Right Where We Belong (Silver Springs #4)(48)

“Come on in. Dinner’s almost ready,” Branson told him. Then he squealed and began to laugh as Gavin came around the corner carrying him by his ankles.

Savanna’s breath caught in her throat as she met Gavin’s eyes. She’d been worried that seeing him might be awkward—part of the reason she’d taken a moment to collect herself while Branson got the door. What they’d shared had been so intimate, yet they didn’t know each other that well.

She shouldn’t have worried, she told herself. Gavin could make anyone feel comfortable.

He smiled as he put down her son. “Thanks for the invite.”

The new bra and panty set she was wearing seemed to be burning her skin. “I’m glad you could come.”

The way his gaze swept over her made her wonder if he was thinking about last night, too. If so, he didn’t give any other indication. He gestured at the table. “What can I do to help?”

She pointed to a pitcher of lemonade. “If you could pour us all a drink, I’ll ladle out the stew.”

“You got it.”

As he slipped past her, she was tempted to lean toward him. She craved contact.

Fortunately, Branson had stayed to tell Gavin about the black widow he’d found in the old woodpile, so that kept her from acting on the impulse.

Gavin told him he had to be careful around woodpiles, that snakes liked them, too. Then Alia called out to tell Branson that his favorite cartoon was coming on, and Branson hurried back to the living room. Savanna thought maybe Gavin would touch her—if only briefly on the elbow—or show some other sign of the familiarity they’d enjoyed, but he didn’t. Although he was kind and polite, he seemed afraid to get too close to her.

“Is everything okay?” She eyed him curiously after she put the last bowl on the table.

“Fine.” He spoke as if he was surprised by the question, but he avoided her gaze, suggesting there was something wrong, so she lowered her voice.

“You don’t regret last night, do you?”

He scowled as he looked up at her. “Of course not. I loved last night.”

“So did I,” she admitted, but there was still something wrong. She could feel it.

She didn’t get the chance to press him. She wasn’t sure she would have, even if she’d had the chance. They’d agreed that last night would be what it was. She didn’t have the right to expect anything. So, doing her best to maintain a smile, she served dinner.

Fortunately, the kids were excited about a snail they’d put in an old aquarium they’d found in the barn, so they kept up the conversation by talking about that. Savanna could feel Gavin’s eyes on her occasionally, but whenever she looked back at him, he’d glance away. And as soon as they were finished with dinner, he said he was exhausted and heading home to bed.

Savanna couldn’t blame him for being tired. They’d been up for much of the night. She was tired, too. But it was a good kind of tired, one that came with a sense of satisfaction. She hoped last night wouldn’t prove to be the isolated encounter she’d insisted on, but Gavin was acting so remote she doubted anything would happen between them this evening.

What was he thinking?

She toyed with the idea of asking but lost her nerve. Last night, even before he touched her, she’d been sure of where she stood with him. Tonight...she was confused. Sometimes she thought she detected a hint of desire—especially when he’d first arrived. But if she searched his face to try to determine what he was feeling, he shuttered his eyes and feigned interest in the mundane.

“I’m sorry if you had a hard day,” she said as she walked him out. The kids wanted to join them. They stuck to Gavin like glue. But she promised them another cookie if they’d go inside and let her have a few minutes to talk to their neighbor alone.

“I didn’t have a hard day,” he said. “Well, I did. But not for the reason you might think.”

“You weren’t too tired?”

“I didn’t mind that.”

“So...what happened?”

She got the impression he had something important to say, but then her phone went off. It was Detective Sullivan. He’d told her he’d check in one final time to be sure she was ready for Gordon’s call, should it come tomorrow. He wanted to coach her on a few things—like how to get Gordon to say something he wouldn’t have had any way of knowing unless he was involved in Emma Ventnor’s disappearance.

She frowned as she stared down at caller ID, but she didn’t hit the talk button. If she was going to do as Sullivan asked—purposely try to get Gordon to talk about the missing sixteen-year-old—she could wait to call him until after Gavin went home.

“Your mother-in-law again?” Gavin asked.

“Not this time,” she said as she silenced the ringtone.

“I thought you only looked that troubled when she called.” He offered her a smile she could tell was specifically engineered to cheer her up.

“It’s the detective who searched my house in Nephi,” she explained with a grimace.

“They need you to come back and testify?”

“When he called this morning, that was my guess, too. But this is about something else.”

Concern registered on his face. “Don’t tell me he thinks you know something you’re not saying...”