All Grown Up(13)

I swallowed. “I think I’m ready.”

“You do?”

I nodded. “I better do this before I change my mind. Turn around. I’m standing about twenty feet behind you.” I held my breath as I watched Donovan turn. Even though his head whipped around, it seemed to happen in slow motion.

My eyes locked with his. He was even more gorgeous than I had imagined after seeing his profile. His dark blond hair was tousled in that sexy I don’t give a shit way, but still looked perfect. Strong masculine features—a rugged jaw coated in day-old stubble on sun-kissed skin, a straight, prominent nose, and eyes the color of honey. His deep blue tie was loosened at the collar, and his wide shoulders filled out his dress shirt, pulling slightly over the muscles of his pecs.

Gorgeous. Yet there was something very familiar about him. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Donovan took a few tentative steps toward me. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was as nervous as I was.

The waiter who had been visiting my car interrupted Donovan’s approach, extending a credit card. “Your card, Mr. Donovan.”

Mr. Donovan?

Donovan is his last name, not his first?

Donovan…Donovan? I knew a Donovan.

My eyes widened.

Oh my God.

Everything clicked into place at rocket speed.

His profile said his happy place was Montauk.

He has a sister about five years younger.

Donovan. Ford.

Ford Donovan.

The boy next door at our summer home.

The one who used to keep an eye on Ryan for me years ago. His little sister had played with my son.

Donovan saw the look on my face.

And then I saw the look of recognition hit him.

“Mrs. Davis?”

My hand flew up to cover my mouth. “Achoo!”





Chapter 5




* * *





Valentina



When morning finally rolled around, I thought I’d get an early start on the day. I’d tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Thoughts about Donovan—Ford—kept infiltrating my brain, even though I tried my hardest to forget the entire nightmare had ever happened.

I vacuumed the house, unloaded the dishwasher, and had started sorting through a pile of mail when my cell rang. Eve’s face flashed on the screen.

“Give me all the details.”

I shook my head repeatedly, even though she couldn’t see me. “It was horrible.”

“What happened? What did the bastard do to you? I’ll cut his balls off.”

Eve’s response made me smile for the first time since I’d laid eyes on my date. “No. It wasn’t that kind of horrible. He was a perfect gentleman.”

“Okay…”

“Very sweet and funny, too.”

“Sounds awful,” she said sarcastically.

“And gorgeous.”

“The balls on him.”

“That’s not the worst part.”

“Let’s see…he’s young, gorgeous, sweet, and funny. What could be worse than that? He’s hung like a horse?”

“I wouldn’t know. And you know why I don’t know that?”

“Because you’re an uptight prude who hasn’t been laid in years?”

“That might be true. But the larger problem is that he is one of Ryan’s friends.”

Eve cackled. “That’s not a problem, that’s fantastic! Bang his brains out and send him to play golf with your ex. Let him eat his heart out when he realizes what he lost.”

“Ummm…Eve, I wasn’t talking about my ex, Ryan. I was talking about my son.”

“I’ll be over in twenty minutes.”

***

The minute I opened the door, Eve hurried past me without saying a word, whipped up a batch of mimosas, and downed an entire flute before even attempting to start our conversation.

“So he didn’t recognize you online either?” she said as she refilled her glass.

“There really isn’t a clear picture of my face on the dating site, remember? You loaded the pics. Besides, I haven’t seen him in years. And his name is Ford Donovan. I just assumed Donovan620 meant his first name was Donovan, and I didn’t connect the two…at all.”

“Why haven’t you seen him in so many years? You’re always out in Montauk in the summer. Do they rent out his house or something?”

“No.” I swallowed hard. “His parents were killed in a car accident five or six years ago. A tractor-trailer lost control on the LIE during an ice storm. I didn’t find out about it until quite a while after. But the house has sat unused for years now.”

“Oh God. That’s awful.”

“Yeah. His parents were older than Ryan and me. But most people who have kids my son’s age are older. They were a really happy couple—very much in love. High school sweethearts like us, too. I actually remember watching them on the beach the last summer they spent out in Montauk. Ford’s dad would lie on the blanket with his head on his wife’s lap and sunglasses on, and she would read to him. It was really sweet, and it made me realize just how much Ryan and I had grown apart.”

“What did Ford say when he realized who you were?”