He knew it in his heart. She liked what they had right now, liked getting close, but with a definite end date.
Lovewise, in her life, the hits had just kept coming. She didn’t have it in her to give love another chance.
He knew it. Hegotit. And still, he couldn’t stop himself from hoping that somehow the two of them might make love work.
Through the layers of sleep, Van heard her cell ring.
She blinked and opened her eyes to see Jameson smiling down at her. “Sorry. I drifted off.”
“No problem. That’s what weekends are for.” He grabbed her phone off the nightstand and gave it her.
“Thanks.” The display, a little blurry without her glasses, said Mom. She put the phone to her ear. “Hey.”
“Hello, honey. You sound sleepy. Did I wake you?”
“I stretched out just for a minute. Guess I must’ve dropped off.”
“You’re always on the go. You deserve a nap now and then.”
Still canted up on an elbow above her, Jameson gave her a teasing smile.
With a playful nudge, she pushed him back to his own pillow. He settled on his side facing her and shut his eyes—apparently stealing a catnap while she talked to her mom.
Wanda asked about Happy Hearts and how the summer camp was going.
“Really well. We’re on the reptile unit now. Everyone loves the snakes and lizards.”
“Oh, I’m sure they do,” said her mom. “You’re a marvel with those kids.”
“I do have fun with them. Most of them are still at that age where the natural world is fascinating and new. Chemical reactions give them a big thrill, and they get all excited just spotting a lizard sunning on a rock. How’s everything at home?”
“All good.”
“G-G?”
“Amazing as usual.”
“And her new fortune-telling business?”
“Bite your tongue,” Wanda chided. “Your great-grandmother does not tell fortunes. She dispenses wisdom. She claims her connections to the paranormal world are real and based on solid science and that her knowledge of human nature goes much deeper than mere fortune telling.”
Van laughed. “G-G will always defend her pseudoscience to the death.”
“Donotuse the wordpseudosciencein your great-grandmother’s presence.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“And, honey, I was wondering...”
“Hmm?”
“The summer is flying by. I know you’re busy, but we don’t see you enough.”
Guilt took a serious poke at her. She hadn’t seen her mom, Grandma Daisy or G-G since the barbecue on the Fourth. How was that possible? Almost three weeks had slipped by during which she’d spent every spare moment with Jameson.
She needed to get a grip on herself. Half the reason she’d let Daphne talk her into teaching the Young Adventurers for the summer was the opportunity it would give her to spend more time with her family.
Sitting up, Van pulled the sheet with her to cover her breasts as Jameson sat up and poked a thumb back over his shoulder, indicating that he would leave her to her conversation. She gave him a nod. He rolled off the bed and reached for his jeans.
