All Grown Up(31)

“Change of plans.” His eyes darted between Mark and me. “Something came up.”

I nodded.

While I felt the tension emanating from Ford, at least Mark seemed oblivious. “Nice to meet you,” he said.

My eyes caught with Ford’s as I started up the stairs. “Have a good night.”

The antsiness I’d felt outside continued when Mark and I escaped into the house. I gave him the grand tour in record speed, showing him the inside, followed by the back deck. The moon lit the beach enough to see the ocean in the dark, and the sound of waves crashing came with a gentle breeze. He marveled over the view. It would’ve been a magnificent night to sit here, but I was too frazzled. I didn’t even do the polite thing and offer him a drink or a cup of coffee.

Taking the not-so-subtle hint, Mark said goodbye ten minutes later. I walked him to the front door, curious to see if my neighbor was still around, but Ford had disappeared.

I should have been relieved that he wasn’t hovering around anymore. But instead, his absence filled me with an overwhelming anxiety that I didn’t quite know what to do with.

***

A good, long soak in the tub with a glass of wine helped take the edge off. Though, even after that, I still felt out of sorts and not ready for bed, so I headed down to the kitchen for a refill. I poured wine and stood staring outside the kitchen window that faced Ford and Bella’s house. The lights were on, and only Ford’s car was home. I knew Bella had to work tonight, so she probably wouldn’t be home for a few hours. Maybe I should go over and clear the air?

I wasn’t dressed, and I had no idea what the hell I’d say. There wasn’t anything to discuss—because there wasn’t anything between us. So instead, I sipped my wine and stared blankly out at the night.

A set of headlights turning into the driveway next to mine brought me back from deep thought. Bella must’ve gotten off early from the restaurant. I was glad I hadn’t gone over there now. But after the car parked, I leaned closer to the window and noticed it wasn’t Bella’s car.

And the woman wearing a dress short enough to show her ass if she bent even slightly was certainly not Ford’s sister. My emotions, which had been in turmoil for the last hour, suddenly had no conflict. The burn of jealousy rose from deep within me and heated my cheeks.

I watched the woman teeter in her stilettos and walk toward the house. When she reached the stairs, the automatic security lights flashed on, and the face I hadn’t been able to see in the dark became clear.

Of course she was gorgeous.

And had a killer body.

Miles and miles of legs.

Boobs that hadn’t become acquainted with gravity yet, too.

Young.

So, so young.

She had a bottle of wine in one hand, and an overnight bag in the other.

I felt sick. Yet like watching a bad car accident, I couldn’t look away. As she got to the top of the stairs, Ford opened the door. He must have been waiting for her.

Anxious.

I looked away when he took her in his arms for an embrace. It shouldn’t have hurt so much. But that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

***

I’d just drifted off to sleep when I heard a noise. Sitting up in a fog, I wasn’t sure where it had come from, only that it had woken me. I waited to see if I heard it again, because I wasn’t positive I hadn’t imagined it.

But then I heard the noise again. It was coming from downstairs and sounded like it might be the garbage cans rolling around in the breeze. Slipping from bed, I peered out my second-floor window. Our road had no streetlights, and it was too dark to see anything without the exterior house lights. So I went downstairs to turn on the porch light and take a better look.

At the bottom of the stairs, I saw the silhouette of a person standing outside my front door. It was late, and I knew Ford had company, so it likely wouldn’t be him. Maybe Mark had come back? That didn’t seem probable since he’d left more than an hour ago and would be halfway home by now.

My heart sped up as I moved closer to the door. “Who is it?”

“It’s Ford.”

That did nothing to slow my rapid pulse.

I opened the door. “Is everything okay?”

“No. Can I come in?”





Chapter 11




* * *





Ford



“How was your date?” I stared out her back sliding glass doors, looking out at the darkness. Valentina stood somewhere behind me.

“It wasn’t a date.”

I turned and caught her eyes. “Sure looked like one.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter what it looked like. It wasn’t. Mark is a friend from school. We belonged to a study group together.”

I took a few steps toward her. “Yeah. I remember you telling me about him…the night he asked you out on a date.”

She squared her shoulders. “How was your date?”

My brows drew down. Date? Then it dawned on me that she must’ve seen Nina come in—my cousin Nina, who came for the weekend to hang out with Bella. I wondered if she was feeling as jealous as I was—so I went with it and let her think what she’d obviously been thinking.

“Great, just great.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets and shrugged. “Nina—great girl.”