“The dorms are filling up, it sounds like.”
Ross didn’t need to hear how she was attracted to Josh or that she’d already seen the man in his boxers, with sleepy eyes, bedhead, and a naked chest. Riley blushed. She’d gotten all excited, and her mind had drifted to other things she wouldn’t dare say out loud.
“Don’t change the subject,” Ross said. “Look, it’s nice that you’re taking time off. But be careful not to fall for someone when you know that long-distance relationships never work.”
My brother, ever the realist.She laughed. “Says the relationship guru who can’t seem to hold down a girlfriend.”
“Call me tonight. I got to go.” He didn’t give her a chance to say another word.
That was probably a good thing. They would only get into an argument about relationships. He would tell her he needed to approve of the man she married. In turn, Riley would say the same thing about the woman he settled down with.
Josh was waiting for her with a grin the size of California when Riley climbed the porch steps to the back of the inn.
She lowered her gaze and tucked hair behind her ear.
“I love when you blush,” he said. “It’s so darn cute.”
Hmm. Cute.When Riley thought of cute, she thought of Liza’s cat, a pixie, or a puppy. She had a barb or two on her tongue but decided that a compliment was a compliment no matter the semantics. After all, cute by definition did mean attractive, gorgeous, and pretty.
Instead of shouting out any reply, she went up to him, rose on her tiptoes, and whispered in his right ear. “Thank you.” His manly scent created waves of goose bumps up and down her arms.
He visibly quivered.
Riley edged back and found hunger—strong, raw, and powerful—living deep in his green eyes. He blinked once, shook his head, then sighed. Strands of his hair fell forward.
In that moment, images of them entwined in each other’s arms played like a Nicholas Sparks movie in Riley’s mind.
He raked his gaze over her, slowly and tentatively. It felt as if he were dragging his fingertips over her skin ever so lightly.
Something was happening between them, and whether it was lust or a strong like for one another, Riley could see them walking down the aisle in a church with their friends and family around them.
Stop analyzing your life and future,she shouted in her head.You just met him.
That might have been true, but Riley felt as if she’d known Josh for a long time. Maybe because Liza had talked about him in many of the conversations they’d had.
But Riley was getting ahead of herself, and she shouldn’t since she was only in California for a few days. Ross was right. Long-distance relationships didn’t work. She’d seen it firsthand with her mom. After Mom’s bitter divorce, she’d met a guy who lived in St. Louis. They had dated for six months before they’d called it quits. She hadn’t wanted to leave Boston, and he’d had kids in St. Louis. They’d parted ways on good terms, although she’d pined for him for months afterward.
Riley wasn’t tied to Boston, but she couldn’t imagine leaving her brother or her mom and not seeing them for months or only on holidays.
If you don’t find Liza, then you might be here longer, which would be a good thing for you and Josh.
Excitement bubbled to the surface at the idea of Josh and her, but fear pushed it down. No matter how attracted Josh and she were to one another, they couldn’t pursue a relationship of any kind until they found Liza.
“Are you ready to do some detective work?” Riley asked.
Voices trickled out of the restaurant.
One side of Josh’s mouth turned upward. “Let’s head into the city. We should talk to Taylor again and see if she’s heard from Liza. Then we can swing by her apartment one more time.”
Riley didn’t care what they did as long as they were doing something to find Liza. “I know it hasn’t been twenty-four hours, but in a matter of hours, it will be.” Her tone was higher than normal just in case he wasn’t getting all that by reading her lips. “So let’s try filing a missing person report anyway. Oh, and if Grayson heard arguing, then maybe some of the other residents saw something or heard something. We should go door to door.”
He lifted a muscled shoulder that was covered in a dark-blue T-shirt with the words “Honor, Courage, Bravery” and a Navy SEAL insignia on the front. “Sounds good. Have you tried calling Liza again?”
Riley had dialed Liza’s number repeatedly on their way out of the city, and the line had gone to voice mail each time. Frustration was becoming madness the more time passed.
“I’ll try calling her again in the car,” Riley said. “Is your dad going to be okay?” She didn’t want Josh leaving if his dad needed him. She knew ALS was a terrible disease. The dad of one of her clients had ALS, and the bride had wanted to get married before her dad lost his ability to walk.
Josh held out his hand. “Yes.”
When Riley’s palm met his, all tension, fear, despair, and panic faded, at least for the moment.
