AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He put his finger against her lips. "Hush. It's too early for this conversation."
She wondered if it wasn't too late.
"I need coffee," he added.
"We should get back," she agreed. "Megan will be home in a few hours. I'll get the boat going while you get dressed."
Twenty minutes later, the Eleanor was back in dock. Ria felt sorry that the night was over, but as the sun moved higher in the sky, she could no longer live in the world of beautiful illusion that she'd felt the night before. Her real life was about to get started again.
When they got back to her apartment, Ria made coffee and pancakes while Drew flipped through the Sunday morning news programs. She knew she should tell him to leave, but she kept putting it off. They wouldn't have too many more minutes together, and she wanted to make the most of each one.
As she flipped pancakes on to a plate, she got a text from Megan.
"Eric's dad's car got a flat tire. We're waiting for roadside service. Home soon. Had a great time!"
Ria blew out a breath of relief. Megan was fine. The prom was over, and so was the all-night party—one less problem to worry about.
"Everything all right?" Drew asked, as he turned off the television and joined her at the table.
"Megan is running late. Eric's father's car got a flat tire."
"But she's safe."
"Yeah. I'll be happy when I see her face though. She said the prom was great."
"You both had a good night," he said with a grin.
"Well, I hope she wasn't doing what I was doing," she said dryly. "I don't even want to think about that."
"She's sixteen and quite the romantic."
"She's smart, too," Ria said. "And we've been open with each other. I guess I have to trust her."
"Trust is hard for you."
"Yes," she admitted.
"And not just because of this situation," he added. "I think your trust issues go back to your father and maybe your mother, too."
"Are you my shrink now?"
"Sorry. Those pancakes smell good."
"Sit down. They're ready."
"Wonderful," he said between mouthfuls. "There's no end to your talents."
She smiled. "Don’t I know it."
"There's that smart mouth I like so much." He leaned across the table and kissed her. "Maple syrup," he said, licking his lips. "I like it. I could think of a few other places I might like to drizzle that syrup."
Her face warmed at his sexy words. "Stop that, Drew. Megan is going to be home any second, and I don't need either one of us to be hot and bothered."
He grinned. "When you're around I'm always hot and bothered."
She popped the last bite of pancake into her mouth and then said, "I'm going to take a shower. You can do the dishes."
"Or I could take a shower with you," he suggested.
"Not going to happen," she said, tossing her napkin at him, and then she went into the bedroom and shut the door.
When she got into the bathroom, she caught sight of her face in the mirror, and she was actually surprised at her reflection. She couldn't remember the last time she'd looked so alive, so happy. Actually, she could remember the last time. It was a year and a half ago, right after she'd climbed out of Drew's bed.
Moving away from the mirror, she turned on the shower and didn't wait for the water to heat up. She could use a little cold water on her face. She needed to get her head together. Today was a new day.
* * *
Drew cleaned up the breakfast dishes and tried not to think about Ria naked in the shower. The ringing of his cell phone provided a welcome distraction.
"Tim," he said in surprise. "You're up early on a Sunday."
"I picked up a shift last night for John. His wife went into labor."
"That's great news. What did she have?"
"Don’t know yet. Apparently, the labor is still going on. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I spoke to my friend on Isla de los Sueños."
His stomach turned over. He'd forgotten all about Tim's offer to look into Ria's boat accident. And Tim didn't know that he'd met up with Ria again. He'd thought about mentioning it, but Ria was so afraid he'd reveal her whereabouts that he'd kept quiet.
