CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
MILLY
There was a gentle tap on the kitchen door, and Milly tensed, expecting it might be Rutherford asking if she had any news about Adele—which she didn’t, and she wouldn’t reveal it even if she did. It was warm and sunny this afternoon but had been raining on and off for two days, so Milly hadn’t seen Adele for her lessons. The children were engrossed in a game of Chutes and Ladders with Leticia in the living room. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Wes,” she whispered, barely able to speak.
He had no reason to be there anymore, no excuse of renting the guest cottage or looking out for his brother. She glanced out to the back alley to see if anyone was walking by.
“What are you doing here?”
“That’s not the greeting I was hoping for,” he said, joking.
“Sorry, I’m just surprised,” she said quietly. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”
His eyes widened. “Ever?”
“Well, no,” she said, stepping out and pulling the door closed behind her. She felt a shocking rush at the sight of him, but this wasn’t the right place for that: There were neighbors, that reporter in her cottage, and her children all within earshot.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I just don’t know where we can talk; I have a new tenant.”
“I have something I want to show you. Can you get away for a little while?”
She popped her head back inside the kitchen and heard the children laughing. “Tu turno, Leti,” she heard Debbie saying in Spanish.“Tu turno.”
“OK,” Milly said, turning back to Wes, “but I can’t be gone too long.”
She went into the living room. “Kids, I have to run to the market and drop something off at the post office.”
“Can I come, Mommy?” Jack said.
“No, sweetheart, stay with Leticia; it’s almost your dinnertime.”
“Not fair,” Jack said, but he was immediately back in the game when Debbie told him it was his turn. Before she returned to the kitchen Milly stopped in the bathroom, smoothed her hair, and pinched her cheeks. She shook her head.This is ridiculous, she thought, slipping on her shoes in the hallway.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“It’s a short walk, maybe fifteen minutes,” he said as they made their way up the alley toward North Bay Front. “Is that all right?”
“It’s fine,” Milly said.
They walked in silence for a brief moment, and their night together flashed through Milly’s mind.
“So,” she said, forcing herself to think about something different, “how’s it been back in L.A.?”
“Good. I had my first exam on Monday. It was eight hours straight. I was exhausted.”
“Eight hours? Good Lord! How did you do?”
He smiled. “I aced it.”
“That’s great, Wes, I’m so happy for you.”
“One down, many, many more to go.”
As they walked, the back of his hand lightly brushed hers and shelooked up at him, catching her breath, as if he’d done something far more explicit.
