P. P. S. If I catch you driving to get a cappuccino, you will be in even worse trouble
I read it three times.
Only the memory of her stern instructions about breakfast had me reaching for the food instead of doing… anything else.
Panicking, maybe? Possibly crying a little?
I took a bite of the grits as something like the baby of dread and anticipation hounded me, my mind racing.
I hated conflict.Hatedit. But…
But.
I bit down on my plastic spoon. A few things became clear the longer I thought through them.
I’d messed up. And Ireland wanted me to realize it.
She cared enough to talk about this. To want to mend it.
Her words didn’t feel like a test, but more… a challenge.
And I had the feeling it might be the most important one of my adult life.
And I wasnotgoing to fumble it.
35
IRELAND
Even without the hours riding our boards and Delly’s delighted laughs, the time spent in the salty air punctuated by the sound of crashing waves would’ve been worthwhile.
I did everything I could to keep that feeling of calm as I parked Adair’s Jeep on Camellia Lane.
Because if Adair wasn’t who I hoped he was, I would need it. If his actions actually meant he thought so little of our relationship, even as just roommates, that meant I had some serious thinking to do.
Choices to make.
The thought of it made me sick.
Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the driver’s seat and took a deep breath, conjuring the sounds of the Gulf. The crashing and retreating tide, the gulls, the gusting wind. Delly’s giggle when she was finally comfortable enough to push off on her own.
The muffled sound of actual wheels on pavement sounded, and I opened my eyes, smiling slightly when I saw Delly cruising down the street.
I hadn’t even heard her get out of the Jeep, but I was glad to see the stress from yesterday had melted from her posture.
Leaving her to it, I got out of the Jeep and walked up to the front door.
0-5-0-7
Punching in the code eased the turmoil inside me just enough to keep me level, to keep the worst of the intrusive thoughts at bay.
Because Adair was still the guy who’d done this for me. Everything he did before this one boneheaded decision was already working in his favor.
I put my board in its usual place by the door, kicked off my shoes beside it, and set Adair’s keys on the table. I still had on my clothes from teaching ballroom class this morning, but I’d barely broken a sweat, and the breeze from the Gulf had kept me cool too.
Humming the music that refused to leave my head from this morning’s class, I walked straight toward the sound of voices in the living room.
Cole was sitting in the armchair, his blond hair loose as he leaned over and put on his shoes. Adair was sitting on the couch, leg propped up on pillows stacked on the coffee table in front of him.
