“Your place,” she said.
“I figured we could watch the sunset and talk without being interrupted. I do have to warn you I don’t have much in the way of furniture right now. But I did dig up a blanket to put on the floor.”
“You know how to show a girl a good time.”
As they walked to the elevator, she wondered if he had anything else in mind. But as the thought formed, she dismissed it. This was Dylan. He would never presume that sex was on the table. Besides, they hadn’t seen each other in years and years. They were barely friends. They’d been in love once, but that had been so long ago.
For a second she allowed herself to wonder what it would have been like if things had been different. If they’d stayed together. They would now be Dr. and Dr. Harrington. Maybe with a couple of kids. The concept was so at odds with her life, it was like envisioning living on Mars.
They walked out of the elevator and toward a large wooden door. Dylan opened it, then motioned for her to go first.
A short hallway forced a left turn, then she stepped out into an open-concept condo with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of the Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
In the early evening, there were just enough clouds to block the sun. Patches of blue sky showed through. She could see the peninsula and boats. The water was smooth, reflecting light that seemed to shimmer.
“Amazing,” she murmured. “That doctor thing is working out for you.”
He chuckled. “It has its advantages.”
He set their dinner on the granite countertop, then collected a comforter from the corner. As he’d warned, there wasn’t much in the way of furniture. There were a couple of folding chairs, a coffee table and a massive TV mounted above the fireplace.
“You made sure you have a TV but you don’t have a sofa?” she asked as she helped him smooth out the blanket.
“I have priorities. Actually the TV came with the unit. I’ve ordered furniture. It’s supposed to be here in the next few days.”
He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of beers. She took the food to the comforter and sat down. Her second picnic meal in a week, she thought, knowing that it wouldn’t be polite to compare the two men or dates.
“How are you adjusting to being back?” she asked as she passed out food.
He opened the beers and joined her. “It’s going to take a while. The practice is pretty typical for the suburbs. Any trauma cases go to the hospital on the mainland.”
Dylan had graduated from medical school several years ago and done the usual residency, but then he’d taken a fellowship. Two years working with poor families in Appalachia.
“Not used to having a hospital to fall back on?” she asked.
“For a while, I was all there was.” He unwrapped his sandwich. “Poverty makes it difficult to stay healthy. A lot of homes lacked the basics, like clean running water and sanitation. Not like here.”
“Are you questioning your decision to come back?”
“It’s done now,” he said, picking up his beer. “I told my dad I’d return, so I did.”
“But if you hadn’t?”
He gave her a wry smile. “I wouldn’t mind trying something different. Maybe becoming a trauma specialist.”
“You’re right, that’s different.”
“What about you? Happy with your work?”
“Most days. It’s satisfying. I like working with kids. Andi’s great. You met her, right?”
He nodded. “My parents had her and her husband Wade over for dinner. I remember Wade and his brother. Zeke was a senior when I was a freshman. He was a football god.”
She laughed. “That made an impression on you?”
“Sure. I was scrawny and picked-on. I wanted to be a football god.”
“Your parents would never have allowed it. What if your precious brain had been damaged?” She smiled. “My son, the doctor. They’re your dad’s favorite words.”
Dylan’s green gaze settled on her face. “I hope he didn’t talk about me too much.”
“It was fine. By the time I went to work for him, I was long over you.” She picked up her sandwich. “You weren’t all that.”
Actually he had been, and he’d broken her heart, but why go there?
“I handled our breakup badly,” he admitted. “I’m sorry about that.”
She was saved from answering by having to chew. When she swallowed, she said, “It was years ago, Dylan. Don’t sweat it.”
“I want to apologize. We’d been together a long time. We’d talked about getting married, and then it was over.”
All true, she thought, preparing to be magnanimous about the whole thing when he added, “Just because you changed the rules doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have behaved better.”
She put down her sandwich. “Excuse me? How did I change the rules?”
He frowned. “We were going to be together, Nina. You said you’d come to Seattle for college.”
“I couldn’t. Not for four years. There wasn’t enough money.” Not to mention the responsibilities she had at home. “We don’t all have rich parents able to foot the bills.”
“It was more than that. We had plans, and then you changed your mind.”
“I didn’t. I wanted to be with you. I wanted you to wait.”
“I’d been waiting. You changed your plans without talking to me. That’s why I broke things off.”
He was taking the past and twisting it, she thought furiously. How could he blame it all on her? She’d been working her butt off, saving for college, taking care of her sister, working in the store and handling school.
His mouth twisted. “I don’t want to fight about what happened. You’re right. I ended it. I’m sorry for that.”
A peace offering. She picked up her sandwich, then put it back down. “You’d gone off to college. It was bound to happen. Having your parents pushing you to find someone else didn’t help.”
His expression softened. “They never expected us to stay together as long as we did.”
