“Just give us all the juicy details when you get back. We’ll forgive you.”
“Scout’s honor.”
She sighed. “I better get in the shower. Keep me posted on the work end of things please. I’m going to keep pretending you’re not sleeping with the client, though.”
Guilt made me cringe a little. “Is there anything else you need me to be working on while I’m up here?”
“No, don’t worry about it. I have things handled. Take a few days off.”
“You’re the best.” I blew her a noisy kiss. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
I hung up and sat there for a moment, trying to decide if I was tired enough to go back to sleep. But I was wired—I felt like I’d already had six cups of coffee and a bowl of Froot Loops with a sprinkling of cocaine on top. Where was this energy coming from? I couldn’t have gotten more than six hours of sleep, and I usually liked eight. I wondered if Jack was tired or if he felt the same kick I did this morning. Had he slept OK? I remembered how he said he didn’t usually sleep too well. Had being in my bed made it better or worse? He’d seemed happy enough this morning, hadn’t he?
Finally I decided I was too keyed up to lie around thinking about him. I got up, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and figured I’d head over to the farm and help him out today, or at least make the offer.
I had to laugh as I tugged on my boots, still caked with mud from the other day. If anyone would have told me I’d be spending a vacation day doing farm chores a year ago—even a month ago—I’d have said they were crazy.
But everything about me felt different.
Well…almost everything.
I still wore the pearl necklace, of course.
Since it was light out and not too hot, I decided to walk over to the farm. It had stopped raining, but the skies were cloudy and the air was muggy. On my way up the sloped, cottage-lined street toward the highway, I called Ann and was surprised when she answered, since it was still early.
“Oh, hi, Ann. I was just going to leave you a message and tell you that I’ve decided not to go home early.”
“Oh good!” she said. “I’m so glad. You survived the little blackout last night?”
“I certainly did. I lit a candle and had a perfectly enjoyable evening.” Want to hear about my fourgasm?
“Happy to hear it. You enjoy the rest of your stay, and let me know if you need anything.”
“I will. Thank you.”
I crossed the highway right in front of the Valentini house, and saw Georgia come out the front door, coffee cup in her hand.
“Good morning!” she called from the porch with a wave.
“Good morning!” I waved back and headed up the gravel path toward her.
“I saw you crossing the road. What brings you here so early?” She smiled at me over the brim of her mug.
Damn, what should I say? My cheeks warmed before I could formulate a response. “Uh, I thought I’d offer Jack a hand again.” I gestured over my shoulder in the direction of the lake. “Not much of a beach day.”
“Nope.” She looked a little amused. “Jack know you’re coming?”
“No.” I stuck my hands in my jeans pockets. “Truthfully, he might have told me not to bother. Not sure I was that much help the other day.”
She laughed. “Any extra pair of hands is a help. But why don’t you come in for a cup of coffee first? He doesn’t know you’re coming, so he won’t miss you yet, right?”
“Right.” I smiled, even though I was kind of anxious to see him. “OK, thanks. Coffee sounds good.” I followed her into the house and down the hall to the kitchen, where Cooper sat on the floor playing with plastic containers and lids.
I ruffled his curls. “Hey, cutie.”
“Cream and sugar?” Georgia asked, pouring me a cup.
“Yes, please.”
I took a seat at the counter, and she placed a steaming cup of black coffee, a pitcher of cream, and a sugar bowl in front of me. “There you go. Doctor it up.”
I added some white stuff to my coffee until it was a shade of beige I could handle, and took a sip. “Perfect. Thank you.”
Holding her cup in two hands, she leaned on her elbows across from me and smiled like the cat that hasn’t eaten the canary yet, but knows where it lives.
She suspects something.
Again my face warmed, and I tried to hide the blush behind my coffee cup.
“I’m not good at keeping secrets,” she blurted.
“Oh?”
“No, not when I’m this curious.” She set her cup down and straightened up. “Last night when I came home from work, I noticed Jack’s car wasn’t there. Then this morning I saw him driving home. And I’m just wondering where he might have spent the night.” The glint in her eye told me she had a pretty good idea.