Pop grabbed me in a bear hug. “Have fun, Sophie,” he murmured against my hair.
And just like that, happiness bubbled through me. For the first time in years, I was doing something for myself.
I tossed my clothes and toiletries into my bag and stayed to have a cup of tea with Pop and Uncle James before grabbing a cab to Isaac’s restaurant.
Isaac was doing a stocktake in the bar when I arrived. He scowled at the level of a vodka bottle while the rest of his staff set tables for the lunch rush and served the lingering breakfast crowd.
“Do you have a secret drinker working for you?” I asked as a dropped my suitcase on the floor beside the bar.
The scowl erased from his face like magic. “You’re here.” Two steps was all it took for him to close the distance between us. Heedless of the interested audience of employees, he kissed me as if he hadn’t seen me for a month. It was a happy-you’re-here kind of kiss underlined with the familiarity of lovers. I hung on greedily and milked the kiss for all I was worth, but at the back of my mind I realized Isaac had a few insecurities of his own. He hadn’t been sure enough of me to confidently accept I’d return or keep my word. When we pulled apart, I heard, or didn’t hear, the hush in the restaurant.
Then Isaac’s barman spoke. “Just as well you’re having the rest of the day off, boss. It’s so hot in here, I don’t think the air conditioner could keep up.” The tall, skinny man fanned his face.
Isaac laughed easily, and I took his cue. “I missed Sophie. Besides, I’m the boss. I’m allowed. I’ll have my cell phone with me if you need anything.”
The barman nodded and moved along the bar to fill an order.
“Come on, Sophie.” Isaac tucked his arm around my waist and picked up my case with his other hand. I smiled wryly. I wasn’t going to get free anytime soon, given the grip he had on my arm, but I was fine with that. “I liked you better in the T-shirt and shorts I lent you to wear back to your holiday apartment this morning,” he said when we headed for his car. He swung my suitcase into the back.
“You wouldn’t have been so impressed when the makeshift belt gave way and your shorts ended up around my knees. The cabbie thought it was hysterical.”
Isaac smirked. “Bet you moved fast.”
“You could say that.”
“Would you like to go swimming?”
I nodded. Any time spent with Isaac was a jewel to treasure. “Sounds great. Are we stopping at your apartment first?”
“I thought we’d drop off your gear.”
That day set the tone for the rest of my holiday. Lots of laughter, a little quiet time while Isaac took care of business and some great sex. Stupendous sex. Sex so hot that I thought I’d combust from the inside out. The only problem was that the day of departure was looming fast, and I didn’t want to go home.
