I need a break from the constant tension that simmers between us. I can’t look at him without remembering the warmth of his breath on my skin, or the scratch of his stubble against my cheek when we kissed.
“Okay, I’ll see you in a couple days. I love you, be good for Nana.” I ruffle the hair on top of Charlie’s head, earning a groan.
“Mo-oom, stop.”
I give him an unrepentant grin. “Nope. I’m your mother. I’m gonna mess up your hair, tell you I love you, and remind you to be good for the rest of your life.”
“Great,” he mutters under his breath, but there’s the tiniest of smiles on his face. “Love you, too.” He drapes his one-half arm over my shoulders, turning his stump into my neck to “tickle” me the way he has since he was little.
“Bye, kid.”
My mom pulls on a coat and walks me out to my car, which is already loaded with my suitcase and a briefcase with some work for me to do in the evenings.
“Try to have some fun while you’re away. Go to the spa or out for dinner. Enjoy the break.”
I nod along, even though she’s said all of this before, and ignored my explanation of why that won’t be happening.
“I know you, Isla Marie Forrester. You think you can’t take the time, or spend the money, or whatever holds you back from doing something for yourself. But you can. You deserve to take some time for you.”
I stop at my door and exhale slowly. “I’ll try, Mom. But I have a lot of work to do in the evenings as well. I’m starting to look for other companies I might be able to get a job at once my contract with the Thunder is over.”
She makes aharrumphsound that makes it clear how she feels about my plans. “You’re not even thirty years old, Isla. Gorgeous, smart, kind, and single. Would it kill you to go and have some fun? You still have six months left on your contract. Plenty of time to find something else. But you only get so many opportunities to have a weekend by yourself in the city. Let loose a little!”
I bark out an incredulous laugh. “Are you suggesting I hook up with someone this weekend?”
Mom arches a brow at me. “So what if I am? Being a single mother doesn’t mean you have to give up your dating life, you know. At this rate, your son will have a better social life than you do.”
“Trust me, I’m all too aware of the social lives of teenagers,” I reply wryly. “And I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure my son doesn’t follow in his sperm donor’s footsteps.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to be celibate to set an example.”
My head falls forward. “Mom. Can you please dropit? I just want to go to the conference and enjoy a couple of nights in a hotel ordering room service and taking long baths. I’m not an old maid, there’s plenty of time for me to start dating again in a few years.”
Mom shakes her head sadly, but doesn’t say anything more, just pulls me in to a hug. “Fine. Go. We’ll be okay here.”
“Thanks.” I slide into my car, giving her a wave as I pull out of the driveway. I know I’m incredibly lucky to have parents like mine. When I told them I was pregnant at seventeen, they handled it the best they could. Their love and support of me and Charlie has never wavered. But in recent years, more specifically since Dad died, Mom’s mission to get me to start dating has become more and more intense. She refuses to accept the fact that I haven’t met anyone worth spending time with, time that could be spent with my son or working to provide a good life for us.
Well, I hadn’t. Until I stumbled into a gorgeous man at a coffee shop, only to walk into a job interview and find him sitting across from me.
For the drive to the ferry terminal and the crossing to the mainland, I put on an audiobook and escape into the fictional world from one of my favourite authors, Starla Barrows. It’s a perfect break from reality until the middle of the ferry crossing when it hits the first spicy scene. Suddenly, the interior of my car starts to feel warm, and I debate cracking a window. But that would mean anyone who might walk past could hear the deep tones of the male narrator explaining exactly what he wants to do to the female main character. I’m no prude and have noqualms letting it be known I read romance, but having strangers overhear the very sexy scene playing right now feels a bit uncomfortable.
Instead, I switch the audio to my headphones, put them on, and recline my car seat, settling in.
But then my eyes close, and I suddenly start picturing Luca in the role of the hero, and me as the heroine. Luca’s hands are removing my clothing, piece by piece. Luca’s voice is muttering what a good girl I am, how perfect my body feels under his touch. Luca’s heated skin is rubbing against mine.
My eyes fly open on a gasp. Nope. Okay, no romance audiobooks right now. I press pause and pull off my headphones. Maybe Mom was right and I really do need to find a way to start dating again. If for no other reason than to get my boss off my mind and out of my fantasies.
Except, trying to picture being with anyone other than Luca, doesn’t make me feel warm inside. It leaves me feeling cold and uninterested.
Which is a problem.
When I reach the hotel where the conference is being held, I check in and get a key to my room before making my way to the registration desk.
“Hello, I’m Isla Forrester.” I give the smiling lady at registration my name, and she scans the list in front of her.
“Perfect, here’s your welcome package and name tag. Tonight’s welcome reception takes place immediatelyfollowing the keynote speech, and drink tickets for the event are in the envelope. And just so you know, we had a last-minute change in our keynote speaker.” The woman’s eyes light up. “It’s very exciting, however. We were able to get the developer of GaitSync, which revolutionized leg prostheses, to agree to speak. Apparently, he’s very reclusive and this is his first time speaking publicly.”
I nod along with her rambling. Leg prostheses aren’t exactly something I keep up to date on, so I could always skip the speech and take a bubble bath instead.