Because for the first two years of his college career, he’d stayed faithful. He’d come home on weekends, had her visit him. They’d still been wildly in love. But the summer after she graduated, everything changed.
“They had to step up their campaign,” Nina said, poking at her potato salad. “They didn’t know there was no way I could join you at UW.” She started to say again that she’d been struggling with a lot of things at home, but held back. She was still trying to put together the pieces. Did Dylan really believe she’d been the one to change the rules?
“I’m sorry,” he repeated.
“Apology accepted. It’s not like we both didn’t move on, right?” She reached for her sandwich.
“It took a while for me. After college, I came back for you.”
She dropped her sandwich onto the paper bag and stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
“It had been two years, and I still missed you.”
“You never came to see me.”
He picked up his beer. “You were getting married. To Serge.”
She groaned. “No. You didn’t.”
“I was there that weekend.” He took a drink, then raised his eyebrows. “Serge?”
“I have no excuse.”
“You married him.”
“Something I still can’t explain.” Nina thought about her lone impulsive act. She’d met a tattooed biker on Wednesday, had sex with him on Thursday, eloped with him on Friday. By the following Tuesday, she’d been filing for an annulment.
“I was looking for something,” she admitted.
“A guy named Serge.”
“Will you please let that go?”
“No. I plan to hold it over your head forever.”
She laughed. “Okay, then. As long as we’re playing fair.” She studied his face. “Did you really come back for me?”
“Yeah, I did.”
She felt a whisper of regret brush acros
s her heart. “Then you went off to medical school and forgot all about me.”
“You forgot about me in Serge’s arms.”
She sighed. “For what it’s worth, I was never impulsive again.”
“As long as you learned your lesson.”
“I did.”
She took another bite of her sandwich. As she chewed, she wondered what would have been different if there hadn’t been a Serge. If she and Dylan had done what they’d always talked about. Become doctors together.
Sometimes, like when she’d taken the MCAT, she told herself it wasn’t too late. That she could walk away from her life and follow her dream. But then something happened. Something mundane and silly and she got distracted. Which made her wonder if her dream was all that important to her. Did she really want to be a doctor or did she just want to talk about it? If she meant what she said, why hadn’t she done anything about it?
She raised her bottle of beer toward him. “A toast,” she said. “To you. You did what you said you would do.”
“That’s not so hard.”
“Sometimes it is. Welcome home, Dylan.”
“Thanks.”
Their bottles clinked.
“How are your folks?” she asked.
He groaned. “My mother’s already talking about grandchildren.”
“In general, or does she want you to get married first?”
“She wants a big wedding.”
“Any prospective brides on the horizon?”
“No, but that doesn’t seem to bother her. She bought me towels. They were green, with flowers.”
“To match your eyes?” she asked sweetly.
“Hey, whose side are you on?”
Nina laughed. As she bit into her sandwich again, she remembered that she’d been dreading her evening with Dylan. Now that she was here, she wasn’t sure why. Whatever had happened between them, they’d always been friends. He was a good guy. Wrong about their past, but still fun to be around.
“Thanks for inviting me over,” she said impulsively. “I’m glad we did this.”
“Me, too.”
* * *
Averil walked into the kitchen. She wasn’t sure of the time, but it was obviously after seven-thirty because Nina was gone. There was still coffee in the pot and boxes of cereal on the counter. Penny lay in a patch of morning sun—her relaxed state attesting to the fact that she’d been let out and had her breakfast.
“You really don’t need me here, do you?” she asked the dog.
Penny thumped her tail on the floor.
Averil poured coffee, then sat at the table. She hadn’t slept well and didn’t know the reason. It wasn’t that she was overly tired. She wasn’t doing much of anything. She’d written all the articles due for the next three weeks. She couldn’t bring herself to look at her novel. Which left her, tragically, with nothing to do in her day.
Telling herself she needed time to think, to discover her inner self, made her feel like a self-indulgent child. But what else was there?
She carried her coffee with her to the bathroom and showered. After dressing and eating breakfast, she looked at the clock. It was nearly nine. The rest of the day stretched out endlessly.
“Fine,” she muttered and collected her car keys. After grabbing Penny’s leash, she called to the dog and together they made their way to her car. Five minutes later, she pulled into the gravel parking lot of Blackberry Preserves.
Cindy was by the cash register. She smiled when she saw Averil.
“Hi. What brings you here this morning?”
Averil drew in a breath. “I wondered if you needed any help in the store. With the cleanup or data entry or whatever.”
She braced herself for questions. Why would she feel the need to ask in her own family’s store? Didn’t she have anything better to do with her time? Had she really run away from her life, driving over a thousand miles to do it, only to end up in here?
But all Cindy said was, “Sure. I’d love some help. Where would you like to start?”
Chapter Ten
NINA COULD BARELY breathe. She was tingling and fluttery and about to jump out of her skin. “Insanity,” she murmured, slipping into flats before dashing out of her bedroom.
