One Lavender Ribbon (31 page)

An hour later, she and Will sat on her back steps, wrapped in big beach towels. The sun was getting ready to set on the horizon, and its movement sparked a shower of vibrant colors. The powdery blue sky turned to deep purple, dark pink, and finally orangey-yellow, a heavenly fireworks display for their benefit.

Will stood and lit the torches on her deck. He sat back down beside her. “Are you cold?” he whispered against her ear.

She snuggled toward him. “No, I’m very warm.”

“Listen, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”

She looked over, giving him her full attention. “What do you mean?” The setting sun was beautiful, but so was Will.

He shrugged. “I can’t explain it, but you’ve made my relationship with Pops even better.” His face left hers, and he focused on the water. “Also, you forced me to take a hard look at myself, and I didn’t really like what I saw.”

She watched him. Will Bryant was growing and changing right before her eyes. “Will, can we talk about your parents?”

Slam, slam, slam, slam.
Four walls came up. But she’d spent enough time resisting the urge to dive into this conversation. Those walls wouldn’t deter her.

“Look, I know you struggle with their decision to stay in Africa. I just want to understand.”

He stared at the darkening water. “Do you remember your senior year of high school?”

“Sure,” she said. “Everybody does. It’s your last year of being a kid. Everything that happens, good or bad, is golden because you know it’s the last time you’ll experience it.”

“You know what I remember about my senior year?” He didn’t give her time to answer. “I remember my mom and dad selling eighty percent of our furniture. I remember them celebrating when they got their passports. I remember them spending countless hours a day learning some obscure language for people they didn’t even know.”

“You feel like your parents’ going to work overseas was more important to them than your senior year?” A cold breeze snuck up the side of her legs, and she pulled the towel closer.

He faced her. “I think that for an entire year I was brutally reminded that if it wasn’t for me, they would have left long ago. It was like a yearlong celebration that I would finally be out of their way.”

“Are you sure that’s how they felt? Have they said that?”

“Some things are louder when they’re not said.”

“And some things are bitterly misunderstood when they’re not said.” So many things she should have said to Eric early on in their marriage. Maybe it would have kept him from becoming such a tyrant.

“I know that,” he conceded. “But you can’t really have a heart-to-heart on a crackling satellite phone from five thousand miles away.”

Will pivoted so he could lean forward, elbows resting on his thighs. “I have wanted to ask my dad why. My parents aren’t cruel people by nature. I know they love me. But their actions . . . ”

Adrienne nodded and reached around him. Her gaze followed his to the dark water, the glow of the moon melding with the torches and creating fire sparks of illumination. Surprising herself, she put her hands on Will’s face and turned him to look at her. So much pain in those green eyes. She started to lean forward to kiss him but stopped. Again, the eyes. She wanted to ease that pain. Be the answer. Be his answer. Letting the beach towel fall away, she pushed her lips against his. Their faces came together in a sweet, tender movement. Warm, strong hands slid over her back to cradle her against him.

She was crushed inside his capable hold, feeling safer than she’d ever felt before, unconcerned about her salt-sticky body or the mess that was her hair. Because Will . . . well, Will made everything better. She didn’t have to care about her appearance, and that was liberating.

Her hands slid upward slowly, tangling into his hair. She was slipping, spiraling down an oiled slide into a vat of rich sweetness. And she was almost there, almost lost when he broke the kiss.

Hungry green eyes captured her as she dragged her lids open. He brushed his thumb across her mouth, but the spell was broken. Such a gentleman. Just like his grandfather.

Will pulled a deep breath and exhaled a shaky one. “You are the most captivatingly beautiful woman I’ve ever dated.”

Trying to calm the tribal drum that had replaced her heartbeat, she opted for humor. If she gave herself to anything else, they’d end up . . . well, they’d end up doing something she wasn’t sure she was ready for. “Who says I’m dating you?”

“You better be or this is completely scandalous.” His fingertips played with the end of her wind-dried hair.

“I haven’t had enough scandal in my life.”

“Nor have I,” he said in a playful tone. “Let’s see how much trouble we can cause together.”

His hands fell to her hips where one tug pulled her closer. Her bottom scooted across the deck, and a throaty giggle escaped her mouth. She pressed her hands against his chest, eyes widening. “Okay, maybe I’m
not
cut out for scandal.”

He nuzzled against her neck, lips finding the hollow below her jaw. “I could help ruin you,” he growled, hot breath scorching her skin. And oh, she
so
believed it. “Or, of course, there is the alternative.”

“Okay, okay. I’m dating you.” She pointed an index finger at him. “But only to avoid scandal.”

He sank his hands into her hair.

There was an intensity about this man that drove her nuts. She was about to move out of its trajectory, put some space between them, but instead she found herself moving toward his mouth again. He seemed lost somewhere in his scrutiny of her hair and how it slid from her shoulders. But he caught her moving in. All his attention focused on her mouth until it pressed firmly to his. The kiss deepened, her fingers grazing the planes of his cheeks.

She broke the kiss quickly. It wasn’t like her to be the aggressor. It wasn’t like her at all. But something about him made her feel safe, like she
could
take the risk. Like she
had
to take the risk. He made her feel strong. Powerful. And power was a beautiful thing . . . when it wasn’t misused.

“Don’t do that,” he whispered.

“What?” she managed, her own voice sounding foreign.

“Don’t feel embarrassed about kissing me.”

Was she really that easy to read? After all, this wasn’t their first kiss. But this time, she’d surprised herself. “I’m not, I just . . . ”

“Adrienne.” He stood and pulled her up to meet him. “Can I admit something to you?”

“Anything.” Blood surged into her stiff limbs, and she realized how long they’d been sitting on the deck.

“I’m scared.”

She frowned—it seemed so out of place, this admission from this man. Out of place and raw.

