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Ria had been fighting that battle for a couple of weeks and had finally given in. Megan's group of friends was renting a hotel room for the night, because according to Megan and her best friend, Lindsay, that's what everyone did. Finally, Ria had said yes rather than risk pushing Megan into doing something stupid and more dangerous.
"You can still do the after party," she agreed.
Megan looked relieved. "Good." A sparkle of mischief filled her eyes, "Maybe you should go out on a date Saturday night, too."
"I don't think so," she said, as she grabbed her keys and bag.
"Why not? Drew is hot."
"Drew and I are not dating."
"He wants to date you. He told me so in the car."
She frowned. "What else did he tell you?"
"Not much. How come you never told me about him?"
"There was nothing to tell," she said quickly.
"He's the guy, isn't he?" Megan asked with a gleam in her eyes. "You said you started something with someone that you couldn’t finish. It was him, wasn't it?"
"Yes," she admitted. "But I'm no longer interested in Drew."
"Are you sure? I thought I interrupted something last night."
"Megan, please, let it go," Ria said, feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. "I don't want to talk about Drew, especially with you."
"I'm the only one you can talk to, and I don't see why you can't go on a date. It's been over a year and a half. We're supposed to be living a normal life. I hate that you're always working or staying home because of me."
"Don't worry about me, Megan."
"You gave up a lot for me. I want you to be happy, too."
"Maybe I could go out with someone new, someone that I meet now. But Drew is part of my past, and I've told him so many lies, there's no way I can untangle them all. Plus, I can't risk a connection to the island and that's where I met Drew."
"You met him on the island?" Megan asked in surprise.
"Yes, right before we left." She held up her hand to stop any further questions. "I'm leaving now. Remember, no visitors."
Megan made a face at her and tossed her crumpled napkin in her direction. "Go to work."
"Don't forget to—"
"Lock the door after you. I've got it."
Ria left the apartment, pausing in the hall until she heard the dead bolt slide into place, then she headed to work.
* * *
Drew worked seven a.m. to four p.m. on Monday, flying shore patrol, searching for disabled vessels and possible threats to homeland security. As he flew over the bay, he was reminded of his sailing lesson with Ria, and how different the view of the city had looked from the water. Ria had been different on the boat, too. She'd been relaxed, happy, two emotions that had quickly vanished with the urgent phone call from Megan.
He still couldn’t believe Ria was now raising a sixteen-year-old, but he was beginning to understand that her situation was much more complicated than he had initially imagined. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about her, but after their kiss at the end of the night, he knew there was no way in hell he was going to just walk away, not with so many unanswered questions.
After work, he headed down to the marina, to meet up with Aiden and Burke, and to drop off his check for his share of the boat.
He couldn't help looking for Ria when he got to the docks, but she was nowhere in sight, and the boat she'd used the day before was in its slip. No surprise, really, it was almost five o'clock on Monday; there were few boats left on the bay.
When he hopped on to the Eleanor, he found Aiden alone on the boat. He was sitting on the bench and seemed to be lost in thought.
He hadn't seen his brother this contemplative in a long time. "Hey. Is everything okay?" he asked, sitting across from him.
Aiden straightened. "Yeah, it's all good. Or it will be if you brought your share of the money."
"I've got it. Where's Burke?"
"He gave me his check earlier today. One of his crew fell through the roof on a fire last night and ended up in the hospital with a broken leg. Burke wanted to spend some time at the hospital."
"Understandable."
"Sure."
"Okay, what's wrong?" Drew asked, as Aiden once again seemed to lose track of their conversation. "You're never this quiet. Are you having second thoughts?"