The afternoon had crawled, and now it was five to six and she didn’t know how she was going to survive the next three hundred seconds.
What if he was late? What if he had to cancel? She shook her head, refusing to consider the possibility. Kyle had been released or relieved or whatever it was that allowed him to leave the base. He’d called and was on his way. She was going to see him in a few minutes. They were spending a casual evening together. Alone. Until then she could—
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” she yelled as she hurried toward the door. She flung it open and saw him standing on the porch. His grin was easy and welcoming, his gaze appreciative. It was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms.
“Hi,” she said, suddenly nervous and unsure of what to do with her hands.
“Hi. I can’t believe I had to wait so long to see you again.”
Which was the exact right thing to say, she thought as she shoved her house key into her purse and stepped out to join him.
“Me, too,” she admitted.
His grin turned triumphant. “So, you missed me.”
“Yes.”
“A little or a lot?”
She laughed. “More than I wanted.”
“I’ll take that.” He put his arm around her and drew her against him. “Ready to go?” he asked before kissing the top of her head.
“Yes.”
They walked to his ridiculous car. He opened the passenger door for her, but before she could slide inside, he turned her so they were facing, then leaned in and kissed her.
His mouth was warm and welcoming, his tongue insistent. She parted for him and felt the instant heat that flared in her body. It was as if she were melting from the inside out. She had no choice but to wrap her arms around his neck and hang on for the ride.
He settled his hands on her waist, as if to hold her steady. The way the world was spinning right now, she needed an anchor, she thought, savoring the need pulsing through her in time with her rapidly beating heart.
He drew back slightly. The grin was gone, as was the easy acceptance. Instead he looked dark and dangerous, a man on the sexual edge.
He swore under his breath. “You’re not supposed to get to me that much,” he told her.
Words to make her breath catch. “I thought I was your dream girl.”
“You are, but I figured I’d stay in charge.”
She smiled. “Silly man.”
“I guess.” He sucked in air. “Okay, then. Dinner. There’s a place up the coast where they serve—”
She put her hand over his mouth to silence him. He stopped talking and looked at her. One eyebrow rose inquisitively.
She knew the sensible course, knew what was supposed to happen. There was a sequence to these sorts of things. Rules existed for a reason—mostly to keep everyone...rational. Appropriate. Only she didn’t care about that. She didn’t care about saying no or waiting or what she should do.
She wasn’t fooling herself. She knew Kyle wanted a fling—if she could use that term. He wasn’t looking for an actual relationship. She was someone he wanted to have sex with. He was charming and honest and really good at making her feel like a princess. These days, that was fairly extraordinary.
“I’m not that hungry,” she told him.
Kyle’s expression tightened. She felt the muscles moving under her fingers. She dropped her arm to her side and held his gaze. “And I’d love to see your place.”
There was a shift in his eyes. Something hot and male flared before being tamped down but not extinguished. “Dinner can wait,” he told her, his voice low and full of anticipation.
She started to get into the car, only to pause. “You have condoms, right?”
One corn
er of his mouth turned up. “I have condoms.”
* * *
The drive went by faster than Nina would have thought. They went over the bridge connecting Blackberry Island to the mainland, then south toward Everett. She would guess he had a small apartment near the base.
Sure enough, he pulled up to a four-story building. There was a nice garden out front and big windows, but otherwise it was unremarkable.
It wasn’t until they were in the elevator that she felt the first of the nerves start to kick in. Her chest was tight, and her hands felt as if they were shaking. She thought about her last Pilates class, when she’d been forced to admit she was desperately out of shape. Her thighs were flabby, her tummy too fat and her breasts hadn’t been perky in at least three years.
She wasn’t having second thoughts, exactly. Because the truth was, she wanted to have sex with Kyle. She wanted his kisses on her mouth, his hands on her body. She wanted to feel him inside of her and mostly she wanted that soul-clearing moment of release.
If only she could use a better body to get there.
He led the way to the apartment door, then used his key to let them in. She stepped inside, half expecting some scary bachelor pad filled with pictures of lingerie models and beer cans. Instead she found herself in a large light-filled living room dominated by a black leather sofa. There was a TV above the fireplace and a glass coffee table but nothing else. The carpet was vacuumed, the surfaces clear of clutter.
Kyle dumped his keys and cell phone onto a small table by the door. His actions seemed automatic. She wondered if it was a fighter pilot thing. He had to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice and couldn’t spend valuable time looking for his keys.
She could see a bit of the kitchen, and it looked as clean as the living room. She could guess he didn’t spend a lot of time in his apartment, but when he was here, he wasn’t making a mess.
“Your mom taught you well,” she murmured.
He smiled. “I’ll tell her you approve.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
He faced her. “Nervous?”
“Very.”
“Me, too.”
She shook her head. “No way. You’re the great-looking younger man. You win just by showing up.”
Evening Stars Page 11