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"I had to meet my brother at the boat. But I figured I'd stop in here before I left and see if you were around."
"I'm just heading home."
"How's Megan? Has the swelling gone down?"
"It was better this morning. Hopefully by tonight there will be even more improvement."
"Is she still in pain?"
"Not too bad. She stayed home from school, but that was because she didn't want anyone to see her face. I checked in with her at lunch, and she felt well enough to babysit for our neighbor tonight, so I think she's on the mend."
"I'm surprised you let Megan babysit." From what he'd seen Ria kept a tight hold on Megan.
"It's just next door and only until eight."
"It sounds like you're free then," he said, latching on to an impulsive idea. "Why don't I give you a ride home?"
She hesitated. "Drew, we can't keep doing this."
"Doing what?"
"I told you I didn't want to see you again."
"Well, too late for that. I'm here. You're here. And I'm saving you from the bus. It's just a ride."
She stared back at him. "If I take the bus, are you going to be waiting at my building when I get home?"
"There is that possibility," he conceded.
"Fine, I'll take the ride."
"Great." As they walked out to the parking lot, he said, "How was your day on the bay?"
"I wasn't on the bay today. We don't offer lessons on Mondays or Tuesdays. They're usually my days off, but the receptionist in the office is away, so I agreed to fill in and pick up some money."
"Office work doesn't sound like your style."
"It's not my first choice, but whatever pays the bills."
He opened the car door for her and was surprised when she gave him an odd look. "What?" he asked.
"Nothing." She slid into the seat.
He shut the door and walked around to the driver's side. As he fastened his seatbelt, she said, "I can't remember the last time anyone opened a door for me."
"My father drilled manners into me at an early age. Always open a door for a lady. Always pull out her chair. I don't even think about it; I just do it."
"It's nice. Your dad sounds like a good role model."
"He is. He's bigger than life. A hard act to follow."
"Really? Even for a daredevil helicopter pilot?"
"I'm not a firefighter. He would have preferred I follow in the family tradition."
"Why didn't you?"
"My heart was in flying," he said simply.
"How did your dad take it when you told him?"
"He tried to hide his disappointment. It helped that both Burke and Aiden were already firefighters. And Emma was also on her way to becoming a firefighter and then a fire investigator, so he gave me his guarded blessing."
"I'm sure he was proud of your service, Drew."
"Yeah, he was." As he drove down the street, he added, "By the way, we have to make one quick stop."
"Where?"
"My grandfather's house. It will take less than two minutes."
"I don't want to meet your grandparents," she said, her brows knitting together in a frown.
"Why not? They're nice people."
"I'm sure they are, but my goal is to get you out of my life, not to get myself into yours."
"My goal is to get you to trust me. Once you meet my grandparents, and you see the kind of solid stock I come from, you'll have no choice but to trust me."
She sighed. "I told you it wasn't just about trust."
"That's the first step."
"Is it really only going to take two minutes?"
"Five minutes at the most," he assured her.
Chapter Eleven
Five minutes had turned into ten, with no end in sight as Ria and Drew waited for his grandmother to appear. A middle-aged woman named Doris had let them into the two-story, three bedroom condo on Lake Street and explained that Patrick had run to the store. Eleanor was just getting up from a nap and would be with them shortly.
Doris had left them in the living room, and up until now, Ria had been sitting patiently on the couch. But she was starting to wonder just how long this quick stop was actually going to take.
"Drew—"
