well, that side of me. But you — you can see right through me, can't you?"

A warmth spread through Sophia's chest, and she smiled. "Maybe."

They sat in companionable silence for a bit, watching the waves. She took a quick candid photo of Ethan gazing at the water with the perfect light catching his profile.

"Did you just photograph me?" Ethan asked, catching her red handed.

"Maybe," Sophia teased.

"Let me see," he said, bending over to view her camera. He smiled when he saw the photo. "Okay, I'll admit, that's a damn good shot."

"It's the subject," Sophia said with a laugh, then caught herself at how suggestively she'd put it. She added quickly, "I mean, the lighting helped."

Ethan chuckled, and it was a contagious sound. "You suck at accepting compliments."

Sophia shrugged, embarrassed but sheepish.

That night while scrolling through her photos, Sophia was captivated by the image of Ethan on the beach. It was something raw, something honest — something that reflected the connection she could feel forming between them.

But she was walking a fine line. Ethan was her client; her personal feelings about him and a business relationship were never going to mix well. But as she gazed at the photo, she couldn't shake the feeling tha

meeting Ethan had altered something with her.

For good or for ill, she was falling for him.