“I’m scared of how I’m beginning to feel about you.” His hands slid up and down her arms.

“I won’t hurt you, Will.” That much was true. She’d never hurt anyone intentionally, do to him what Eric had done to her.

“No, I’m not scared for me. I’m scared for you.” He shook his head. “I know it doesn’t make sense but I . . . I want you. Maybe more than I’ve ever wanted anything. The trouble is, I’m a really driven man. And I’m worried I’ll get too selfish and not put your best interest before my own. You’ve gotten under my skin and in my blood.”

Was he actually saying he was afraid he cared about her
too much
? This wasn’t really a bad problem to have, unless . . . No. She stopped that train of thought.

Will read her silence and stepped away. Hands on the deck rail, he stared out at the water.

The light of a torch danced across his features. Adrienne tried to continue to gauge the words. He was actually saying he cared so much for her that his own selfishness could get in the way. If that confession was meant to make her turn and run, it did the opposite. His admission meant a desire to control it. So he had a natural bend toward selfishness. Big deal. He knew it, and better yet, he wanted to change it.

Adrienne stepped to him, fingertips grazing first over his back, then his arms. On her tiptoes, she glanced over his shoulder toward the dark water. Seeing nothing out there, she laid her head against his back and listened to him breathe.

I
’m not too sure about the sushi,” Pops said, looking down at the accumulation of odd and unusual ingredients for the sushi rolls Adrienne was preparing. “But that chicken smells divine.”

“The sushi is just to nibble on. Will said you’d never tried it.”

It was a Tuesday night, and she’d invited Will and Pops over for an Asian-infused gourmet dinner. Sara was back in Winter Garden, though her weekends in Bonita Springs were getting longer and longer.

Pops used a chopstick to lift the edge of a piece of sushi. Adrienne had taken a class at a chef school when she lived in Chicago. Weeknights without Sara seemed dull and boring, so she’d planned the sushi gathering, wanting to try out her culinary skills on someone who would appreciate her effort. The two Bryant men were the perfect victims.

At one time during her marriage, Adrienne had wanted to attend culinary school. Eric had laughed at her. His words still stung.
Culinary school? Why? So you can make gourmet meals for the cat? Please, Adrienne, be serious. The last thing in the world I want is a fry cook as a wife.
If Adrienne were a fry cook, she’d be proud of it. She thought of Leo and what a service he’d offered by feeding families all these years. It was a noble profession. As were so many Eric had always made fun of. How had she ever fallen in love with him?

Pops, still skeptical, used his finger to poke the seaweed. “There’s a reason I’ve never tried it. Doesn’t raw fish carry salmonella?”

“These are California rolls.” She grinned over at him, placing a delicate mound of wasabi by the now completed roll. “No fish,” she added when his quizzical look didn’t change.

“That’s good. Where I come from, raw fish has a different name.”

Wiping her hands on her apron. “What name?”

“We call it bait.”

“Funny, Pops.”

He pointed to the green pyramid. “That’s guacamole?”

“No, wasabi. It’s very hot Japanese horseradish.”

“I thought you’d jumped to a different continent.” Pops really did seem younger than when she’d first met him. Ah, what love could do. Her back patio was lit with torches, and their light flashed now and then into the kitchen window, catching her attention. Soft music floated from the living room, completing the atmosphere. The scent of roasting chicken and fresh rosemary filled the house.

Adrienne checked the contents of the oven, lifting the tinfoil and peeking beneath; then she attacked the refrigerator.

Will stepped behind her. “What are you looking for?”

“Soy sauce.” She rummaged through the doors like a raccoon. “I must be out.”

“I’ll go get some,” Will said, reaching for his car keys. “Want to ride along, Pops?”

The older man shot a glance over to Adrienne, still tucked in the fridge. She was mumbling about mustard, mayo, minced garlic.

“No,” Pops said, “I’ll just stay here.”

Once Will was gone, Pops and Adrienne moved out to the back deck to wait for the chicken to finish cooking.

“Adrienne, I was hoping I’d get a chance to talk to you.” A sailboat moved silently along the horizon and looked like it could drop off the edge of the world if it veered in the wrong direction.

She turned toward him. “What is it, Pops?”

“I’ve never really gotten the chance to thank you for all you’ve done for me.” He added, “For us.”

“I feel like I’m the one who has benefited from all that’s happened.” She leaned toward him. “I gained a wonderful set of friends.”

“Well, we’re all pretty fond of you.” His gaze narrowed. “Especially Will.”

“Pops, can I ask you something?”

He nodded.

“What happened between Will and his parents?”

The older man shrugged and shook his head, sadness entering his blue eyes. “Nothing happened. That’s what’s so frustrating about it. Will is an incredible young man. Will’s parents are wonderful. Somewhere along the way, things just got strained.”

“Would you tell me about them?”

He smiled. “Charles and Peg are ordinary people making an extraordinary difference. You know they’re in Senegal?”

She nodded.

“Well, the area where they work used to have a child mortality rate of seventy percent.”

She straightened. “That’s awful.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “No fresh water. Between that and disease, the children didn’t stand a chance.” He let this sink in before he continued. “They began setting up medical teams first, sending over doctors, nurses, and medical personnel.”

“They sound like amazing people. I hope I get to meet them someday.”

“I’m sure you will.” He thought for a moment. “They were supposed to be coming home in about a month, but won’t be able to. There’s a lot of unrest in the country right now, but . . . ” He rubbed his chin. “I don’t think that’s why they cancelled.”

“Why, then?”

“I don’t know. I just know I’m distressed by it because I thought it would be a great opportunity for Will and Charles to sit down and talk.”

Adrienne reached over and squeezed his hand. “Well, miracles can happen,” she said, trying to lift the older man’s spirits. “How can I learn more about them?”