“Are you going for a coffee?” Poppy asks me.
I point to a pile of assignments and shake my head. “I need to get these signed off before school starts again.”
It’s over an hour later when my phone chimes. I glance up and wait. Finally, the door opens as Amara returns alone.
“Hi,” she says as she climbs in beside me.
“Did you learn anything today?”
“Only that I can’t dance to save my life, so Juilliard is out of the question for me.”
“Good. I don’t want you to leave me, too.”
Our eyes connect as the sun streams through the side window, hitting her face.
I reach over and snap down the black visor.
“Better?”
She nods, settling her back against the passenger seat. My hand falls to her thigh, thumb tracing small circles on her skin.
Her hand slaps over mine. She looks pained as she stares at me. “We can’t do this anymore.”
“Why? What changed, Amara?”
She sighs. “Everything...”
I can see she’s in turmoil, probably something to do with wanting her passport. But why?
“I told you. I’m being blackmailed. And if you’re on one of thosevideos...”
“Maybe we could all move to New York.” I turn my hand over and take hers, squeezing. “You said you wanted to get away from here.”
She gasps. “You’d take me with you?”
“I know I’m too old for you, Amara, and I know all your fears because of Dom. I love the man. He was so good to me when my wife died, but I have to move on.” I close my eyes and turn to her, opening them and saying, “And I want to move on with you. If you want me.”
“As a couple. Not as...”
“As a couple,” I interrupt her. “Me and you. We could visit New York, get Poppy settled in and then travel around the US.”
“You’d do that?” she sobs.
I pull her into my arms as tears spill down her cheeks. Her body trembles against mine, and my heart clenches. Something’s wrong. The way she curls into me, like she’s trying to disappear.
“What’s going on, sweetheart?”
She shakes her head against my chest. “Apart from being blackmailed.”
“Forget about being blackmailed. I’ll take you away from here.” I click my fingers. “It’s gone. There’s nothing to worry about.”
She shakes her head. “I only have six days left to give the information to my blackmailer.”
“Six days.”
She’s shaking as she nods. I stroke her hair, breathing in her coconut shampoo. “And I’ve done something stupid.”
“Whatever it is, we can fix it.”
