“It’s got to be a tough habit to break. You were so close.” She spread her arms out wide and lifted her face to the sky, soaking up the last of the afternoon glow, oblivious to the chill creeping over the harbor. “I love this time of the day just before the sun goes down. The way it plays over the water, touching everything with its warmth. A bit like the relationship that you and April had.”
“We’re adults now, Gigi. Not children. Those kind of analogies won’t work anymore.” The emptiness in his heart rang heavy in his words. Theirs had always been a warm and loving friendship before anything else. “Besides, you’re conveniently forgetting how fast the temperatures dropping right now. Maybe that would be a better analogy.”
“Rubbish. But some things never change, honey, and the one person in the world that made you feel whole is right here. I think you should take stock of your true feelings before you push her away because your pride got a little dented, don’t you think?”
“I haven’t pushed her away, yet. You’re forgetting, she’s the one who ran, not me.”
“I forget nothing, Drew. And you shouldn’t do anything to her until you know the true story. It’s not like you’ve been a virgin in the time she’s been gone. I know what young men get up to, and with all the eligible females that found their way to your door to help you study, I doubt you lacked a suitable companion for long. Even now there’s always someone calling for you.”
He held up his hand, not willing to discuss his sex life with his aunt. “Do not go there, Gigi. I have no intention of discussing sex with you.”
“For a doctor, you’re also a bit of a prude, aren’t you?” She flicked back her wavy silver hair, a dangerous twinkle in her eyes. This had the capacity to go very wrong.
“Only when it comes to discussing my sex life with my single aunt.”
“What has me being single got to do with it?” She crossed her arms in a pretend huff. “I’ll have you know that I’ve never lacked for male companionship. Even stuck on this little island, I’ve had a very satisfying sex life.”
Drew shuddered. “Stop it! I don’t want to hear it.” He jammed his fingers in his ears as she started to count off the affairs she’d had. He looked away, scared he would recognize some of the names of her previous lovers by the movement of her lips. There were some things that should remain sacred even if he knew the man that rocked her world these last few years. He’d never be able to look them in the eye the same way again.
Drew felt a tap on his shoulder. Gigi opened her arms to him and just like he had when he was a little boy, he stepped into them. The familiar smell of old fashioned rose water she used soothed him as much as it did when he lost his mother. Her grip was just as firm now as it was then. His tough protector and the person who always had his best interests at heart. But this time she had it wrong. He wasn’t brave enough to tell her April had moved on and the sparks were no longer there between them because she wouldn’t believe him. Did he believe himself? Drew didn’t know.
Chapter 3
“April, Agnes tells me you’re looking for a place to rent.” Atticus Hope’s whiskey smooth southern drawl came over the phone surprising her. She hadn’t expected to hear from him, at least not quite so soon, and his voice almost brought her to tears. How many times had he picked her up, scraped her off, and set her back on the right track? She’d lost count many years ago.
“Mr. Hope. It’s good to hear your voice after all these years. How are you?” She sat down on the window seat of her room on the second story of Matt’s B&B and looked out over Hope Harbor.
“It’s Atticus, April. None of this mister stuff now you’re all grown up and a momma yourself. You’re home and looking for a furnished rental, according to my daughter.”
Word gets around fast in Hope Harbor, always had. It was nice in a way to find nothing had changed. “Um, yes. Yes, I am. We don’t have much in the way of household goods anymore. At least, nothing worth bringing with us so furnished is the way to go.” A hollow ache settled in the pit of her stomach and she pushed it out of her mind.
“Go and see Jeff at the real estate office down by the boatshed. I know he has a couple of places there that might suit your little family. Tell him I sent you.”
“Um, sure. I will and thanks.” Hearing his voice made her all the more homesick for the years she’d been gone. April blinked to clear away the tears that had sprung up.
“Anytime, darlin’. Now, when are you going to bring those little ones of yours over to visit me and Gigi? Can’t believe you’re all grown up and a momma now.”
“I guess soon as I can get myself sorted out. I’ll bring them over one day after school, if that’s okay?” Easier than taking them when Drew was home. She’d be seeing more than enough of him at work every day, and she needed to keep her family life away from him for now. At least until she’d come to terms with what she’d done, and April had already convinced herself that the only way a relationship between them would work was if they kept it purely professional. Blurring the lines would only end badly no matter how
