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“You seem preoccupied. Is this really just about your dad and his new girlfriend? Everything at work all right?”
“Work’s good,” she said. She sighed and burrowed in closer, bringing his erection back to life.
He gritted his teeth and tried to infuse a little humor in the situation. “What? Did you lose at Bunco then?”
He felt her hesitate. “Not exactly.”
He cradled the top of her head with the palm of his hand, then ran his fingers down her wavy auburn hair. Like a lot of women, she complained about her hair. It was either too curly or didn’t do what she wanted when she wanted it to. But he thought it suited her perfectly.
“You know…our one year anniversary is coming up next week,” she said.
A viselike sensation gripped his chest. What had he eaten tonight? Cold pizza. Not the most nutritious of meals. He wasn’t getting any younger. It was probably time he started being more careful about his diet.
“Maybe we can do something special?” she added.
“How about Hawaii? We can rent the same place we did before.” He’d taken her to Hawaii once and she’d loved it. They hadn’t taken a trip in a while. A week in paradise with nothing to do but lie out on the beach and have some marathon sex. Just thinking about it made his indigestion ease off.
“Sure,” she said without much enthusiasm. “If that’s what you want.”
“Or, we could do Europe. Spain is beautiful this time of year.” There were beaches in Spain, too. And beds. Yep. Spain would work.
He felt her shrug. “That sounds…nice.”
Nice. The back of his eyelids began to itch.
“It doesn’t matter what we do,” Kitty said softly, “as long as we’re together.”
The melancholy tone in her voice made his acid reflux come back with a vengeance. Which made absolutely no sense.
And then, like an unexpected hammer to the side of his thick skull, he suddenly got it.
He’d mentally congratulated himself just a few minutes ago for not being an asshole, but he’d been premature. It didn’t take a PhD to figure out what she really wanted for their anni
versary.
She wanted it all.
Marriage and babies, the usual stuff. He’d told her on their second date that he didn’t plan to get married ever again. Three strikes and you’re out. At the time, she’d laughed and told him she didn’t plan on being his fourth mistake.
But that had been almost a year ago and things between them had been good. He’d be lying to himself if he said he hadn’t thought about marriage. But the thought of fucking up another relationship…and this time with her. He didn’t think he could go through that.
Marriage, kids, and a happily ever after. If anyone deserved it all, it was Kitty. But was he the man to give it to her? He needed to figure it out quick. Or he’d lose her. And losing her wasn’t something he was prepared to do. At least, not without a fight.
CHAPTER THREE
Steve glanced at the shop next door to The Bistro by the Beach. The mannequin in the front window was wearing something that belonged in another decade. The sixties, maybe? According to Kitty, this was Donalan’s ex-wife’s place. Compared to the traffic at The Bistro, the shop looked practically deserted. But it was early still, so maybe business wasn’t as bad as it seemed. He ducked inside The Bistro for his usual early morning coffee. He nodded at Zeke Grant, and said hello to a few of the other regulars.
A year ago, if you’d have told him he’d be living in this tiny north Florida beach town, he would have laughed in disbelief. He’d come to Whispering Bay to sever business ties with his old partner, Ted Ferguson. His company had a development in town—Dolphin Isles, a community of reasonably priced tract homes—that he’d wanted to check up on, plus he had family in the area and had been itching to get in some fishing time. But he’d only planned to stay a few weeks, tops. Then he’d met Kitty Burke and his life had been turned upside down fast. Now he had an office and a crew and he, too, was a regular. And life was good. Better than good. Better than he deserved, anyway.
Every morning, Monday through Friday, it was the same routine. He came in to get his coffee, sometimes picking up a muffin or a bagel. He’d make nice with the other customers, exchange a joke or two with Frida, then head to the office. Some days, if he was lucky, he’d get to go out to a construction site. Unfortunately, today wasn’t one of those days. His interview with Donalan was scheduled for ten. Hopefully, it would be short, sweet, and productive. He had a mound of paperwork to get through that would basically tie him to his desk for the rest of the week.
He went up to the counter, but instead of the friendly smiles he was accustomed to, no one came rushing over to take his order. Most of the time, his coffee was already waiting for him by the time he came through the door.
Steve glanced around. The place was busy, as usual, but there was no one else in line except him. Huh. Maybe the girls were in the back stocking or something.
A firm tap on the shoulder made him turn around.
It was Betty Jean Collins, one of those Gray Flamingos. There was a whole pack of them sitting over by the window. They liked to walk early in the morning along the beach then get breakfast at The Bistro. His uncle Gus was a member. So was Gus’s girlfriend, Viola. A half dozen pairs of eyes stared his way, so he placed a hand up in greeting. Gus wasn’t there this morning, but Viola was. She waved back without smiling, which was unusual for her. She wasn’t just Gus’s girlfriend. Steve genuinely liked Viola. She was his next-door neighbor and a good friend to Kitty, too.
