His mouth kicked up, lifting his sexy mustache. “I noticed.”
“Plus, we just moved to a bigger place with a yard. I haven’t had time to fix his room up the way I wanted, so there isn’t any little boy’s wallpaper or anything.”
“Any more secrets you’re keeping?”
“Charlie wasn’t a secret. I just . . . I didn’t see any point in telling you, since there isn’t a chance we’ll be seeing each other after this is over.”
His hazel eyes darkened. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew how much I wanted to kiss you right now.”
Her stomach contracted. “Don’t. Don’t even think it.”
“Why not? It’s the truth. I can’t get you out of my head. I’ve tried, Meg, believe me, but there it is.”
Her cheeks flushed as she glanced away. “We need to go. People are starting to look at us.”
“I’m your bodyguard. I’m supposed to stay close so I can protect you.”
She looked up at him, lifted a dark red eyebrow. “Oh, really? And who’s supposed to protect me from you?”
She heard his soft chuckle as she slipped into the crowd standing around the grave. She felt him moving into position behind her, putting her where he could keep her safe. Meg closed her eyes and reminded herself that a guy like Dirk Reynolds was not the guy for her and Charlie.
If she was interested in settling down—which, after Jonathan, she definitely was not—she would need a nice, stable kind of guy, not a bodyguard/whatever else he did for a living.
She told herself that and tried to keep her gaze from wandering in his direction. Because every time she did, she saw that his eyes were firmly fixed on her.
Chapter Fourteen
The funeral was over. Val lifted the veil and pulled off her wide-brimmed black felt hat, sat back in the car seat next to Ethan, and clicked her belt in place. Dirk was driving, heading the big SUV into the rain that was falling steadily again, building puddles on the street. Meg sat up front beside him.
“You holding up okay?” Ethan asked.
She sighed. “It’s just so sad. None of this feels real.”
“Call your neighbor. See if the barbarian hordes are still parked in front of your house.”
She took a deep breath, pulled her phone back out of her purse, and punched in the older woman’s number. Mrs. Oakley answered on the second ring.
“It’s me, Mrs. O.”
“Valerie, dear, are you all right? I’ve been watching that poor girl’s funeral on the television. Such a terrible tragedy.”
“Yes, it is. Is the news media still out front?”
“They’re gone. I think they went to the funeral, too.”
“I thought they would, but I wanted to be sure.”
Ethan spoke from beside her. “Tell her they’ll be back. Tell her you’ll be by to pick up the clothes you need for the trip, but you won’t be staying there tonight. She needs to start taking care of Snoozie.”
From behind the wheel, Dirk snorted a laugh. “Snoozie.I hope Val doesn’t have a secret kid, too. At least not one named Snoozie. That’d be downright cruel.”
“Snoozie’s my cat,” Val said, fighting a grin.
Meg leaned over and punched Dirk’s arm. “He’s very sweet. He just likes to sleep a lot.”
“She needs a dog,” Dirk said. “They’re always up for a little action.”
Val bit back a laugh. It felt good to smile again after all that had happened. She relayed Ethan’s message to her neighbor. Said, “Thanks, Mrs. O. You’re the best.” She ended the call and turned to Ethan. “If we can’t stay at my house, where are we going tonight?”
