For several heartbeats, Drew just stood there looking at her, feeling a familiar tug he didn’t want to acknowledge. Wordlessly, he turned and started toward her. He tried to keep his expression light, but he could tell by her faltering smile that he wasn’t quite succeeding. Damn, he was bad at this stuff. Bad for her and her kid. Hell, he was even bad for himself.
He wished he hadn’t come to see her. Wished he hadn’t invited them to fly with him tomorrow. Spending time with her was only asking for trouble. He would never be able to live with himself if he acted on the impulses racing through his brain.
Stepping onto the porch, he stuck out his hand palm up. “Thanks.”
She dropped the keys into his hand, then cocked her head and glanced up at him. “Are you okay?”
He laughed, but the sound was fraught with tension. “I’m fine.”
“You seem...tense.”
“I’m just in a hurry.”
“You’re late for an appointment.”
“Right.”
She didn’t look convinced, so he glanced at his watch as if to prove he wasn’t lying. “Gotta run.”
“See you tomorrow morning,” she said.
Drew’s hands were shaking when he turned away from her. As he made his way down the sidewalk toward his truck, he realized he would never be able to put enough distance between them to avoid what he’d feared most since the terrible day they’d buried Rick. The only question that remained was what he was going to do about it.
Nothing, he assured himself.
Not a damn thing.
Alison assured herself she wasn’t nervous as she parked the Mustang in the gravel lot of Water Flight Tours and shut down the engine. Just because an old friend had invited her and her little boy to join him on a sunrise flight was no reason to get nervous. The only reason he’d invited them in the first place was that he felt guilty for ignoring them during their first tour. Or maybe some misplaced sense of responsibility.
She wasn’t sure which rationale bothered her more.
Drew wasn’t the first person who mistakenly believed that because she was a widow, she was somehow diminished. She could save them both some time and energy by letting him know she neither wanted or needed any special treatment. She certainly didn’t need a knight in shining armor. She might be a widow, but she was far from a damsel in distress.
The only reason she was a little off kilter this morning was that she was getting some strange vibes from Drew. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She’d seen him twice in the last two days and both times he’d seemed uncomfortable and almost desperate to get away from her. At first she’d thought it was just her overactive imagination. It was clear he’d been busy the day she and Kevin had shown up unexpectedly for the tour. But yesterday morning when he’d shown up at her house, he’d been nervous and out of sorts. It was almost as if the only reason he’d come at all was out of duty. Because he’d been Rick’s best friend he felt he owed it to him to look out for his widow.
Alison didn’t need that and neither did Kevin. Duty, however honorable, wasn’t what their friendship was all about. She didn’t need him looking out for her. Sure, the last four years had been difficult. But if she’d learned anything during those first endless months after Rick’s death, it was that time was, indeed, the great healer. Life really did go on. Not only for Kevin, she’d realized, but for herself. Rick would have wanted that for her and for his son. Alison knew that as steadfastly as she knew he’d loved her. The question was, how did she convince Drew that she was doing just fine when he had the misguided notion that he owed her something?
Just tell him, a little voice chimed in. Men understood things best when they were spelled out in black and white. They didn’t do well with subtle. Alison would set him straight today and let him know that he didn’t have to look out for her. That she and Kevin were doing fine, thank you very much.
Of course none of those things explained why she’d changed outfits three times that morning before deciding on the khaki shorts and navy scoop-neck T-shirt. It wasn’t like this was a date or anything. Goodness no. Drew Evans might be a good-looking man—a fact even Alison couldn’t help noticing—but there was no way they could ever be anything more than friends. That was just the way things were. The way she wanted them to be. Evidently, the way Drew wanted them to be, too.
“Mommy, look! There’s the plane!”
Because there were no cars in the parking lot this early in the morning, she let go of Kevin’s hand. “Don’t get too close to the water,” she said.
“I won’t,” he shouted over his shoulder as he took off running toward the plane. “Hey, Drew! We’re ready to go!”
In the predawn darkness, she saw Drew standing just beneath the wing. “Hey there, sprout,” he said as Kevin approached.
She couldn’t see Drew’s face, but his silhouette was unmistakable. Broad, well-developed shoulders. Narrow hips. Legs slightly bowed with muscle. He wore a cap with the visor turned backward. A dark T-shirt revealed a flat belly and arms that were a lot more muscular than she remembered. His jeans were faded and snug, and the sight of his hips packaged so nicely made her look quickly away.
“Morning,” he said to her as she approached.
“Hi.”
He poured from a Thermos and shoved a cup at her. “Nothing fancy, but it’s hot.”
The smell of coffee made her mouth water. “You thought of everything.”
“Mommy, this is so cool! The plane’s tied up to the dock just like a boat!”
“I see that,” she said.
Shoving his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, Kevin grinned. “My mommy and me made a key lime pie last night.”
Drew stared blankly at the boy for a moment as if to ask “Why are you telling me?” “That’s nice,” he said slowly.
“Mommy made it for you.”
“Kevin!” she said sharply, but was too late.
“Mommy said you could come over tonight if you want to. She’s a good cook and won’t even make you put the silverware away if you don’t want.”
Drew glanced over at Alison and raised his brows. “I think there’s an invitation in there somewhere.”
Alison laughed, thankful it wasn’t yet light because her cheeks were on fire. “Kevin and I wanted to...thank you for inviting us here this morning.” She walked over to her son and knelt to tie one of his sneakers. “Why don’t you invite Drew over for dinner the way we talked about it last night, honey?”
Nodding, Kevin grew serious. “Would you like to come over for dinner tonight, Drew?”
For an instant, Drew looked uncomfortable, glancing quickly from Kevin to Alison then back to Kevin. “Hey, that’s nice but you sure don’t have to go to any trouble.”
“The pie’s already made,” Kevin said. “It’s really good. Mommy let me lick the bowl and everything.”
Alison finished knotting the shoelace, then cleared her throat, suddenly nervous because she wasn’t sure if Drew was going to accept their invitation. It had seemed like such a good idea the night before while she and Kevin were making the pie. Now, with