“I should go,” she said. “Jayce needs you.”
“You’re right.” Noah took a step back. “Let me drive you home first.”
“I’ll walk.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“It’s not far. Go talk to your kid.”
Noah looked between her and the stairs for a moment, torn. Then he nodded.
“Thanks for lunch.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
Outside, in the shade of the lanai, Noah took her hand and pulled her gently back from the stairs.
“Wait,” he implored in a soft voice.
She turned to face him, and her heart sped.
“I’m sorry that our first date went off the rails.”
“You did the right thing.”
“Still. It wasn’t what I’d planned.”
“It’s okay. Anyway, it wasn’t exactly our first date.”
He let out a huff of breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. “Our first date this lifetime, at least.”
“You haven’t changed much. You’ve grown up, but you’re still you.”
“And you’re still you.”
Noah leaned in slowly and kissed her, soft and sweet. It was just like their first kiss, so many years ago… and Anne’s body responded the same way it had then. Her reaction rushed ahead without any conscious thought.
She rose up on tiptoe, losing herself in the kiss. One hand rested on his neck; the other was in his hair. A long-forgottenpassion rose up in her chest – and with it, the fear of losing herself to something beyond her control.
Anne broke away and stared up at him in shock.
The familiar smirk on his face made her laugh, breaking the tension.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said, backing away.
His expression turned reluctant, but he let her go. She hurried down the steps and up the driveway. When she glanced back over her shoulder, he was still watching her from the lanai.
After all this time, her feelings were still the same.
Maybe she had finally grown enough to hold them all.
11
Laurie
Laurie awoke to wooden slats above her head and felt a moment’s confusion. It was dark as a cave, with only the faintest morning light coming in through the window. The lush green garden of the Madeira place was so different from the direct sunlight that she was used to.
She slipped out of bed to check on Mia in the top bunk.
