Claire reached up and ruffled her son’s hair. “That’s because he wouldn’t stand a chance against Peaches.”
Beyond them, Claire could hear the scrunch of gravel asa car spun too quickly into the driveway. Johnny’s attention immediately lagged.
“Go on,” she said with another pat to his arm. “Justdon’t forget that you have chauffeur duty for your sister thisafternoon.”
Johnny gave her one last quick kiss and straightened.
“I love you, baby,” she said, as she always did.
Johnny grinned. “Me too, Mom. See ya.”
The Beretta might not have been hot, but it was red witha Guns ’N Roses bumper sticker on the back. Claire was notencouraged. Even so, she waved as if she trusted Pat implicitly and did her best to finish her gardening before the first guest showed up for lunch.
“He’s quite an artist.”
Claire wasn’t sure whether the statement or the voicestartled her more. Even so, she found herself forgetting her impatiens all over again as she saw that Tony Riordan hadtaken Johnny’s place.
She looked up, a hand raised to shield her eyes from thesun. Her chest tightened all over again. She felt the oddestlittle flutters in her stomach, little ripples of something thatbore a resemblance to excitement. Considering what she andTony had said to each other the last time they’d talked,Claire thought that was highly inappropriate. Even so, shefound herself pushing her hair back into some order when he smiled.
“Good morning,” she greeted him, as if she did it everyday. She was glad to see him. She hadn’t expected that.
“I didn’t realize that the sketches in the inn were Johnny’s,” he said, hunkering down before her. “He’s reallygood.”
He was back in a T-shirt and jeans, looking far too restedfor having spent the night up with her. Claire noticed theglisten of perspiration on his forehead, saw it on his throatwhere that old chain glinted in the sunlight. She found herself wondering what it looked like on his chest and pulledher gaze away, suddenly unsettled. Uncertain. It seemed thatit wasn’t only young males who were susceptible to hormones this fine summer morning.
“I’m really proud of Johnny,” she said, sinking hertrowel into the soft earth. “For a while, he talked about itas a career.”
“Art?”
She nodded, picked a variegated plant from the box andsettled it into place. “That was until he heard about vanGogh. Johnny is not the type to starve for anything.”
“Now he wants to fly?”
Claire stopped. Straightened. Kept her attention solidlyon her flowers. “Next week it will be law school or theater.”
“Probably.”
But Claire heard the hesitation. She knew what TonyRiordan thought.
She didn’t care. She couldn’t think about it. She’d meantwhat she’d said. She hadn’t suffered these years just to lose him like that for a whim.
Besides, it was a bright summer morning, and a handsome man was sharing the sun with her. Not just a handsome man. Tony Riordan, who could make her smile evenwhen she didn’t want to. She wanted to smile now. Shewanted to see him smile, so she could save his smiles up forthe hours when there was no sun and no warmth and no smiles of her own.
“What can I do for you this fine morning, Mr. Riordan?”she asked in a too-bright voice as she patted the dark,rich earth around her plant with just a little too much enthusiasm.
“Go to the Eastern Shore with me.”
Claire looked up, surprised. Even more surprised whenshe realized that Tony Riordan was just as shocked as she was. Claire couldn’t help it. Even as she battled the sharp pull of ambivalence, the look on his face made her laugh.
“Oh God,” she retorted, head back, hands in her lap, notnearly as composed as she sounded. “Is that a proposition?”
Tony actually looked bemused. “I don’t know,” he admitted, his eyes dancing and those dimples appearing. “It’sbeen so long since I’ve made one.”
Claire felt more like laughing by the minute. “I think it’sbeen even longer since I’ve heard one. I’m not sure anymore. Is it politically correct for me to take off with you or slap you until your eyes water?”
For that she got a companionable chuckle. “My opinion probably wouldn’t count for much. I hate to have my eyeswater.”
She nodded and attacked a new section of the tilted earth.“And I don’t have time to take off with you.” She sighed,only half joking. “So I guess it wouldn’t do me much good to get propositioned after all.”
